Today we’re sharing a beautiful story of hope and redemption. It’s the story of a boy named Okello and his father Michael who live in Wera, a village tucked into the eastern region of Uganda.
Okello was born in 2016 as a healthy baby boy and the second child of his mother and father. Although life in Wera was hard for them financially, Okello was always well-fed and taken care of. However, his mother began to feel discontent in her marriage and—just one year after his birth—decided to move on and leave everything behind, including baby Okello.
Life became incredibly challenging as Okello’s father, Michael, took on the responsibilities of being a mother, too. He dropped everything to take care of baby Okello. Unfortunately, there were not enough resources to buy baby food and Okello became severely malnourished due to a lack of proper feeding. At this point, Michael knew his child’s life was on the line, so he began looking for help.
That’s when Michael got connected to the Wera CarePoint. Wera CarePoint not only offers education and skills training like other CarePoints, but it also makes special peanut butter! By employing community members and buying peanuts from local farmers, this organization sustainably combats malnutrition while strengthening the community’s economy.
Michael had heard about the Wera Peanut Butter, so began feeding it to Okello as a last resort to save his life. Within a month of adding the peanut butter to his diet, Okello regained his weight and has been healthy and growing ever since.
The stability in Okello’s health allowed Michael to start focusing on his own life, and he was able to meet his new wife who became a mother-figure to Okello. Michael began to focus on his small-scale business at the trading center which included roasting meat and other types of farm work.
Michael eventually gave his life to Christ after witnessing the wonders of his son’s life and now pastors a local church in the community! He also became an employee at the Wera Peanut Butter plant. When asked why he loves his job he says, “I want to ensure that no child dies of malnutrition.”
Okello is now in primary one and is doing well in his studies.
