Eridad’s Redemption Story

From a tender age, Eridad has acted as head-of-household for his entire family – providing and caring for his elderly grandmother, mentally and physically handicapped mother and two younger siblings.

At just 10 years-old, Eridad would fetch water and work on construction sites to raise money for his education and family needs. They lived in extreme poverty and without a permanent structure for a home.

In 2011, Eridad found his way to Children of Uganda (COU) and was recruited into our sponsorship program. For the first time in his life, he was happy to have a bed of his own. He no longer feared being turned away from school or going hungry. COU also helped his family relocate and secure their new home with windows and doors.

And now, Eridad finally had adults in his life who he could rely on for care and support – COU’s staff, teachers at school and his devoted sponsor.

Eridad’s life was transformed after recruitment. His hope for a brighter future was restored and he was always seen around campus wearing a wide smile on his face. He worked hard in school and made many friends. After successfully completing his primary education, Eridad joined Royal College Secondary School.

And then, COVID-19 derailed everything.

The lockdowns affected Eridad as it did for many students; however, witnessing his family descend into even deeper poverty was absolutely devastating for him. COU came to the family’s rescue several times with food relief and supplies, which lifted his spirits for a time – but it was hardly enough to keep hope alive.

Being forced out of school, isolated due to restricted movements, barely able to afford meals, caring for sickly family members and seeing no end in sight – Eridad found it impossible to concentrate on his home studies. He lost touch with his friends and felt lonelier than ever before. He was frustrated and emotionally drained with the overwhelming responsibility of providing for his family.

It felt as though his world had crumbled and the future he once saw for himself was lost…

By the time schools finally reopened after the long lockdown, Eridad had lost interest in his education. It seemed to him that the best thing to do would be to drop out of school.

But then, a breakthrough happened.

Eridad reached out to his sponsor to express how he was feeling and, with support from our team on the ground, an intervention plan was made.

Eridad was contacted by the COU team to better understand his situation and offer him the necessary help. He shared how his family’s very challenging living conditions and their unending struggles tortured him a lot.  When he lost interest in studies, he began to feel like he was wasting time and that finding a job that could earn him money now to support his family was more important. He also felt very discouraged by his poor academic performance (which all students are facing due to the learning gap).

We immediately identified a male professional counselor to meet with Eridad and after just two sessions, there was marked improvement. Eridad shared that he was able to do a self-reflection and felt so relieved afterwards.

He reconsidered dropping out and reaffirmed his belief that education is the key to future success. It felt like a load was lifted off his shoulders and he no longer felt confused.

Additional counseling will be available to Eridad while he’s in school to assess how he is applying what he discovered and to guide him in new challenges that may arise. We are also supplying support to Eridad’s grandmother and mother so that he can rest easier knowing that they will be provided for while he focuses on his studies. Eridad is now back at school and recently received new shoes to start of the 2nd term looking – and most importantly feeling – his best.

Much was lost during the pandemic, but we will do all we can to restore hope for young people like Eridad. They are the future of Uganda and the promise of a better world.