writer – Ten Eighteen Uganda

Ask Me Anything!

Jen / March 7, 2023 / baker, executive director, founder, writer

Every once in awhile I do an Intro on social media for our new followers. Since I haven’t done one here in… ever… I thought I’d give you a quick overview and let you ask me anything you want to know (within reason, of course!).

I’m a 7th generation Floridian living in NC, which I love. Having seasons is a beautiful thing, and NC has 4 almost even ones so it’s hard to beat. I’m Mama to three, ages 26 to 36, and Jaja to two, ages 3 and 1 month!

I started Ten Eighteen in 2008, and we did our first work in Uganda in January 2009. Over the past 14 years I’ve had women’s cooperatives, worked with hospice, sponsored kids, and built a primary school. Now we focus exclusively on teen moms and teen girls in Namuwongo, and on the two Primary schools in Western Uganda.

We homeschooled our kids for 13 years, moved to Nicaragua to own and run a hotel in 2016, and I had a bakery (accidentally!) for over three years in Beaufort, NC. (That’s BOW-FERT, not to be confused with BEW-FERT in SC!) I still love to bake – which, for some reason, my family doesn’t seem to mind.

I’ve written 6 novels, a screenplay (seriously…about a plague that wipes out most of the world… don’t blame me!), and 2 nonfiction books. I write a lot, everywhere, all the time!

And I love to teach the things I love doing, like baking and writing.