Home For the Holidays: Henry and Eddy's Story

Henry and Eddy used to live with their mom and dad and little sister in a rural village in Uganda. Their parents were not wealthy, but they had enough to send the boys to school and give them a happy childhood.

Then, three years ago, their father died suddenly. Without her husband to support the family, their mom struggled to keep the boys in school. With nowhere else to turn for help, she felt the only thing she could do was to send them to an orphanage.

Henry and Eddy were taken to an orphanage when they were seven and five-years-old. They spent two years there, fending for themselves in poor conditions alongside forty other children. Their mother visited whenever she could but worried about their future.

Last December, the authorities closed the children's orphanage for operating illegally and failing to safeguard children. 

With limited resources to support the children, our team stepped in to help the local district to reunite the children with their parents or other close relatives.

Henry and Eddy were reunited with their mother, little sister, and grandmother. Joseph, the children's social worker, helped the children with their transition home. He provided counseling and the support their mother needed to care for the children long-term: clothing and bedding, a business grant, and school scholarships for both children.

Joseph continues to monitor the children and make sure they stay safe and happy. So far, he's delighted with the way that they have adjusted to being back at home.

Henry and Eddy have a close relationship with their mother and their Jaja (grandmother), and they are getting to know much of their extended family for the first time. Henry loves playing with his new friends in his village, and Eddy adores his little sister Milly.

They are happy to be home and are grateful to have a caring mother and grandmother who are always there to listen.

Henry and Eddy's mother says, "I feel happy living with my children because I have the chance to raise them as their mother. I now see a bright future for my children.”