It was an ecstatic moment with a smiling sun at a glance, they could barely conceal their happiness, joy, and relief welled up inside of them.
Once living in disprovable life with their mentally ill mother, the 7-year-old twins hailed from the bushes of Ochero Sub County, Kagaa Parish at Acyekitoyo village in Kaberamaido district, northeastern Uganda.
Aaron Opio and Doreen Acen were a joy to watch on the Namuwaya Education Center visiting day which took place on Sunday, July 5. The twins had no idea that their lovely mum was coming.
The visibly ill mother Christine Asege with the help of Emmanuel Alega (her Neighbor back home) managed to travel a distance of 390 Km distance from Kaberamaido to Kampala and by 9:00 am, she was around Bweyogerere, Wakiso District.
On the way to the school, Bravo Shoes Community Support (BSCS) team dropped her at one of the local supermarkets around Kirinnya to grab a refreshment and also probably shop for snacks and beverages for her children.
Inside the supermarket, Asege opted for a few pick aways, a tomato source bottle, a few sodas, crisps, and ice cream. Yes, she is the mother of the 7-year-olds and probably by instinct she knew what will put a smile on Doreen and Aaron. (Note she was too naïve and ignorant about the supermarket culture in urban centers, thanks to Emmanuel for guidance).
On reaching Namuwaya, happiness is everything in life, the two warriors fully clad in the uniforms had fully adapted to the school culture and beamed with excitement and curiosity upon seeing the BSCS team. We didn’t reveal their mother first.
Bonding Moments with the Mother
Opio and Acen were smiling over the moon, you could easily tell how the school has transformed them in confidence and expression, they can speak some little English with communication gestures and they could bond well with other students at school.
“Sam, come…” Opio is heard speaking to one of his fellow students in the compound looking healthy and strong like other children.
Upon seeing her children nearly after two months, Asege hugged them and you easily read the electronic connection was loud. She pulled a rare smile to express her love and appreciation as she kept looking at her children and the BSCS team without saying a word.
Forget the crisps and sodas, the Kaberamaido mother had a surprise for Opio and Acen, she had packed the organic roasted maize and cassava back from home as she looked calm and contented while seated on the grass compound cheering with her children.
They seemingly exchanged a lot of stories back home as the little boy, Opio kept moving and coming back away from her mother while the Acen was still and kept munching on the roasted maize her mother has carried for her hundreds of miles from home.
The untold story after picking the twins from Kaberamaido
According to Emmanuel Alega the man who identified the twins in March and contacted the Daily Monitor journalist who put their plight in the limelight.
The twins hit the limelight after Daily Monitor discovered that the duo is not merely children but breadwinners.
“These children could gather rugs to find what to eat, their hygiene was not good and many times they survived like animals on green leaves and their home ignored by everyone because it could smell all the time because they had no toilet and could defecate everywhere,” he said
Alega said that when these kids were picked by the BSCS organization, their mother was not happy and started missing her children as she was always worried about what could happen to her children when she can’t reach them.
“When they were picked, the mother was not happy and she looked worried! But for us, we knew that these children lacked a lot and this was God’s calling and now I have seen our children looking healthy and happy. Their hygiene is fine and they can even speak good English!” he commended.
Alege commended all the parties who have played a big role in transforming the lives of the Kaberamaido twins and too appreciated Bravo Shoes Community Support for taking the responsibility to invite people from Kaberamaido to come and visit the twins at their school.
So far, Alega joins George Olyer the cousin of the twins, their mother to visit the twins and the district officials are also planning to visit them.
How they managed to cope with the school
After one month upon their arrival, the 7-year-old adorable twins from Kaberamaido had to endure a lot more as they tried to adapt to the environment and catch up with strange things they found in the classroom.
Despite their spirits expressing willingness to change from their past without looking back. The twins struggled to adapt to the new life in school.
It was understandable, leaving your home, family, friends and all that’s familiar to move to would be a big deal is sometimes costly.
The two children fell sick a few days after their successful report at school. The organization took care of them. It was homesickness, a feeling of stress or anxiety caused by separation from people and places that you know.
Anderson Natumanya, Coordinator BSCS at Namuwaya Education Center explained how he managed to deal with the unique situation of the two lovely children from Kaberamaido and other children taken care of by the organization.
“With Doreen and Opio, the challenge at first was unfamiliar diseases, they acquired several diseases like typhoid, and walking on pavers was a problem too. Bathing tap water also became a problem and they developed skin rashes,” he explained.
However, Natumanya says he managed to cluster their weaknesses and he squarely dealt with them. He has instilled discipline and leadership among all the c
“I make sure they are all together as a family, we make sure we do activities like homework as they help each other. The twins have started writing their names and am impressed. What makes me happy is that they live as a family and share the same history together,” he said,
Natumanya called upon organizations, corporate entities, and individuals to join Bravo Shoes Community Support Organisation to transform lives.
Gallery – Visitation Day 09/07/2023
