SUPPORT THE CHILDREN

Henry's true story

Saved by Music

 

Music makes lives of vulnerable children meaningful hence reform for a sound future.

When Henry was 10, his father passed away, leaving his family in poverty. Shortly after, Henry ran away from home, hoping to find a better life on the streets. Instead, he fell into a life of drug abuse and violence, begging to survive at bus stops in Uganda. Life was not easy has I thought it would be he says.  He always walked around in town looking for scrap metals which he would sale to scrap dealers and got a few coins to buy food for himself!

He adds; when one needed a spot to sleep on verandas of shops and ‘’protection’’ while on the street, you had to obey what the big boys asked of you to do. He was sodomized a long with the other boys of his age, beaten, and this went on and on and on until he joined SMF.  Because he decided to come to the centre and to become a band member Henry can play today before an audience, can show his talent, confidence, and can respect himself as a worthy citizen. The music and song encapsulate the well-being of children, proclaim powerful messages, reach families and address the violence that children meet on the street or in their homes. With support from kind people , the children at the centre are offered chance to play, encouraged to attend school and are given help in planning their future.

SMF aims to empower vulnerable children, give them sense of worth, increase their ability to manage difficult emotions and elicit positive social behavior. By using music, they can a quire a sense of security and positive self-image that prevents them from falling into temptations.



The role of a musical note, a musical sound in life of any person can be a boon to social health besides psychological and physical too. If we think for a moment about the sort of feeling or value music educates us unconsciously then it tells our heart that there is birth of life and positivism in eliminating sadness, negativity and imbibing an aesthetical, meditative value in anyone. So music plays a huge role in transforming children’s lives and increasing on their chances of being successful in society and life. Appreciation of different cultures, communication and self- expression, increases self-confidence.

The impact of this activity has been that many street-children have been re-united with their families and taken back to school. Some youths have been able to get jobs through the skills acquired through SMF and therefore helped to address poverty among their families and their community at large.