Lillian’s Story

At the age of 6 years old, Lillian was left an orphan after the death of both of her parents. Her father died of HIV/AIDS complications in 2013 and afterward she and her four siblings lived with their mother, who was also HIV positive. Their mother was sick and weak and unable to work or to provide for her children. None of the children went to school and they often went hungry. When they fell sick, there was no way their mother could afford treatment for them. Lillian remembers that one day her mother disappeared and then the children received news that she had died. The four children spent the next few days alone and hungry, while they tried to understand what had happened. A neighbor came to their rescue when she heard them crying loudly for days. She took them to the hospital for treatment and provided food for them, but she could not provide for long as she was struggling with poverty herself. She found a relative of the children and left them with her in the slums of Masese.

Unfortunately, the aunt that they were left with is also HIV positive and had problems with her marriage. She was not able to support her own children, let alone Lillian and her siblings. The children were viewed as a burden that she was not prepared to take on and so they were often left on their own. Lillian was not attending school, had nowhere to sleep and most often had nothing to eat.

In 2017, Lillian was rescued by The Peace for Paul Foundation and now lives in a safe environment where she has all of her needs met. Lillian now attends a highly ranked primary boarding school and has big dreams to become a nurse in the future. PFP makes it a priority for Lillian to maintain a relationship with her aunt and with her siblings as she grows up. During school holidays, Lillian travels back to Northern Uganda (with her cousin Fabian) under the care of our Karamojong social worker, to learn about and be a part of her culture. We have recently located Lillian’s grandmother and a few of her aunties and cousins as well. She enjoys spending time with them during holidays and does her best to help them wherever he can.