Joseph

Joseph is a boy that lives here at one of the children’s homes. He was among the group of kids that came while we have been here. He comes from a nearby village called Kalagala. He was staying with his aunt and many cousins. Kids that are orphaned to aunts or uncles that have kids of their own are often mistreated. His father died many years ago and his mother more recently. It’s not totally clear what caused their deaths but we suspect it was Aids. Joseph is 12 or 13 (no one knows for sure). He should be in S1 (same as grade 8) but he is in P3 (same as grade 3). He hasn’t been to school in 5 years. When he came to live here he was very aggressive and a little bit rude. He did not play well with the other kids; Joel was actually a little bit afraid of him. If we passed out some sort of treat, he would push his way to the front of the line or take more than his share. Over the past 2 months he has softened into a gentle, kind and hardworking kid. He happily goes to school with kids half his size. He even walks some of the little ones to school, holding their hands. It’s amazing to us to see how quickly he changed. He is a great example of being a product of his environment; he now lives where he feels loved and cared for.