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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.