ORPHANS KNOW WHERE THEY DO NOT WANT TO BE.

Every child has a dream. Every child has a destination they want to reach at a given time X. Every child should have a person they look up to. Every child has an image of what they want to be in future but not every child has a clear picture of what and where they do not want to be.

Orphans know where they do not want to be because they have been there. They know what they don’t want to be because they have just been that. They know where they want to be and desperately pray for doors to open for them, to run out of the cages in which they are locked and soar on wings like eagles. Many orphans have faced abuse, torture, neglect, lack, homelessness and many other troubles that have for some resulted into psychological trauma. For them, a bright future is any place that is not close to the horrible experiences they have faced in life. They know that they never want to go to sleep on an empty stomach in future. They do not want to be seen as insignificant individuals who are incapable of making a reasonable contribution to society. The unfair reality is that they are orphans and may not have someone to run to for help. No one to wipe their tears and for some, they have grown to accept the fact that they will never be treated equally and will not always receive the care that their counterparts with parents get.

Orphans are ambitious, can be visionary and given the opportunity, are capable of achieving what they set their hearts on. Their ambition is the tough experiences that they have had in life and their motivation is a better tomorrow. The award-winning author Dr Ben Carson once said that “Success is determined not by whether or not you face obstacles, but by your reaction to them. And if you look at these obstacles as a containing fence, they become your excuse for failure. If you look at them as a hurdle, each one strengthens you for the next.” And that is what orphans strive for, to see each challenge and hard time they`ve faced in life become a motivation for them to be better.

Unfortunately, most times, orphans find difficulty in trying to get out of the pangs of poverty because they need help. Orphans need a helping hand to open the cage door for them. They need a guiding light to shine upon their paths and show a better way to them. They need a giving hand to provide for them, where the parents who should have done so are not. They need a loving heart to pray for them and plead God`s mercy upon their lives. Orphans are category of people that were not born with a silver spoon in their mouths. For some, not even a wooden spoon is available for them to eat. They are sure of where they do not want to be, but what pains them is that unless someone else is kind enough to help them out, they may stay in that place forever.

The most beautiful thing about pain is this; when a person has been in pain, they never want someone else to experience the same. Yes, there is something beautiful about pain, and it is called the free opportunity to learn the hard way. Orphans are learners, and once helped, it is only natural that they seek to help others out of the same situation. This follows after the proverb ‘one good turn deserves another.’ It would be selfish of me, if I didn’t share the story of a beautiful hearted man, the late Emmanuel McMillan Kitumba. The late Emmanuel McMillan was motivated by his painful past, having gotten to a point in life when he was in want and received help from a good Samaritan who sponsored his education. He later decided that the best thing to do was to reciprocate the kind gesture and likewise support the vulnerable and those in need of help. In 2010, upon his return to Uganda, he began the legal process of registering a charity organization.  The process was finalized in 2012 and it birthed what stands today as Love Uganda Foundation.

Likewise, we can decide to follow suit and walk in his footsteps. The helping hand that the orphan needs can be you. That guiding light to shine upon their paths can be me. Together we can be the giving hand and loving heart that makes the dreams of these orphans come true. Together we can awaken them out of the nightmare in which they now live and give them the opportunity to hold the pencils that write their stories and have a fresh start. All it takes for us to do that is care. We should care enough to trust that little is better than nothing. We should care are enough to give even when we are financially limited. Let us care enough to grant access to these orphans and resolve that no matter what life may bring, they too deserve a fair chance. Together we can, so together let us. For it is more blessed to give than to receive