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Fausta, 31 years old,

‘’Faith and Determination’’ Donate to Jifundishe to support Fausta’s mission.

Fausta is the third born in a family of six children. She was born in Hanang District, Manyara region, in the northern part of Tanzania. Her parents primarily depend on pastoralism for their livelihood.

In 2002, Fausta began her primary education at Getaghul School in Hanang, Manyara region. Her seven years in primary education were challenging due to her family’s struggle to obtain food. Her father, the family’s provider, was frequently ill and unable to support the family consistently. Despite these hardships, Fausta completed her primary education in 2007. She performed well in her standard seven national exams, earning a grade B, which qualified her for secondary education. In 2008, Fausta joined secondary education at Measkron School in Manyara region. However, she only managed to attend for one year due to family problems. She then stayed at home without any income-generating activity, as her family could not support her. She was very scared about her future without anything to do. In November 2009, she decided to get married at 16 years old. She had her first son in 2011. Unfortunately, the marriage did not last, and they separated. Fausta returned to her parents to start a new life with her one-year-old son.

She stayed home for a year before moving to Katesh, Manyara, to work in a hotel to provide for her son. After three years, she moved to Namanga, Longido district in Arusha, for a similar job with better pay. She worked as a hotelier in a small restaurant but was never satisfied with her life. She entered a relationship with another man and accidentally got pregnant, having a daughter in 2016, but did not marry him. Her life continued to be tough as she took care of her two children, with their father not being responsible at all.

In 2017, Fausta joined the Seventh Day Adventist Church and was baptized in 2019. This marked a turning point in her life. In 2022, she began reading and preaching church books as part of her church service. She enjoyed this role because it allowed her to meet many educated church members who recognized her talent despite her limited education. They encouraged her to consider returning to school, seeing her potential.

Fausta started praying and contemplating the possibility of returning to school. In 2022, she went on a church trip to the University of Arusha (UoA). There, the people preaching in English and realized the importance of education impressed her. During this trip, she met a Kenyan man who also encouraged her to return to school.

In June 2022, Fausta followed up on returning to school. She found a center in Longido with an annual fee of $170, which she could not afford. Through her church network, she contacted a woman advertising a private school near Jifundishe. The woman explained the school details, but the fees were higher. Fausta, being a mother of two, needed an open school where she could study while still taking care of her family. She explained this to the woman. Fortunately, the woman was familiar with Jifundishe and promised to follow up on it. After a few days, she called Fausta and explained everything about Jifundishe’s services. Fausta was very happy and excited about the opportunity, so she decided to move from Namanga, Monduli district, to near Jifundishe.

In January 2023, Fausta joined Jifundishe’s Independent Study Program as a Qualifying Test (QT) candidate. She is very active in class and is taking both arts and science subjects. In November 2023, Fausta sat for her Form II national examination and passed with a B average. This year, she is pursuing her studies as a Private Candidate (PC) and expects to sit for her Form IV national examination in November.

Fausta aspires to be a psychologist and a pastor, with plans to study theology as well. We wish her the best of luck in her exciting career journey.

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.