Our first kids..

When we arrived back at Jiendeleze to meet with our first three kids, we found a bit of a crowd. Word had gotten around that some mzungus were in town and most likely doling out the cash. We went into the classroom with the three kids (Abedi, Saumu, and Mussa), Living, and two other kids with their mamas. We quickly learned from these mamas that they were having trouble paying their bills and wanted us to help them. This was our first heartbreaking lesson, denying the mamas of even a few dollar donation. If we are going to develop respect in Majengo, we will have to draw the line in the sand many times, over and over. We told the mamas that we were here to help with primary school only. This was really difficult to do, knowing that with even a five dollar donation would have an impact. Now that word is out, even though we only are helping a handful of kids, we will surely see more mamas like these with their own stories. To discern between each heartbreaking story, and to decide which carries more merit, is not a privilege in most situations.

We then talked to the kids to find out about their home lives and to discover why they were not attending primary school. Abedi and Saumu are brother and sister, both around the age of seven. Most kids don't know their ages here as there aren't any birth certificates. They live with their grandma and older sister. Mussa lived with his four siblings, his step-mother, his father, and his uncle. He told us that he had both running water and electricity which was a huge red flag for us. Only the very very very wealthy can afford these amenities. We were immediately skeptical about his need. The kids were all very shy and had no idea what was happening. Living was kind and did well translating for us.

It was off to the house of Abedi and Saumu to meet with their grandma and to see their house. It was immediately behind Jiendeleze. I was used to seeing the houses in this area from my house visits last year, but the intensity does not fade. It was a one room home made from mud, about eight by eight feet. There were two beds, one for the grandma, the other for the three kids. There was a pile of dishes and containers in the corner and one pile of food. We talked for a bit with the grandma, discovering that she had just brought the three kids from Dodoma when their parents had died the year prior. The grandma has no source of income and is completely sustained by her neighbors and Ramadani, the headmaster of Jiendeleze.

The older sister was at primary school in Standard 5. She was going to get kicked out on Monday if she didn't come with school fees, 20,000 tsh (18 USD). It was obvious that this was going to happen. We immediately decided to help out the sister as well.

When we told her that we would like to help all three kids go to primary school, she was shocked. It was a totally humbling feeling to be the answer to someone's prayers, and such a high. She told us she had been praying for her grandkids to go to school and had one day left to figure out how to pay. And here we were.

After we came down from that moment, we talked with Ramadani who assured us he would keep track of the kids to make sure that they were doing their work and attending school. We will also have Living check in as well. We want to make sure that the money our donors have given goes toward the most deserving, and hard working, kids. We had the kids measured for uniforms. On Monday we will take them and their grandma to Ngoro Primary School to have them registered. It is important that there are witnesses to the transactions, as money from mzungus often goes missing...

It was such an awesome moment, knowing you are having such an impact on their lives that will last forever. It is difficult to put that into words. It is amazingly humbling though. I do not take credit for my efforts, I am simply doing what I know that I have been called to do. Every human is extremely capable, and every human deserves a chance. Especially kids.

We decided against supporting Mussa in the end. It was clear that the need wasn't there and our money would be better used elsewhere. What was keeping him out of primary school was the fact that it was his step-mother that had the money and she felt no need to support her step-kids.

We will be meeting with a few other kids on Tuesday to go through with the same process. Our goal is to have five registered in Ngoro for this year. Next year will be much bigger and we will have much more regimented of a process of selection.