They run on fear, on drugs, and on the will to survive one more day. Some, a few fortunate ones, run into a second chance.

Kireka Home, in the heart of Kampala, Uganda, serves as one of the only refuges for children with mental and physical disabilities. In many places in Africa, disabilities bring shame to a child’s family, but here, these children have found something rare and precious: acceptance and love.

“I’m not good with names,” she said, her German accent punctuating each vowel. “But right now there are 150 kids at Safina and I can tell you the name of every child and where they go to school.”

The seeds of hard work, God’s provision, moral accountability, and the concept of family, are strong sprouts already taking root in the adoring eyes and peaceful smiles of each child.

“I treat them like human beings,” Hanneke says bluntly when I ask about her secret to ministering among those with AIDS. “I touch them. I hug them.” She makes it sound easy, but I marvel at her methods.

Panther, like Jacob’s favored son, was found, and he had a story to tell of God’s goodness and divine intervention – and a captive audience to hear it.