An eye opener

This evening, the group who were volunteering at the babies' orphanage tell us about something they witnessed en route to their volunteer site. At the side of the road they saw a young boy being manhandled across the street, while he was crying loudly. They assumed, of course, as any westerner would, that this was a father disciplining his son. Later, the team saw the same boy alone, his face freshly bloody. Christine, the group's guide for the day, explained to them that street children are beaten all the time for stealing. And that often street children are beaten when they haven't even actually stolen anything - they are beaten because it is assumed that they've stolen, or that they will steal.

Christine further reveals that this one particular boy was lucky that he was so young. Older children, she tells them, those about twelve or thirteen years, would be beaten or stoned to death if they are found to have stolen from local merchants. She tells the group horrible stories of mobs burning homeless thieves to death in crowded markets. And the sad reality - mob justice goes almost entirely unpunished in Uganda.

This is why African Child in Need exists - because street kids have few options available to them. Starve or steal, really. And a child who is forced to steal to survive is really risking their life, just by being on the streets. What Milton's done - giving these kids a place they can feel safe - is incredible. And though our stomachs turned when we saw how dirty, how barren, how all around awful the living conditions were on our first visit to the centre, we now truly understand. What little they have in that centre is far far better than being left alone to fend for themselves on the streets. Talk about humbling. Hearing this story, even second hand, from the mouths of our friends makes it all the more real.