Our Newest Peter's Heart Students

How does the staff determine who should be our next students when there are so many children that need rescuing? Our staff has a relationship with the local leaders in our 2 catchment areas, the Ssembule Slum and the Kabalagala slum. These leaders help identify children who are vulnerable and are good candidates for the Peter’s Heart program. There is a pre-identification meeting with the local leaders and then a time to meet the families to assess the levels of need making sure there is a guardian or parent who can partner with us. The guardian will go through a training book and work with our staff to make sure they feel some responsibility for the child.

The schools that these children attend are walking distance from these slums and will provide a noon meal, so that the children get nourishment while they are there. Peter’s Heart has a Memorandum of Understanding with Mengo Hospital to help us get the children medically screened for school and also to see them when they are sick. The children are screened for malaria, typhoid, UTIs, HIV, sight, dental and a full blood account. Four children were found with malaria and two with UTIs and these were given treatment. No one had typhoid, HIV, or sight defects.

Here is a profile of a few of our new students and some group pictures below. In all we have added 25 new students, “Doing justly and loving mercy” one child at a time.

Dalton is 5 years old and was abandoned by his mother due to alcoholism. His father is unknown and the local church has found a great aunt on the mother’s side to take responsibility.

Jadamuru is 8 years old and a refugee who has never been to school. His father died 3 years ago in a motorcycle accident and his mother is a “lady of the night”.

Rania was abandoned by her father before she was born. Her mom has one other child and is unemployed and they live in a temporary iron sheet shelter, sometimes missing meals.