Calton’s Perseverance
Life can be difficult enough for a child living in poverty in Uganda, without the added struggle of sickness and disability. Unfortunately for Calton, who was born into a family of eight, he learnt this at a young age. He contracted mumps as a child and due to the prohibitive costs of medical care in Uganda; he was unable to get treatment in time and as a result became deaf. Calton first came into our care during one of our programs. We took him in immediately because the treatments he needed were costly, and his mother couldn’t always bring him when required. Unfortunately, despite all our efforts, it was too late to restore his hearing.
He permanently lost his ability to hear, which made it challenging for him to keep up in school. This struggle affected his happiness, especially as he saw his classmates progressing without him. We hope transform to Claton to a specialist school for children with hearing difficulties in future so that he can be able to interact and feel normal around kids with the same disability as him. Calton uses sign language now and can communicate effectively, and few people understand him very well.
A run for her future
Emily was 15 years old and run away from home, determined not to be married off when her path crossed ours. 34% of the girls in Uganda are married before their 18th birthday, but Emily had a dream of becoming a surgeon. Her resilient journey begun when she refused a suitor for her hand in marriage ran away from her village home and sought refuge with an older sister.
Unfortunately, her sister had no room for her and insisted she gets married just like she and their mother had done before her: “15 years is old enough”, she was told.Our team found Emily in the Mitanyan village, during a community sensitization outreach. When we started speaking passionately about the relevance of girls’ dreams, and why child marriages and teenage pregnancies should be outlawed, Emily came forward to share her fears.
Fast forward to 2021: Emily has already completed her Primary Leaving Examinations and is now in Senior One of secondary School.
12-year-old safe from gang member
12-year-old Juliana lived in constant fear. In her Ugandan community, she became the target of an older cousin who was part of a notorious gang. Repeatedly abused and threatened, Juliana finally found the courage to speak out. But her bravery came at a terrible cost. Her cousin and his gang members threatened her and those trying to protect her. Terrified, her father disappeared into hiding. The local CPS officer faced relentless death threats. Even the police were threatened. Juliana stood alone, against a tide of terror. But thanks to the compassion and generosity of supporters like you, Save Sunshine Shelter Kids was able to intervene. We swiftly relocated Juliana to the hide out center where
Our Community Networking Team worked together to arrest the perpetrator and shield her family and other community members from the threats of angry gang members but led to a lot of losses especially with our community program materials such as furniture. We built a robust legal case resulting in the case being committed to the high court waited and followed all the procedures, thanks to our lawyer Claire.
We are excited to announce that after a year of counseling and care in one of our safe shelter, Juliana was able to be resettled with her grandmother in another town. Today, she’s safe, surrounded by family. She and her grandmother receive ongoing psychosocial support and Christian counseling from Peter our team member and Hajara who checks in on her regularly. When it’s time for her court hearing, Juliana, her grandmother, and key witnesses will be prepped and accompanied in court.
The proceedings will be explained and Hajara will ensure Juliana feels safe and informed. Juliana is one of the few children who have been rescued from dangerous situations since we launched in 2005. But countless others still need our help. Together, we can bring safety, justice, and healing to more communities and children like Juliana
Nambi’s Story: Beauty from Ashes
If you don’t believe Jesus can turn a horrific situation into something beautiful, keep reading. In April, 13-year-old “Nambi” found herself pregnant after being brutally attacked by a gang. Despite pressure from her family to abort, she decided to keep her baby. We don’t know if we would have had the same kind of faith, courage, and fortitude if we were in her position, but we like to think that we would. We also like to think other young survivors of sexual violence will find inspiration in her story. When Nambi was first approached by our children’s advocate, she was understandably despondent. The things she loved most – her family, going to school, playing with her friends – seemed to be slipping away. Without the support of her family, she had few options for her and her baby’s future.
As the bump under her dress grew, she says fewer people would dare to look her in the eyes. She began to feel invisible. But God saw her. God had a plan for her. After extensive conversations with her family, they agreed to let Nambi come to a teen center, a small area we run to help teen mothers. We welcomed her with open armsThe teen mother facilitator ensured Nambi had access to the physical and emotional support she needed. She received safe shelter, medical care, trauma therapy and emotional support, and so much more. Perhaps most important of all, she’s learned how loved and valued she is by Jesus.
In Sept, Nambi gave birth to a beautiful, healthy baby girl whom she named Gift. Nambi fell in love immediately, bonded with her baby, and dreamed big dreams for them both.“As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive.” (Genesis 50:20). Gift’s life was preserved! And Nambi is just one of many survivors who now have hope and a future. She and Gift stayed at the teen center for several more months while Nambi and learned how to be a new mother.
Because of you, communities are fighting sexual violence and girls like Nambi (and her baby) are receiving the love and care they need to live happy, healthy, and fruitful lives. Thank you for your continued love, prayers, and support.
New Update: A trial home visits and several conversations between our social workers and Nambi’s mother, Nambi and her baby were able to return home. Nambi’s mother has been taking care of her granddaughter so Nambi could return to school. Nambi was able to re-join her age mates in Primary 7.
When 15-year-old Ritah was raped by a neighbor, she was too frightened to tell anyone. Her mother was gravely ill and unable to work. Ritah didn’t want to bring more stress to her family when they were already struggling to make ends meet. Some days, it seemed their dignity was all they had left. What if her secret brought shame to her family? She couldn’t bear the thought of her mother enduring any more pain. Sadly, Ritah’s mother passed away a few months later. She was sent to live with an older sister who recognized the symptoms Ritah was too afraid to comprehend. She was pregnant.
She was pregnant. After the initial shock of the news dissipated, Ritah told her sister what happened. Her sister contacted one of our members of the local Community leader to respond to cases of child sexual violence. We conducted an assessment and referred Ritah to our girl’s shelter. There, Ritah received the therapy she needed to overcome her trauma and grief along with prenatal care, literacy classes, mentoring, discipleship, and more. A few months after arriving, Ritah gave birth to a healthy baby girl. With encouragement from mentors and other teen mothers, she’s learned to love and care for her daughter well. Ritah has made incredible progress in her healing journey.
But perhaps the most important thing she’s learned is that she has nothing to be ashamed of. She is valued, cherished, and perfectly loved. And so is her baby! Ritah has seen the love of Jesus extended to her at the shelter. We have seen it through the services made possible by friends like you! We’re excited to report that last month [June. 2024], Ritah and her baby were resettled back into her sister’s home. We would like to take Ritah to start hair dressing classes as it’s her passion. Ritah says her dignity has been restored. She’s excited to create a new life for her and her baby! We check in with Ritah regularly so she continues to receive the support she needs and remembers that she is and will always be perfectly loved.
