By KT Reporter
At least 22 former street children from Soroti City have been successfully rehabilitated, resettled, and reunited with their families after spending one year in a structured reintegration programme.
The children, drawn from the Teso, Karamoja, Lango, and Bugisu sub-regions, were rescued through a joint initiative between the Teso Children’s Development Foundation (TECDEFO), popularly known as Freedom Boys, and Soroti City authorities.
TECDEFO is a faith-based, non-profit organisation supporting abused, neglected, and abandoned children across the Northern, Eastern, and Karamoja regions. Its work addresses the growing problem of children living on urban streets, largely driven by poverty, gender-based violence, family breakdowns, and neglect. The organisation operates on four pillars: rescue, rehabilitate, reintegrate, and resettle.
Following their rescue, the children are housed at Freedom House, a rehabilitation and resocialisation centre in Soroti City’s West Division, where they undergo counselling, life-skills mentoring, and vocational training before being returned to their respective communities.
During the programme, some of the children resumed formal education, progressing from primary to secondary school, while others acquired technical skills in trades such as motorcycle mechanics, tailoring, welding, and carpentry. This year’s intake, which included 18 boys and four girls, came from Amuria District.
Speaking on Thursday, Denis Okwera, the Foundation Director, said that although 25 children were initially enrolled, three later returned to the streets, adding that not all children want to stay in Freedom House because some struggle with discipline and routine. Out of the boys, 11 trained in motorcycle repair, two in carpentry, while others returned to school.
He said each child was resettled with necessities and start-up support, tailored to the skills they had acquired. “We returned them home with tailoring machines, toolboxes for mechanics, mattresses, bags, posho, beans, bed sheets, and shoes. We also provide food support for one or two months to ease their transition back into village life, which is often very difficult,” Okwera said.
“Some families refuse to take responsibility. Parents sometimes say, ‘Your child has done this,’ as if the child no longer belongs to them,” he noted. “We prepare the children for acceptance, but the family side remains challenging.”
Michael Ebulu, a beneficiary from Morungatuny Sub-County in Amuria District, said he is excited to be home and hopes to one day join the UPDF to serve his country. Another beneficiary, Julius Ebulu from Tubur Sub-County in Soroti District, pledged to stay away from drugs, help his parents, pray regularly, and pursue his dream of becoming a doctor, saying life on the streets was unbearable.
Nineteen-year-old Joseph Ereu, trained in mechanics, said the toolbox he received will help him earn a living and avoid returning to the streets, while Brian Ewangu, who dropped out of school in Primary Six due to poverty and family separation, said he is grateful to find a home and is committed to respecting his elders.
Fifteen-year-old Nicholas Opio, who admitted stealing 8 million Shillings while on the streets, said he has learnt from his mistakes and vowed to reform.
Parents also shared emotional reunions. Christine Idemu from Agonga Village said, “God has brought back my lost child,” and with ululations, welcomed him back home like a prodigal son.
Michael Ebulu’s father, Richard Adolu from Otatai Village in Amuria District, said his son disappeared while grazing animals and was later traced to Soroti. He welcomed him back and pledged to support both his education and mechanical skills.
Clan leaders acknowledged the role of domestic violence and family conflicts in pushing children into the streets, pledging to support skills training and youth reform. But in Kapelebyong District, Charles Itelait said he only accepted his son back after assurances of genuine reform, emphasising that theft cannot be tolerated.
Local leaders also stressed the importance of prayer, parental responsibility, and community involvement in safeguarding children. Soroti Assistant Resident City Commissioner Musa Oroma described the street-children crisis as a national security concern, urging coordinated action among families, clans, local councils, and NGOs.
He announced that government agencies will begin profiling rehabilitated children to ensure they benefit from national programmes such as the Parish Development Model, vocational hubs, and potential recruitment into security services once eligible.
“These children must access every available government opportunity. Let’s maintain their profiles for follow-up,” Oroma said. He cited a success story from Serere, where a former street child now runs a thriving bakery after benefiting from presidential skilling programmes.
Oroma also encouraged TECDEFO to expose rehabilitated children to media houses, factories, hotels, and universities, saying such environments can inspire ambition and long-term change.
Soroti City currently has more than 180 street children, far exceeding the annual intake capacity of local rehabilitation centres. Officials say new cases emerge almost every week, fuelled by rural-urban migration, land disputes, parental separation, and extreme poverty.
TECDEFO officials have urged families to instil discipline, moral values, and faith, encouraging parents to involve children in prayer and church activities. One of the officials, Jacob Eisu, said the organisation will conduct post-resettlement follow-ups to ensure children are effectively using the skills they acquired.
-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
