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Girls supported in Secondary schools and Vocational training education
Criteria used to select vulnerable girls
In 2008 CHAWAKUA received grants from the individual American Lady Mrs. Sonya Erickson to educate vulnerable orphans of the Arusha Municipal for four year period. Our donor request was to educate eight vulnerable girls and send them through secondary school and vocational training school.
Prior to choosing the young girls to go through the education program. CHAWAKUA did their diligence by visiting several secondary schools in the Arusha district inquiring about orphaned children who are coming from vulnerable families. CHAWAKUA was provided a list of names of children willing and who wants to go to school, but could not provide the school fees due to poverty. CHAWAKUA interviewed the young girls, and visited their families to assure that they came from vulnerable situations. From the list, six girls were chosen to go to secondary school, and two girls were chosen to go to vocational school. Many girls were interviewed for this sponsorship, but the girls selected were facing the most challenging lives.
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| Hortensia Rogath Michael:
She was born on December 28th, 1993. She lost her parents when she was seven; in 1999 she lost her father and her mothers in 2001. She then lived with her aunt who also had a challenging life since she is a widow trying to take care of her own four children. The Aunt makes a living by selling onions at the market which doesn’t provide her enough money to take care of all five children.
Hortensia’s Aunt was not able to educate her own four children through secondary school since she did not have the tuition fees. Hence, the four children are selling onions with their mother.
Hortensia is schooling at Arusha Secondary school. When CHAWAKUA visited Hortensia’s Aunt for the home study, we learnt that she was going to secondary school every day, but being turned away due to lack of school fees. She really wanted to study. Their life is very difficult. The family eats once a day, and many times, Hortensia didn’t eat for the whole day.
Hortensia is very grateful for the opportunity of being enrolled at Arusha secondary school. Her challenge is that the secondary school fees only cover her tuition fees. Her needs are as follows: Money for daily tea, lunch, tea; new school uniform; text books and the fare for the town bus to and from school. However due to hunger, makes her studies very difficult. |
Bimu Juma Bilali;
Bimu was born on August 18th, 1994; she lives with her grandmother since she was four years old when she lost both parents on 1998. She is schooling at Arusha Secondary school
When CHAWAKUA visited Bimu at their home we found Bimu was taking care of her grandmother by cooking for her, and selling maandazi and vitumbua (African donut cakes). The grandmother is very old, and she is often very sick. Hence, Bimu wakes up early in the morning each day to cook the maandazis and vitumbua before going to school. The money is helping to buy them food, yet it is clearly not enough. Often, they eat the leftover maandazi and vitumbua if they are not sold. When CHAWAKUA visited her primary school, Bimu was one of the girls that the teachers recommended that she was in dire need of support. The teachers recommended Bimu since she enjoys her studies and is doing well at school. She just needs the opportunity to go to secondary school to care for her grandmother long term.
Bimu also faces some challenges when attending schooling, her funds given by CHAWAKUA only covers her tuition fees, but she needs more than that; e.g. money for her daily tea, and lunch when she is at school, she also needs school uniforms, text books and other school facilities, due to her hunger, her studies suffer
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Teresia Shirima;
Teresia is the first born out of two children in the family. She was born on March 02nd, 1994, her parent died when she was three years old, and her young brother was a baby. Her aunt took them, by that time she was married by a wealthy person hence; she was able to take good care of them. Unfortunately the Aunt’s husband died, after the death, the husband’s relatives took everything from Teresia’s Aunt (due to inheritance laws), and she was left with nothing.
Teresia’s Aunt has three children of her own whereby, she tried to care for as well. In order to support the family of five children, the aunt goes to various houses asking for labor work in order to feed the children, since life has been difficult for their aunt she decided to leave them without food and during day time she was locking them outside the house till she came back at night with her last child, that was not enough the aunt without any reason didn’t cook the evening meals hence causing Teresia and her young brother to sleep without having their daily meals. This caused a lot of problem to Teresia and her young brother. Consequently they started to do cheap labor work to various people so that they could get their daily meals.
