Sponsor A Child – Page 2 – Alongside Africa

Angela deserves a better childhood

August 2, 2016 by Lawrance Titterton Leave a Comment

CHILDHOOD SUFFERING IS ALWAYS HARD TO NARRATE.

It is very painful to tell Angela’s story. She is one of our clients at Amasiko Street children’s project [AAU] aged 12 years Mukiga by origin; born to late Kanyankore of Kagarama and mother Kyarisiima Edessa of Kabale district. Currently staying with her paternal aunt Kyarikunda Kehoda of Kihaha cell, Kirigime village southern Division.

On 28-7-2016 AAU, as part of the routine Amasiko custom, Archimede and I decided to pay a visit to Angella’s aunt’s home and get first-hand information. However it was shocking news to know that Angela – at the age of only 9 years -she had been abandoned by her mother with whom she was staying. After her father’s death – the mother woke up early in the morning left her in a rented room and has never been seen since! It was very unfortunate for the young girl because her father was already deceased so she was left by herself.

In the nearby village there lived her paternal aunt whom the parents had originally introduced to Angela as a relative [now Kehoda]. After several days under the care of Good Samaritans; she was out of shock and back to her senses; she remembered her Aunt stays in the nearby village and off went to stay with her till now. As poor as her aunt is, she managed to educate her up to primary four.

When we asked Kehoda why her niece dropped out of school, with tears of sadness rolling in her eyes she said: her husband abandoned her and the family of three kids. This made it hard for her to keep Angela in school and provide other basic necessities of life. Kehoda has two kids a girl of four years and ten month old baby; herself very malnourished. With folded stomach muscles and protruding ribs, sunken eyes, this shows constant hunger. The four year-old was recently sick and admitted at Rugarama hospital; but Angela was left home with no food not even a drink she would wait for a neighbor to give her something; if not she would go to bed on an empty stomach. For the whole week her aunt spent in hospital, there was no money to cater for her food. The aunt said she requested to go back home before hospital authorities would discharge her baby because they never had food to eat in the hospital.

Feeling touched we asked how she went to a private hospital when there was free government hospitals. She said Compassion International caters for the payments of only that baby. Back to Angela she is in puberty; growing breasts starting to protrude; lives in a slummy area. God help her and preserve her; ensuring she does not become a sheep living among famished wolves.

We are now calling you to help!

Angela is need of a committed sponsor who is willing to help with £25 per month. This will help Angela get back into education and be in good care. To help please visit our sponsor page or get into contact with us.

TRIALS AND TRIBULATIONS IN KABALE STREETS – UGANDA (WATERGATE FAMILY)

February 28, 2016 by Lawrance Titterton Leave a Comment

The saddest of children with the saddest of stories

These children are members of the extremely vulnerable street children found in Kabale Municipality, Southern West of Uganda. All born from one mother, Watergate, but from different unknown fathers looking homeless, malnourished with big bellies; you found them jigger infested, very dirty with torn clothes and barefoot, loitering at the dust bins of Kabale City Streets scavenging and eating food leftovers and the thrown hard layers scooped from the bottom of saucepans, which they term as “chapatis”.

Their mother, an alcohol addicted woman with mental health disorders problems, with her aforementioned four children stay in a house without latrine or any furniture (e.g. no mattress or anything to lay on while asleep), which a sympathiser had given her to keep after the former occupant had been discovered dead mysteriously in Rwamukundi cell, Nyakambu, Kabale municipality.

When you ask her what plans does she have for her children or how do they survive; she raised her arms in frustration; “I have no plans. Do you expect me to steal just to get money to send my children to school or feed them? It is everyone for himself or herself!’’ she replied. How far this family will go on given the deplorable living conditions. Dark clouds around the horizon are foreseen if nothing is done! Where is hope for their future?? Only time will tell.

The situation must be horrible in this family. At night their door is ever wide open; because each member (young and old) move out and return at their own wish. It can be the children home first or the mother depending on how the day goes. Moreover the children, young as they are, are notorious for hurling obscenities to all who care to listen! It’s only ‘Watergate’ – the mother (We wonder what her real name is!)- who takes care of them.
These children have been routinely sexually abused; the girls by some boys – usually much older – who often spend a night in their house in the absence of their mother. The children also narrated that they usually listen to their mother in passionate acts. What a life!!!

Mental Health Workshop in Kabale

February 14, 2016 by Lawrance Titterton Leave a Comment

On Friday Lydia Miller of Farsight UK conducted a training workshop on mental health the AAU office in Kabale for the AAU team and members of other community groups. Participants learnt that a worrying proportion of Ugandans (up to 20 %) had, in one way or another, has or will suffer some form of mental disorder.

Thank you Lydia and Farsight UK – we look forward to working with you again in the future.