David Lene: From homeless child to skilled carpenter

Over time, Musaazi, discovered that Lene, a homeless child, had been left behind by his father, Bafeera, a Congolese refugee. With no family or support system, Lene had resorted to engaging in criminal activities with local gangs on Lake Katwe Kabatooro Island.

Concerned for Lene’s future, Musaazi, the Director of Africa Children’s Heart Uganda Foundation and a director at Buloba Royal College, reached out to his sponsor, Susan, in the USA.

She encouraged him to take Lene under the care of the Africa Children’s Heart Uganda Foundation orphanage.

After completing the necessary paperwork and gaining approval from local authorities, Musaazi officially took Lene into his care. Lene, now 16, is currently studying carpentry at Nile Vocational Institute, thanks to Musaazi’s intervention.

However, the journey wasn’t easy. When Lene first arrived at Musaazi’s home, he displayed unruly behaviour, including frequent fighting and falling ill due to drug abuse.

Bashir Musaazi with David Lene pulse uganda

An new life

“We took him for a full body and mental checkup but found out that his body was intoxicated and needed rehab. I was advised to take him to rehab in Masaka for some time but due to financial constraints, we had to do outpatient treatment with close supervision and meals,”Musaazi reveals, adding that they were there for six months and after seeing a change, he was advised to find him what to do instead of just sitting at home.

Joining school

Because David had never attended school before, he was admitted in Primary One with a special teacher giving him extra lessons.

Traditional schooling proved challenging for Lene, as he struggled to integrate, often fighting with fellow students and teachers. After several expulsions, Musaazi decided to enrol Lene in a vocational school. They discovered Lene had a passion for carpentry, and he has been thriving at the Nile Vocational Institute for the past two years.

“As we speak, he can make a chair and other small items and we have ensured on providing everything he needs to be skilled. Thanks to Miss Susan who not only gave him the name David but also never stopped providing all that he needed till date.”

Ever since he joined Nile Vocational Institute, David’s condition has tremendously improved. He is no longer violent, does not abuse drugs, concentrates in class, and has good communication skills.

Bashir Musaazi with David Lene and his friends pulse uganda

How David inspired Bashir Noticing David’s transformation in a space of two years, Musaazi came up with the idea of starting a skilling center known as Africa Children’s Heart Skilling Centre that helps children.

So far, the centre has 20 children participating in different programs such as sewing, computer studies, bakery, hair braiding, and carpentry among others.

These children have learned how to make t-shirts, aprons, and shorts and also know how to make sanitary pads for the community.

“We so far have 12 sewing machines, one industrial machine, and one oven that makes cakes. We thank the different volunteers who pass by during holidays to teach the children how to operate these machines,” she says.

Africa Children’s Heart Foundation is also into livestock farming with a poultry farm that has geese, broilers, kroilers, and eight goats so far. These complement the children’s diet at the centre.

In the future, Musaazi looks forward to registering the skilling center at the Directorate of Industrial Training to get the necessary documents so that the children can get recognisable certificates they can present for job interviews.

“I look at these children’s future, some will be fortunate to go to school while others might not be interested in getting formal education but with this skilling centre, they can learn something they can depend on for the rest of their lives and also pass on their skills to others in the communities they live in.” he concluded.

Besides that, he is also hopeful to get musical instruments such as pianos and guitars to start musical classes and teach children how to operate them and also start a brass band for them to be hired.