Miracle Triplets Say “Thank You” for Their New Home!

Together with friends across Australia, Canada and the United States, your support provided a safe and secure home for single mother Annet and her miraculous triplets just in time for their fourth birthday! A year and a half down the track, we check in on the triplets.

11 Nov, 2019

In the rural village of Businya, Uganda, the lives of eight families were transformed when Compassion supporters rallied to provide new homes for children and families living in vulnerable conditions. Among them were triplets, Samuel, Grace and Patience

The five-year-old triplets were born in an incredible birth story that involved two motorbike journeys, a surprising ultrasound and an emergency Caesarean.

The unexpected arrival of triplets amazed many around the world but Annet’s joy was quickly overshadowed by concern and fear. As a single mother, she knew that Samuel, Grace and Patience would quickly outgrow the tiny home she had struggled to afford.

Annet had lived in a two-room structure in Businya with her former husband, who abandoned the family at news of the triplets’ birth.

Before moving into their new home, Annet and her triplets shared one tiny bedroom

The local church stepped in with Compassion’s help to provide emergency relief and regular supplies, but Annet’s most urgent concern were the rental payments needed to ensure her new family would not be evicted.

When thousands of Compassion sponsors first heard of the situation, they responded with love and commitment. In 2018, a total of A$51,000 was raised to rebuild a safe and secure home for Annet—and seven more mothers in the same community!

The joy of a new home

Thank you for providing Annet’s family with a new home—a place of security, belonging and safety. With a house built on her father’s land, they will never have to fear eviction again.

“In the past, I was always worried about the rent. Now I don’t have that problem,” she says.

“I’m feeling the peace of the Lord and through this house the gospel has come to life. People know Compassion built it for our family through our local church. We have the best house on the street!”

Their new bautiful home is sheltered by sturdy iron sheets, which protect the triplets from skin infections caused by dampness and flooding.

“The best thing about the house is the iron sheets [on the roof],” says five-year-old Patience.

“In our previous house we didn’t have that and so when it rained, we would get wet and we’d have to stand in a corner and wait for the rain to pass.”

Before their new home was built, the triplets shared one small bedroom with their mother and used the other room for mealtimes. Just in time for their fourth birthday, the triplets received the best birthday present: news of a home with additional room to play!

“I love that we have so much more space,” says Grace. “Before, we were squeezed in one small room, but this house is spacious!”

For Samuel, it’s simply the look of the new house that makes him happy.

“The thing I like the most about the house is the colour,” says Samuel.

Your generosity has helped to provide Annet and her triplets with security, stability and independence. Annet spends her mornings tending to her garden, where she grows vegetables and fruit to sustain her family.

“We are now in our own home and feel joy. We feel peace and happiness,” she says. “I thank God that you provided us with a house.”

Transforming a community

Annet’s story inspired hope for seven other families in her community. Of the families who received homes:

• Two children live with disabled mothers who did not have the ability to repair their shelters.
• One child lives with a mother who has cancer.
• One child lives in an HIV-affected home.
• One family was abandoned by the father and were living in a leaking grass-thatched shelter.
• One household is youth headed.
• One household is headed by an elderly widower, who is unable to provide an adequate home.

These families received a life-changing message of hope when they heard that Annet’s story inspired friends across the world to generously support their families too.

Nine-year-old David lived in this home before you acted:

Now, thanks to you, he lives in this home:

For Evelyn, Eunice and Nafula, a new home has brought hope and joy to their families’ lives. Their new homes replaced crowded and unsafe structures and, for some of these families, it was their first time falling asleep under the same roof.

“I could never afford to build another home for our family. That’s why I am so appreciative,” says Evelyn. “In my whole life, I have always lived in a traditional African mud hut. This will be my first cement floor. I can’t believe that in the new home all of us will be able to sleep under the same roof!”

Tonight, eight families will sleep soundly in their new homes. And it’s because of you.

Thank you for giving generously to support Compassion’s Infrastructure Critical Need. Your support provides children and families with safe structures and environments.

Words by Shona Yang

Interviews and photos by Helen Manson