Nalwadda Betty is a girl of 15 years.  She is in Primary 6 at Calvary Chapel Christian School and she was elected as the Head Girl of the school this year, equivalent to Student Body President. She lost both of her parents to HIV/AIDS and she never got a chance to experience true parental love. Like many other unfortunate orphans, Betty has moved from place to place looking for a place to call home. Throughout her life she has been abused in so many unspeakable ways. She has grown up in fear of the future and those that surround her because of her past. Just prior to joining Asifiwe Child Care, she was forced to sell her body in order to buy food and clothes for herself.  She was encouraged to do so by the people she was staying with because they  would not provide for her. But she has not given up on herself. She has found that God loves her and that there is hope for the future. As she has joined the Asifiwe family, we have seen her change into a joyful and friendly girl with hope for the future. She wants to become a doctor when she grows up. The Love of Christ is changing Betty from the inside out.  

Mahoro Olivia is a girl of 16 years. She attends Calvary Chapel Christian School and is in Primary 6 this year. She has a great dream of becoming a journalist. She is a very pleasant and hard-working girl, and she is so happy to have a loving family and a place to rest and call home. Before joining Asifiwe Child Care, Olivia’s biggest prayer request was to have a family that loved her and a place to call home. Olivia’s father died before she was born and her mother died when Olivia was born. She lived with her grandmother, who also died when Olivia was young. After that a friend to her grandmother took her in and cared for her as if she was her very own granddaughter.  She was an elderly woman and was unable to work very much, so Olivia and the two other children living with her did not often have enough food to eat. They moved from place to place, and Olivia was unable to attend school regularly, due to moving and to lack of funds for school fees. Then in 2015, the woman who was caring for her, left Olivia and the two others when she went to retire in her birthplace. As this happened, Olivia was able to join the first Asifiwe family and settle down. She is now able to attend school regularly and her needs are being met. She is doing well in her classes and I believe she will be able to attain her dream of becoming a journalist.

Moza Shadia is 17 years old. She is in her second year of Secondary School, called Senior 2 in Uganda, equivalent to the freshman year of high school in America. Shadia has had an adventurous and painful life, though she is still young. Her life spans three nations. She was born in Tanzania, her father’s home. Her mother is Rwandan, and she now lives in Uganda. Though her mom is hard working, she is still only able to provide minimal care to her 5 children. Shadia often had to stay home for school years at a time due to lack of funds for school fees. Though her family is poor and her education has been inconsistent, that is the least of Shadia’s worries. She could manage to make a way for herself if she had only that burden. But she has gone through far worse for someone so young. She has struggled through several years of sexual abuse, from the age of 8. As a result of the abuse, she has gone through two pregnancies that were miscarried, both very painful experiences. Shadia managed to hold all of this in for many years, until she came to Calvary Chapel and felt safe enough to tell of her pain. As her story became known, it took some time for a solution to be found.  A solution came, but just after she became pregnant for the second time.  She was able to be removed from her parents’ home immediately. And every effort was made to care for her and the baby, but God had other plans for her life. He took the baby home to be with Him. Though the experience was traumatic and painful, Shadia was freed to put the past behind her and begin a new life pursuing her education and becoming part of a new family with Asifiwe Child Care. Shadia still has a lot of healing ahead of her, but she is a courageous and ambitious girl. She dreams of becoming a lawyer and is eager to finish her education so she can in turn help her mother be comfortable and her younger sisters to pursue a future of their own.