struggling kids
Fourteen-year-old Milly had always been quiet and observant, but when chaos struck her family, she found herself in a role she never imagined—head of the household. It began one terrible night when her father came home drunk and picked a violent fight with her mother. The shouting shook the walls, and Milly huddled with her four younger siblings—David, Moses, Vinali, and little Bridget—trying to comfort them through the storm. In the morning, their mother quietly packed her belongings and walked out. Milly thought she had gone to the nearby stream to wash clothes, but the sun set and rose again, and their mother never returned.
Days turned into weeks, and the weight of their mother’s absence grew heavier. Milly tried to remain hopeful, cooking simple meals and keeping her siblings together. But things grew worse when their father, a habitual drunkard, stopped coming home regularly. Then one day, he left entirely, moving in with another woman in a nearby village. With no adults left, Milly became the caretaker, the cook, the comforter, and the decision-maker. At just 14, she stood in the place of both mother and father.
Life was hard, and hunger became a daily enemy. With no money and no crops of their own, Milly turned to the wild. She foraged for cassava, yams, and wild greens in nearby bushes, learning from elders in the village which plants could be eaten and which could heal. When Moses fell sick with a fever, Milly crushed leaves into a paste and bathed him as she had seen her mother do before. Her love and courage became the medicine the home relied on.
Milly’s story is not unfamiliar in parts of Uganda, where some children are forced into adult roles due to death, migration, or extreme poverty. She had never known the burden of leadership, but she carried it gracefully, often going without food so her siblings could eat. David, only 11, tried to help by collecting firewood, and Vinali would carry water from the borehole. Little Bridget, just three years old, clung to Milly wherever she went, calling her “Mama.”
During one of these difficult afternoons, as Milly peeled cassava under the shade of a tree, JesusFedMe (JFM) arrived in her village. We had never heard about the struggling children from a local elder. Milly looked up with wary eyes, unsure of who we were, but her fear melted into gratitude when she saw the food bundles and kind smiles. JFM shared words of hope, prayed with the children, and listened as Milly told her story with a strength that belied her age.
Moved by her courage and the evident need, JFM provided the children with food supplies and spiritual encouragement. We also shared the gospel with Milly and her siblings, reminding them that even when earthly parents abandon them, God never does.
About Author
