“Adoption is about the heart, not the money. The best way to express your spirituality is to extend love to humanity, most especially humanity that is in dire need. I made the decision to adopt Jotham as a way of giving back to God for all the goodness he has shown me. I want to love him so much that 30 years from now he will doubt the fact that I wasn’t his biological mother”, says Catherine, an adoptive parent.

In November 2016, Catherine responded to our urgent call for a family for 2-year-old Jotham. He was referred to our care at Malaika Family Centre in July 2015, having been abandoned at a local market in Kampala. Right away, the Social Work Team set to work tracing for Jotham’s biological family. After months of tracing, no family members of Jotham’s had been found.

When this happens, we seek alternative family placement. Jotham was approved for adoption in September 2016. However, he has a health condition requiring specialized nutrition and care. We approached several prospective adoptive parents to try and find him a family but many said no due to his complex needs.

Catherine then came forward. The warm hearted and passionate single mother of three children did not think twice about Jotham’s additional medical needs, having already cared for a nephew with a similar condition. She was assessed and approved to adopt Jotham in July 2017.

Three months later, Jotham has now settled in with his new family and he is thriving. He loves to sing, clap and drum and will recall songs he has learnt very easily. He has found a friend and mentor in his 10-year-old brother, and his older sisters are supporting their mother through the amazing journey of adoption.

We are very excited to have played a small part in Jotham’s journey, and we are thankful for the support of you all, our partners and friends.

Together, we are making families not orphans.

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