Rebuilding the lives of street children in Uganda

What are the hopes of your children? Cherry (name changed to protect child’s identity) didn’t have high hopes for herself. At aged 15 she left school and began working in the family business selling alcohol in the slums in Kampala. She was sexually exploited and abused, and her future looked bleak.

However, her life changed when she found out about Retrak and its Premier Skills Project, which is a girls-only football program.

Cherry says:

“It meant a lot to me. I wasn’t just playing with my peers – I was accepted by them. I was strong and helped the team score lots of goals. The team believed in me! And my social life changed – through football I made good friendships and got back the respect of the community.”

Training at the Premier Skills Project doesn’t only involve football – the coach also teaches the girls life skills, including decision-making and how to protect themselves from dangerous situations, such as trafficking and different forms of exploitation. These sessions changed Cherry’s life. Slowly her outlook on life changed and she was able to focus on her future. It gave her the confidence to apply for an apprenticeship program, where she learned hairdressing and was given equipment to start up a business. 

Now Cherry can live independently and wants to give back to the program that made such a difference to her. Aged 17, she has trained as a community coach to help other vulnerable children out of exploitation, and leads a weekly football club of 18 girls, helping them in the way that she was helped. She is saving part of her money from hairdressing to invest in her future. Her mum is now engaging with Retrak and wants to join a savings club.

In 2018 (to date), in Uganda, Retrak provided shelter in the Lighthouses to 523 children (74 girls and 449 boys), providing them with a safe place to rebuild their lives and start the journey back to family-based care. The work Retrak does is life-changing for children and families and we cannot do this without your generous support. Thank you for supporting our project in Uganda which helps us to work with more children like Cherry!

Links:

• Visit our website to hear more about our work!

Oscar (name changed to protect identity) came to Retrak after experiencing life threatening situations on the streets of Kampala.  He found a caring home at Retrak’s drop-in centre (Lighthouse). The dedication and care of Retrak's project workers and his peers helped him to work through traumatic memories of street life and focus on shaping his future. As soon as Oscar showed signs of improvement during the counselling sessions and group activities, he was supported to make a decision about what to do next given his age and what lay ahead. He agreed to learn a skill in wielding and metal manufacturing. During his vocational training, which lasted four months, Retrak supported him with food, shelter, medical care and counselling. At the same time, he was prepared for independent living in the community.

Oscar was fully employed by his trainer and occasionally received support from Retrak when needed, such as rental deposits, health checks, tools and food. This was to help transition him into independent living.

Oscar has proven to be a focused and determined young man. He told the staff: “I can’t imagine where I am now compared with two years back when food and shelter were my priority concerns. Today I can afford to eat what I choose and have a rented room for my home. Retrak you mean the world to me for without you I would not have had a chance to live again”. He continues narrating his future plans: “I want independence and I want to set up my own work station complete with equipment and probably also employ somebody. I have set myself a target to have this dream realised and I am fully committed to it” he asserts as he thinks big. He also told staff that he’s halfway through his savings target of 2 million shilling (approx. £400/$520), which he saves in the form of mobile credit.

Oscar’s story and our experience time and time again highlights the huge potential that boys like Oscar have. When Retrak meets them on the street, they are in survival mode and have lost confidence in their ability to contribute to society in any positive way. Addressing the trauma they have been through and supporting them at the lighthouse starts their journey to fulfilling their potential. We cannot do this without your support – thank you for giving boys like Oscar a future!

Links:

• Visit out website to hear more about our work!

• Boys at the Lighthouse (DOCX)