Life at AMECET from December 2025 to July 2026
Since our last blog update in November 2025, there has been a lot happening at Amecet Children's Home. The past eight months have been a time of learning, adjustment, challenges, new beginnings and many reasons to thank God.
As we continue this new chapter under the leadership of Mark and Janneke Gerritsen, the work at Amecet has continued. Children have been welcomed, cared for, reunited with their families and supported as they take steps toward a more stable future. We would like to share some of what has been happening since December.
Remembering the Children We Have Lost
On 1 December, we joined the world in commemorating World AIDS Day. At Amecet, this day also gives us an opportunity to remember the children who passed away during the year.
In 2025, four children connected to Amecet passed away two while in our care and two after returning home. As part of our tradition, we lit candles in their memory and shared stories about their lives. Although their time with us was short, each child touched the hearts of our staff and caregivers and we continue to remember them with love.
Caring for Children and Returning Them Home
Throughout these months, we have continued to receive vulnerable children from Soroti and the wider Teso region. Some children came because of malnutrition, abandonment, neglect, difficult family situations and other forms of vulnerability.
Our goal remains to provide temporary care and protection while working toward family reunification whenever possible. We believe that children are best raised in a safe and loving family environment. Before a child returns home, we work with the family and relevant authorities to prepare for the resettlement and establish a follow-up plan.
We have also continued visiting children who have already returned home. These visits help us understand how the children and their families are coping and whether additional support is needed. In some cases, families have received basic support such as food, milk, soap, and other necessities.
Some of these visits have also reminded us of the challenges families continue to face. A few children were found to be struggling with malnutrition and needed additional intervention and monitoring.
Working Together for the Children
Partnership remains an important part of Amecet's work. In December, we were privileged to host the final Regional Coordination Committee meeting of 2025. The committee brings together different stakeholders working to promote justice and equity in the region, and it was a blessing for Amecet to host this important gathering.
In February, our team also travelled to Kampala to visit the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development. The visit gave us an opportunity to introduce Mark and Janneke as the new leaders of Amecet and to discuss issues affecting children in our care. We also visited nsambya babies home and sanyu babies home in kampala
meeting with probation officers of Teso-Region
Following this visit, we saw the importance of strengthening our cooperation with probation officers across the Teso region. In February, we therefore hosted a meeting with probation officers and other child protection stakeholders from the region. The discussions focused particularly on care orders and how we can work more effectively together to ensure that children coming to Amecet receive the necessary legal and social protection.
We are grateful for the willingness of our partners to work together for the best interests of the children.
Christmas and a New Year
Christmas at Amecet was once again a special time. We celebrated the birth of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ with prayer, fellowship, entertainment, food, and gifts.
Our staff shared an end-of-year celebration and exchanged gifts, while the children enjoyed a day filled with joy and activities. We also shared Christmas gifts with vulnerable families connected to Amecet, including children living under the care of their grandmothers and children living in prison with their mothers.
Because the children need care throughout the festive season, our staff were divided into two groups. One group celebrated Christmas with their families while the other remained at Amecet to care for the children. The groups then exchanged roles for the New Year celebrations.
We entered 2026 with grateful hearts, thanking God for bringing us safely through another year.
Supporting Families through Farming
The beginning of the year also brought opportunities to support families through our Grandmother Support Programme.
When the rains came earlier than expected in March, we distributed seeds to 35 families. The families received maize, beans, groundnuts, peas, green grams and vegetable seeds including tomatoes, onions, sukuma wiki and eggplants.
The aim was not only to provide food for the families but also to help them become more self-reliant through farming. We are grateful for every opportunity to walk alongside families and help them build a more stable future.
Finding Families for Children
One of the most important parts of our work is helping children who have no known family to find a safe and loving home.
We were particularly happy when Benjamin, Mark and Moses three children who had been in our care, were successfully placed with loving foster families.
Tom, who has been at Amecet since 2023 after being abandoned continues to wait for a suitable foster family. Finding a family for him has been challenging especially because of his medical condition but we have not given up. We continue to hope and pray that the right family will be found for him.
These stories remind us that every child deserves to belong to a family where they can experience love, protection and acceptance.
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