Urban TV donates to abandoned children

By Fatumah Nalwanga

KAMPALA - Urban TV crew from Vision group put a smile and instilled hope in the lives of the abandoned children at God’s Grace Child Care in Kyebando last Thursday, when they donated basic needs worth millions of shillings.

God’s Grace housing over 120 hopeless children, was founded eight years ago and is a one stop center for all the disadvantaged and rejected children in the Kyebando and the surrounding suburbs.

According to Linda Mabikke  Vision Group Corporate Social Responsibility Officer, they were inspired by the sad story that first ran on Urban TV at the close of last year about the lives of these unfortunate children.

“We have done this as part of our corporate social responsibility and we were so touched by a sad story about these innocent abandoned little ones that ran on Urban TV at the close of last year,” Linda said.

Urban TV donated a truck of mattresses, clothes, pampers, shoes, toys among others that instilled hope and restored rare smiles on the faces of these rather rejected children.

Maria Kihumuro the founder of God’s Grace Children’s Care says she was convicted by the holy spirit through dreams that kept showing her crying children that needed her help.

“For many years I could not sleep because whenever I closed my eyes, God’s voice came to me telling me the need to help abandoned children. I would see many rejected children crying and coming to me. It was not until 2004 when  I took a step and started this home that I got some sleep,” confesses Kihumuro.

Pupils of Grace Childern's Home singing with Urban team members on 28/03/2013.

This home which houses children from one day olds to teens is still in a sheer state and survives by God’s Grace like its name.

Apart from these innocent souls spending some days on bare stomach, they are prone to be attacked by deadly ailments like Cholera, dysentery and Malaria due to the poor sanitation they thrive in, yet they cannot even access any medical help.

Kihumuro laments that, “Sometimes I completely have no food to give all these children. We boil water and give them. The worst scenario is when they fall sick. I just have to call upon any well-wisher to come and help me take them to hospital, and some times help does not come through.”

Childern recieving gifts from St Noa Girl Secondary School at Grace childern's home,Kyebando on 28/03/2013

She has urged the government and other well-wishers to intervene  since the number of such children keeps increasing by day, yet she can barely support them.

The children’s home housing more than 120 children is surviving on shanty class rooms, congested and there no reliable personnel to help out miss Kihumuro.