Brian Scott, one of our LIFT beneficiaries in a young man who has faced significant challenges his young life. When his mother, Gladys, got married to Joseph Scott, Brian hoped he had found a safe place to call home and a father to fill in the gaps that his biological dad had left. However, the dynamics of a blended family did not favor the young boy who would eventually find himself at the receiving end of his step-father’s anger. As the situation escalated to physical and psychological abuse, Gladys was left between choosing his son and her husband. When the situation at home did not improve, Brian Scott ran away from home and became a street child for over a month before his mother tracked him down and arranged for him to live with one of his aunties.
The initial arrangement was that both Brian’s parents would contribute towards the upkeep of the boy while he lived at his auntie’s place. However, the plans did not work and Brian found himself back at the streets of Korokocho market. At this point, Brian’s teachers started spotting him at dump sites and called the organization in an attempt to salvage the young boy’s life. After listening to both Brian’s and his parents’ side of the story, it became very evident that the services of our psychologists were desperately needed to resolve the issue. As a result, family therapy sessions were scheduled during which the psychologist would have talks with the family. Initially, the foreign concept of therapy resulted in some resistance from the family to the point that Brian felt as though he was completely unwanted. We tried to explore different channels of ensuring the young boy had a safe environment to continue with his studies such as placing him in a boarding school but alternative solutions were limited by financial capabilities of the organization.
In the end, Jacinta managed to establish a mutually trusting relationship with the family which enabled them to open up. Over the final weeks of the therapy session’s Brian’s parents saw where they were falling short as parents and worked with Jacinta to rebuild a trusting relationship with their son. Additionally, it was decided that Brian would join Kayole North Primary school where the organization is currently running a feeding program to enable him to learn under the supervision of teachers, we could easily collaborate with to offer him further support.
Currently, the situation at home has improved significantly and Joseph has show real efforts towards supporting Brian. In school, the young boy has caught up with his studies and is doing very well in his class work.
Such cases are what keeps us going. Seeing Brian Scott back in class and at better terms with his family has made all the efforts of our donors and staff members worth the while.