As the assault of COVID-19 continues and the wildfire of infections, fear, sickness and death penetrates the remotest corners of Planet Earth, many of us wonder: What can we do? How can we help?
Like countless others, our Unite Scholars face an extremely challenging time rife with hardship and worry. Unite has provided each of our 70+ teammates and scholars everything from food relief, sanitizers, gloves and face masks to interest-free small business loans, and we continue to seek more ways to be of service. Last week our Program Director Anty Marche told me that she sent one of our scholars, Loyce Cheja, just $20 to purchase some food items from Loyce’s small business that Loyce could then give to others in need. I thought it was a great idea and did the same for a few other scholars. The results have been astounding. Our hearts are overflowing. If you want to know how $20 can transform lives in Tanzania…. read on.
LOYCE CHEJA
“By blessing others I have experienced the great joy of giving. I am now more connected to my community as I have earned a sense of cooperation and trust with people I did not know before. I want to work harder than ever so that I may have something to give. And even if I do not have money, I can share my time, ideas and energy.”
Loyce Lucas Cheja and her auntie with whom she is running her small store business. CLICK HERE to see Loyce’s roadside stand where she sells her wares.
Loyce, 20, lost both of her parents in a motorcycle accident when she was just 11 years old. Following the accident Loyce and her five brothers and sisters lived with their grandmother in the Tabora region of Western Tanzania. Her grandmother wanted to sell Loyce off for brideprice into marriage to avoid having the burden of caring for her. To escape early marriage Loyce ran away to town to work as a housegirl. Four years later, after her grandmother passed away, Loyce returned home to live with her older sister, who was married by then, and four younger siblings. Her older sister was able to help Loyce complete primary school, but she died when Loyce was 16 years old. At that time Loyce was left alone to care for her four younger siblings. To earn money to pay for their basic needs, Loyce sang gospel songs with a singing group, taught singing lessons, and sold fried groundnuts. She then went to her primary-level teachers and begged for them to help her continue her education. They were able to pool together enough small funds for Loyce to attend the Tabora Girls Government Secondary School, even though she often did not have books, school supplies or the appropriate uniforms. While at school Loyce was elected to serve as Class Monitor, Head Prefect and Choir Master. In October 2019, Loyce graduated Form 4 (10th grade) top of her class. We chose Loyce to be one of our new Unite A-Level Scholars in early 2020, and she is now an active and beloved member of our Unite family. During this time of coronavirus when all the schools are closed, Loyce has used her small business interest-free loan from Unite to start a small food market. With each $20 installment, Loyce is able to gift food packages, which include highly nutritious baobob fruits, rice, sugar, beans, cooking oil, matches and more (enough to feed a family of four for one week)… to at least three people in need.
THREE OF THE PEOPLE WHO HAVE BEEN BLESSED BY LOYCE: Naomi Makoye, 12, who has never been to school and spends her days working the fields as a day laborer and her evenings smashing rocks for people in need of stones for building projects — all to help pay the rent for the single room in which she lives in with her mother and six “irresponsible”brothers; Elizabeth Lameck, an orphan for whom Loyce is caring along with Loyce’s four younger brothers and sisters; and Esther Ntimba, a single mother of four children who was abandoned by her husband.
JOHN JOHN MASHIMBA
“Blessing others with rabbits has filled my heart with the joy of charity. Many elders now see me as a good example — responsible and determined — and they are instructing other youths to pay attention and learn from me.”
John John,17, is from the Mwanza District of northwestern Tanzania. His father died in a road accident when John John was just a baby leaving his mother to care for him and his four older siblings. His mother has no education or job so she sent John John to live with his grandfather who was able to get him through primary school using his pension. John John finished primary school with all As and was accepted to attend the top government lower-secondary (7th - 10th grades) school for boys, Kibaha Boys School. At Kibaha, John John was elected to serve as Class Monitor and Health Secretary. While at Kibaha, John John started a weekend jogging club to support the students’ health. He also started a club to prevent and combat“the killing disease of we Africans—corruption.” His anti-corruption club is now successfully rolled out in 12 schools. John John also started a campaign to cut back the bush around his school to help prevent the spread of malaria, and he served as a member of the school’s United Nations Youth Club. John John graduated Form 4 (10th grade) from Kibaha in October 2019. However, his grandfather has since passed and his mother is too poor to help him with his education, so we have accepted John John into our Unite Scholar Program. Now, as a Unite Scholar, John John is thriving and participating in our many online study groups. He is also using this time at home during coronavirus to grow his rabbit business. Click HERE to learn more.
Above: John John sits with Edgar Gervas and his family. Edgar’s father died years ago in a road accident leaving him as the “man of the house” to take care of his mother and two younger sisters (right). Edgar’s mother sells fruits to try to earn money for her family. However, she was born with one leg shorter than the other, which often causes her too much pain to walk. When this happens, Edgar must drop from school and do his best to provide for the family. John John blessed Edgar with two rabbits and is visiting Edgar weekly to make sure he cares for the rabbits properly.
Lazaro Frederick Lazaro
Lazaro, 19, is the first of four children born to peasant farmers in the coastal region of Tanzania. Lazaro’s father is an alcoholic and physically abusive to the family. He has always tried to make Lazaro drop from school, drink alcohol with him, give up on his dreams and just work in the fields. Yet Lazaro has remained steadfast in his commitment to education and learning. Lazaro attended lower secondary school (7th - 10th grades) at a government school. During those years, Lazaro lacked the most basic supplies (books, uniforms, stationaries) and had to walk more than an hour to and from school each day. Lazaro faced extreme hunger and exhaustion, and with no electricity at home, he was never able to study after dark. Yet somehow Lazaro managed to perform extremely well, and he was elected to such leadership positions as Class Monitor, Academic Prefect and the Discipline Master of the Tanzania Youth Catholic Student Group. Lazaro also received certificates of “Best Student”in Chemistry and Mathematics. Lazaro graduated Form 4 in October 2019 with As in all his subjects, and he earned the extremely-difficult-to-achieve Division 1 on his Form 4 National Leaving Exam. Lazaro was then chosen to join our Unite A-Levels Scholars Program and will begin school again with the rest of our scholars once this coronavirus pandemic has passed. Lazaro used his interest-free loan from Unite to start a small business selling corn flour (maize). Last month he traveled to the nearest large town to buy maize in bulk a wholesaler, and he is now selling the maize in smaller quantities to local people in his village who cannot travel during this pandemic. With each $20 purchase from Unite, Lazaro is able to bless three people with enough maize to feed their families of four for a week. About this opportunity to “extend his blessings,” Lazaro writes: I would like to dedicate my sincere thanks for your support and more lovable heart that you have given to me and my community. May God bless all you are doing.
THREE OF THE PEOPLE WHO HAVE BEEN BLESSED BY LAZARO: Thomas Kamgusha, who suffers from leprosy; Christina Peter, a disabled mother of three young children who was abandoned by her husband; and Emmanuel Mandago, who was left permanently disabled after a motorcycle accident and is now struggling to provide for his five young children.