Seeds of Hope : The Life and Work of Patricia Brenninkmeyer

Born into an affluent family in England during the darkening days as Europe prepared to plunge into war, Patricia Brenninkmeyer's early childhood was one of dislocation and danger in Nazi Germany.

Yet for all the perils that her large family faced it was also a secure and loving home in which she grew up, a key to the adult she became.

But even from her early years, Patricia Brenninkmeyer’s rebelliousness, free spirit and

adventurousness were apparent. She would never become the daughter that her parents had

foreseen – one married with a family and a privileged existence.

Emerging into her teenage years, she was determined to make a mark for others in an

unconventional way, and, at first, she trained as a social worker, eventually finding her forte by

working with the children of African parents living in England. But Africa had always been the place where she had imagined she could best exercise her talents and realise her vocation.

This book charts how she achieved her ambitions and how she not only went to work in Uganda

but founded three charities in the fields of education and agricultural innovation, both of which exist today, and profoundly helped Ugandans to help themselves amid civil war and its terrible aftermath.

Written with the co-operation of her family, colleagues and friends, this is the story of an

extraordinary, self-giving and inspiring life, showing how Patricia Brenninkmeyer’s work continues to be felt in the country and continent she grew to love.