''Keeping Families together."
Date of Birth: 9th/09/2014.
She is 9 years old; I love Blue color because it is the color I have always played on the board games at home. I love cows because of the milk and I love to play with the dolls they gave me for Christmas.
Her step mother is the reason why she came to the streets because she was mistreating her. Whenever she would ask for food, she would hurt her so much. She was prompted to go to the streets due to the over deprivation of food and her father being an absent parent worsened the condition as the step mother wasn’t held accountable by anyone at all.
I came to the streets because I was over beaten and the police would always just bring me home and not take me away. We tried resettling Medilian into her family a couple of times since 2019 but to our dismay the violence only continued to the extent that we had to involve a different police station. We have since then brought her back to the shelter and she’s living with us. She loves food, playing with her dolls and counting every person at the dining area for breakfast bananas. Her dream is to be a teacher.
"My role is the police man who carried and aunt for picking, I love them so much. I don’t know about Jesus because my family is Muslim but aunt teaches us every day about God”.
NANSELEKO MEDLINA
BENJAMINE
Date of Birth: Unknown. Re-settled. Benjamin's love for school led us into his life immediately after we found during our street programs. Benjamin left home immediately after his parents split and with his mother's death it intentified the situation in a way that was very unbearable. The constant beatings at home led him to the streets as his father would excessively punish him in case of any mistake that he would do. When we met him he was very bruished and we had a one on one talk with him so that we would figure out a solution to his challenge. We traced his family and were able to communicate with them and find a solution for him. His resettlement wasn't an easy process as the stages were intentified by his father, however knowing our responsibility we respected his terms as long as Benjamin was to be taken to school and treated well as any child and the punishment to be given to him had to be reasonable. We are happy that his re - settlement worked and today he is at University doing a bachelor in information technology. .
Date of Birth: 1st/04/2004.Re-settled.
Samuel came to us a few years ago with a very poor state and needed critical medical attention that had ffected his stomach back in 2015. Samuel was being raised by his grandmother who took on the full responsiblity of raising him after his mother passed away and his father showed no interest in raising him at all and samuel joined the streets after he satrted selling yellow banans at the road side.It was easier for samuel to join the streets as he was ready on the road that many street children were spending much of their time on. Samuel loves blue and wants to be a scitentist in future and to support his burning dream we have kept him in school and his re-settled was a huge success. Samuel is sitting for his national examinations this year and we are excited to see him go further in his education.
.
.JPG)
SSEMAKULA SAMUEL
AYEBARE ELIZABETH
Date of Birth: 3rd/06/2006.
Re-settled. Elizabeth is 12 years and wants to be a doctor; "I know going back to school will save me from so much and allow me to be a good woman in future." Elizabeth's aunt brought her to the city promising to put her through school which didn’t go as the aunt promised but instead made her a maid. Elizabeth came to us through the police officer that deals with the children affairs, after he noticed her on the streets and was heading into a bad route, he reached out to us through the programs and asked us to interview her and learn of how she came to the city. She has been with us since that time and often we ensure she gets to visit her sick mother, at the moment the mother’s condition is stable and we continue to pray and hope that she will be fine. Elizabeth is with her. Elizabeth wants to be a doctor, she loves white, she likes to read and learn about things, she likes Harry porter movie a lot. "I admire my mother so much because she cares for me even when she is sick. I have learnt about God through Aunt and I love how she united us and outside kids on Sunday and we pray together and learn of God. I love to dig with my cousins because we get to play in the garden very much."
Date of Birth: 29th/10/2014.Re-settled. Vicent is eight years old and came to us through our feeding program during the COVID-19. His unending smile drew everyone to him and through this we learned of Vicent and his background. He left home because His mother was struggling to feed him and his siblings. This was such an emergency and needed immediate apprach before Vicent would get addicted to drugs and after that day's program we went on a journey to find his family and resettle him. His mother explained to us about the conditions and her struggle and with this we were able to support her o get her garden back on track and thus feed her family. Vicent has been home since his resettlement and we are more than proud of what God has done in his life. We continue to visit and monitor him. .
VICENT.
