Below are short bios of the seventeen children currently living at Vijaliwa Vingi, in our house near Msongola. We are also supporting three youth away at boarding school: Kiza, Musa and Emma. The project also supports (and is supported by) eight volunteer staff people and Project Director Lynda Kearns. Read bios of the staff here and of the boarding students here.
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Najuma, born in 2000, is our latest participant. Just before Christmas (2010) Ditrick our manager advocated for her not to be thrown off the bus she had been riding all day. He ended up taking her to the police, then taking her home to his house where she stayed for 2 weeks while he tried to find out where her relatives were. She has now joined the house, is starting Standard 5 in Jan. 2011.
Mwajuma, born 1997 joined our project October 2009. At age 12, she had been working as a house girl for a family in Mlandizi for a year before there was a conflict, and the police brought her to the project. She had never attended school and entered Standard 1. The school put her into Standard 3 in January '09, and she will start this new year in Standard 4 – an amazing feat.
Andrew joined the project in December 2010, when he was brought from Dar es Salaam by our chairman. As many children do, he was staying with his aunt and going school, and he was not aware that both of his parents had died. When he found out, he played hookie, and was on the soccer field for 6 months before his aunt found out. Since joining our family, Andrew has been attending school, and adjusting well.
Kondo, aged 12, joined our home in October 2010, transfering into Standard 3 with our kids. He had been living in Mlandizi with his older sister after both parents died, and his health was not doing well. Kondo is on ARV medication for AIDS. He is thrilled to be living within our large family, and is especially happy to be living with his grandmother, one of our mamas Zainab.
Joined July, 2009
Jane, (right) born 1997, joined June 2009, is starting Standard 5 in January 2011. She and Sophia are very close friends, and are often to be found together being typical 13-year-olds. Jane is one of our best dancers, and will invariably lead the rest in an impromptu performance – with or without an audience.
Blandina, (left) born 1999, joined June 2009, is starting Standard 4 in January 2011. She would love to be hanging with her older sister, Jane, but in typical western tradition, “that's not happening”! Blandina also loves to sing and dance, and is very happy playing with the younger set of girls.