Full Circle Moment: Edward Kankaka Meets His Sponsor Family

As Dr Edward Kankaka, a former sponsored child from Uganda, flew into Newcastle airport, his mind and heart were racing. After three decades of connection through letters and prayers, he was preparing to meet his sponsor family for the first time.

10 Oct, 2025

He wondered what they’d look like and what it would be like to finally meet face to face—and most of all, he wondered how he would possibly find the right words to say thank you.

“I was trying to find the words to really express the extent of the gratitude that I have in my heart,” Edward Kankaka recalls. “When I stepped out and Heather was there, I recognised her face and smile. Seeing them and hugging them was one of the most amazing moments I will ever remember in my life.”

“I didn’t have any words. I was just so grateful and felt so special,” he says.

Growing up in Uganda

Edward’s connection with the Anschau family began in 1995, when Bruce and his wife Margaret decided to sponsor another child through Compassion. Edward was just 6 years old and could never have imagined how that decision would impact the trajectory of his life.

Edward is now 36 years old and is a medical doctor and a globally recognised HIV researcher in Africa. While in Australia for a medical conference, there was one meeting at the top of his list and that was to meet the people who had embraced him as family.

“We would write to each other and their children would write to me as well,” Edward remembers. “One time, Heather wrote and addressed me as ‘brother’. That made me feel like I had sisters and brothers, a mama and papa in Australia as well. From that point, it felt more like a family, not just a sponsorship.”

“I would pray for them, and they told me they were praying for me. Their letters meant so much. I felt loved by people I had never met,” says Edward.

Edward grew up in incredibly tough circumstances. He was born in Reiki, an area in rural Uganda that was hardest hit by HIV and the civil war. His father died when he was a baby, and he was raised by his grandmother as his mother was unable to care for him. He saw multiple people in his family die from HIV and has vivid memories of those experiences. Schooling was difficult to access, and the family lacked the basic necessities.

“When my grandmother heard of Compassion International through the local church, she asked if I could be enrolled. I used to attend on Saturdays and there would be lots of play, fun and people teaching us. I came to appreciate the education later, but initially, as a child, it was the play, the food and the gifts that mattered most,” says Edward.

The power of the local church

Through Compassion and the local church, Edward found stability, support and education. “We had life skills classes and Bible teaching, especially as we transitioned into our teenage years, which is a very chaotic time. We also got to interact with other children, share experiences and become part of a community.”

“The uncles and aunties—as we called the project staff—kept an eye on us. They would visit us at school to monitor our progress, observe our behaviour and also visit us at home to see the real experiences we were having.”

From childhood dreams to HIV research scientist

"As a child, I had many dreams about what I wanted to be,” says Edward. “First, I wanted to be a bus driver, then a policeman because I thought it was important. Later, I wanted to be a teacher because I had a nice teacher in primary school.

“But everything shifted when my auntie bought me a book about Dr Benjamin Carson, a brain surgeon in the United States. From the time I read that book, I knew I wanted to be a doctor, and initially a brain surgeon,” he says.

Edward went on to receive a government scholarship and additional support from Compassion through medical school. As he progressed in his studies, his career path became clearer, shaped by the stories of his family members living with HIV and his own experiences volunteering in HIV organisations.

“So I became a medical doctor and HIV researcher,” says Edward. “My research focuses on finding a cure for HIV. For me, working in this field has been about meeting people and listening to their experiences.”

“When someone is living with HIV, they face two kinds of stigmas,” Edward explains. “One is external: how other people treat them or what is said about them. But even worse is the internal stigma: how a person feels about themselves, the regrets, the questions of ‘Why me?’ and ‘When will this come to an end?’ and ‘Do people know what I’m really going through?’ These are the struggles people live with even when they’re on treatment.

“When you speak with them and really listen, eventually they will open up. Often they begin to cry as they share their experiences. That’s why, even though we have treatment that controls the virus, the ultimate answer will be a cure.”

Full circle moment: meeting his sponsor family

Thirty years on, Edward says the words of encouragement he received from the Anschau family made a lasting impact.

“My sponsors used to say that they believed I would have a good future and that I would study. I told them, even back in 1995, that I wanted to be a doctor and they affirmed these things. Giving a child affirmation over things that might sound like wild dreams for them is a strong thing, a powerful thing,” says Edward.

That belief has come full circle as Edward is now sponsoring four children of his own.

“Edward told us that when he was young, he vowed to sponsor a child for every child of his own, just like mum and dad did,” says Heather.

When they met, Edward proudly showed the Anschau family photos of the four children, one of whom he has welcomed into his own home.

“He wanted to show us how one good deed can have a ripple effect across generations,” Heather says. “Because of my parents' sponsorship of one child three decades ago, four more children have now been given a new chance at life.”

“It felt like a family reunion. He’s known as Brother Edward now,” she adds.

For Edward, the feeling was mutual. “It’s like meeting a family you had never seen before—a father, a mother, a sister, brothers you only imagined—but now you can hold them,” he says.

Knowing Edward grew up in landlocked Uganda, the Anschau family wanted to give him the full Aussie experience, starting in true Newcastle style—at the beach.

“On his last day, he even did the school drop-off for my kids,” Heather says. “He really is family now.”

A legacy of love

As Edward hugged Bruce and Heather at the airport, he had struggled to find the right words. But he didn’t need them—that hug said everything.

What began with one family’s simple decision to sponsor a child has grown into a legacy of love stretching across continents and generations.

“Their love was the engine that got me off the ground,” says Edward. “Through education, it set me on a trajectory to reach my potential. Thirty years later, see what God has done. Their love and sacrifice has shown me the purest form of love.”

The ABC captured Edward’s story of meeting his sponsor family and it quickly went viral, touching the hearts of millions of people around the world. At a time when the news cycle feels so heavy, Edward’s story is a powerful reminder that hope is contagious and universal.

One simple act of compassion can ripple across generations, break cycles of poverty, unite hearts and reveal God’s love in every corner of the world.

Edward’s story shows the lasting impact of child sponsorship. Hear his inspiring story and watch the incredible full-circle moment here.

Written by Bridget Hadfield, Compassion Australia, with local interview by Marcus Wong, Compassion Australia.