Over 70 Children Rescued From Trafficker in Kitgum, Uganda

I received this article today from tomorrow’s paper in Uganda, The Monitor, April 20, 2013: “OVER 70 CHILDREN RESCUED FROM TRAFFICKER IN KITGUM, UGANDA.”

When parents sent their children to Active Blessing Uganda, a non-governmental organization, they believed the children would get an education and live a better life. That bubble burst when the parents found out their children were being denied basic rights and exploited. In total, 76 children, aged between four and 16 years, have been rescued from the alleged human traffickers.

According to the officer in-charge of Kitgum Central Police Station, three Ugandan men were arrested for child trafficking. One man stated that under the NGO, Active Blessing Uganda, this organization would take care of orphans and children born in captivity during the LRA insurgency. However, this is not what has been happening. Five children have died of “natural causes”. A majority of the children were malnourished, subjected to child labor, exploitation, and begging. Some of the children herded cattle, did domestic work for other people in return for food and when they got sick, they were not cared for. The children ate their meals in shifts, where the bigger children at times forfeited meals for the sake of the younger ones.

As I continued to read, I am always amazed why people do what they do for the love of money. Yes, this organization received money to help with the children but instead of using it for that purpose, in their pockets it went. At Timothy’s Home for the Children, 100% of your money that you send for Embracing the Children goes directly into that orphanage. Our store, Heart To Hand, in the Mayfield Shopping Plaza, handles all administrative costs.

You can see from the photo, our children are well taken care of. They have 3 nutritious meals a day along with a snack. They receive medical treatment and also an education that they would not have had in the village. At Timothy’s Home for the Children, we also resettle children back into their own homes when situations that brought the child to our home have improved. (2 children adopted and 1 resettled)

I appreciate the NGO board applying stricter regulations for orphanages. It keeps us accountable not only to our supporters but to God.