By apearlnews.com
The assistant pastoral coordinator and spiritual director of catholic charismatic renewal in Kabale Diocese, Rev. Fr. Innocent Buregyeya, has emphasized the need to have rehabilitation and vocational center for street children in Kabale district.
Fr. Buregyera, the Director and founder of Divine Mercy Hospitality and Rehabilitation Center, was on monday speaking to the press at the organization’s office in Kekubo cell, Nyabikoni ward, central Division in Kabale Municipality.
Fr. Young says that he brainstormed the idea two years ago as a dream after seeing the situation of the people and that in him came a desire to begin something that could transform the community.
He added that partly he thought about street children when he was in Europe doing his masters in science of mission of the church, having looked at how Jesus used to do the ministry of divine healing, looking after suffering and sick people, the reason why he came from heaven to be with people.
He stressed his need to help and engage the street children in vocational skills for their lives to be transformed, saying that once these street children are rehabilitated and engaged in vocational skills, the level of criminality in Kabale district will be reduced.
Fr. Young started this initiative during lockdown when he, together with well-wishers, fed street children and later came up with this dream of establishing hospitality.
He revealed that so far they have secured land worth 85 million on which they are planning to construct a rehabilitation center and a vocational skill center, but
They don’t have funds, so they are calling upon the public to join them and create a home for street children.
He says so far they have already formed a group of single mothers’ associations who are the mothers of street children. He adds that so far, 120 street children have been registered.
He further said that part of the work to be done is to reconcile these street children with their parents, whose families were broken.
ASP Able Ruganza, the Kabale District Police Commander, said that over 50 street children were recently arrested, taken to courts of law, and prosecuted, but that it couldn’t solve the problem of criminality among them. He added that he later learned that arresting street children wouldn’t solve the problem unless they were engaged in things that could always make them busy.
He went on to say that having rehabilitation and vocational center to teach street children how to earn a living rather than having them engage in criminal activity will reduce the number of criminal cases in the area.
However, speaking to our reporter at the Divine Mercy hospitality and rehabilitation office, the street kids cited economic hardships and family violence in their families as reasons that forced them to be on the street.
Mutabazi Fredric, a street kid in Kabale Town, says that he joined the street when he was five years old after citing harassment subjecting him to corporal punishments on a daily basis, which forced him to abandon the family. He, however, appreciated Rev. Fr. Young, who has transformed their lives spiritually.
Tumwesigye Martine, the president of street kids, and Tusimire Evas, the chairperson of single women at Divine Mercy Hospitality and Rehabilitation Centre, applauded Rev. Fr. Young for the initiative to have street children move from the streets and spiritually support single mothers to get engaged and equipped with different skills which they say will help them live and earn a living.
They also joined hands in calling for the well-wishers to save the street kids by providing their basic needs if they are to reduce the rate of criminality in town.
The Divine Mercy and Rehabilitation Centre is a community-based organization operating in Kekubo cell, Nyabikoni ward, Central Division in Kabale Municipality.
It began in 2020 and currently looks after over 120 street kids and 28 single mothers in the Kabale district.
