Uganda: Kabale to Build Remand Home for Street Children
Uganda: Kabale to Build Remand Home for Street Children
The Monitor (Kampala)
16 June 2008
Posted to the web 16 June 2008
Robert Muhereza
Kabale
The problem of street childern in Kabale District may soon come to an end after the completion of a multi-million vulnerable children’s home, a project being undertaken by Lift Jesus Global Ministries Church through its project of Hope Africa Children Ministry.
The church leader, Mr Aloysius Kiiza revealed this on Tuesday while addressing the press at the site in Nyakambu Kirigime ward in Kabale municipality.
About 100 former street and orphaned children are being housed and rehabilitated. He explained that the idea was hatched after a survey on the causes of the increasing numbers of street children in the district.
"We established that domestic violence, the HIV epidemic and early pregnancies are some of the causes of the rising number of street children, " Mr Kiiza said. "We have decided to construct a permanent home for these vulnerable children so that they can have hope for a better future."
He said well wishers from the United States, Compassion International and other friends of Lift up Jesus Global ministries church are some of the founders of the childrens rehabilitation programme.
Mr Kizza said about 60 former street children who were picked from the streets in 2004, have been rehabilitated and are currently undergoing primary and secondary school education.
"We thank God for this achievement and pray he helps us to raise the money to rehabilitate more children in south western Uganda," Apostle Kizza said.
He said most of the children have confessed to pick pocketing, drug use especially marijuana and sniffing of petrol as common practices.
"We are proud to have rehabilitated these street kids into God fearing persons," Mr Kiiza added saying several abandoned babies have also been rescued.
He said Kabale Referral Hospital has supported their project by supplying ARVs drugs to HIV infected street children. Mr Kizza said lack of enough facilities to cater for the children is the biggest challenge the centre is currently experiencing.
