We are thrilled to welcome a new class of extraordinarily talented young women from all across Tanzania into our Unite Scholars Program this year. Here, let me introduce them and allow you to meet many of their families, see their homes, and learn more about their stories, hopes, and dreams (in their own voices if you click the video links).
All of these girls (and the boys in this new class as well — who you will meet in my next post) will receive their A-Level (Form 5 & Form 6) school assignments by the Tanzanian government in May/June and school will begin again for them in early July. In the meantime, Unite is providing extensive family support (beds & mattresses, mosquito nets, solar panels, bicycles, food relief, and more) as well as grants for them each to start small businesses to earn funds for themselves and their families. We also provide these scholars with tutoring support in Chemistry, Physics, Biology, and Mathematics in preparation for their A-Level studies. And, most recently, we have launched a Unite Big Sister/Big Brother program, connecting these “youngs” with our “bigs” (Unite’s university-level scholars) via their smart phones (video calls and What’s App chats) for further mentoring, friendship, and support.
Stamili Hihe, 17, is from the Katavi region of Western Tanzania near Sumbawanga. She lives with her mother and two brothers from another father. Her parents were separated when she was young, and her father married another woman. Stamili lives with her mother and siblings in a single rented room as they cannot afford a house of their own. They survive as subsistence farmers. Throughout her primary school and lower-secondary school education, Stamili went without her most basic needs (books, stationaries, shoes, sanitary pads, food to eat at school, etc). She had only one school uniform that she wore every day for four years, and she had to walk long distances to and from school facing many dangers along the way. Back at home in the family’s rented room there is no electricity, which meant that Stamili could never study after day. Stamili graduated from lower-secondary school earning As all of her subjects, and she was the only girl in her entire district to earn Division 1 on her Form 4 leaving examinations.
Video links: Stamili speaks at the Unite Scholars event in March 2024. * Our Unite team visits Stamili at her home.
Pendo Andrew Nelbert (pictured above left with Unite Scholars Mentor Joan Mnzava and fellow Unite Scholar Sylvester Mbata), 18, was born in the Urambo district of the Tabora region of Western Tanzania. She is the oldest of nine children born to her father. When she was very young, Pendo’s mother left Pendo’s father. Pendo’s father then remarried another wife and together they had one child. That wife also left. Pendo’s father married a third time and had six more children, the youngest of whom was born in 2022. Pendo lives with her stepmother and father and hasn’t seen her mother for years. Pendo’s father works in a small store selling spare motorcycle parts, and he struggles to provide food and the other most basic needs for his large family. Pendo completed her lower-secondary education with As in all of her subjects and earned Division 1 on her Form 4 leaving examinations.
Video links: Pendo speaks at our Unite Scholars March event in Morogoro. * Pendo says thank you to Unite. * Unite team visits Pendo at her family home.
Asia Daudi, 17, lives in the Dodoma region of Central Tanzania with her mother (pictured above) and three siblings from different fathers. Her father abandoned Asia’s mother when Asia was a baby. Asia’s mother then became ill, so Asia was sent to live with an Auntie in the Mara district who took care of her through primary school. Asia then returned to Dodoma to be with her mother who was found to be suffering from cancer. Her mother’s ongoing health battles have rendered her unable to work, so Asia has had to rely on assistance from extended family to get by. Asia and her family live in one rented room. Asia graduated lower-secondary #1 in her class, and she was ranked the top girl in the entire region.
Video links: Asia speaks at our Unite Scholars March event in Morogoro. * Asia gives a tour of her home. * The Unite team visits Asia at her home, March 2024.
Monica Stanley Nzengo, 20, is from the Chamwino village in Dodoma, Central Tanzania. She is the oldest of four children (now 11, 14, and 17 — pictured above) born to peasant farmers. In 2014, her father left her mother and took another wife. At this time, Monica’s mother ran away and abandoned her children. She hasn’t been heard from since. Monica’s father took his new wife into the family home. Monica’s step-mother was extremely cruel and abusive. After Monica told her father about the abuse, he left with his wife to live in a new location, and Monica and her siblings were left alone in the house. Since then, Monica has been taking care of her three younger siblings. Monica reports that her father is a “drunkard” who doesn’t believe in the importance of education. As a result, Monica started primary school late (at 10 years old) and often had to drop to work in the fields of other people as a day laborer to earn money for the family. Monica struggled and kept pushing to return to the classroom. She completed primary school scoring best in class. Due to her top performance, Monica was chosen by the Tanzanian government to attend a top school for lower secondary. During her four years of lower secondary, Monica never had funds for books or personal needs. Thankfully her teachers recognized her great potential and pooled their resources to help her. With their support, Monica excelled in her studies and demonstrated strong leadership skills. She was voted to serve as Academic Prefect and Head Girl, and she scored Division 1 on her Form 4 national examinations.
Video links: Monica speaks at the Unite Scholars kick off event in March 2024. * Monica gives a tour of where she lives alone with her siblings. * The Unite team visits Monica and her siblings at their home. * Monica shows the family support provided by her Unite sponsor.
