School Access for 100 Orphans in Vilankulo

Osvaldo is a 13 year old sixth grader in Vilankulo. His mother passed away in February after an illness. When Osvaldo was a baby, his mother moved to Vilankulo from an inland village and he never met his father. The last thing Osvaldo remembers about his mother is that she told him to study.

Osvaldo loves school. His favorite subjects are Portuguese and Math. He wants to be a teacher himself when he grows up. Osvaldo studies in the afternoon. In the morning, he sweeps, washes clothes and looks after his neices Dalila and Wilma while his sisters work cleaning houses. In the evening he helps prepare dinner, usually peanut curry.

After their mother passed away, a kind teacher made a house simple reed house available to Osvaldo and his sisters who are 20 and 16 years old. They both have toddlers with young men who don't live nearby. Although Osvaldo's oldest sister is technically an adult, these resilient youngsters are basically raising themselves in a loving "child-headed household." They are assisted with a monthly food basket to stabilize against economic insecurity. 

Despite the hardships he's suffered, and his reputation for being an outstanding little brother, Osvaldo is mostly focused on being a good student. The school access kit he received with a uniform, notebooks, soaps, and more, all packed into a nice backpack, enabled him to thrive at school, fulfilling his mother's dream for him.  

We thank you for your generosity to Osvaldo and over 50 other children like him this year - for shining a light in the darkness on the path to education with dignity.