SSANYU NAKATE
Date of Birth: 12/02/2013. Ssanyu means happiness, she is 10 years, "I love yellow because it is bright because of the flowers. I want to be a doctor in future and give first Aid to kids like Aunt gave to us when we came to her programs. I enjoy it more when Aunt is the one reading the books to us and she translates everything in our language it makes me smile. My favorite movie is Harry Porter. I love staying at the shelter because am able to play and learn to dance with everyone and I have a good bed." Ssanyu came to us through the feeding program and cried for hours about her aching stomach and when provided her with a plate of food and water and she ate beyond what we usually give children and from here we learned of how she was sleeping on an empty stomach. She is making a year and three months since she started staying at the shelter. Her family’s inability to provide her with meals was because of the lockdown that costed many people their jobs and absence of her father who left them in a house together with their grandmother and a large sum of debt in rent made the situation worse as the grandmother couldn’t be able to provide for all on her own. We decided to take her on because she was returning into negligent hands that couldn’t take care of her. "I want to go back to school and learn and make many friends. I admire Aunt Hajara because she saved my life and my grandmother says she is the second I have in the world. I love God because Aunt says to us He will change our lives if we believe in Him. I love cats because they are easy to be around with. "" . .
PATIENCE TUMUSIIME
Date of Birth: 7th/05/2009.
My name is Patience, I am 12 years old, I love yellow color and I have two yellow skirts. I love cows because we get milk from them. I want to go back to school because I want to be a nurse in future and treat young babies. I like young babies even if they cry a lot. I love to sew things with threads that Aunt brings to us, I love doing that at shelter, I don’t play so much because my bones are sick and need me not to carry heavy things they hurt my body. I have had about God from Aunt at the house she teaches us everything about God and how to pray, I love Christmas because we celebrate Jesus who died for our sins.
My best movie is Baby’s day out, I have watched television only at the shelter and on the street roads where we would stand and watch some of it at night." She loves to maintain and keep the house very clean, make designs from old clothes. We met patience in March during our feeding programs and she kept attending them for a month. We were able learn about her through attending our programs. Patience’s health caught our attention and we couldn’t let her return to the street so we took her in and got her the medication attention she needed. Patience is learning so much at the shelter and one of the well behaved children at the shelter who treats people with respect. .
Date of Birth: 8th/05/2014.
Catherine is 8 years; we met Catherine through the night outreaches after the probation officer asked if we had space to accommodate. We are so glad to have her at the house. Catherine came to us with bad skin rash and coughed so much and couldn’t sleep so easily due to fear street life often affects children very differently and after a week with us, knowing that she is in safe hands she began to sleep, smile and play with other children at the shelter.
Catherine hopes to be a doctor in future, "my favorite color is yellow, and I love watching wonder woman movie. My favorite book is Toto the hair in my free time.
I want to go back to school because I want to wear a uniform and study to be a doctor. I want to be a doctor because I want to save my mother one day. At the shelter I love to study and my favorite animal is a lion.
I love being at the shelter because life is not so hard and I get to be a child. Everything is provided to me, I don’t have to suffer like things were at home and sleeping in cardboard house that was falling down all the time.
I love to worship God because we sing at the house and play drums as well. My mother is my hero she did so much to save me in the bad house we lived."
NAMIREMBE CATHERINE
NAMAYANJA CHRISTINE
Date of Birth: 4th/03/2014.
Christine is 8 years, since street life is hard for young ones who can’t collect enough scrap metals and empty bottles to sell to earn a meal. Christine came to join us through the probation officer who requested us to pick her from the remand home as it was dangerous for girls in general. We picked Christine and have had her since. Christine is doing amazing enjoying herself with the rest of the children and hopes to be a nurse in future. She loves to play with dolls. Christine loves green because of the crops we grow at the shelter, "I love cows. I have been with Aunt Hajara for a year now and I love the shelter so much I play with my friends every day. My favorite book is Gulu goes to school, Aunt and uncle read it to us a lot. Baby’s day out is my favorite movie and i love it very much. I love to sing Jesus loves me this I know." .
INNOCENT WAJAMBUKA
Date of Birth: 10th/05/2001.
Resettled.
Innocent came to us back in 2014 during the feeding programs in Katwe as a young boy. Much of his reasons to leave home circle around the death of his mother and he was abandoned in the Village to live with his grandmother and the conditions of living were beyond hard and umimagineaable and much of his grooming and responsiblity was let to him and this turned him into a different person who saw nothing in the future and thus joined the streets and got into the drugs. When Innocent joined the transitional shelter back in 2014, nothing was easy with re-grooming him and taking him through the rehabilition process. It took three years for Innocentto fully change and be apart of the community. His love for education has driven him to do better and currently he is in senior four and will be sitting for his national examinations. We are moving grateful to be apart of his jpurney since day one and his improvement continues to be an inspiration. We resettled Innocent back in 2020 which was not an easy process with the stigma and fear that comes with street children getting resettled and we are gla he is still home and attends a boarding school. Innocent wants to be an Enginer and his love for Art will lead him to special places. Whle he was still at the shelter he participated in Art competitions and earned certificates.
