Denis

Name:  Denis
Gender:  Boy
Reported birthdate:  2012 or 2013 (currently about age 13)
Favorite color:  Green
Favorite food:  Fish and cassava
Favorite activity:  Playing football (soccer)
Favorite subject:  Mathematics
Child is happy when…  He is playing with friends
Child wants to be a…  Doctor
Home information:  Denis is growing up in a small community near the village of Bugoi in rural northeastern Uganda. He lives with his mother and father, five brothers, and two sisters—they are a household of ten. Denis and his twin brother Abel are the seventh-born children. Denis’s father supports the family by selling chickens. The family also supports themselves by “digging”—they grow crops to eat and to sell when they can. However, they struggle to meet all of their needs and pay the children’s school fees. Denis helps his family at home by digging, fetching water, washing plates, and grazing their goats.
School information:  Denis is a student at the Bugoi Haven of Hope Nursery and Primary School. He is currently in P6 (primary grade 6). His twin brother Abel is in the same class. In Uganda, nursery school lasts for three years and is followed by seven years of primary school and up to six years of secondary school. During school terms, Denis boards at school, returning home for holidays. At school, he will continue to learn and play, be taught about God, and receive meals, medical care, and clothing.
Village information:  In Bugoi, most people live in small groupings of mud huts with thatched roofs and depend on small-scale farming or gardening to feed themselves. This is often made difficult by drought, which can lead to poor harvests and famine. The Haven of Hope school is located beside a lake, where some villagers also engage in fishing. Families tend to be large, and many adults care for orphans in addition to their biological children. Disease, including HIV and AIDS, is common and has left many children without one or both of their parents. Poverty also keeps many children from attending school, as families struggle to meet their basic needs and afford school fees.
Child's prayer request:  Please pray that Denis will grow in wisdom.