We thought hard about publishing this post but it is important to understand the reality of what is happening on the streets of Kabale and why we are so passionate about establishing a residential centre for the street children there. If you can help us financially please visit http://goo.gl/6z0G9w so that Turner’s death will not be completely without purpose
This is a long post – please bear with us and read it all.
Daniel is one of our younger street children, he is a peaceful and loving child who has been a regular at Amasiko since we opened our doors. Recently he went missing for a few days – this is what he told us on his return (translated by our Director):
“Often times security operatives harass us, even when we have not done anything wrong, for example, three days ago one of the top security officers in the district bypassed us in the evening when we were hanging out around Royal supermarket begging and scavenging for supper. Immediately he pulled up on the roadside and asked two of his bodyguards to apprehend us. Amos (Watergate’s son) and I were thrown on the back of the pick-up truck and driven to Kabale Police station; where we were detained for two nights and later set free with a caution urging us to leave the streets of Kabale town to God-knows-where!

The next day we were dismayed to learn that Turner – one of our old long standing buddy’s (fellow street dweller) was picked early in the morning, beaten to pulp and hanged on a nearby roadside tree. Turner died like a dog! His relatives were informed, came picked his body and took him for burial! We later learnt that a robbery had occurred in the area the previous night and the culprits were at large. Unfortunately when Turner was passing by the next day, the night guard pointed Turner out; saying that he fitted the description of one of the culprits who had been sighted around the premises where the robbery had taken place the previous night. Unfortunately Turner was lynched indiscriminately in spite of his pleas to his tormentors where he insisted he didn’t know anything about the alleged robbery.
I can vow that Turner was never a thief; never harmed nobody poor lad; he earned his living picking & selling metal scrap; and occasionally doing odd jobs and running errands around town. Though Turner was hooked on gum [addicted to glue sniffing] he was an innocent lad who lost his life perhaps because he looked dirty and unkempt; through no fault of his own. Society hates us so! I wonder when we shall have the opportunity of being settled in our home, where we can live peaceful lives with no one to point a finger at us for no good reason. We are yearning for the time when Alongside Africa will secure us a home where we can live unharmed and get along with our lives in peace. Some people think it is inhuman to be a street dweller!”
If you can sponsor Daniel or any of his fellow street children so they can go to school (these are his pictures) please contact us directly.
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