The photo is a snapshot of three of our girls at Upendo Home: Anna (10), Chiku (14) and Muzna (10). All three are wearing sweaters made in the knitting workshop by the older girls. Anna’s red-white-red sweater has similarities with the Austrian flag and can’t be a coincidence.
Chiku is too small for her age, a result of neglect and malnutrition as a little girl. Her mother died, her father remarried, but the stepmother showed no interest in the girl and did not care for her either. So, Chico ended up on the streets and came to Upendo Home in 2017. Anna also lost her mother, there is no trace of her father, and her grandmother was not able to take care of the girl. She came to Upendo Home in 2017 too. Muzna still has her parents, but they are old and without income. Poverty led to neglect which made Muzna ran away from her home. She experienced abuse on the streets and came to Upendo Home in 2016.
The three girls have done well in the last few years. Anna and Muzna are in fourth grade, enjoy going to school and have good grades. Chiku attends a special school and needs a lot of support and patience from home staff and teachers, as learning is not easy for her. All three girls go to the arts and crafts class at Upendo Home on Saturday. Here they learn to make bracelets and necklaces from beads, which are very popular in Tanzania.
Anna and Muzna are still young and we take the responsibility to support them for many years. Your financial support of our work in Tanzania ensures that we can continue to offer the girls a home and good education.