FONT has worked with refugees to implement a small handicraft business. It grew into a women’s center that provides support while acting as a cultural preservation center. From the beginning, FONT believes it is important to provide emotional support for fellow women and connect them to meaningful work that would empower them.

Sherie Eco-Women's Centre

Frontier for Now and Tomorrow (FONT) is a women-led non-profit organization in Pader, Uganda. The function of FONT is based on non-political, non-denominational, and non-sectarian principles. It was formed in 2013 to restore, support, and bring hope to marginalized, war-torn communities and help them re-establish their community and aspire for a better future.

For the past two decades, the Northern Circuit of Uganda has been affected by the war waged by the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA). Additionally, the region was crippled by factors including extreme poverty, lack of education, the spread of HIV/AIDS, lack of access to safe water, rapidly deteriorating ecosystems, and infringement of human rights, making the region inhospitable to locals and tourists alike. 

To address these needs, FONT’s priority is to invest in people, regardless of religion, sex, or race, and implement projects that provide centralized access to income generation, education, health services, clean water, and environmental protection. FONT envisions an empowered, self-sufficient, and secure community that identifies and delivers sustainable solutions to the complex issues facing impoverished people.

In anticipation of tourism’s return to the community, FONT wishes to provide computer and language courses so women can participate in what was to become a booming tourist economy. By selling handicrafts made by women across the region and providing tourists with the opportunity to learn about traditional costumes, weaving, and cooking, FONT will contribute to its communities' sustainable and inclusive development.

FONT has launched a new project, the Sherie Eco-Women's Center, which will open a café that will provide traditional lunch, coffee, and snacks while offering travelers the opportunity to learn about how the community is using agriculture to preserve the environment.

The project addresses the urgency of raising awareness about sustainable tourism in a region that is quickly developing as a travel destination. Local women will benefit from being included in the tourism industry by being guides and hospitality stewards. This will help educate visitors, and create preservation advocates of the local landscapes by both locals and global visitors.

Part of the tours offered will provide education about sustainable agricultural practices that will increase incomes and food security at the household and community levels. Along with this education, local community members will host travelers, which will create more jobs linked to tourism, which in turn will support the community's livelihood.

The community will construct a bike trail that will wind through the region, offering tours to see the community, agriculture, and environment. The intention is to facilitate more effective inclusion, ensure that visitors have a better understanding of the region, and ensure that the local population benefits from tourism.

The Sheri Eco-Women's Center project will benefit the community by creating employment and income for café workers, farmers, farm owners, tour guides, and the women and children who make and sell their crafts. Indirectly, the proceeds will enable FONT to fund future community projects.

The Crooked Trails grant provided the project with $1000 and will be helping FONT raise an additional $4000 in 2024. Please consider donating today to support the Sheri Eco-Women's Center in launching the café and bike trail. Click here to be directed to our Donations page. Click the box to include a note or a comment, where you can identify that you want your donation to go to the Sherie Eco-Women’s Center in Uganda. Thank you!