The last couple of weeks have been difficult. We have travelled and visited many orphans’ homes that are candidates for our orphanage.
We came upon the house below.. I was moved to tears.
I couldn’t even imagine a person living in this home… no protection from the rain or anything for that matter. Sticks and canvas support this home, as you can see. The ground is made of cow dung and the mattress belongs to the old man. All of the children he cares for sleep on the torn up mattress and they have no blankets to cover themselves. What amazed me the most is that they didn’t have a problem with it. They honestly didn’t know life any other way. They get help when given but never even ask their neighbours for help. How often do these kids get to eat?? Will these orphans live to see tomorrow? What about education or if they get sick?? All of these thoughts were running through my head even before I sat down to talk to this man.
The little girl that was living with the old man does not even dream of a future…education doesn’t even cross her mind. All she thinks about is food, which she hardly gets. She survives on mangoes during the mango season. When there are no mangoes, she visits other people’s garden to look for the remains of food and to see whether that will be enough for her, her siblings, and her grandfather.
When I went back home that day all I could think about were these orphans and their home. A home that is so far from health clinics, water sources, or even access to a road into town.
I’m so thankful that we are bringing the littlest girl into our orphanage, where she will have a chance to make it. A chance to go to school, to be loved, to be fed, and to dream.
There are more homes like this in the villages all over Uganda and more orphans out there who still need help. The government of Uganda does very little to help these orphans, so the need just continues to rise. And, when people realize a child is an orphan, they know there is no future for them. They become a burden and are either taken advantage of or they are abandoned.
I’m so thankful to be working with Project Hope Worldwide, because this is a chance for the orphans that are no more than a ‘burden’ to be able to live.
Project Hope Worldwide is truly bringing hope where no hope is possible.
– Irene