Boys and their stories

Ambrose Katende - 26 February 1996

I was born into a family with 9 other children and my father was a son of a village chief in Nakifuma but when our grandfather died he inherited his land and other properties although there were other uncles who wanted to share some of these properties. They resorted to Witchcraft and our mother died due to this. Our uncles used to quarrel with our father over the land and we were not allowed to visit our uncles despite the fact that we lived in the same village. One time our uncles tried to sale that land and our father refused them because he had all the papers, they fought with him and one of our uncles called Ssebunya cut him on the head and left him with a deep wound. He was taken to the hospital and the nurses told us that his brain was affected. We went to police and reported that Uncle who fled and came to Kampala city. Meanwhile my father's condition worsened and he was taken to a bigger hospital. My elder sisters sold off some part of the land to get money to look after our father in the hospital. It was very expensive to treat him. Our family members who would have helped us refused because our father had not shared the land with them, our grandfather was the one who had said that they should not be given land. Our father died in 2005 after spending two years in the hospital, at that time one of my elder brothers working with one of our uncles had sold off almost half of the land. After his burial I remained with one of my sisters who had been married to a man in the same village.

Our sisters had got married and we remained three small boys, the others were being looked after by my elder brothers.   The man who married my sister mistreated her and did not want me in his home. My sister left the man and came to Kampala to work, she got a job to work in a bar and we slept behind the bar, I used to help her with her work, in the night she had problems with her boss, the man wanted to sleep with her, the man chased me away but my sister insisted that I stay with her.

 Life became very hard for us and I was determined to start working. I started selling scrap metal and that’s where I met some of the boys at the children's Home like Moses Serunjogi's who later left the Home to go back to the streets. We used to play together football in the evenings and work in the morning collecting scrap and selling it to dealers. One day some boys left our group because they were taken to go to live at the orphanage, we later learnt that they were going to school, I did not want to go to school but I wanted to be with them, so I came to KSEM children's Home and they accepted me to stay there but on condition that I go to school. That was in 2009 and I have lived here since then.

ABDUL SEKITTO, AHMED KAGIMU, ABDUL SSEBUNYA

Am the eldest of three brothers who live at the home. We also have two sisters. We used to live with both our parents until our father was arrested for political reasons. He was taken from home early in the morning as we prepared to go to school. We have never seen him again since that day. After his arrest our mother started hiding and went back to the village. We lived with our neighbours but later dropped out of school because no one could pay our school fees. We then started selling metal scrap to earn a living, Ahmed went into selling maize to school children at the school where he once studied.

I was working with Abdul Ssebunnya on the scrap business, the man to who we were selling our scrap was giving us little than we could use for our daily upkeep, our sisters had gone with our mother to the village and we were left alone. We were told to stay back and keep the house. Some people used this opportunity to give us money and stay with us. Later they took over the house by force and we were made to sleep there at their mercy (these people were related to our father but other people thought that because they were related they had a right to share the house) They pretended to look after us but were mistreating us.

Abdul Ssebunnya tried to run away, he actually stayed for one night at a school compound, we looked for him all the night. We found him the next day but he was sick. We discussed what we were supposed to do next. We asked some of our neighbours what to do but they were also not helpful.

 Later someone who new the Orphanage took us there, it was what we needed, the man who used to mistreat us( he was related to our father) told our neighbours that he  and we were taken back to school. We were given new clothes and beds. There’s enough food for us and we play very much. We watch television which we did not even have.

Yunus Buyondo - 6 May 1997

I lost both my parents when I was 7 years old due to an accident in 2004. We were told that the car they were travelling in was driven by a drunk driver who hit a signpost and the car overturned killing all people.

After the burial in the village of Mayuge, I was taken to an uncle in the city who used to mistreat me. This man used to command me to do all the work for the house and made me work like a slave. His children were not allowed to do home chores other than me. I lived with my uncle for three years until it became unbearable.

I ran off to the streets where I lived for six months but I was later helped by a sympathiser who took me to school with his children until I was 10 years old when he also died. When he died his children were taken to be looked after by his relatives and I was left alone in Kampala.

After his death his wife told me there were no longer school fees for me and I started working to earn a living while the others went to school. I used to fetch water for people who used to give me food. Later I was approached by a man who knew Coach Daniel and he took me to the orphanage where my life changed.

This man was a teacher and a sports master of the school where most of the children at the orphanage were going. I used to join them for soccer training in the evening at the school and go back to the streets in the evening. I wanted to go back to school because I had dropped out for one year.

Today I am at school, I have my own bed and enjoy life with my friends at the orphanage. I have regular meals and I don't have to fetch water to get food.

JOSEPH KAATA - 3 November 1995

I used to live in the village with my brother Moses Serunjogi when our parents passed away.  I came straight to the streets of Kampala and slept there. At first it was very difficult but later we became used to the life.

We used to have problems with the police because some boys on the streets used to steal people's things at night.  I used to eat from the garbage bins and it was really hard.  We used to fight a lot on the streets and I will never forget when one of the street boys died when fighting. Many boys on the streets had fighting objects like knives which they used in gang wars.

We found condoms which were thrown into the same pit which we ate from.  Life was tough at first but I got used to it day by day. Life on the streets was very difficult and i started looking for something to do to get some money to buy good food. One man who used to bake chapatti and fried cassava gave me a job on condition that he only pays me in terms of food.

I accepted but also this was not enough, I still slept near the market where we worked from in a deserted house. In the evenings i always I had time to play football on the streets and one day Daniel organized a soccer gala at Kitebi primary school.  I went there and he preached to us before the tournament and after but my interest was football, so after the gala he asked some of us if we wanted to go with him and I said yes because I had seen my younger brother in the team and then he took me to the orphanage.

I am leading a good life with no struggle anymore, am sleeping in a bed, eat 3 times a day and I am reunited with my brother.  I am at school where I am the champion in 5000m and 200m.  I am in the school soccer team.  I am treated like a son by Daniel and I love the Lord, because we are praying at the home every day.  It was exciting when I got the clothes and soccer boots form the UK.  I like playing tennis as well.