Meeting Ambitious Young Tanzanians – by Fiona

Early start again today, and with clear skies. Today the team split up between Shewa (in the photos) and Pambogo. Clouds built during the day, but the rain stayed away. Fiona writes of her experiences in Shewa:

Today we travelled out to a village called Shewa.  We arrived mid-morning at the Cook House that we were using to interview the children.  There were about twenty people waiting.  We began to arrange the chairs and set up the weighing and measuring equipment.  Within ten minutes a crowd had emerged from the seemingly deserted countryside around us.

We started to interview these amazing young people who are so resilient in the face of so many difficulties. Some of the secondary aged children come on their own. They are thinking about future careers – teaching and nursing.  Others come with the whole family and a group of five children and a parent are squashed on the bench before you.  Sometimes only one child in the family is sponsored and other times it is all the children in a family.  Learning is hard work in a class of one hundred and thirty pupils but they are determined to succeed and proudly tell you that they are fourth in the class. I have been fortunate enough to have met all three of the children that I sponsor and they are all amazing. The little girl today has a hard life but really sparkled as she talked to her brothers and the interpreter.

I feel so privileged to meet these wonderful children and their families.  They are determined to grab every opportunity that they are offered with both hands.  I hope and pray that nothing will prevent them from achieving their ambitions.