Drop-in Center & Police

Yesterday as I headed to the Kabaka's Palace (Buganda tribe king's palace, where we rent a soccer field each Thursday), to meet up with the boys for soccer, I met with Geoffrey, a volunteer alike myself with Amari Uganda. Since none of the boys had yet come to the field, we headed to the church where some might have gathered waiting for us. On our way there, one of the boys came running towards us, sobbing uncontrollably. We thought he'd been beaten, until he calmed enough to explain that the boys waiting for us had been arrested. By the time we reached the area where the boys were there were so many people we couldn't reason properly with police about the boys, otherwise it might turn to a mob-justice situation, as it is in Uganda.
After leaving the police to take the boys and agreeing to meet with them after our program,we met at the soccer field where the boys burned off some energy playing soccer as well as where we treated them for any wounds and did some beading of necklaces. After about an hour and a half we closed up and headed to the drop-in center, a local church where we meet every Thursday for this program. At the church, Geoffrey taught the children about Joseph and Potiphar, we gave out some 'new' clothes to the boys, fed them a hearty lunch of Posho & Beans and again did wound care. By 3pm the boys headed back to the slum, to continued with their day, as we did with ours.
We found out that there were 2 big boys, not part of our program who has stolen some equipment from some mechanics, and they caught 1 boy. When they asked him where he was from, he led them to the church where the other boy, his partner in crime was waiting and where our small boys had gathered waiting for the Uncles and myself to arrive for our program. The mechanics than arrested all of the boys there, about 15-20 of them, hauled them back to their shop, tied them up in ropes and it wasn't a pretty situation when we found them there.
Here in Uganda, when one steals and is caught, mob justice takes place in any way possible, either stoning and beating the thief often leaving him to die or killing him. Since we work with Street Children, they already are vulnerable targets for anyone to get at. They are dirty, stinky, abused and scavenge through garbage piles for food or scraps that they can trade in for money to buy food, paint thinner or alcohol. The paint thinner and alcohol is highly addictive and the children are all addicted to it, clenching handkerchiefs soaked in it, in the palm of their hand.
After our boys left the church yesterday, we headed to the police station to try reason with the police. Lets just say, the first hand sight and experience of the injustice, corruption and awful living quarters of the police, it's not a wonder they are corrupt, and take bribes...its how they survive. We weren't able to have the boys released being told instead that they had to take them to a court deep in the village for a trial today, and from there they would decide what to do.
It was a hard day, I reached home, so exhausted, I could have slept! Please be praying for our boys though especially as Christmas comes close, the police are out to get them, and they are so much more vulnerable now. Please pray for us also as we reach out to them, and try to help them in any ways we can, teaching them that they can live a different life outside of the slums, not scavenging and stealing to survive. If you feel led to support us in any way, please let me know. As for now we are in need of schooling materials so I can begin teaching the children some simple schooling. Blessings!