The Sacred Heart Sisters, an African order, established the home in 1998 and IRT has been its main funder almost from the start. To be a refugee is bad enough, but to be a refugee orphan has to be the shortest straw. 50 refugee orphaned children aged between 6 and 18 live at the home, and are cared for with devotion by the Sisters.
In June 2003 the home was attacked by rebels of the Lord’s Resistance Army and 16 of the children were abducted. The Sisters had to act swiftly to take the remaining children to relative safety – they could not stay where they were for fear the rebels would return for them. They lived in cramped, temporary accommodation, but safe at least. Thankfully 14 of the children managed to escape over the next 2 years, but we know one was killed and one is still missing.
Plans were drawn up for a new home to be built in this new location. At last we had raised most of the money and building could start, but building in this part of the world is a slow business. The children finally moved into their new home a year ago - what a proud moment for the Sisters, the children and us.
Our next challenge is to make sure we can cover all the future running costs of the home. We need to raise money for food, clothes, schooling and salaries for the lay workers. It costs £14,000 a year to keep it running. We are now supporting the Sisters to establish income-generating projects so that they can become increasingly self-sufficient.