Esther and John

 

When I began working at Kibaale Children’s Centre in 1993, I met Esther and John, two small children who lived on site with about 30 other orphans.  Esther was about 2 years old and her brother,John, was about 4.  They had lived at the centre since their mother died when Esther was 5 months old.  They had no other traceable relatives at the time.  John was severely malnourished when he came to live at the centre—showing typical symptoms of kwashirorkor.  Good care and feeding saved his life, but he was very lethargic and it was heartbreaking to watch him often sitting alone staring off into the distance while the other children played.  Both Esther and John completed preschool in our nursery school at the centre and began primary school with us. Learning was a real struggle for John, probably due in large measure to his poor start in life, but he pressed on.  Eventually, their elderly grandmother was traced through the child probation office and they left part way through their primary schooling to live with their grandmother about 30 km away.  When John completed primary school, he came back to our area with Esther and they lived with an older brother so he could attend our secondary school and Esther could finish her primary schooling.  With much determination, John completed his secondary education (being sponsored through our child sponsorship office).

This is John today.  He is a soft-spoken young man who is working hard to make a living for himself.  Karl has hired him as part of the landscaping crew at the Timothy Centre and it is wonderful to see him active, happy and productive. 

And Esther…

…is a lovely young lady who is learning tailoring in the vocational school in Kibaale.  She is always happy to chat and also has a soft and gentle demeanor.  We thank God for the opportunity to see Him at work in the lives of these children who seemed so hopeless many years ago.