“Peace was brought from the village of Wanyange, where Stephen found her abandoned by her stepmother. Her biological mother had disappeared to escape her abusive father. Peace was in a very fragile health condition when Stephen found her. There was no other alternative but to bring her to El-Shadai even though the house was crowded.
Peace loves the company of other children and is very playful. She loves to dance, sing and eat.”
Peace receives her portrait
“Ceasar is second born of Betty, a young mother who had her first child at the age of 13. Caesar’s other siblings are Rebecca and Gloria. The children and their young mother are all staying at the El-Shadai home. Betty is trying to improve her situation by taking tailoring and design classes. Caesar’s father does not recognize him as his child.
Caesar is VERY rambunctious. He loves to sing, draw and climb trees. He also enjoys having story books read to him. He would like to be a football player for Manchester United, but we think he also has potential as a drummer!”
“Caleb is from Lira in Northern Uganda where there is prolonged insurgency and rebel activity caused by Kony rebels. His parents are alive but poor and not working so they could not care for him.
He lacked the ability to go to school in Northern Uganda where the situation is very unstable. He is now in school and studying toward his dream of becoming a doctor.”
“Ronald aka Ronnie lost both parents to HIV/ AIDS. He was sent to live with an Aunt in the village, then to another orphanage, and then back to the village. He was mistreated, and took to the streets of Jinja for a means of survival where he stayed for 3 years. While living on the streets he carried very heavy loads for people to try and earn some money. Like other street children, the police often chased him and if caught, he was badly beaten. He has no immediate relatives to care for him and sought help from CRO, where he met Stephen.
Ronnie loves studying English and Math and his favorite sport is football. Ronnie can fix anything! In the future he hopes to work as an engineer or perhaps as a mechanic.”
“Ronald was a street child until he met Uncle Stephen in 2000. His mother left him with his father who later married again. Ronald’s new stepmother wanted him out of the house and abused and tortured him. He ran away from home and lived on the streets for six years before meeting Stephen. He was a very talented student and athlete. Because of his skills he was allowed to go to school during the day. At night he would return to the street. He has finished his last year of secondary school and wants to go to college or university but because he has not paid his school fees for the previous year, he cannot. Ronald is desperately seeking sponsorship in order to attend University.”
“Mary was brought to Jinja when she was 2 years old, she lived and ate on the street. She came from Moroto with both parents and settled in Masese. Both her father and mother are alcoholics. She had resorted to eating from rubbish bins. She had no one to comfort her until last year when El-Shadai family reached out to her. She is now back at school after a rehabilitation process. At this point, Mary wants to become a science teacher.”
Mary receives her portrait from Corinda
“Precious has both parents, but they are very poor. The father has more than 6 women and about 30 children. All the children have had little access to education. Precious has about 12 siblings from the same mother and she is the second born in the family. Most of her siblings have dropped out of school. She hopes to complete her education and get a good future to be able to help her siblings. She is interested in music, reading novels and writing letters to friends. She wants to become a doctor or nurse.”
Precious is happy with her portrait from Lauren
“Tabitha is an orphan. Her mother died when she was two days old. Her father was very abusive during her childhood. She was taken to her grandmother in the village who later began mistreating her and she was denied education. She was mistreated by most of her relatives who wanted her to stay at home, marry, and take care of the grandmother. Despite her suffering and abuse, Tabitha performs excellent in her studies. She wants to become a nurse.
Tabitha also has her half-siblings Eunice, Rogers and Agnes Toffee at the house.”
“Amina has the same story as siblings Hassan and Caleb, and comes from Lira, in Northern Uganda where schooling was disturbed by the rebel insurgency. Both parents are alive, but like many people in the North, they have been severely affected by the war situation. Neither is working and the father spends most of his time drinking.”
“Hassan or “Joshua” comes from Lira, in Northern Uganda where his schooling was disturbed by the rebel insurgency. Both of his parents are alive, but like many people in the North, they have been severely affected by the war situation. Neither is working and his father spends most of his time drinking. Joshua witnessed the devastation that the rebel activity caused in Northern Uganda. He had developed some mental problems as a result, but he was treated and is healthy again.
Joshua has a very creative mind and loves singing and dancing and is very talented in arts and crafts. He wants to become a technician/mechanic.”