First, I would like to thank you for having given me the opportunity to be part of this unforgettable and enriching experience. It was truly worth it. It was very relaxing, the venue amazing and calming. CivSource Team, you know how to give it your all. Thank you! More

Today, my phobia for water has given me a wonderful experience! A memorable ride. This ride to Lakeside Escape Hotel, after getting off the Kampala – Mukono highway is mostly through woods on a marram road, aside from the occasional homesteads I can see through my dim headlights. The road is narrow and the car severally kisses the undergrowth which protrudes from the woods. I raise my door glasses in case of reptiles as I wheel through the bends that wind their way into the depth of the silent woods. More

Before the experience, I felt blocked, stuck and confused. I felt stuck in my journey as an entrepreneur, transformative leader, and CEO. I wondered if I was pursuing my life’s purpose. If it was all worth it for Amek. If I was happy and satisfied doing the work, I did. I was scared of achieving the dreams I once had, built, planned and hoped to achieve. More

My name is Doreen. I have never had the kind of experience I had at the Women’s Retreat. I am grateful, so grateful. I drove into Lakeside Escape, at 8:30 pm blank in regard to expectation and yet full of several unsettling thoughts regarding my personal ambitions, work and workplace. I had so much negativity weighing on me. More

The past years have been tough, heavily burdened, filled with emotional, physical, spiritual and psychic shifts which pushed me to hard places filled with painful, chronic fatigue and burnout.

During this retreat, I experienced positive energies which helped me out of the trapped burnout. It helped me challenge the myth that leaders must always be strong and selfless because everyone depends on us, and we cannot afford to have a “breakdown”. More

My thoughts were everywhere. I had forgotten what keeps me grounded. Forgotten that running sets me free. Personal prayer keeps me sane. I carried these unprocessed thoughts to work, family, friends and yes I got the results of these thoughts. Shouting and quarrelling to get myself heard better were among the results. Getting out of bed was a hustle for me; I have always been an earlier riser. More

I can't thank you enough for the things I gained from the extremely informative and inspiring retreat because it was incredibly useful and it came at the perfect moment in my life. Exactly when I needed it the most.

Previously I felt so empty and disconnected from myself. However, the retreat helped me question my life's purpose, my energies and my soul's desires. I now feel more grounded and optimistic because I managed to burn or get rid of my Oh Shit! moments that were hindering my success and certainly pulling me down. More

I am still perplexed at how little I knew about myself and how poor I was at managing my entire ecosystem. For the first time in my life I woke up after the retreat and checked in with my body to assess how I was feeling. I never did that and didn’t know how to do it. For many years I had a fixed routine, of simply waking up (whether up to it or not), pray and hit the ground running More

I bring you greetings from Gulu. It's hot, it's breezy but beautiful as ever. 

The retreat healed me!!! I found family in the sisters I met, the love from Civsource team and most importantly Hope's teaching. 

I went to the retreat amidst the worst bout of depression ever. I was hurting. I had given up. Looking into my life in the past helped me confront my deepest, darkest fears.

The second cohort of leaders gathered at Lakeside Escape for what we call The Experience - The Leaders' Retreat, organised by CivSource Africa. 
When women gather, vulnerability shows up. And when she makes an appearance, healing flows. Strength grows. She never disappoints. More

The last decade was transformational for me. I can't really say I planned all the things I accomplished. Most of them happened almost by chance. And as the years rushed by, I found myself stuck in fear whenever I considered that I would not survive this next decade on the same luck. Then I saw the advert for a Retreat of Female Leaders. Instinctively, I just knew this was it. This was the way to start a decade! The name was quite intriguing; "The Experience"! More

I loved the no gym exercises. I have continued to do them. Set of 2*20! The apology letter to my body parts was an eye opener. I am using the breathing exercises several times a day. They center me. I also have learnt techniques to silence voices of negativity that threaten to drown my creativity. More

Eighteen female lawyers from the Uganda Law Society gathered for The Experience, a leaders’ retreat organized by CivSource Africa. After braving the rain and travelling by boat and land to an exotic secluded location in Mukono, the evening started with a conversation around a fire. More