Lost Boy Finds Family at Africa Children’s Heart Foundation

A quiet Sunday morning at the Africa Children’s Heart Foundation in Masaka turned into a life changing moment when children heading to church discovered a small boy sitting outside the gate. Dirty, frightened, and crying, the child appeared abandoned. The children, many of whom had once been rescued themselves, quickly alerted caretakers. He was bathed, fed, and comforted before Director Bashir Musaazi was called.

“Because this is what I have been doing for the past 15 years, I told them we should take him in like the rest of the children,” Musaazi said. The boy was later identified as four year old Frank Kayigwa.

Investigations revealed a heartbreaking backstory. Frank’s father died in a sand mining accident in Lwera, buried under the very sand he was loading. His mother, unable to cope with poverty, abandoned him and disappeared. “We don’t know how the child reached our place,” Musaazi explained. “But with that background, my heart was broken. He needed help, and I felt obliged to take him in.”

Musaazi immediately began the formal process, working with the Ministry of Gender in Masaka District. Authorities acknowledged the case and, under the Child Protection Act and Children Amendment Act, granted permission for Frank to receive shelter, care, and protection at the foundation.

For Musaazi, the mission is deeply personal. He says he is fulfilling the dream of his late mother, Nakachwa Elizabeth Beverly, who devoted her life to rescuing underprivileged children. “Looking at this child gave me a flashback of who I was,” Musaazi said.

He recalled being sent to Rwanda as a houseboy after his mother’s death, facing discrimination and homelessness until his uncle rescued him.

That memory drives his work today. “I hope I have done what my mother wished,” Musaazi said. “I believe she is happy wherever she is because I have managed to fulfill her words. I wish I could do more, but our funds are limited. With time, we shall help more children like Frank.”

Over the years, Musaazi has supported countless children through sponsorship programs. Thirty five now live at the foundation, with five completing Primary School this year and two finishing Senior Four. For Frank, the chance discovery at the gate has opened a new chapter — one filled with hope, care, and the promise of education.

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