Protect, feed, and educate 114 rescued children

"My name is Bakari Ali, I am 11 years old and in class 2. I started going to the streets to beg when I was only 5 years old. I could follow my two elder brothers who have speech problems and are both dyslexics. We could leave for the streets as early as 6.00 am. My parents are mentally challenged so they could not stop us from going out. Because of my brothers’ speech problem, I could speak on their behalf and due to sympathy people could give us money and food and in the evening we would go home with something for our parents.

"At that town where we used to ‘kuduru’ (to beg), we would meet with some Catholic sisters who instead of giving us money they were interested in knowing more about us, where we came from and why we were not in school. We feared them because we thought they were hospital nurses. Not once or twice the sisters tried talking to us but we could not stand their white habits so we ran away.

"One day the sisters brought us some clothes and they told us they were not nurses but teachers in a rescue centre. We took them to our parents and our parents accepted that we be taken to school. Staying at the centre was a great challenge we missed our parents so much such that we could sneak out and go home but the sisters could come after us. Eventually we settled down and my younger sister joined the school too. Am so happy to be in school. I can read and write. I have made friends and learnt a lot from older boys. When I grow up I would like to be a neurosurgeon. My brothers too have gained a lot by being here; they have learnt activities of daily living and their speech has greatly improved.

" I want to sincerely thank all of you who have donated through Global Giving and have supported my siblings and I and all the other children here. Mungu awabariki sana (May God bless you)."

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