Education
All the boys are in boarding school now, which has helped them a lot as they are not only able to focus on their studies but also have a safe place to sleep and be fed, without the worries of the slums.
Despite me stopping funds for the home a while back now, Mydel have been determined to keep a base back in Mengo for the boys, for when they return in the holidays. Unfortunately, the previous elections in Uganda have meant that the political status has been pretty unstable recently. This has resulted in a lot of youths in Kampala being arrested. From my own experience of Kampala, a lot of the police are corrupt and will arrest youths for being ' idle/lazy' and they request a sum of money for the young person to be released. As this creates an unsafe environment for our boys to be in during their school holidays, Mydel are trying to extend their boarding stay through the holidays. They are also hoping to be able to use some of the profit from the various projects to build a home on the land soon. They have actually set themselves December as the target month for this, so the boys can be in there for Christmas!
Land
The acre of land that we donated to them is now growing vegetables and they hope to harvest the cassava in August. They are using the veg to help feed the boys during the holidays and are hoping to be able to sell on some of the veg too, as another source of income.
With the large sum of money that I sent out in January, they have started up a poultry project! This has already helped to pay for last term's school fees and, since the project is doing very well, they are able to pay for this term's school fees too. If the project continues thriving as it does, this will be a huge contributor to the boy's school fees - such fantastic news, knowing that they can survive without sponsors now!
They also still have the salon, and are using the profit to pay for the boy's school equipment and any other small essentials that the boys may need.
Needs:
Redo, as their football coach, says that they are struggling to buy football kit, boots and balls. Their focus is rightly on their school education so they do not have any funds for the football. Football is, however, such a massive part of their life as it gets the boys off the streets and unites them socially. Some of the boys have even got into better schools solely based on their football talent - its regarded highly in Uganda! If anyone has any footie equipment that they can donate, please get in touch - tiarna4jc@hotmail.com
They also no longer have the funds for the Christmas activities and camps that they used to treat the boys to during their December school holidays. We used to give a one off treat donation but have stopped providing that for now. If anyone fancies donating towards this, please let me know.
Success Stories:
I'm so proud of these boys. They are all orphans and were living in the slums before I met them. Now they are not only surviving but totally thriving in the world.
To name just a few;
Frank has been called for the Nationals in the under 20yrs football and has also signed for Barclays League of Uganda!!
Rashid is continuing with his scoring tally in Rwanda, currently 3rd within the Top Scorers, with 10 goals! (Read previous posts for Rashid's life story - he's come so far from the troubled orphan living in the slums!)
The following boys have now completed education and are now self employed:
- Matia
- Brian
- Abiilu
- Sanday
- Umar
I will post again with more details about what exactly they have gone in to.
Right now, I am typing with a huge smile, knowing that the Mydel Boys have been able to let go of the crutches of charity and they are making the most of the opportunities that we were able to give them :)
A huge thank you to all those who have sponsored and supported them over the years! xxx
PS: I gave birth to a baby boy on January 11th 2016, named Austin - he's now 5 months and totally gorgeous!
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