Ali* is 17 and has lived on the streets of Jinja since he was 11. He was one of five children and lived with his siblings and parents. Unfortunately, home life became difficult. His parents were regularly having money stolen from their house and confronted their children who all denied any wrongdoing.
His father therefore laid a trap by leaving some money on the table, then hid under the bed to keep a lookout. He witnessed Ali taking the money, and when he was confronted Ali confessed to stealing the other cash that went missing. His father became very angry and hit Ali and said he would take him to the police.
Running scared
Ali became very frightened so decided to run away with the money he had stolen. He came to the streets of Jinja with the intention of starting a new life but soon found that he had to resort to stealing again to survive. He was often beaten and imprisoned and due to this harsh lifestyle he became fearless and tough.
One day, when the staff of S.A.L.V.E. International were conducting a street walk, they found him with serious wounds asleep on a veranda. He went to their Drop In Centre and from there was taken to hospital for treatment. When he had recovered he attended counselling sessions at the S.A.L.V.E residential site and was educated about the difficulties and dangers of his behaviour. By building a trusting relationship with one of the S.A.L.V.E. social workers he began to transform. In time, he was ready and willing to do whatever it took to be accepted back at home with his family again.
Returning home
In time and with Ali demonstrating positive motivation and behaviour, the S.A.L.V.E. staff felt he was ready for home visit. At first his father was very tough with him but staff explained the changes in Ali and after a heartfelt apology, he was forgiven and welcomed home.
Ali has now been at home for 3 months and is a settled and reformed boy. He feels very proud of being reunited with his family and proud of the work he and S.A.L.V.E did together.
*Name changed in line with our Child Protection Policy
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