Dear Friends,
2025 was a year of great progress and deepening impact for Unite. Our purpose — to identify, educate, nurture, mentor, guide, train, and launch young professionals and leaders into the East African and global community — guides everything we do. That work begins after a scholar completes Form 4 (the U.S. equivalent of 10th grade) and continues in countless detailed, hands-on ways until they step into independent, purposeful adulthood.
We keep our cohort of active Unite Scholars intentionally small, capping at 100 at any given time. This is so that we can truly know our scholars: their talents, needs, challenges, and aspirations. Our job is to meet them where they are; love, respect, and guide them; and walk hand-in-hand to a better, brighter future for all.
To date we have celebrated the graduations of 30 Unite Scholars -- all of whom are now gainfully employed with a few engaged in internships, agribusiness, and entrepreneurship. These extraordinary outcomes are the result of tireless teamwork, exceptionally high standards, and principles of personal responsibility, honesty, and integrity. In 2025 we launched an Ethics Committee to further highlight honesty and trust as the bedrock of all relationships and to engage scholars in hard conversations about choices and consequences.
One moment from 2025 that I cherish came from the parents of two brothers in our program (now in Form 5 and Form 6). They asked Program Director Anty Marche what Unite had “done” to their sons. Before Unite, the boys had been a bit wayward and disengaged; since joining Unite they’ve become the hardest workers in their village — polite, respectful, and eager to help at home. They now assist with all chores and cooking, and neighbors and church members have noticed the change. This kind of transformation — where families and communities share in the pride of a young person’s growth — is exactly why we do this work.
We are now accepting 18 new scholars for our entry class of 2026. We remain focused on top academic promise, extreme demonstrable need, and — critically — resilient belief in oneself. That inner confidence is often the single most predictive factor of long-term success, and it’s what we aim to cultivate alongside knowledge and skills. In the year ahead we will continue refining our programming, expanding mentorship, and strengthening systems that support ethical decision-making, professional success, and sustained independence.
None of this would be possible without our scholars’ grit; our devoted staff, mentors, advisors, and volunteers; the generosity of donors; and the tireless commitment and support our incredible Board of Directors. Thank you to all of you who believe in these extraordinary young people and help Unite to invest in their futures. Together, we are proving that with opportunity, guidance, and high expectations, lives and communities can indeed... change for the better.
We are now seeking sponsorship for a new class of A-level scholars. Please see a few bios and sponsorship details below. We humble request your help — either in sponsoring yourself or in sharing these bios with your community to help us find the support we need.
Bless you. Asante Sana. Thank you so much. Onward.
WHY SPONSORSHIP MATTERS?
Tanzania is facing a learning crisis: 7% complete higher secondary, and less than 3% complete tertiary-level (college/university) education. *
Our Unite Scholars program provides comprehensive sponsorship through higher secondary and beyond into university as well as one-on-one mentorship, big brother/big sister support, extensive soft skills and leadership trainings, entrepreneurship support to develop small businesses, paid internships, professional development, family support, healthcare, access to an engaged global network, and so much more. To learn more about all that is included in an annual sponsorship ($3,000), click HERE. To DONATE now, click HERE.
Amina Hussein Juma, 19, is the 1st born of 6 children. She has lived with her aunt and grandparents in Kigoma, western Tanzania, since she was young after her parents, who are peasant farmers, were unable to care for her. From an early age, Amina attended school hungry while being tasked with managing household responsibilities and helping to support herself as a day laborer. Throughout school, Amina struggled with limited learning materials, no electricity, long and dangerous daily walks to and from school, and lack of essential items for menstrual hygiene. Her grandfather, a subsistence farmer and her main supporter, passed away in 2024. Despite these challenges, Amina has remained disciplined, resilient, and committed to her studies. She graduated lower-secondary in 2025 with the highest results of any student in her entire school. Click HERE to see Amina’s living conditions.
