20/04/2026
Today I found a 16-year-old boy smoking and drinking while playing bonanza. I asked him why he was drinking and smoking at his age. Hmm, the answer he gave me was something else 😔 and people started saying efyo aba alatuuka na bakulu bonse pa myabo. I felt bad, but the voice inside me said please try to talk to him. I called him, he finished his cigarette and beer, and then followed me. I prayed, then smiled, patted his back, and asked him why he drinks. His answer was my parents have failed me. I asked how, and he explained they separated and both remarried, leaving him with his grandparents. They moved on with their life while he had to do piecework to eat. He went to the gold mine and almost died, but the earth did not bury him; he escaped with a cut on his head. I started from there, okay, I counselled today until the boy became sober. He told me how he wants to just die, he almost committed su***de. God used me to save his soul. The boy said, 'Ba uncle , natotela pa shiwi mwanjeba. A lot of people tell me to change, but you have said it differently and made me see things differently.' He then asked if he can go and get his phone so he can save my number, but I said, 'Before you do that, make sure you go make peace at home.' My boy left, he came back with tears in his eyes, and said, 'Uncle, I couldn't hold myself, I cried while I asked for an apology from my grandma and uncles, and my grandma cried and blessed me.' ALLAH, thank you. He told me his name is Shadreck. Please show love to the child. If one child gets spoiled, they recruit others, making the world a dangerous place for our children. I believe change begins with you, it begins with me. Together, we can make a better world for our children. 🥰
