Children of Mbale

It all started two and a half weeks ago when one evening I was walking on one of the Main Streets in Mbale called Republic Street. I saw these children, 10 in number, trying to help one of the boys who was feeling sick. I took him to the clinic and he was diagnosed with typhoid fever. I helped him to begin his treatment, we would meet every morning at the clinic with the other children and helped them get a shower and breakfast to be followed by prayers.

This went on for about 10 days. I found an organization called CRO (Child Restoration Outreach) which looks after children, rehabilitating them from the streets back to their families and integrate them back to school.

When I spoke to them about these children they said that they need a place to stay overnight before they can follow up their rehabilitation program, otherwise as an organization they cannot do anything because of the lack of funding, also, if the children are still living on the street this would jeopardize the reputation of CRO.

I was able with the CRO social worker, to take two of these children, both 15 years old, back to their families and back to school paying the school fees for the term, buying their uniforms and helping the families with some food provision as well.

Yesterday was a painful day for me to find that the small boys aged between 7 and 12 years are being sexually molested overnight by homosexuals or prostitutes.

When asking the social worker what is being done about this horrible situation, she said that they discipline the Children telling them that what they are doing is wrong.

This shook me, how can you discipline a child when what is happening to them is completely against their will.

These same children also sniff a solution called ‘gum’ which makes them drunk.

My heart is breaking for them and my desire is to see them off the streets, either back with their families or in a sheltered home where they can be safe from these evil people who abuse them so much.

Alina