It doesn’t seem like it has been sixteen years already…
It was 2008 and I was five years old. I was all alone and living on the streets. You see, my parents had died and there was no one else to take care of me. I’m like a lot of other children in Uganda… the AIDS epidemic destroyed many of our families. That day, I was on the side of a road, alone, hungry, and scared when a man came up and talked with me. His name was Fr. Charles. He took me to a local church which gave me a place to sleep and food to help with my hunger. But, that church wasn’t equipped to take care of me until I could grow up and care for myself.
One day, Fr. Charles came back and took me to my new home, the Home of the Holy Angels! The year was 2010 and I was 7 years old. Me and an handful of other orphans found ourselves with a new family of children, teachers, and others who cared for us everyday. At the Home of the Holy Angels, my friends and I discovered a safe and loving place for everything we needed like food, housing, clothing, and an education. I felt like I was in heaven! I loved playing games with the other children. I slept well and ate well, and there were many wonderful people who cared about me. I started learning to read, write, and do math. Like many others, my whole world changed the day the doors of the Home of The Holy Angels opened and took us in.
Fast forward 10 years to 2020 and I’m in my final year of Primary School (P7).
Our little orphanage and school with a handful of orphans has grown tremendously. Because of your generosity, Fr. Charles opened the Sts. William and Helen Catholic Secondary & Vocational School, which I’ll attend starting in 2021. There are now more than 300 students on campus, we have a playground, administration buildings, a convent (praying for Sisters to arrive soon), and a new football (soccer) pitch; I love it here! We grow crops, attend to chickens, goats, and cows, and we are learning other basic life skills to help us to become independent citizens upon graduation. I like taking care of the goats, playing football, and reading, and I’m considering pursuing a career as a teacher, but we’ll see what secondary school (high school) has to offer.
2024 – WOW!!!
Secondary school is great. I’m 21 years old and in S3. Our campus continues to grow (around 400 students now) and Father, because of your gifts, is supporting some of the “original” orphans in earning higher education degrees in areas such as nursing, midwifery, the priesthood, and other vocations. I still love playing football and reading, and I’ve taken up volleyball which I really enjoy. I have one year left of Lower Secondary School, but once I complete S4 I’d like to go to trade school to learn plumbing.
I am so thankful for all the generous people in the United States who have given me not only a home at the Home of The Holy Angels for the past 14 years, but a family.
Despite the many health challenges due to Joseph’s abandonment, his academic and spiritual progress has been nothing short of a miracle through God’s Grace, Fr. Charles love, and your love, prayers and support.