Erick Cosmas Akiba, 22, lives in the Katavi Region of western Tanzania. He is the 5th born in a family of 7 children. Erick’s faced many hardships after his mother died in 2020. His father became a drunkard and squandered any money the family had, which forced them to abandon their home. The father ran away, Erick’s younger siblings went to live with their grandparents, his older siblings scattered across the country, and Erick remained alone with one brother working as a phone technician to survive. Despite his hardships, Erick has done his best to focus on his education, and thanks to the support of a dedicated teacher, he completed lower-secondary school in 2025. While in school, Erick received an Academic and Leadership Certificate for outstanding performance, and he graduated as one of 2 students in his entire school to earn Division 1. Click HERE to see Erick’s home living conditions.
Ester John Lubegwa, 18, is the 5th born in a family of 7 children living in the Kagera Region of northwestern Tanzania. Her parents survive as peasant farmers, not earning enough to even feed the family adequately. Since she was very young, Ester has work on neighbors’ farms earning just 500 TSH a day ($.19). In 2020, she moved to Dar es Salaam to live with her elder sister who was working as a house girl. Sadly, in 2024, her sister began suffering from mental illness and is now unable to work, which means the burden of falls on Ester. Currently, Ester sells second-hand clothes in the streets to get money. Throughout lower-secondary school, Ester faced many challenges, including lack of tuition fees, textbooks, uniforms, calculators, and long and dangerous daily walks to and from school. She also saw many of her friends dropping out of school due to pregnancy. Still, Ester excelled. She was elected to serve as class monitor because of her “discipline and hardworking spirit,”and in 2025, she completed lower-secondary as one of 8 students in her class who earned Division 1 on the Form 4 National Leaving Examination. Click HERE to see Ester’s home living conditions.
James Jackobo, 18, (pictured center above with his mother and brothers) is from the Uvinza district of Kigoma, western Tanzania. His father left the family years ago, remarried and now lives far away and offers no support. His mother ekes out a living through small-scale farming, cultivating cassava, maize, and paddy on limited land using basic tools. James attended Buhingu Secondary School and all the while worked hard to balance his academics with his extensive family responsibilities, helping his mother with farm and tutoring his brothers. Despite such challenges as long daily walks to school and limited learning materials, James excelled academically and served as Class Monitor and Head Prefect. James was one of 10 students in his school to earn Division 1 on the 2025 National Form 4 Leaving Examination. Click HERE to see James’ home living conditions.
Asinela Raphael Bilishanga, 16, is the 2nd born in a family of 4 children. She lives in the Kigoma Region of western Tanzania with her mother and younger siblings. Her father passed away in 2020 due to liver cancer and heart disease, and her mother works tirelessly on the family farm, while Asinela helps care for her siblings and assist with household responsibilities. Throughout school, Anisela has faced limited access to tuition, lack of academic guidance at home, and the need to assist her mother with family responsibilities. Yet she persevered and in lower-secondary school, she served as Chairperson of the Physics Club, participated actively in debates, and acted as an advisor to the Head Girl. In 2025, Anisela graduated from lower-secondary as one of 6 students in her school to score Division 1 on the Form 4 National Leaving Examination. Click HERE to see Anisela ’s home living conditions.
Welwel Giring Jaji, 18, is from the Manyara Region of Tanzania. He lives with his parents, who work as laborers on other people’s farms to support their family of 8 children. Welwel is the 4th born. The family does not have a proper house; they sleep in a makeshift shelter built by arranging trees around them. They own a small piece of farmland on which they rely for food, and they have one cow and four goats. Despite extreme poverty, Welwel has remained determined to pursue his education and create a better future for himself and his family. In the face of domestic violence at home and having to engage in manual labor to earn money for food (he often eats just one meal of porridge a day), Welwel has excelled. He served as Academic Prefect, was elected Vice Chairperson of the Science Club, and was one of 5 students in his school to earn Division 1 on the Form 4 National Leaving Examination. Click HERE to see Welwel’s living conditions.
With your help, these new young scholars can one day become university graduates (like a few of our Unite graduates pictured below), successful entrepreneurs, and productive employees with businesses and organizations across East Africa.
