Flomena and her family live in a two-room mud house, nestled beside a creek on the outskirts of Arusha city.
Her mother, Agape, works on a farm, while her father, Aloyce, works as a security guard at a local convent. However, their combined income is not enough to provide for their three children.
Flomena was selected to join The School of St Jude in 2017 as a new Standard 1 student, when she, along with hundreds of others that year, applied for an academic scholarship.
Flomena passed the initial academic tests with flying colours, and when our staff conducted a poverty assessment of her home, it was clear that Flomena’s family deserved an opportunity for their intellectually gifted child to receive a scholarship to St Jude’s.
Already, the family’s life is starting to improve.
“Because we do not have to pay school fees for Flomena, we have saved a little money to buy some more chickens. Flomena is starting to speak English well and she can teach us, too,” said Aloyce.
He also shared an exciting dream that may come to fruition in the near future.
“We have finally saved enough and bought some [cement] blocks to start building a better house soon,” said Aloyce.
Moving out of a mud or wooden house and into a more solid dwelling is merely a pipeline goal for many Tanzanians. It is difficult for disadvantaged families to save funds to purchase simple building supplies, when more pressing concerns, such as feeding children, paying school fees and supporting frail relatives, take priority.
On top of all this, it can take many years in Tanzania for a small home to be built to completion.
Azael, Standard 3, and his family, understand this all too well. Like Flomena, Azael lives in a house made of mud and sticks. Thanks to the support his family receives from St Jude’s, they have made a start on building a house made of bricks, right next to their current home.
It’s a huge step up in terms of security and sustainability for years to come. Azael’s mother, Ester, beamed with pride as she explained what St Jude’s support means to her.
“I have have been able to buy a small calf that is growing. Little by little, we are building a new house made of bricks. We can save money, we are very grateful,” she expressed.
“The big changes I have seen in Azael, is that he is able to speak English very well. It is a very big change because before [attending] St Jude’s, he could only speak Kiswahili. This change will help him in his future,” Ester added.
Year by year, your support of our students’ education makes a much bigger impact. While it empowers poor, bright students, it also gifts families with the tools they need to lift themselves out of poverty.
Flomena and Azael’s families, quite literally, are building foundations for a brighter future… because of you.
Your support of St Jude’s has a tangible impact on students and families: your donation stretches far beyond the school gates. Make a donation today, so that families like these can prosper tomorrow.
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