The day I met Faith, I got a Heart Breakdown. I couldn’t afford looking at a helpless child after being tortured and abused. She is a 7 year-old girl joining Primary 1 Class at SevenHills Nursery & Primary School in Njeru Town Council, Buikwe District. As a community leader in the Adult-Teen Mentorship program, I was intrigued when I saw other children extremely happy except for Faith whom I noticed seemed different from the rest. She felt lonely and in deep thoughts. 

Like most kids, I know, Faith is a product of a broken home. Her father remarried and so did her mother, leaving her and her siblings hanging. She is in the custody of her maternal aunt. Due to her worrying health state, we organized and paid her a home visit. I engaged my other leaders and sought ways to reach her family and investigate why they would send a sick child to school, with wounded legs and walking barefoot for 2kms to school. Faith had bite marks of rats exposing her soft flesh red as the petals of a rose flower. My imagination ran wild, what of the reality? How deep does she sleep? I wondered. 

On reaching Faith’s home, a small hut with seven occupants welcomed us. My heart sank even more. I concluded it pointless to preach. It was clear that her aunt was trying with her might to give the best she could to Faith, her siblings and her own children. 

When inquired about the bruises on Faith’s mouth, her guardian told us that she was trying to steal beans from a boiling saucepan and fell into a fire. Faith’s response to that was hunger. It became apparent that going to school was to skip meal time at home so as to come back for a single meal in the late evening. When further asked why she sleeps in class and doesn’t attend regularly, “there’s no food at school” she cried out. She’d rather climb trees and pick mangoes. The long-distance she has to travel to and from school and her ailing body can also be factored in.

Collectively, we decided to pay for her meal at school and now she at least eats something. After sharing Faith’s story on my WhatsApp status, my friends sent her help. We bought her shoes, nickers and other scholastic materials plus the “kyogero” baby jelly to soothe her repelling and cracked skin. Faith is now the smartest child at school and owns a good pair of shoes and a new uniform. Her skin is smoother and her performance is gradually improving. She sits at the front desk and actively participates in class.

I will always remember the day Faith walked to school in her brand-new shoes like THE boss and all eyes were on her. She glowed and ultimately felt like school was a good place to be. A place she once detested has now become her haven and refuge. School had given her the attention and care she always longed for from her own parents. Thank you, Habitation for Empowerment Network, for showing us the way, and for healing the hurting hearts of the little ones. Surely, the dream that all Ugandan children will attain an equitable and quality education is coming true, slowly but surely.

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