I’m a firm believer that every foster child deserves to be adopted by a loving family. The instability of going from home to home with no guarantee that anyone is going to want to keep you permanently is no way for a child to be raised. Kids need a decent environment with a family who will promise to care for them and guide them until they’re able to start life on their own as an adult.
Not every child is that lucky. 13-year-old Anthony “Tony” Mutabazi, for instance, didn’t always have it easy. He had been apart of the foster care system since he was just two-years-old. By the age of four, he was adopted by a couple in Oklahoma, only for them to abandon him at the hospital when he was 11.
“He asked if his parents were coming to get him and they said no. No idea why,” said Peter Mutabazi, who resides in North Carolina.
But Peter Mutabazi isn’t just any man; he’s the man who began fostering Tony after receiving a call on January 16, 2018.
“I was crying. I thought, ‘Who would do that?’ Once I knew the parents’ rights were signed off and he had nowhere to go, I [knew] I had to take him,” said Peter.
Then on November 12, 2019, Peter officially adopted the once twice-abandoned boy. It’s a decision he’s still happy he made today.
“He’s the nicest, smartest kid I’ve ever had. From day one, he’s always called me ‘dad.’ He truly meant it and he looks up to me,” he said. “He’s proud to show me at school and say, ‘Hey, he’s my dad.’ That’s something that I love about him.”
Peter has a past similar to Tony’s.
He had to escape from his abusive home environment back in Uganda at the age of 10.
Although he was eventually linked with a new parent figure, life in his country wasn’t easy.
“They became my sponsor, my family. I grew up the poor of the poorest people on the planet. I grew up where no one told me to dream, that there was no future for me,” he recalled.
That’s primary what inspired Peter to work with World Vision and start fostering children. Apart from Tony, Peter had fostered 12 children.
But the connection between him and Tony was like no other and still continues to go strong.
The single father and son enjoy reading books, playing video games, and going on bike rides. They even share an Instagram account together with over 53,000 followers!
Peter hopes to eventually foster more children in the near future. What a great man!
Learn more about Tony’s adoption below.
