Fundraising Friday – Those that help

The last blog post was a true but depressing account of what happens in Uganda on a daily basis and I’m sure Uganda is not the only place where kids ‘age out’ of orphanages.

The blog post ended with hope.  There are those that care and go that extra mile.

While Lutaaya was at her former home she had two special Aunties.  Auntie Nancy and Auntie Sara.  They visited the home regularly, spending quality time with all the children and not only raising funds for the essentials, but also spoiling the children with treats.  When Lutaaya moved out of the orphanage and into our guest house, the only things she had with her, were a few small things in a little bag.  The bag was one of the ones a lady from my church had made and that I had taken out with me that July.  The gifts inside the bag were all bought by Auntie Nancy and Auntie Sara.  Her only belongings and only memories, were from these two special ladies.

On returning to the UK, we went shopping in Cardiff while I was still on adoption leave.  Lutaaya pulled at my hand and said there’s Auntie Nancy!  Unbelievably we bumped into each other in the middle of the city.  We didn’t realise how close we lived to each other.  And there our friendship began and Lutaaya was reunited with her Aunties.  We have managed to meet up so many times, it is wonderful to hear all their stories of their continued visits to Uganda. 

Little did we know what plans God had placed on their hearts.  Plans to care for those older, so often overlooked children and teenagers. 

In recent months they have travelled to Uganda to put plans in place to set up their own charity.  Cornerstone Uganda.  They are now registered in both the UK and Uganda.  They are so close to getting up and running! 

Their plan is to take some of the children who still reside at Lutaaya’s former home and have no other exit strategies, into their care.  Their vision states,

‘We aim to create an environment where young people can truly have a family unit that will support them as they learn skills in order to help them in their future lives.’

Isn’t that wonderful?  To learn skills for their future lives.  There is hope.  These children will get the care and education/training to secure their futures.  They will then get the opportunity to input their own life skills to help the next generation.  These children will be able to see their future and prosper. 

They will not be forgotten or driven out.  This charity will treat every child as an individual and they will support them to reach their potential, whatever that child chooses that to be.  These children will be the future of Uganda and can make a difference to their own country.  These are the politicians, doctors, caterers, engineers, barbers, even presidents of the future. 

 

 

We hope to support Cornerstone Uganda in any way we can during our visit this year.  We also plan on supporting the charity throughout the year.  We have seen first hand the relationships Nancy and Sara have with the children, and we value the time and effort their put into developing each and every personality.  They know each child’s likes and dislikes better than orphanage staff.  They have hearts of gold. 

I had a text today to say they will soon be going to Uganda to look for a house.  Their tape measure is at the ready to measure for curtains!  These are exciting times for Cornerstone Uganda and even more exciting time for the young people they will be helping. 

If you would like to help, please check out their website, keep their plans in your prayers and if you are able to help financially, take a look here.  These are remarkable people and we will be supporting and advocating for this charity 100%

These two special ladies blessed my daughter with such precious memories.  They continue to bless so many young people currently in Uganda and caught up in orphanages or poverty.  Now it’s time to bless them, as they are blessed to be a blessing.

Growing out of an orphanage

What do you think of when you think of an orphanage?

Babies in cots lined up along the walls?


Toddlers sat in the middle of a room, all playing with some basic toys together?


What images come to mind?


What age child are you thinking of?

The image many of us have in our minds is of a young child.  Many will think of babies and some will have some primary school aged children at the forefront of their thoughts.


And yes, there are some younger children who come into orphanages/institutionalised settings but these are normally the children who can be resettled quickest.  If resettlement isn't an option then these are often the most likely to be found in-country options.

It seems everyone wants a baby!

And yet there are the majority who are older children.  Teenagers even.  When do we ask what happens to them?

You see the truth is, there are a huge amount of older children who simply age out of orphanages.  Those who are too old for adoption as they are post 16.  Those who's behaviour may be slightly more challenging due to the trauma they have suffered in their young lives.  Those who are delayed in their learning/development, just because of the fact they have been trapped in an institutional setting. 

What happens to them?

They are children just the same as the babies and toddlers are!  In fact, soon enough, these toddlers will become the teenagers of tomorrow.  But somehow we think of them in a different light, simply due to their age.

We all go weak at the knees at the thought of these younger children living in horrid conditions, without a mother's love, but when that child grows, we almost allow the situation to become acceptable.  We turn a blind eye as though their age makes them more able to survive and less likely to need our help.

For many of us, we don't give a second thought about their welfare.  We may send sponsor money and feel like we're doing our bit.

You see some children will only have one option -
To age out of an orphanage.

They grow up insitutionalised and then they hit late teens. 

Then another horror story begins......

I have seen boys chased off an orphanage site simply due to their age.  You see they are old enough now to ask questions and challenge authority.  They are deemed to be too big a problem by the caregivers, if you can call them that?  They are left, outside the grounds, to fend for themselves!  I have been the one, on the other side of the world sometimes, to answer phone calls and emails, when no one else cared.  Hearing a teenage boy so troubled and anxious as to what will happen now that he has lost his place he called 'home'.  I have advocated for their well being and safety and wherever possible tried to help in planning and arranging somewhere safe for these young people to stay.  I have seen a UK charity turn their back on these young people.  Once they were the 'babies' who brought in the sponsorship money, now deemed a burden. 

I know of a young boy, who is still sponsored via the UK, who is no longer welcome in the grounds of the orphanage.  Each morning he turns up asking for food, and each morning, he is turned away! 

They are still children.  They are still vulnerable.  They still need the love of a family, even though governments don't believe this is possible post 16.  They want to belong.

How many times can I advocate for these children, on behalf of them, pleading with a UK charity to make a change and care for them, as they promise to do so in all their documents?  How many times will UK trustees turn their backs on these individuals as if they no longer matter? 

I can't close my heart to them, how can they say they care and feel passionate about the work of their charity and then appear too busy to do anything?  It is appalling!  It totally and utterly stinks! 

What can you do to get justice for these children?  These few have become true survivors and are learning to stand on their own two feet in tough times, but there will be the next group and the group after that!  Every baby eventually turns into a teenager......can the story continue in this way?

Can charities running instituations, keep getting away with this poor practice?

There is hope in among all this.  There are success stories and there are people willing to help.

Snow days

We've had a fun few days lately as the snow came our way.

There's been snow, snow and more snow, meaning everything came to a close.  Transport came to a standstill and people only seemed to be venturing out if they really needed too.

Unless, like us they fancied some snow fun.......

Everywhere looks so picturesque and the snow seems to make everything have a magical feel about it.  Sometimes we take for granted how beautiful things are around us, but the snow seems to magnify that beauty.