Help a Tanzanian Orphan Complete Primary School

We met Egbert in 2025 when he was six years old. In 2024, Egbert’s father tragically died in an accident leaving the family with three children in sudden hardship. Egbert’s mother, Donatila (36 years old) was left as the sole provider for her young children. Donatila works assisting with mobile money and banking services, earning around 150,000 Tanzanian Shillings/Tsh (approximately USD 60 per month). This income is not sufficient to cover basic living costs, let alone the education for three children.

The family’s situation worsened further when Donatila’s parents passed away in the same year as her husband, removing an important potential support network. Her siblings are subsistence farmers with limited means, and her late husband’s younger siblings are also struggling financially. The possibility of family support is not expected.

In 2025, Egbert was attending Rumuli English Primary School, a government school experimenting with teaching in English. Annual school fees were Tsh 860,000 (approximately USD 330) per child. While Egbert’s father was alive, he was able to provide for their education through his employment. After his death, his company generously covered school fees for the remainder of 2024 and the first semester of 2025. However, the company has confirmed that they will not be able to continue providing assistance. Donatila cannot afford to keep her children in school without external support.

Egbert was earning good marks and seemed alert and ready to learn, but he was encountering some challenges in his class of 175 students. With so many children in one classroom, the students must climb in and out of the windows just to get to their desks.  We decided to give Egbert the chance to learn at a better school with more advantageous conditions. He began learning at his new school in July of 2025 with a scholarship from GLK Student Fund.

We thank you for your participation in supporting Egbert and his vulnerable family. Any contribution toward tuition and school-related expenses will directly impact the lives of these children and help a widowed mother struggling to provide under extremely difficult circumstances.

Links:

• GLK Scholarship Fund Website

Both Elivila (class 4) and Livinus (class 6) are considered by their headteacher to be academically strong students at Bethania English Medium Primary School. They were both progressing well – initially supported financially at school by their mother, a teacher, and their father. In 2022, their mother died during childbirth.

Among the many struggles faced by the family since then, funding the children’s school fees without the mother’s teaching salary has significantly affected these two. As is usually the case in Tanzania, if the tuition payments are not made, students may not attend classes. Their sporadic attendance of school has resulted in lower marks and performances.  Both their headteacher and their grandmother have advocated to our scholarship fund to help Elivila and Livinus attend school on a regular basis. 

Beginning in this year, we have awarded scholarship assistance that will keep Elivila and Livinus in school without interruption. We expect this assistance will provide stability to this family. We look forward as the siblings return to school with improved chances to excel academically.

Links:

• Scholarship Fund Website