NIWASIIMA CYNTHIA
Date of Birth: 24th/05/2009.
Cynthia is 13 years now, joined school this year is the best in her class grade six. She loves social studies and sciences. She loves pink, playing Net ball, her favorite movie is Homeless to Harvard. "Going to school was the best day of my life; I want to be a lawyer when I grow up because I see how happy people are when in courts and talking. I admire and want to be as Aunt Hajara in future, to me Cynthia the person who saves your life has to be my role model and I love her so much. I enjoy reading the Bible verse that are set for us for everyday and reading stories created by Aunt."
Cynthia came through the probation officer who was called after police picked her during night and had her at the station until morning. After we got and spoke to her, we suspected that there was sexual harassment and forceful selling of her body by the people who first got to her while on the street though most of the stories were un-coordinated. Cynthia was left on her own by her aunt and this situation forced her to join the streets of Kampala. Cynthia is doing well now and enjoys cooking and spending time with family and everyone at the shelter. Cynthia came to us with a bad smell and barely wanted to participate in anything and feared to be left alone for weeks and engaging her and ensuring her that we won’t let her go made her free up and play with other children."My favorite Bible verse is there is hope for a tree that has been cut."
Date of Birth: 10th/10/2003.
Cissy was one of the girls that used to frequent our food relief outreaches in the city slums during the COVID 19 lockdown. Mostly silent and always by herself, there eas something striking about her. Something that required utmost attention. Our team interacted with her and found out she didn't have a place to stay and had been long without a home. Having assesed her need, we took her into the shelter only to later learn from the shelter cook that Cissy was pregnant. It was a very demanding and diffcult challengeto manage especially it beingfroma street uncle from a different program. It took her time to speak of her tribulations and only did so after she felt like she could trust us. We are happy that Cissy and her baby are safe and have a place to call home. We are hoping that she would join a skills training program that would equip her withsomething. We aim to trace her family this year and know what to do and how to go about everything regarding her life.
Date of Birth: 2nd/02/2010.
His name is Fred."I want to be a doctor in future because I want to save people and give them medicine. I have been at the shelter for one year and many months. When I first came to the shelter I was so sad and feared to be kicked out because in many homes when you start to grow people stop to love you but Aunt encouraged me to learn and be a good child. I don’t like to grow and get a beard because I will have to leave the shelter and I don’t want to go anyway.
I love Yellow and inside the shelter the walls are yellow too and it is so nice . I like to sing and shout with other kids. I admire aunt Hajara because she doesn’t run away from me like my father did and I want to stay with her.
I want to go back to school because I want to be a good person and wear a uniform too. My favorite movies are Gold rush,Charlie Chaplin, Boss Baby.
I am still learning about God with Aunt Hajara every day at night and I love that so much."
Numerous resettlements failed and the shelter was the only place for Fred to stay and be. His family is so large and extended that he was always abandoned and left by himself. He then resorted to selling very bad and mature materials that are inappriopate for his age and in worse places for him too.
He is happy to be at the shelter.
.
KIWANUKA FRED
MPALANYI ROBERT
Date of Birth: 22nd/10/2012.
Robert is 10 years old.He joined the shelter nine months ago. Robert joined the street at the start of COVID pandemic because his father left him on his own at all time and, he says, their father was never home and most of times he was at the bar and once called to provide them food he would lie to them that he is coming and he would never return unless if he needed to come in the mornings to change clothes and leave. Robert was forwarded to us through the probation officer who asked us to welcome him if there was space and we went on a night outreach to find him and his sister. We found Robert dirty, with holed clothes and wounded legs. We are happy to report he is doing well since he joined us. He loves football and playing cards.
He likes playing football in his free time; Home alone is his favorite movie, brown is his favorite color. "I want to go back to school because I want to be a better man and help my family. I enjoy when Aunt reads the books to us and the stories she tells us. Staying at the shelter allows me to be a child and learn from others. I love God and I know he is caring for my mother somewhere. My role model is Aunt Hajara because she is always with me even when I was dirty and took me to a restaurant and fed me. I love lions because they are very strong animals. .
