Often our parents would fight as a result alcoholic influence and this made our home atmosphere very unfriendly making life harder for me and my siblings. This forced us to fully join other children on the streets.

Carol is a second born in a family of 6 girls and 2 boys originating from Matany, Moroto District in the North Eastern part of Uganda. According to her, it was the prolonged drought that drove the family from their origin and settle in Namatala, a slum in Mbale Municipality.

Regardless of their migration, life in Namatala was not easy either. Starvation became part of our family as we often lacked a day’s meal and due to frustration my parents resorted to drinking alcohol instead of fending for the family. Surprisingly, in order to survive the children and their drunkard parents could go to the streets to solicit money. Scavenging also became part of their daily routine especially from the garbage heaps around the market streets.

Carol explains, “Often our parents would fight as a result alcoholic influence and this made our home atmosphere very unfriendly making life harder for me and my siblings. This forced us to fully join other children on the streets who depended solely on picking food stuffs from garbage heaps, begging for money, and stealing. By this time, 2008, I was so much accustomed to street life”.

One day while scavenging, which was their daily chore, CRO social workers met her along with her siblings around the market garbage heaps. She was interviewed and finally enrolled for rehabilitation which she completed successfully. “I feel healthier now because I manage to get a nutritious meal at CRO and am able to cope with stress as a result of psychosocial care and support that has been accorded to me.” She speaks.

Carol completed rehabilitation class and joined Nabuyonga Primary School in 2009 in primary one and over the years she has progressed through primary. Her teachers are very proud her as she is bright, hardworking, humble and loyal. Teachers entrust her with classroom items such as dusters, registers. She really performs well often among the top five with science as her best subject.

At the CRO center, Carol is such a talented singer and she is part of the CRO Choir, likes making friends and watching educative films. “I am so grateful to CRO for every support rendered to. Long live CRO and may God bless you” she says.

Carol continues to articulate that her ambition is to become a doctor.