During this time, Teresia was in primary school, whereby she passed the exams to enter secondary school. However, she didn’t have the money to go to secondary school. She decided to go around the neighborhood and do fundraising in order to pay for school fees. Unfortunately, she received very little money in her fundraising. She did receive enough to buy a school uniform and exercise books, but not tuition fees.
Since the Aunt could not afford to feed and pay transport cost to/from school, Teresia is now living with the house-girl that was hired prior to her parents’ death. The house-girl works at a shop about 6km from where Teresia goes to school. Teresia leaves for secondary school at 6:00am and walks 6km each way every day. Unfortunately, the house-girl cannot afford to feed Teresia either, so Teresia eats very little, sometime a piece of bread and a cup of black tea as her supper and this can be the dinner and the lunch for the next day till she comes back home again. The walk to/from school with little or no food has affected Teresia’s studies.
Teresia is very grateful for the opportunity of going to secondary school. However, her hunger (coupled with her 6km walk each way to school) makes it very difficult for her to study. She has no energy. Her needs are as follows: Money for daily tea, lunch; a new school uniform; text books; bus fare. |
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Dorcas Hussein
Dorcas was born on March 1st, 1990 the third born in the family of four children. Her parents died on father in 2001, and the mother 2003. Her elder sister Debora who had just finished her secondary school education; she was the one who took care of her mother when she was sick, she again took the responsibility of taking care of her younger two sisters and one brother.
The elder sister Debora has been hired as a gardener at the church, but she only makes Tsh. 15,000 (US $ 11.5) per month. It’s not enough money to care for the family and pay secondary school fees. The elder sister then got hired as a house-girl to a man working for the United Nations. The man built the children a small house to live so that they live rent free. The man has moved away, and so now the elder sister is back to being a gardener. The house that was built for all the children is 7km from secondary school each way.
Dorcas is bright at school, and is the ‘shining star’ of all the girls chosen for secondary school. Dorcas is very grateful for the opportunity to go to secondary school. The donation that Sonya provided pays for everything for Dorcas. Dorcas is at the best school in the area, and her school fees allow for everything to be covered: uniform, tea, lunch, tea, books and bus fare. Their will be few US $ remaining after Dorca’s fourth’s year of her secondary school education and may be the funds may take her to High school (Form 5 and 6).
Mhangwa Muhamedi Ringo
Mhangwa was born in 1991 in Dar Es Salaam, she lost her father when she was five years old, 1996; whereby the mother was left with two children. Mhangwa’s Aunt decided to help Mhangwa’s mother by taking care of one child, Mhangwa. Unfortunately, the Aunt passed away while caring for Mhangwa. Mhangwa was only in sixth grade. Mhangwa took her primary school examinations and did not pass. Hence, she could not go to secondary school.
After the Aunt’s death, Mhangwa’s went back to live with her mother. To earn money, the mother started a small business of cooking tea and bites, selling them from door to door. Mhangwa was the one going door to door. This small business didn’t succeed due to the prices of food going up, and they were not able to sell the bites at a good price. Mhangwa and her mother changed their work strategy and decided to go to construction sites and help the construction crew by bringing them water for the construction work for a small fee. Additionally, they would go to rural farms offering up their labor for the exchange with small amount of money.
When CHAWAKUA was tasked with finding girls who are vulnerable, and not able to go to school due to poverty, CHAWAKUA was informed about Mhangwa. After the interview, she was selected to go to vocational school. Mhangwa has chosen to take the electricity course and be an electrician.
Like her colleagues Mhangwa is very grateful for the opportunity to her vocational training education. The challenge is that the funds given only covers her tuition fees, her needs are: Money for her daily tea, lunch, new school uniform; and transportation costs to/from school
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| Asha Mruma, Managing Director |
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