Portraits

I wanted to share some more intimate individual portraits of many of these brave children.  They are all beautiful in their own way.
A word about people's names in Uganda.  Surnames of children are often different, even when they have the same two parents.  Children do not necessarily carry the surname of either mother or father.  If twin boys are born, the first born is often named Wasswa and the second is Kato.  There may be some variation from tribe to tribe.  The first female twin is Babirye and the second is Nakato.

Paul Buyondo – both parents died of AIDs – not sponsored

Lydia Nakate – both parents dead, she was caring for her younger siblings after parents died – the siblings are being cared for by nuns in a different children's home – not sponsored

Patrick Guyidde – he and his brother left alone in home after both parents died

Gloria Nankya – second born of a mother murdered in an acid attack – not sponsored

Justine Nakamatte – mother abandoned when she developed AIDs encephalopathy – now sponsored  by us

Another image of Justine

Geoffrey Buyondo – brother to Patrick Guyidde – not sponsored

Another image of Geoffrey.  Rescued after both parents died of Aids.

Esther Kwagala – abandoned by mother at night at 2 weeks age in 2009

Wasawa Hussein – twin of Kato – 2003 – mother had advanced AIDS & died in 2005 – not sponsored

Judith Namulinde – both parents HIV positive (mother just died this year) and unable to care for children

Another image of Judith.  She is a sweet and beautiful girl.  Very reserved, she rarely speaks but loves singing and dancing with the choir.  She is not sponsored.

Lydia Katusiime – mother died in road traffic accident in Feb 2013 – not sponsored.  Lydia is a sensitive child and does not yet understand the language of the other children.  I have seen a gradual improvement in her socialization with her peers and occasional genuine smiles just in the last days of my stay

Rona Tusiime – sister of Lydia K – not sponsored - a darling child who is very quiet and gentle

Jovan Kisakye – youngest of acid attack victims – not sponsored - vigorous, cuddly and always ready with a smile

Sandra Nabukenya – Oct 2009 – brought by police – abandoned by mother – not sponsored - an elder in the little ones' dorm, she takes some responsibility for chores and caring for the babies

Moses Ocen was rescued by the Uganda People's Defence Forces in northrern Uganda after he and his parents were abducted by the LRA (Lord's Resistance Army) rebels.  After walking several miles the small children who could not keep pace with the rebels were left behind and later rescued.  After unsuccessful attempts to trace any next of kin, Ocen was brought to BKU in 2004.

Isaac Wasswa has been at BKU since early 2012 together with his twin brother Joseph Kato.  Their father was murdered before they were born, and their mother abandoned the boys when she met another man.
Isaac is not sponsored.

Joshua Wasswa and his twin bother Elijah Kato were abandoned at Victoria's gate one afternoon in July 2011.  No one has ever returned to claim them.

Janat Nakayenga lost her parents to HIV aids.  She came to BKU with her step-brother Paulo Buyondo in early 2012.  Janat is very active and intelligent, if a little moody at times.  She was recently sponsored by the family of a BKU volunteer.

I'm told this is a neighbourhood girl who queued up to be photographed when I was at the big kids' dorm.

Elijah Kato, twin brother to Joshua Wasswa, was left at the front gate of BKU in July 2011.  The boys could not give their parent's names.  Kato is top in his class in the nursery section at school.  His friends at BKU nicknamed him "Musujja", which means "fever" because he is so often sickly.  Kato is not sponsored.

 Miracle Byaruhanga is a son to the lady who cooks for the bigger kids.  His father denied the pregnancy and abandoned the cook, Alen, at a very young age with her pregnancy.  He is now in nursery class at school and has no sponsor.

Umar Serwanga's father died of HIV-aids in 2008.  Umar is believed to be 9 years of age and was taken in by BKU when his grandmother could no longer care for him in 2011.  He is in Primary One and performs well in school.  He has no sponsor.

Olivia Ndagire is the first born of the acid attack victim's four children.  She is buoyant, cheerful, and very sharp academically.  She is sponsored by an Indian family.