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Their new home compound, fuel-efficient kitchen and the pregnant goat :)


Joseph and Clementina Sekabira, just 12 and 13 years old, respectively, were orphaned four years ago when their mother died of HIV. Their father passed away in 2002 from an unidentified internal illness. The day we visited this Child-Headed Household (CHH) in June 2008, we found the two of them sitting outside cooking their lunch on a three brick fire outside the unfinished house RACOBAO was building for them. They were both full of smiles to see some RACOBAO representatives, still very grateful for the help the organization is providing them. And I’m sure the sight of a new mattress and blanket also brought some smiles to their faces. After a few minutes, several neighbors made their way over to where we were standing with the children. Two of the visitors were an older couple that check in on the young family every once and a while to ensure that they are alright. Their older sister is married and not too far away, so she and other relatives assist Joseph and Clementina with food as well as emotional support.

As sad as the reality of the situation is, the children both seem to have high spirits. Clementina explained that she is in Primary Three, which leaves four years until secondary school, and that when she grows up she would like to be a teacher. Joseph told us that if he were able to go to school, he would be in Primary Two; but, unfortunately, although primary school is free the uniforms are not and he does not have the money to buy one. He also said that he would love to be a policeman or a soldier when he gets older. I could see how much he wanted to go to school and knew the added tragedy of this boy not having that chance.

 

Fortunately, I knew there was some money available from some recently donated funds and assured Joseph that we would get him that uniform and some books too. We would help get him into school where he belongs! Before we left that day, I asked Joseph and Clementina what their biggest dream is for their lives and Clementina answered that they would really love to have more land so that they could have a big farm. They would grow matooke (the staple banana), beans, cassava and raise chickens and goats. As agriculture is a huge part of Ugandan life, I was not too surprised by this answer. I also posed this question to the brother and sister: “during your everyday life, what is something that you think ‘if only we had this, our life could be better’?” I was expecting a more typically western answer like a ball to play with, but Clementina’s answer really hit me hard, “cups, plates, a knife, forks.”

AN UPDATE:

In early March 2009 we returned to Joseph and Clementina’s home to give them a pregnant goat (Give Me a Goat, Give Me a Chance Project) that was donated by an American couple as a Christmas gift from their daughter. The pair’s older sister and younger sister are currently staying with them for a bit of time, so it’s nice to know that they are not always staying on their own. And it was so great to see the children’s new home compound; not only was the house finished, but RACOBAO had also built a latrine, kitchen (with a fuel efficient stove) and water tank for this family and had provided them with a saucepan, a water basin, three plates and a second mattress and blanket.

 

Joseph and Clementina are still full of smiles and feeling happy and I know that the support they receive from RACOBAO has a lot to do with that. Now they are both in school, an improvement from the last visit, and they still dream about having a farm. I explained that this goat can be the beginning of that farm for them; it can help them make that dream come true. If they take care of the goat and her offspring, she will be happy and healthy and continue to produce for them. When they have enough goats, they can begin to sell the goats to buy the supplies and seeds they need to grow the matooke, cassava and beans they spoke about in June. They can become more self-sufficient. And most importantly, they won’t have to worry about where their food will come from each day…something that is still one of their challenges today.

 

I was so happy to see Joseph and Clementina again and know that their life is improving. As a westerner, it’s hard to imagine that Child-Headed Households exist in our world today, but they do; and with organizations like RACOBAO supporting these households with the donations they receive from around the world, these children are not alone or forgotten, but rather given hope for a better tomorrow.