By Joan Townsend | US Country Director
Are you trying to decide what to get your loved ones for Christmas this year? GlobalGiving is making it easy for you to give an alternative gift to everyone on your list.
When you make a donation to one of our projects on behalf of a loved one via GlobalGiving, your loved one will receive a personalised card letting them know that they’re helping street children in Africa. Click here to give a GlobalGiving Tribute Card.
Your gift will help change the lives of some of the most vulnerable children on Earth, like Amos, who hobbled into the Retrak drop-in center after having been in the hospital for the previous month after being shot in the abdomen at a riot that happened in town.
“It was mid-day when I saw a stampede from which the police pursued some people. There was a lot of yelling and throwing of stones at the police by the people who never seemed to respect it at all. The police began shooting and in the process two of my friends were shot and died instantly. In that confusion, struggling to save my own life, I became the next victim. The bullet got me in the stomach and I fell to the ground. The policemen came and got me onto their vehicle and took me to Mulago Hospital.”
Amos was admitted in very critical condition, and in the operating room the doctor learned that both Amos’s small and large intestines had been badly damaged by the bullet and Amos needed a colostomy. Amos had no visitors while he was in the hospital, and he was eventually discharged back to the streets. With nowhere else to go and in great pain, another street child directed Amos to Retrak's drop-in center, where the staff nurse took him to another hospital where he was admitted for a colostomy closure.
Two weeks after his operation in December 2011, Amos could finally smile. From then on, he opened up, became very social with others, more than anyone would ever imagine, and was looking forward to being reintegrated with his family. He was also fond of participating in almost every activity that children do at the drop-in center.
He said, “When I recover completely, I would like to go back home and do a skill in welding. I am sure that from this I will earn some money which I will use to support my family, mostly my mum, with whom we’ve struggled all the way. I will also support my siblings, for instance paying school fees and providing them with scholastic materials as well.”
In April, 2012, Amos went through yet another successful operation and he recovered well. He was counseled and eventually returned to his family. Since he was trained in bracelet making at the drop-in center, he was given threads and beads so that he could continue with this skill. Meanwhile he is trying to establish a place for training in welding.
Thank you for your support, which has enabled Retrak to give Amos's story a happy ending. To give your holiday gift through GlobalGiving, just go to the project page and select “Gift or In Honor Of” under the large orange donate button.
Have a wonderful holiday season!
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