Annet’s Story

Compassion in Action: Annet Mbabazi

The neighbour said the child was probably just difficult; a crying child is ordinary. But Annet couldn't let it go. On the third day of hearing the crying, she had to do something.

She walked from door to door through the neighbourhood, without knowing what she would do if she found the child. A woman outside watched her, puzzled, "Why are you looking around like that?" Annet explained she was looking for the crying child. The woman was surprised. Quietly, she told Annet, "That child is mine." She brought Annet to her home and told her story. She was raising eight children on few resources. One child was disabled, and they didn't know what to do. Annet prayed with her.

Annet knew well what it means to be a child whose future depends on the compassion of strangers. She was born in Uganda, the daughter of a single mother whose own story began in upheaval. Her grandparents had fled Rwanda during the violence of 1959, raising their children as refugees. When Annet's mother was a teenager, she found herself pregnant and alone. "Every time I remember that," Annet says, "I remember love, courage, and what it took her to stay with me and keep me."

Her mother died when Annet was eleven. Her aunt took in Annet and her younger sister, raising them alongside their cousins. When funds ran out, Annet dropped out of school at fourteen. A Christian organization heard her story, supported her education, and she earned a teaching certificate.

In 2005, Annet moved to Rwanda with her younger sister to work as a teacher. She had given her life to Jesus at the age of seven, and it shaped how she approached everything. In 2008, she joined Compassion International, sharing the organization's passion to free children from poverty in the name of Jesus.

Sixteen years later, she is a Program Trainer, equipping church partners across Rwanda to care for children and families. She supports different denominations and communities with different challenges. "I train church leaders on Compassion's programs," she says. "That requires skills in understanding people, managing different visions and conflict, and preparing them to work in teams."

The tools she had weren't scaling with the responsibility she was carrying. She needed to lead teams under pressure, to mobilize people toward a shared vision. A colleague referred her to Kurumbuka.

"It turned out to be exactly what I needed. The Abundant Leadership Institute gave me language and structure. It helped me better walk alongside communities, listen before acting, and build trust across differences. The ABCD approach helped me understand Compassion's model and what we were really asking of the people who carried it."

ALI helped her grow in her leadership and provided a framework to change. "I can now put my dreams on paper in a clear, practical way," she says. "ALI showed me that leadership isn't just vision; it's planning, tracking, evaluating, and refining. I'm beginning to see the traits of a strategic thinker in myself, and the areas I can grow. That gives me confidence for the future."

The ALI teaching on teams helped her see her colleagues' strengths, their needs, and the way trust is built slowly and broken quickly. "The skills I gained through Kurumbuka helped me so much, especially in knowing how to deal with people. Listening, handling different perspectives and personalities. They brought up the leader within me."

Annet couldn't keep it to herself. She gathered fourteen colleagues and led them through an Abundant Leadership Foundations training. The response was overwhelming. Participants asked if she could run more. One colleague reflected: "I learned to empower others, because a leader cannot reach the goal by himself."

In her own church, Annet leads children's ministry alongside a small team, including a young woman named Evett. When Evett first joined, she was so shy. Annet worked alongside her patiently, encouraging her to step into her capabilities. Annet shares, "Slowly, by slowly, she gained confidence. Today I don't need to worry if I'm in the room or not as long as Evett is there. She's made the ministry her own and has begun passing it on to others too."

The child with the disability was eventually enrolled in Compassion's program through the local church. So were four other children Annet advocated for. Today, all five children are attending school, have enough to eat, and their families are connected to savings groups. "I've often asked myself why I care so much for children," Annet reflects, "and I go back to the story of my own childhood; My young mom, who chose courage. My aunt, who opened her home. A Christian organization that supported me."

Today, Annet is a mother of four and a bold leader. She trains teachers, church staff, and emerging leaders, equipping them to disciple and care for children. She advocates for those no one else does. And she pours herself into young leaders like Evett, confident they will multiply their impact.

"My dream is multiplication," Annet says. "That the people I train are able to do what I do, and do it even better, so that they can go on and impact many others."