“We visualize children living a happy life full of meaning and prosperity.”
Every child in MeryLine’s care has a unique story, but three challenges in Uganda create threads that run through many of their stories. Those challenges are poverty, the HIV/AIDS epidemic and the war (now over) in northern Uganda in which thousands of families were displaced and torn apart. While antiviral drugs have drastically improved the outlook for HIV/AIDS patients, there is lingering stigma attached to taking the medicine so some children are still losing their parents to AIDS. Some MercyLine children have lived with grandparents or other relatives after they were orphaned, only to have these relatives fall ill or become too old or sick to care for children.
Children might be referred to MercyLine by the government, church pastors, or other care-giving institutions who have reached capacity. Orphaned or vulnerable children might also be identified during home visits or might be rescued from the streets after they were abandoned. Because many MercyLine children lived in unstable situations when their parents were ill, or while they lived with relatives, they often did not attend school regularly and did not receive adequate nutrition or medical care. Once in MercyLine’s care, we work to compensate for these issues and get the child on track to live a happy life.
While at MercyLine Children’s Home, children attend school regularly, attend weekly church services, perform age appropriate house-keeping tasks and help with sustainability projects. Older children receive a small allowance to help them learn money management skills. Playground equipment, a library and a collection of games and puzzles provide the opportunity for kids to enjoy their free time.
Children reside at MercyLine Children’s Home until they are 18 years old. As children approach their 18th birthday, MercyLine’s goal is to help them identify a path for making a living and to achieve the necessary education. Sometimes this education will include the formal schooling system and college, sometimes it will be vocational training.