Support This Unique Free Library in Rural Tanzania

Sekela, 17 Years old

“A beacon of Hope”

Sekela was born in Iringa region, Southern Highlands in Tanzania. She is the second child in a family of two children, both of whom are girls. Sekela enjoyed a happy life with her parents. Her mother worked as a nurse, while her father was a small farmer.

 In 2014, Sekela began her primary education. Unfortunately, it was the same year that her father passed on, leaving her in a single-parent family. Despite this loss, they persevered and continued with their lives. As the years went by, in 2019, tragedy struck again when Sekela was in sixth grade. Her mother passed on after sustaining injuries from a chemical accident. This event marked the beginning of a new chapter in Sekela’s life. She moved in with her grandmother, but sadly, her grandmother also passed on the same year due to the stress of losing her son, who had been a provider for her. 

In 2020, Sekela entered seventh grade while living with her aunt. Despite her aunt’s rude behavior and the burden of household chores, Sekela persevered and completed primary school. However, a troubling incident occurred: Sekela retaliated against her aunt’s mistreatment by physically confronting her cousin. In response, Sekela’s aunt infuriated, attacked her with a flaming knife. Fearing for her safety, Sekela fled and joined other street children in their struggle for survival.

In 2021, after Sekela’s standard seven results were released, she obtained a passing mark that allowed her to join secondary school. However, there was no one to support her in pursuing her education. Her uncle from Arusha visited Iringa intending to take her to school. Unfortunately, instead of helping her, he exploited her as cheap labor, making her sell bananas to earn money for him.

In December 2022, while selling bananas on the street, Sekela encountered a Brazilian woman who ran a center for street children called Sebastian College. The woman approached Sekela’s uncle and expressed her desire to take Sekela under her care and enroll her in school. Despite some reluctance, Sekela’s uncle eventually agreed, and Sekela joined Sebastian College. In 2023, she began learning tailoring at the center and is now a skilled tailor.

Sekela’s determination to pursue her dream of becoming a doctor is commendable. Enrolling in the Independent Study Program at Jifundishe and participating in the Qualifying Test (QT) are crucial steps toward achieving her goal. With the available resources and her hard work, she is on the right path. We are excited to see her future success as a doctor.

Tumaini, 19 years old.

‘’A tale of perseverance and hope’’

Tumaini’s story is one of determination, perseverance, and resilience. She was born in Imbaseni village, Arusha, Northern part of Tanzania, as the third born in a family of six children. Her parents were unable to pay the school fees and associated costs, which made it difficult for her to do her studies smoothly. Despite these obstacles, Tumaini was determined to pursue her dream of getting an education. She showed incredible strength and determination in the face of adversity, and this helped her to overcome the obstacles in her path.

In 2012, Tumaini started primary school at their local government school called Imbaseni primary school. Her journey was full of on and off from the start to the end, but she never gave up on her dream of getting an education. Despite facing many challenges throughout her primary school journey, Tumaini persevered through difficult times and never lost hope. She showed great resilience in the face of adversity and continued to work hard towards her goals.

In September 2019, Tumaini completed her primary school education and managed to score grade B in standard seven national exams. In the same year, Tumaini joined a free English tuition course at Jifundishe for three months. Despite the challenges she faced, Tumaini was the best student in the course and had outstanding national standard seven results that made her qualify to be selected to get a scholarship from Houston Scholarship Fund at Jifundishe. This scholarship allowed her to continue her education to secondary level despite the financial challenges she faced. Tumaini’s hard work and dedication to her studies paid off, and she was able to achieve her dream of getting an education.

 Tumaini’s journey to success is truly inspiring. In 2020, she was selected to join Ngongongare Secondary School, a local government day secondary school. However, due to her family environment and her potential as a dedicated girl, Jifundishe decided to put her in a boarding school called Secondary Education for Girls Advancement (SEGA) in Morogoro, Eastern part of Tanzania. SEGA offers extra-curricular activities that enable students to learn more about life, such as financial literacy, sewing classes, cooking, livestock keeping and farming, and self-confidence building activities.

Tumaini completed her lower secondary education in November 2023 with the confidence that she will score good grades that will make her qualify to join upper secondary education (Advanced level) in July 2024. She has already planned for her future and wants to study PCB (Physics, Chemistry & Biology) or CBG (Chemistry, Biology & Geography) in advanced level because she wants to become a Pharmacist or a Tour Guide after her studies.

Tumaini is a Swahili word which means “Hope”. Tumaini’s story is a testament to the power of hope and determination. She is always hoping for the best in her life.

“I believe that with hard work and determination, I can achieve anything I set my mind to,” said Tumaini.