Deaf child in Uganda lost from parents for more than a year

From The New Vision in Uganda:

A deaf-and-dumb boy (pictured), looking for his parents, is stranded in Gulu. The boy, who has been stranded for over a year, neither talks nor hears but tries to write names such as Paul Karuhanga and Louis Kamukama if asked to do so in a question written in Luganda.

He is currently staying with a 39-year-old woman, Rose Ajok, at Kirombe-Alokolum, Layibi division in Gulu municipality.

Ajok said she no longer had means to sustain the boy and her six children.
“The boy has frequently attempted to commit suicide by lying in the road to be knocked dead since he has failed to get back to his parents,” she said.

“His soul will haunt me if he dies in my custody because he has eaten my food. In Acholi culture, it is a misfortune if the person you have kept and given food dies from your home,” Ajok lamented.

Due to the boy’s suicide attempts, Ajok took him to Gulu Central Police Station Child Protection Unit for assistance.

“The Police gave me a letter referring me to the office of people with disabilities (PWD) for further help,” she explained.

The Gulu PWD chairman, Simon Ongom, said attempts to help the boy had flopped since he did not understand any of the standard sign languages for communication.