Teaching Farming Skills to Ugandan Street Children

“l was welcomed with love and l felt valued”.

These are the words of Luke, a boy who is currently living at Tudabujja, Retrak’s halfway home and training farm outside of Kampala, Uganda.

Luke had left home at the age of twelve because his stepmother treated him abusively (his mother had died when he was an infant). He thought that life on the streets would be better than staying in his abusive home, but unfortunately he found it to be one of incredible hardship.

A friend from the streets first told Luke about Retrak, saying that he could get food, clothing, and a chance to play soccer. Luke had never been allowed to attend school when he lived at home, but he started attending Retrak’s catch-up classes at the drop-in center. He says “Being able to attend class feels like a dream”.

After one month at the drop-in center Luke moved to Tudabujja, where in addition to his catch-up education classes, he’s participating in agricultural training, business skills training and sports. He hopes to enter a vocational training program so that he can one day live independently.

Would you like to help more children like Luke grow to realize their potential? One way you can help us is to participate in GlobalGiving’s Fundraiser Campaign during the month of September. GlobalGiving has created this fundraiser tool to help you get started. They’re giving away prizes to our supporters (JetBlue tickets, a flip cam, and more) and financial bonus awards to the organization with the most successful fundraisers.

Creating a fundraiser is a fun and creative way to help street children in Africa. Click here to learn more about the fundraiser campaign and how you can participate and make a difference in a child's life.

Links:

• Retrak's Website