Juliette’s smile lights up an entire refugee settlement! What’s remarkable about 23 year-old Juliette is how genuine her sheer joy is. She grew up in Bukavu in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), but as the war there raged on, she fled to Uganda. 

Life as a refugee – and as a young woman – is challenging in Uganda. Juliette’s education was completely interrupted when she fled the DRC, and she found herself struggling to adapt to her new English-speaking environment. Juliette had never been expected to speak or understand English before arriving in Uganda. She lacked self-confidence and found it difficult to talk to people. 

In 2019, that changed when she joined a pilot training program run by Together Women Rise grantee MindLeaps. 

MindLeaps was looking for athletic youth who wanted to learn the dance curriculum and methodology. The goal was to employ young women to build a longstanding program that would improve social-emotional learning skills of refugee and Ugandan children. 

“I saw changes in myself,” Juliette said, reflecting on the 100+ hours she spent in MindLeaps’ Train the Trainer program. “I started finding it easier to speak to others. Since the MindLeaps program integrates language skills, I gained confidence shouting out words in English and catching instructions given in English. There were other young women in the training program, and we thought this kind of thing could lift up girls in our new community.” 

Juliette was chosen to become a MindLeaps trainer and thrived in her role. She was a critical team member, helping establish a solid program serving 300 children annually as a part of the Ugandan Team. In 2022, Juliette shocked the staff by telling them she was leaving MindLeaps – to return to school! Late last year, Juliette graduated from high school in Uganda. She is now a proud graduate and back on the MindLeaps team, busy teaching young girls again.