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Valerie Kisaber
October 2025
Child Protection
Dear Church,
Warm greetings from Justice Livelihoods Health in Gulu, Uganda. The past couple of months have been a good reminder of what pursuit and resilience can achieve. From a little girl’s journey of hope restored, to teenagers being supported in suicide prevention. We have seen positive change take place in our community.
As we move through 2025, I am delighted to share the passion, progress and purpose that drives us to work with children and women in Northern Uganda.
One story of transformation is about a young girl, Lily (real name withheld). Our first meeting was in a dilapidated, old mud hut where Lily was kept to pass her days. She could not walk due to polio which she contracted as a baby. The girl’s parents could not afford a wheelchair. They resorted to keep her in the mud hut during the day and bring her into the house at night. The living conditions were very poor.
I was very touched and saddened when I saw the conditions that Lily was living in. I went ahead and got consent from the parents to try and get Lily a wheelchair. I contacted another organisation that we liaise with and they agreed to support Lily by giving her a wheelchair to help her move around. It was a joyous day when Lily and her father went and received the wheelchair. The beautiful little girl was all smiles. Thanks be to God!
In addition to the wheelchair, Lily's parents are now attending parenting classes with another professional organisation we work with. Information about child abuse has been shared with them and additional training support will be provided to them on a scheduled basis. Lily is also being provided with nutritional supplements and her parents are being trained in basic food nutrition. Lily's health has improved exponentially as a result. Please pray that she will be able to join a school that caters for special needs and disabilities soon.
At JLH we have established some good child protection mechanisms to help protect children in the community. We work closely with the local council leadership, the police and neighbourhood watch. We also promote JLH contact details and encourage people to report any situations that may arise where they are concerned for the safety and wellbeing of children.
I have also attended many meetings to do with child protection and gender based violence cases or issues in the community of Gulu. Many organisations come together to work hand in hand in order to end child abuse and violence against women and children. We have meetings every month to see where we are doing well and where there are gaps that we may need to fill. See photo below of the meeting.
PRAISES:
- I am very grateful to God for his love in my family. As He blessed my family with the gift of another child called Ahavah-Joy. I thank you all for your prayers and thoughts as I went to have the baby.
- We praise God for enabling Justice Livelihoods Health to be apart of the changed lives of children and women in Gulu, Northern Uganda.
- And finally, we thank God for His provision as without it we cannot do what we do.
PRAYER REQUESTS:
- Pray that Lily continues to make good health progress.
- Pray that doors will open for her to be able to attend a school that caters for her needs.
- We have the 16 days of Activism for gender-based violence coming up in November and we are going to take a lead. Preparations have started so please pray that God uses this opportune time to touch the hearts of the spouses who resort to violent treatment to stop the violence and also to bring many other organisations on board.
- Pray for one of the mothers in our programme who is particularly struggling at this time.
We value your prayers and support!
Yours in Service,
Valerie Kasamani Kisaber
Child Protection Trainer
Justice Livelihoods Health