Last week Claire invited me to meet a group of widows and a family in need that lived in a village up the side of Mt. Meru. When we arrived we were introduced a lovely group of widows. There were around 20 to meet us but I was informed that the group has around 70 members. After we introduced ourselves to the widows they began standing and introducing themselves to us. They all had very touching and sad stories but one stood out to me.
Bibi Mary was in the front row and was obviously very tired. She let her head rest on the shoulder of a women next to her and most of the time she had her eyes closed. Right when we were about to leave she stood up and introduced herself. She is an 82 year old grandmother whose eldest son passed away last month. When her son passed away he left 5 children for Bibi Mary to look after. The oldest three children all went to school up until Standard 7 (around 12 years old) then were forced to drop out because the father could not pay the tuition. They are all late teens and early 20's so unfortunately they are too old to return to school. I will be meeting with them to speak about employment opportunities and the possibility of attending a vocational school.
The two youngest children are currently not attending school because the Bibi cannot afford school uniform, shoes and the necessary text books. Patrick is 16 and will have to pay school tuition for him to go back. I do not have the exact information on how much the school closest to him charges for secondary school but it will be around $75 per term or $225 per year. The youngest girl named Queen, age 6, has never been to school. Education will be free for Queen until she reaches standard 7, around the age of 12, but in order to attend primary school she still needs uniform, shoes and text book. These expenses add up to $75 per year! If we can get a sponsor by September she can be enrolled in the next term. If you would like to sponsor Queen or Patrick please email me at walkinlovetanzania@gmail.com
I am also looking for someone who would like to sponsor Bibi Mary's basic needs. She is 82 years old and right now provides food for her grandchild and her self by receiving a small collection from the church congregation. This is a very small amount of money and Bibi Mary has recently been forced to go around the village asking for money food from her neighbors. If you would like to sponsor Bibi Mary and her family's food expenses for $50 per month then please contact me at walkinlovetanzania@gmail.com
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