Heading a household at 16

"Relax, God is in control." These are the words of faith written on a wooden plaque hanging in 16-year-old Moureen Ampairwe's small house on the outskirts of Kampala, Uganda. Now the head of a household of younger siblings, Moureen does her best to live out these words. It's not always easy. Her mother and father died of AIDS in 2002.

Thankfully her mother had foresight. After her husband died and with the knowledge that her life would soon end from AIDS, she bought a small plot of land and put up a house.

"She said when I leave this earth, I don't want you to sell this land," recalls Moureen. "She told us that she wanted it to be ours until we were mature. Then she told me I would have to look after my younger brother and sisters."

And that's exactly what she's done, with a little help from Mengo Hospital's AIDS Orphan Club. The club, largely funded by MCC, supports 60 orphans who meet once a month to learn life skills, receive medical attention, get a warm meal and just have fun together.

"I like coming to the club because I have made friends and it has helped me with things I otherwise couldn't have managed," says 12-year-old Godfrey, the brother of Moureen.

With the help of the club and their mother's parting advice, Moureen and her siblings may be able to fulfill their dreams. "Our mother told us to love God as we love ourselves, that God is on our side and to study hard," says Moureen, who hopes to one day be a doctor.