On the misty dawn of 19 August 2025, a boy wandered into Kamengo in Mpigi District alone, confused, and frightened. He could not explain where he had come from or how he had travelled so far. The only words he managed to share were a name, spoken softly and broken with fear. Local leaders immediately recognised that this was a child in urgent need of protection. They took him to the nearest police outpost, where the Child and Family Protection Unit received him, and the Probation and Social Welfare Office worked with Child’s i Foundation to place him in safe foster care while efforts began to trace his family.
In the first days, the boy was withdrawn and guarded. He answered questions with brief murmurs, often falling silent, his eyes searching the room as if expecting danger. Yet the foster family offered steady warmth and routine, food, rest, reassurance, and the simple safety of being cared for. Slowly, trust began to grow. As that trust grew, small details started to emerge: he had been to school in Kampala, he could say his parents’ names, and he recognised a few local dialects. Each detail was a fragile thread, but together they formed a path.
At 13 years old, the boy, now referred to as Simon* to protect his identity, shared one clearer memory: a place in Kampala, “Lusaka in Kirombe,” where he had once received medical treatment. Child protection workers and local leaders followed that clue carefully, step by step, until it led them to a paternal aunt. When she saw him, she broke down in tears. Simon had been missing since June 2025, she explained, when he disappeared during treatment at Mulago Hospital for mental health challenges. He had undergone scans, been put on medication, and later received care at Butabika National Referral Hospital. His aunt also shared what the family had been quietly carrying: during episodes of distress, Simon could become completely silent and unresponsive, withdrawing from everyone around him. At home, the family had even built a spare room so he could be kept safe during those difficult moments,
When Simon’s mother was contacted, she could barely speak through the shock. “I cannot believe my firstborn is alive,” she said, her voice shaking. She asked her sister if she had dreamt of him, if she had seen any signs. This was not the first time Simon had disappeared. Previously, he had been found hundreds of kilometers away near Bwindi, in Kanungu District, close to the Uganda–DRC border. Each time, his family had searched desperately, making radio appeals and travelling to relatives across regions, hoping for any information that might bring him back.
This time, Simon was found before more harm could come to him. But finding a child is only the beginning. Reuniting a child safely requires care, planning, and long-term support, especially when mental health and vulnerability are part of the story. Working alongside government probation services, police, and local leaders, Child’s i Foundation helped ensure Simon was protected, listened to, and supported with dignity. His next steps include medical follow-up, counselling, and a carefully managed reintegration plan so he can return home safely and stay home. Simon is also part of the Youth Well Being Project. This is why child protection matters: because every child deserves to be found, to be safe, and to grow up in a family that is supported to care for them, especially when life becomes complex.
*Name changed to protect identity.
