Fred was found lost, wandering a roadside in Kakuuto (a small, rural town in Uganda) when he was no more than 2 years old. A local leader took him in and waited to see if Fred’s parents or relatives would come looking for him – but sadly, no one did.

A year passed before Fred was adopted by his guardian (angel) – Ms. Gertrude Namirembe. Gertrude is a chicken farmer and a single mother/grandmother with a big family, including several school-aged children. Whatever she lacked in resources, she made up for in love and devotion. 

Still, she dreamed of more for her family – and one day, her prayer was answered by Children of Uganda.

Fred Kayiwa and his adopted grandmother, Gertrude, during Children of Uganda's recruitment process.

In 2020, Fred joined our sponsorship program and two years later Gertrude was chosen (among 20+ other deserving families) to participate in our Family Accountability and Sustainability (FAStrack) partnership program. Last year, we welcomed another of Gertrude’s grandchildren to our sponsorship program. Her name is Mercy Gertrude (named after her grandmother). The family is so grateful for the empowerment and education support they’ve received thus far.

A survey conducted in Kyotera (where Gertrude’s family lives) and Rakai districts just this past March revealed that the prevalence rate of child labor in the 2 districts is at 39% - 48% among boys and 31% among girls (AFRICHILD). Child labour is a major factor in school drop-out rates with national estimates of 45% of primary school children and 30% of secondary school children dropping out before completing their education.

Fred and Mercy Gertrude are in school and beating these odds thanks to their devoted Children of Uganda sponsors!

Gertrude signing paperwork at school for Fred and Mercy Gertrude.

Fred and Mercy Gertrude attend the same boarding school thanks to support from their loving sponsors. Mercy Gertrude is in P.4 (3rd grade) and wants to be a nurse in the future. Fred is in P.3 (2nd grade) and dreams of becoming a priest or a teacher when he grows up.

Fred (seated right) is all smiles reading with a classmate.

This amazing trio - Gertrude, Fred and Mercy Gertrude - will be featured in Journey of Light IV which premieres on October 10th at 8PM EST. Learn more and tune in at www.givebutter.com/journey. 

JOIN US