Rose Vasco Kipara, 18, was born and raised in Mwanza in the Buhosa district of Northwestern Tanzania. Rose is one of eight children born to her parents. Her father died in 2014 from lung disease, and her mother has since raised her children alone. Rose attended a local government primary school and earned As in all of her subjects. She worked hard and finished in the top five graduating students. As a result of her excellent performance, Rose was selected to attend the prestigious government Tabora Girls Secondary School for lower secondary. Throughout her four years of lower-secondary, life was extremely challenging; however, Rose still scored Division 1 on her national examinations.
Video links: Rose speaks at the Unite Scholars event in March 2024. * Rose gives a tour of her family home.
Floriana Joseph Sebunga, 19, is from the Dodoma district of Central Tanzania. She is the oldest of two girls born to her mother. Floriana’s father, a peasant farmer, abandoned Floriana and her mother when Floriana was very young, and he hasn’t been heard from since. Her mother fled to Dar es Salaam in search of work and had another daughter with another man. That man left as well. Floriana’s mother then sent Floriana and Floriana’s baby sister to live in Dodoma with their grandparents, while she struggled to earn money to support the entire family by working as an office cleaner in Dar es Salaam. Floriana completed her lower-secondary education at a government school and earned the prestigious Division 1 on her Form 4 leaving exams.
Video links: Floriana speaks at the Unite Scholars event in March 2024. * The Unite team visits Floriana and her mother at her mother’s rented room in Dar es Salaam.
Faith Deonis Nemens, 18, is from the Gallapo village of the Manyara region of Northern Tanzania. She is the second of six children in her family. Her mother dropped from school at 16 as her parents (Faith’s grandparents) had no money to pay for her continued education. Faith’s mother then married Faith’s father who painted pictures to sell in central marketplaces. In 2012, Faith’s father died of a lung disease. Faith’s mother then married another man, a peasant farmer who cultivates less than an acre of rented land. They had three more children. Faith’s mother does her best to earn money by cooking snacks and selling them in the streets; however, together Faith’s mother and stepfather earn only 40,000 TSH/month (~$16), which is not nearly enough to feed their children or provide for their most basic needs. The family lives in a tiny one-bedroom house built by hand. The parents sleep in one room and all the children sleep on the floor in the entry room. Faith completed her lower-secondary education earning As in all of her subjects and earning the highest marks possible on her Form 4 leaving examination.
Video links: Faith speaks at the Unite scholars kick off event in March 2024. * Faith shows her living conditions. * Faith introduces her family.
Zakia Salum, 17, (pictured above right) is from the Ulanga district of Morogoro, Central Tanzania. She lives with her two brothers, one sister, and her parents, both of whom are peasant farmers. The family works hard to cultivate maize, rice, and cassava on their small plot of land using only hand hoes. Zakia attended a local government primary and lower-secondary school. While the schools were both resource-poor with too few teachers, books, and desks for the students, Zakia managed to excel and during her first year of lower-secondary, Zakia ranked #1. During her second year, she ranked 3rd, and during her third year she ranked #2—and she was consistently the best student in English, Geography and Civics. Zakia had long distances to walk from home to school and often spent many hours alone in the forest collecting firewood for cooking. One day in 2022 when Zakia was in the forest, she was attacked by a stranger. The rape left Zakia pregnant, and she now has a baby daughter, Maria, whom her family is helping to care for. In the past, girls in Tanzania have been expelled from school for falling pregnant; however, because it was widely known that Zakia was raped, she was allowed to return to school to finish Form 4 (the final year of lower secondary school). Unite is sponsoring Zakia to attend the Cambridge Institute of Tourism Management where she is now studying hotel management.
Video links: Zakia speaks at our Unite Scholars event in March 2024. * Zakia introduces her infant child Maria.
Emmanuela Cassian, 17, lives in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. She is the oldest of four children. Emmanuela’s father is a driver working on the other side of the country (returning home once or twice a year), and her mother is unable to work due to a rare skin disease on her hands. For many years the family has lived without electricity, water, or a proper roof. In lower secondary school, Emmanuela earned As in all of her classes and was elected the highest honor of service as Academic Prefect. Emmanuela scored Division 1 on her Form 4 leaving examinations.
Video links: Emmanuela speaks at the Unite Scholar event in March 2024. * The Unite team visits Emmanuela’s home.
Elizabeth Bida, 18, lives in the Katavi region of Western Tanzania. She is the fifth of eight children born to small-scale peasant farmers (five girls and three boys). Elizabeth’s older sister Pili was accepted into the Unite Scholars Program in 2020 and is now sponsored by Unite to attend nursing school in Tanzania. Elizabeth’s family works with Unite to execute the social impact work of the Unite Food Program by providing small-scale farming families in Katavi with a stable, fair market for all of their crops as well as will hermetic grain storage bags that enable peasant farmers to safely hold back food – without the spoilage or pest infestation or the need for pesticides or fungicides – for up to a year at a time. Unite also purchases maize from Elizabeth’s family and provides them with special hermetic grain bags (which Elizabeth’s parents would not otherwise be able to afford) so that they have a secure food source as well as a product that they can sell in times of drought when food prices skyrocket.
Video links: The Unite team visits Elizabeth at her home in Katavi.