Sundays

There is Tom.

And Wasswa.

And Bwanika.

And Kasule and Michael.

And Alvin and Trevor.

They are kids I know and love. They are all between the ages of 10 – 14 and live on the streets in Kampala. There are thousands more in Kampala, all with a name, all precious to God.

Kasule is in school but the others spend their day picking scrap metal to sell so they can buy food or pay for somewhere to sleep. Some of them pay 10 cents to be able to sleep in an enclosed shelter while others just sleep outside.

Michael wants to be a lawyer when he grows up, Alvin, a headmaster (principal), Bwanika, a comedian and Kasule, a pilot.

Tom loves attention from the leaders who run programs for the kids. Kasule is always smiling and kind of my favorite. Trevor is pretty quiet and Bwanika is always up to something (but always has a good excuse).

They all have their stories. They shared them with me this past weekend. Some want to be re-united with their families and others have no desire. They call the streets their home. The streets shouldn’t be home for anybody, especially children.

I have the amazing privilege of spending Sunday afternoons with them. A friend of mine started a program, Tomorrow’s Heros, for these children. The kids and leaders love it. We all have our teams and team leaders. I’m the proud leader of the Cheetahs. We have team competitions, play games, watch movies, sing, dance, learn about God and hang out. It’s pretty awesome. We provide soap and sponges so they are able to bathe and wash their clothes and of course there’s food at the end. I think they typically come for the food but I come for them.

They are children and it weighs on my heart that they are living on the streets. The truth is I don’t know the solution. It is hard to help a child with no home unless you take them in. They don’t have a foster care system here and I can’t imagine adoption among these kids is common.

I have a few ideas of how to help but really need guidance and direction from God.

Pray for these children. Pray for them by name.

This is where the kids sell scrap metal. They get less than 25 cents for 1 kg.

This is where Trevor sleeps. He has to pay around 10 cents a night to sleep here and he shares it with well over 10 other kids/adults.

This is Kasule showing us where he sleeps. He is an amazing, joyful child. An adult in the community pays for a small room for several boys so he doesn't have to pay to sleep here.

This is my new friend Michael. Below is a picture of where he sleeps outside.