Isaac(15) left his fathers’s home  in Otuke District in May 2018 andjoined the  streets of Lira town. This was after the demise of his mother in 2017. His father married another wife who subjected him to intermittent beatings,torture and falsely accused him before his father. Isaac says,“my father would get so annoyed with me and one day he said that he would kill me if he heard anything again.This scared me so much that I ran to the streets in Lira town in a bid to save my life..“

While on streets, Isaac joined other street children who showed him how to survive in the town. Just like the others, he also started  collecting metal scraps to get some money for sustainance.“Though we could sell the scrap, still life was hectic espescially the cold nights, violence, bad habits and the stigma from the public as street children are regarded as thieves“,tells Isaac.

In September 2018, Isaac joined CRO after meeting CRO social workers while him and his friends were on their way from collecting scraps. During the encounter,Isaac and the group were asked some questions and later were requested to visit the CRO drop-in center  to which he complied.

“At CRO, I have benefited from a lot of things such as health care, food, rehabilitation, education and most importantly, in March 2019 my uncle heard news from the village that am staying on street in Lira city and he started looking for me on the streets. I always hid myself from him in fear that he would take me back to my father who would beat me mercilessly BUT one day CRO came to my aid and resettled me at my uncle’s home who accepted me and I started staying with him up to date.“narrates Isaac

After completing the rahabilitation class, Isaac joined a vocational skills training in Brick Laying and Concrete Practice (BCP).

“I look forward to seeing my dream of becoming a construction Engineer come true“,he says hopefully.

“Gratitude to CRO, and all the supporters for the great opportunity they give to Street Children directing them towards their future dreams. Now I can see that I am a future Engineer which I never thought of reaching that level before. May God bless CRO and expand its operations to cover many children achieve their dreams too“, he adds.