“Now I can fit in a family again”

Ibrahim finds a new family – Written by Aunty Zelly of Tigers Club, Uganda

Have you ever been alone somewhere where you can’t speak the language? It can be scary. So imagine how much harder it would be if you’re also a child running away from an abusive relative.

That is exactly what happened to 10 year old Ibrahim. One night Ibrahim ran away from his uncle’s house in rural Uganda where he was being mistreated. He didn’t know any other language apart from his mother tongue – Kinyankole.

Ibrahim was picked up by a man who said he could sleep at his home. But instead he was taken to a shrine where the man was involved in witchcraft. Thankfully Ibrahim escaped without being abused in any way and made his way to Kampala, the capital city.

He ended up at a Police Station where he met another 10 year old boy called Jackson who had also run away from home for similar reasons. The boys became good friends and stayed with the police for quite some time, but they were not given any food, bedding or care - just a safe place to sleep. To survive they would leave in the morning and scavenge for food or gather scrap metal to sell, and return at night.

They got caught up in smoking and drugs, and even the police could not control them. In the end they were taken to a state-run children’s centre from where they were referred to Tigers Club, RETRAK’s project in Kampala.

Slowly the Tigers team got to know the boys and began to help them think about a life away from the street. At one point Ibrahim was knocked over by a motor cycle and badly injured. The nurse at the Tigers clubhouse treated him until he was well again.

Eventually the time came for the two friends to be taken to Tudabujja, Tigers Club’s halfway house for children leaving the streets. Here they found a different situation from the hardships of the street. At Tudabujja they received much love and care, as well as food, bedding, football, lessons and prayer. At Tudabujja they both sung a new song:

“We are very happy because we are now loved like other children in families. It is now a year at Tuda and social workers are still trying to locate our real parents. We are very happy about moving back home, school and life with our parents again.”

The Tigers’ social workers found Jackson’s family and helped him to return home, but it was not so easy to locate Ibrahim’s parents.  When Jackson left, Ibrahim cried. His best friend had gone and he longed to go home too.

Ibrahim’s behaviour began to change. He became arrogant and stubborn, and refused to do any work. It was a difficult time, but the social workers and house parents at Tigers Club never stopped loving, guiding and supporting Ibrahim.

Finally a family came forward who agreed to foster Ibrahim and look after him as their own son. The rest of his time at Tudabujja was aimed at preparing him to fit into a new family. In 2006 Ibrahim went to live with his new family. They describe Ibrahim as their ‘last born’. He soon settled in and loved playing with the other children in the family.

Ibrahim remembers how he felt when his friend Jackson returned to his family and says “Now I can fit in a family again”. He talks openly with his new family and still hopes that one day they may find his biological parents.