“Immaculate is the last born from her mother and sibling to Jackie, Hannington, Joseph and Emmy. Her father abandoned the family and her mother could not afford to provide food for her family. Her father died of AIDS and left her mother with no hope. At the end of 2005 Jackie came to live at the home. El-Shadai home now financially supports her mother who is now receiving treatment for HIV/AIDS.”
“Enidi’s parents divorced and the father left the mother to care for all of the children, which she was not able to do. Her mother was opposed to sending them to school so Enidi had resorted to child labour in the village and had lost hope for her future.
Enidi likes playing netball and writing. She is always open to hearing advice and contributes well to sharing conversations. She wants to become an engineer in the future.”
“Agnes known as Toffee is Eunice’s younger sister. Like her sister, she is a needy child that came from a remote village in the Iganga District. Her father is retired and an alcoholic who does not take care of her welfare or education. Her mother doesn’t work so they have no means to support their six children. The children were ignored and neglected when they were young. Stephen heard of the situation and took the children into the El-Shadai home (siblings Eunice, Rogers and Tabitha). Toffee is a reserved girl, but shows affection to her siblings and volunteers at the home. She has been sick from various illnesses and it has affected her schooling. She has been at the home only since 2006 and shows a lot of potential to improve academically and socially. Toffee would like to be a teacher when she grows up.”
“Tabitha came from a home where her father was an alcoholic and drug addict. He and her mother were divorced and she has had a difficult life of negligence. Her father would take their school books and sell them for money to drink. Often in a drunken rage he would chase them from the house. Tabitha dropped out of school and began working at home before coming to El-Shadai. She witnessed and experienced much domestic violence and is still undergoing counseling to recover from the trauma. Tabitha shares the same mother as Joan and Peace. She was brought to the home just before Joan. She wants to become a Bank Manager in the future.”
“Rogers was brought up from a remote village where he was staying with his parents; his father is both “retrenched” person and an alcoholic. He mistreated his children and Rogers dropped out of school. An Aunt brought him to Jinja for schooling, but she and her children mistreated him as well so he was sent back to his village. Stephen found him and brought him to live with the family. Rogers’ sisters Eunice, Tabitha and Toffee are also at the home.
Roger’s school performance is good and he wants to become a medical professor. He is very bright and has great hope in continuing with his studies.”
“Rachel is an only child and her mother died shortly after giving birth. Her father is still alive but is retrenched. This means he is retired but not receiving benefits from the government. He is in a remote village and cannot afford to take care of Rachel. Her stepmother wanted her to leave the home or marry her off at an early age. She sometimes visits her village and stays with her grandmother. She was directed to the El-Shadai home when she was very depressed and was feeling her life was
hopeless. Uncle Stephen negotiated with her school to allow her to continue studying despite her unpaid fees. She is at a boarding school and stays at the El-Shadai home during holidays.”
“Peter is an orphan with no known relatives. He originally came from Moroto District where he lived alone with his mother. Because of the insecurity there, his mother was forced to the street to look for a means of survival. Peter experienced much trauma, as she would often bring men home even when Peter was there. After trying to make ends meet through several small jobs, they resorted to finding food to eat from rubbish bins. While in P5 his mother became very sick and Peter could find no help in caring for his mother. After her death, Peter was alone on the street for some years,
studying during the day and returning to the streets at night to search for food. He sought help with Stephen and has now undergone counseling and doing well. He is a bright student near the top of his class. Peter has a cheerful personality and many friends. He considers being a doctor in his future.”
“Joseph is the fourth born from his mother and one of nine children by his father. He shares the same story as his siblings Jackie and Emmanuel. His father abandoned the family and her mother could not afford to provide food for her family. His father died of AIDS and left his mother with no hope. At the end of 2005 Joseph came to live at the home. El-Shadai home now financially supports his mother who is now receiving treatment for HIV/AIDS.
Joseph dropped out of school for three years during his troubled childhood. He became depressed and worried about his future. His mental state is now improving as are his grades in school. Joseph would like to become a mechanical engineer or artist.”
“Isaac has both of his parents but they are poor and could not afford to care for him. He is schooled through S4 and then spent two years searching for some way to pay his school fees. Due to frustrations he lost hope in his future and joined street gangs. He had nearly given up until he found help from El-Shadai.
Isaac is the eldest child in the family and is very talented in arts. He is now leading the family in making batiks to earn money to support the costs of El-Shadai. He is also the trainer of the family choir.
Isaac is the first member of the family to go to university. He has been accepted at the prestigious Makere University in Kampala. He is supported by the family while continuing his studies.”
Isaac receiving his portrait and reading his letter from Leslie
“Hannington is the second born in his family. He is brother to Jackie, Joseph, Immaculate and Emma. Hannington got involved in street life and would run away from home for weeks at a time. He had a lot of resentment towards his father and the way he was treating his family. He had trouble expressing his feelings and would act out in anti-social ways to those around him. Because of the way he acted, he was an outcast in the community. Stephen took him in and sent him back to school. Hannington is still a reserved boy and struggling with the bitterness he feels towards his father. Through counseling he is able to see the positive side of things now but is still working through many issues. Being in a stable and loving home has helped him get back on track. Hannington wants to become a technician or engineer in the future.”