The Heart of our Family and Cornerstone home
Doreen
Doreen is 16 and in Senior 2. She lost her father at age 4, her mother was lacking skills to support the family. She had to become the head mother figure of the home while her mother was spending long hours every day looking for work. They were living in a one bedroom with her other two siblings, Paul and Peter, and were barely having enough to eat when we found her. She is somewhat shy but truly wants to please and for you to know she is a good girl. She’s a great helper with the chores, cooking, and taking care of the younger kids around the house. She came to Cornerstone very delayed emotionally, socially, and educationally, and we have worked hard to improve these areas. She has been working hard to at least complete Senior 2, then maybe go for vocational training.
Hamson
Hamson is 15 and in Primary 6. He is very bright and creative. He is also very funny, a great leader in school and at home, and loves to be around Paul. The eldest of 4, he lost his Dad to Cerebral Malaria at the age of 6 in Kampala but his mom couldn't afford to raise them all, so they relocated to the village in the western part of Uganda. The family struggled very badly to even provide food. At an early age, he was forced to drop out of school so he could take care of his grandfather's cattle and help provide for the siblings and extended family. Brian, upon traveling to the village, found this family in poor shape with not enough food or shelter for everyone, and Hamson being the oldest, was cared for the least. The mom surrendered him to Cornerstone so that he would survive and have a chance at getting an education, changing his life. He wants to be a doctor, and we believe if he stays on the right track, can achieve this.
Florence
Florence is 8 years old and she is now in primary two. We were told that she was 5 when we received her, but observing her and talking to the doctor, we found she is about 8. She is the most recent child to join Cornerstone. Her dad died before she was born and unfortunately she lost her mom too on the day she was delivered. She stayed with relatives when she was a baby, but they no longer could care for her and gave her to a man in the village that said he could provide for her. It was found out that the man was using her for his maid and making her do very hard labor, with little or no food and no schooling. She was often beaten as well. She was in very bad shape and was in danger of being sold into sex slavery soon due to her age. The grandmother that rescued her already had five other orphans and could not care for her, but was desperate to get her out of the current situation so they contacted Cornerstone. We assessed her conditions and were compelled to bring her into the Cornerstone family. She was very meek when she arrived. She did not speak, was very standoffish, and afraid. She has blossomed in a short amount of time. Through work with our educational mentor, we were able to put her in school half way through the year last year and she was promoted for this year. We are amazed at how quickly her life and personality has turned around for her.
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Paul
Paul is one of the twins. He is the bigger of the two. He is the younger brother of Doreen. He and his twin brother, Peter, came delayed quite a bit in school also. When we found him, he was trying to provide as the man of the house. They were often left alone and without food, as their mom tried to find something to provide. We have worked extra hard to get Paul going on the right track and back focused on school. Today, he is 14 and in Primary 5. His physical condition has just thrived since he joined our home and he is bigger than even our uncles and mentors! He has a great sense of humor, has a bold and deep voice, and is proud to take on the eldest boy role in the home. He is close to Hamson, takes on leadership in school, and loves to play soccer.
Edinah
Edinah is 9 years old and she is in Primary 3. We were told her brother is Emmanuel, but cannot verify. Their father was unknown, and their mother couldn’t care for them so she took them to and abandoned them with an elderly grandmother in their village. They are from the village Mukono and we received word about them not being taken care of since the only adult in the house was old and sick, and couldn’t really care for herself, much less two small children. So, they became part of Cornerstone and have thrived since becoming part of our family. She is very bright, but very shy. We have really started to see her blossom and become outgoing this year. She loves to learn and teach those around her. She is eager to please, but has a strong-willed side to her too.
Esther
Esther is 5 years old and is our youngest currently at the home. She has been home educated by our educational mentor up until this year. She passed her entrance exam to get into primary one so we are very excited for her to get this young start. She lost her dad at the age of three and it was her grandpa who killed her dad because they were fighting over some land. Her mom knew something would happen to her too so she decided to run away and abandon Esther with an elderly woman from the village. This woman was the same one who had taken in Emmanuel and Edinah and could not care for Esther properly either. We found her very malnourished and having worms. She was very shy when she came to Cornerstone, but has become a vibrant little girl who loves life. She gained a lot of independence and confidence last year because she was the only child remaining not in school for several months. She is so very happy to be in school this year and seems to be doing well. She is very funny also and loves to try to boss Emmanuel around. She is learning how to become more independent every day.
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Peter
Peter is the smaller of the twins. In fact, he is very small for his age because of the lack of nutrition through out most of his life. He was the weakest of the three when we found him in his one bedroom home with his brother Paul and sister Doreen. He was still trying to help others in the village by caring for their young, even in his condition. He was delayed the most out of these three, physically, as well as educational and emotionally, as he was always treated younger and incompetent. He is also 14 and in Primary 4 this year. He has a huge heart and loves being in the caretaking role of younger children and animals. We are working to help him gain confidence in his abilities, grow his education, and foster his love for others.
Emmanuel
Emmanuel came to us at the same time as Edinah, as being her brother. We call him Emman or Emma for short. He is 6 years old and in primary 2! He has the biggest personality in the home. He is very rumbustious, has a lot of energy, and loves to play and work. Emman is so very bright for his age and was fortunate to come to Cornerstone at such a small age. He has grown tremendously and never lets a plate have leftover food when he's around. He is developing some good work habits for school. He is very strong willed and is learning a lot of discipline being in school this whole last year. His grades and his status levels in school continue to improve and he shows great potential to grow up to be a very successful young man in our community.
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