Monitor story changes life of  7-year-old twin breadwinners

Hardly a month ago, Aaron Opio and Doreen Acen, twins aged seven years, who are breadwinners for their family, never dreamt that their plight would ever change.
 When this publication visited them on April 13, we found them bare chested, with their pot-like bellies greeting the eyes of our reporters who shared their plight to the rest of the world.

A tattered piece of dirty bed sheet, half piece of parched mattress and a broken green basin was all they owned in Acyekitoyo Village, Kaga Parish in Ochero Sub-county, Kaberamaido District.
 The noble urge to share their story has since calmed down their rough tides to now that of a serene kind of life.

 Their mentally ill mother, who often roamed around the lake shores, reportedly now spends her time home because of the support rendered.
 Their story was one that enlisted a lot of humanitarian sympathy and support from around the world, which has since put a smile to their faces, their elder brother Denis Eriku, and their mother.
 From a door less house, the family of four now has six mattresses,   six pairs of blankets, clothes, bed sheets, saucepans, basins, and water harvesting containers, besides the food support extended through the support from both our print and online readers.

 In a record 26 days, Christine Asege, and her twin children, who braved the cold nights in a wattle house that was about to give way to old age, and often sharing it with rodents, has now a modest two-roomed permanent house , courtesy of a Good Samaritan who identified herself as Juliet, a Ugandan living abroad.
 “I have read the story about the twins, it is a touchy one, I will offer a modest house, humanity deserves better,” Ms Juliet said via email three weeks ago.

 Some people make promises but never fulfil them. That was not the case for Juliet. Her commitment to help was rather humbling. On April 20, she made her promise come true, and she sent two builders from Kampala to build for the family a modest structure.
 “We return thanks to God, that this work is done, thank you for guiding the builders,” she communicated upon being informed that the structure was complete.
 Mr Richard Orech, a resident in the same village, said the gesture from the people who have come to the rescue of the family is a commendable one.
 “Imagine people hundreds of miles away getting here to change the life of these children,” he said.
 Christine Asege, who seemingly murmurs when talking, couldn’t hide her joy.
“Opwoyo sana” she said, in Kumam, her mother tongue, loosely translated as ‘thank you so much.’

 “From tattered clothes, people have given my children clothes,” she added, as she stared at the open skies with a gesture of her hand, on the day we delivered a local heifer bought using the money contributed by Monitor readers.
 Her elder son, Denis Eriku, said the heifer will be his future source of wealth.
“I am going to look after it with jealousy,” said the nine-year-old who spent much of his life in the bush herding for an upkeep than he has been in class.

Food security
 Through the advice of people of goodwill, using the money contributed, a garden of sweet potatoes is being heaped for this family to guard against food shortage.
 Besides, the garden of sweet potatoes, using the money contributed from readers a semi-permanent pit latrine is being put up. Previously, they have been practicing open defecation.

  In their touching plight, the twins, who had found it hard to make it to school, will now have a seemingly rosy future after they landed an education scholarship from Bravo shoe community support organisation.
 The leaders of the organisation that first entered a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Kaberamaido District local government, travelled to Acyekitoyo Village with a basket of goodies ranging from suitcases, food, blankets and shoes, among other items, before picking the twins who will now study in Kampala.

 Opio and Acen will be enrolled to study in Kampala, and during school holidays, they will always be reunited with their mother and relatives.
 Bravo shoe community support organisation that supports vulnerable children among others, does not work for profit.

 Mr Brian Yesigye, the executive director of the organisation, said the five-year memorandum of understanding with Kaberamaido District will be renewable depending on the availability of funds.  He said the MoU will entail supporting the vulnerable children in Kaberamaido in areas of education, health, psychosocial support, restoration services and economic empowerment.
 “The main purpose of this MoU is to harmonise collaboration with Kaberamaido for smooth implementation of the project and eventual realisation of anticipated project outcomes,” Mr Yesigye said.
 Opio, one of the twins, said he is delighted that is going to school, and now has enough clothes, with shoes to put on.  “I have been eating posho, beans and also enjoyed tea, ever since those items were brought to us,” the boy said with a smile.

 His twin sister, Acen, clad in a school uniform and standing next to her suitcase on the day Bravo shoe community support organization picked them said, “I can’t imagine I am going to Kampala.” Mr Victor Rex Ekesu, the Kaberamaido District chairperson, said with such interventions, it means the vulnerable will have a future in education, access to health and trauma treatment.

 “To everyone who has in one way or the other reached out to this family, we are grateful as a district; as district chairperson, I am humbled to say journalism is a blockade opener,” he added.
 Mr Ekesu said the issue of child-headed families is one that the district will have to document about so that when future government intervention is extended, such children are the first to be reached out to.
 He said the district departments that are mandated to handle these cases in terms of offering guidance ought to be supported.