By Laura Shay

The rooms were very bare when I first visited Nyumbani, our hostel for former street children in the suburbs of Kampala. We had managed to provided shelter, pay school fees, feed the children and provide basic requirements but were unable to save enough for bigger purchases, like furniture. The children were meticulous in keeping their uniforms clean and had hung them from the unused front door of the hostel. Mattresses were laying on the floor and there was nowhere to store anyone’s things.

Before we could buy furniture, the children did their best to keep their environment clean and tidy.

We needed good, durable furniture that would be able to withstand the wear and tear of children and the damp weather and termite infestations that are part of living in a tropical climate. Our first stop we to a local woodworking shop, where we purchased a well-made desk and bookcase.

Many beautiful wooden desks for sale

Next stop was to buy beds. Previously, the boys had to make do with mattresses on the floor. We decided to go with  triple-decker metal bunk-beds, which would be sturdy enough to withstand the wear and tear of everyday use as well as be protected from termites and rot.

Bunk beds all set up at the hostel

Last but not least, we needed a storage locker to protect our food stores from theft and hungry bugs and animals. Although finding a good quality locker wasn’t difficult, transporting it was!

Transporting our storage locker on the back of a bike