St. Jude's Children's Home

On Sunday we visited St. Jude’s Children’s Home in Gulu. Children’s home is a more appropriate title than orphanage. In Uganda, a child is not only its parent’s child, but the whole family and community. Most children who have lost their parents due to the conflict, AIDS, or other causes are taken in by family or community members and raised as their own. In fact, often in a family, if someone has the means they will take over the care of their sibling’s children or at least their children’s school fees. Many of the people we have met are caring for or have cared for their nieces and nephews.

The children of St. Jude’s are there for many different reasons. Some are true orphans, they may have been discovered among the ruins of a village which had been raided, or for whatever reason, no family can be located. These children are in the minority. Most are there temporarily. Perhaps their mother died and their father is not currently able to care for them. Some children are there because their families are too large to be able to support all of the children and staying at St. Jude’s means that they get the opportunity to go to school. Some children are HIV positive and can be given proper medical care if the stay at St. Jude’s. There are currently 92 children at St. Jude’s with 8 “mothers”. One cannot adopt a Ugandan child unless they have lived in the country for at least three years.

Another amazing thing about St. Jude’s is their residence for families of children with serious disabilities. The homes allow the family to stay together while allowing access to proper care to serve the child’s needs.

We were really unsure of what to expect, or what was expected of us. We packed balls, and Frisbees, and I grabbed the bubbles I had brought with me. When we arrived, the children rushed over to the mutatu (van) with hands out-stretched. They were eager to play with us, hang out, and talk to us. Blake has been involved with the home for the past two summers and has taught a number of children about photography. Many wanted to use our cameras. Later the children sang and danced for us. It felt strange at the end of the visit just to say goodbye. I get the feeling that the children see a lot of bus loads of people who come and play with them for a while and then

drive away. I still think they are very happy to see anyone who will sit with them and listen even for a little while.