Kabale is a city built between hills, with a cool climate, abundant rainfall, and a beautifully green landscape. It lies near one of the border crossings with Rwanda, in the southwest of Uganda. It is the capital of a district and serves as a commercial hub.

Unfortunately, one of the city’s record statistics is the number of street children—those who literally live their lives on the streets. They come from various villages and sub-counties in the region, fleeing poverty, neglect, or negative influences. They end up in the nearest big city in search of refuge and a chance at a better life. Many of them later find their way to Uganda’s massive capital, Kampala, which counts around 10 million residents. There, they wither in anonymity, under the brutal law of survival that reigns street life. Street children from Kabale rank second in number in the capital.

The street children of Kabale mostly live around the city’s garbage dumps. The smell and the environment are hard to describe. Even more distressing is that the children seem to get used to it. There, they search for and find all sorts of items to sell in order to survive. They live in groups, engaging in glue-sniffing, smoking marijuana, and similar activities. Drugs are called “the softening blanket of the street.” They offer a form of escape from the cold at night and the abuse of the harsh street life. At the same time, they incite violence, crime, and reinforce gang culture.

After serving as the only street children’s organization in Kisoro for 12 years, Koinonia realized there was a great need to reach out to the street children of Kabale—despite the fact that several organizations were already operating there.

In December 2012, the team began a weekly meal distribution program in the courtyard of their local partner, Kabale Full Gospel Church. The initiative quickly developed into a daily food distribution.

This became the gathering point for street children and provided an opportunity to get to know them and understand the reasons that led them to the streets. It was also the first step in helping them leave that life behind. The heartbeat of the meal program is reading the Bible and praying together. It’s remarkable how children of all ages understand this hopeful language, regardless of what life’s storms have brought them. Even if their parents failed to raise them, God loves each and every one of them. He wants to and can help them!

A few months later, we were able to use one room at the local church as temporary shelter for the children and another room for the staff. It was a makeshift solution that served for quite a while, despite all the challenges.

As sweet as the children may be, street life gives them a tough exterior and deeply rooted behaviors—like an invasive weed clinging to the ground, difficult to uproot…

Taking children off the streets is one thing. Getting the street out of the children is something entirely different—and requires time, patience, and a specific approach. We call this process rehabilitation.

In March 2015, Koinonia’s rehabilitation home in Kabale was started out in a rented house on the hills of Kabale.

Currently, a number of children are being cared for in our home, while others have been resettled (when possible) with their original families. They are being supported and guided in their home environments toward self-reliance.

Education, skills training, or a combination of both is a vital part of this journey, while spiritual and psychosocial support makes up the other half of the story.

Some children—especially those who haven’t lived on the streets for very long or are too young to be admitted—can be returned directly from the streets to their homes, and from there receive support and follow-up. Every child and every situation is different, and our approach is tailored to the individual.

The ages of children in our home range from 5 to 16 years, with additional services available beyond that age outside the rehabilitation home.

This project offers:

• A weekly meal for street children in Kabale
• Shelter and education for children taken in
• Access to basic, secondary, or vocational education for every child under the organization’s care
• Social services for the family and reunification where possible
• Support, guidance, and follow-up for children placed with families

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Read Our News or read more for our 4 projects:
Kisoro
Wakiso-Kampala
Napak-North