Encinitas Rotary’s friendship with Ugandan humanitarian blossoms into $280,000 global empowerment project

A friendship that began with a guest speaker at the Rotary Club of Encinitas has blossomed into a life-changing international partnership—transforming hundreds of lives in post-war Uganda, according to a news release.

In 2018, Jolly Grace Okot, a former child abductee turned humanitarian, peace activist, and Nobel Peace Prize nominee, spoke at the Encinitas Rotary Club during her visit to Southern California. Jolly shared her powerful story of survival and her work empowering women through her organization, WEND Africa (Women’s Empowerment Network Design). Her message of resilience and hope deeply moved the club—planting the first seed of what would become a remarkable global collaboration.

From one sewing machine to a global grant

When WEND Africa reached out in 2020, during the global pandemic shutdown, asking for help to buy a single industrial sewing machine, Encinitas Rotary responded by sending two, sparking an enduring relationship.

By 2024/2025, the partnership had grown into an $82,000 Rotary Global Grant, “Women’s Economic Empowerment Through Vocational Skilling,” led jointly by the Rotary Club of Encinitas (District 5340) and the Rotary Club of Gulu City (District 9213, Uganda).

The project equipped WEND Africa’s training center in Gulu with industrial sewing, embroidery, and leather-working machines; plus 30 non-electric training sewing machines, solar-powered energy systems; and resources to deliver a full year of free vocational training in tailoring, business, and life skills.

The response was immediate and overwhelming: over 300 women applied for just 30 training spots—a powerful reflection of how deeply the community yearned for opportunity, the news release stated.

A ripple that reached the World Bank

The program’s impact was so inspiring that in 2025 the World Bank awarded a $200,000 grant to construct a new WEND Africa training and production facility—doubling capacity and providing a permanent home for the machines and training programs Rotary helped launch.

“Rotary believed in us when our dream was still small,” said Jolly, founder and executive director of WEND Africa, in the news release. “Now, thanks to this partnership, hundreds of women who once felt forgotten are becoming skilled, confident, and independent. Together, we are rebuilding lives and communities.”

“We saw Jolly’s courage firsthand,” said Robert Blumberg, International Project chair of the Encinitas Rotary Club. “Jolly only asks for a Hand Up, not a Hand Out. To watch her vision grow from one sewing machine to a world-recognized empowerment center is Rotary at its best—friendship leading to sustainable change.”

A model for lasting impact

WEND Africa employs, trains, and supports women who survived abduction during the Lord’s Resistance Army conflict. Graduates move into paid apprenticeships or launch small enterprises, producing clothing, handbags, and leather goods sold locally and internationally. Other garment manufacturers in the Gulu area are also anxiously awaiting graduates of the project.

The initiative is designed for sustainability—sales from WEND’s products support future training cohorts and machine maintenance, while independent audits and ongoing Rotary oversight ensure transparency and measurable outcomes, according to the news release.

About WEND Africa

Founded by Jolly Grace Okot, a humanitarian and former country director for Invisible Children Uganda, WEND Africa (Women’s Empowerment Network Design) provides employment, education, and empowerment to women affected by war in Northern Uganda. Learn more: www.wendafrica.org