For years, Joshua was known in his community for disobedience, poor school performance, a defiant attitude—and stealing. His mother had nearly given up on him. Home was a constant struggle, and Joshua had learned to survive by running away, stealing food, and wandering unmonitored. He had built a shell around himself. Nothing seemed to reach him—not consequences, not concern.
Then something changed.
A staff member from Mukisa Children’s Community Centre (MCCC) noticed Joshua’s situation and invited him to attend the Mukisa Vibes holiday camp. That invitation turned out to be a lifeline.
At first, Joshua stayed guarded. But the warmth of the camp, the encouragement from “Aunties and Uncles,” and the safety of being heard began to soften him. He admitted the things he had stolen, confessed his disobedience, and shared the reasons behind his actions—something he had never done before. The hardened look on his face began to fade. His attitude changed. He started to trust, engage, and to accept guidance.
His mother couldn’t believe it. “Joshua has changed a lot,” she said.
“Now I see him at home taking care of me. In the past, I could only hope he would come back home each night.”
But Joshua’s healing didn’t happen in isolation—it was also about how adults around him were learning to parent differently.
Joshua 10years and a friend smiling for a shot.
From Mobilizer to Mother: Mama Joshua’s Journey
One of those adults was Joshua’s mother, Lydia, a founding committee member of Mukisa. She was instrumental in mobilizing other parents to join the Centre and support its mission. Though her own son was older and technically beyond the Centre’s early childhood focus, Lydia stayed involved.
Through Mukisa’s parenting sessions and early childhood development tools, Lydia began to see her relationship with her son in a new light. She applied what she learned at home—how to communicate with empathy, how to listen, and how to set boundaries without fear or force. “It’s never too late to reconnect with your child,” Lydia shared.
“Mukisa doesn’t just teach us about children. It teaches us how to be present—even when we thought we had missed our chance.”
Just like Joshua’s mother, Lydia discovered that change doesn’t only happen in children—it starts with informed, empowered parenting.
Why This Matters: Changing the Narrative for Uganda’s Children
In too many Ugandan communities, children like Joshua are falling through the cracks. Poverty, lack of parenting knowledge, limited resources, and underfunded social services have created environments where children grow up without the support they need to thrive. Many caregivers only begin to seek help when a child is already in crisis—often during adolescence, when behavior problems are harder to correct.
A joint study by UNICEF and the Ugandan Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development found that:
6 in 10 girls and 7 in 10 boys experienced physical violence during childhood—nearly half at the hands of parents or caregivers.
(Source: UNICEF VAC Survey)
This is why Mukisa Children’s Community Centre exists:
To ensure improved care and healthy development for children in disadvantaged communities—so they can grow into responsible contributors to their communities.
We believe that support must go beyond the child alone. It must extend to their entire support system—parents, guardians, caregivers—many of whom cannot afford childcare, or even meet basic needs like food, clothing, and healthcare.
It’s Never Too Late, But So Much Better When It’s Early
Joshua’s breakthrough came at age 10. Lydia’s parenting shift happened when her son was already past early childhood. Both stories are powerful reminders that healing and transformation are always possible. But we must also ask:
What if it happened earlier?
Imagine the possibilities if more families were reached when children are still tender—between the ages of 3 to 5, when they are most open to love, structure, and learning. At Mukisa, we are working to make that happen every day.
Because every child deserves a better beginning. And every parent deserves the tools to provide it. Help make that happen for all children.
