Last Monday, March 8th was International Women’s Day. We want to honor the strength of women, not just those who are guardians to our children and alumni, but all women around the world. We are honoring mothers, grandmothers, sisters, aunts, and daughters. Looking back at the history of Tumaini, there are so many worthy warrior women, but we will highlight two this week, Monica and Magdalene.
I remember like it happened yesterday. I first met Monica, now 98 years old, sixteen years ago. Everyone in the village knew about Monica’s dire situation. But they also talked about her strength and resilience. And we soon found out why. She narrated to us how she had lost 9 of her 10 adult children in the 1990s, one after the other. Her husband had passed away a decade earlier. But as she told the unbelievable story of her losses, Monica maintained joy and peace that is hard to explain. She told us about the challenges she faced with the 11 grandchildren that she was now raising. That was in February 2005. Fast forward to today. Asked recently how she managed to feed the children those early days, Monica was quick to acknowledge the source of her strength: I was a prayer warrior and God provided through various ways…. I had no job, but you see no child died because of hunger!” Though that was many years ago, I remember that day we sponsored 8 of Monica’s 11 grandchildren and by 2007 the rest had been sponsored. Monica added, “It was a miracle from God that I met Tumaini in the year 2005 and all my grandchildren got sponsored and all basic needs are taken care of." Today, all but three of these children have aged out of the program and are pursuing various vocations. It is because of Monica’s faith in God, hard work, and wise counsel that she has managed to raise these 11 grandchildren. We salute her. We give honor and glory to God for Monica.
Magdalene is a widower and mother to 9 children. When her husband died in 2000, she embarked on raising the children without any financial foundation. Deeply reflecting on those early days recently, she observed, “To be honest, I did not know where to start…. but God gave me the courage and strength to carry on." Magdalene did not have any employable skills, but she worked hard to feed and send her children to school. But despite her hard work, she could not raise enough money so two of her children had to drop from school. In early 2005, my colleagues and I spoke at Magdalene’s home and that is how she learned about our work. Shortly thereafter her children were sponsored. Though many years ago now, Magdalene still remembers how she felt after the children were sponsored. “When I met Tumaini in 2005, some of my burdens were taken care of ….My core responsibility was now to look after the children in making sure that they attended school. I also took them to church where they were nurtured spiritually.” Tumaini sponsored 6 of Magdalene’s children and 3 are still in the program at the high school level. A couple of the children have aged out of the program and are doing well in their various careers. Magdalene’s joy for the children’s achievements was evident in a recent conversation: “I feel honored that my daughter Trizah [who is an accountant] recently built me a good house. My daughter Emmaculate recently completed her course in Business Management”. And Emmaculate had this to say about their mother, "I am so grateful to our mum for being a responsible mother. She made sure that we attended school after Tumaini paid our school fees…she also gave us good counsel every time, and as far as we have gone, we confidently give her the credit."
Monica and Magdalene represent a perfect example of the one thing that has made Tumaini witness so many success stories, partnership. Our ministry approach is to partner with people who are committed to investing financially in the lives of vulnerable children and their communities as well as the guardians of the children. Without the Monicas and Magdalenes and you, the investors (sponsors and donors), there would be no Tumaini. We thank God as we honor these two great women. And for those who may be interested in partnering with a grandmother (like Monica) or a mother (like Magdalene), who are struggling to raise their vulnerable children or grandchildren, this week is a great opportunity for you. We have children waiting for sponsorship TODAY. If that is you, simply visit our website and pick a child. It costs just $38 a month to transform a child’s life.
Thank you for your partnership to bring hope to vulnerable children and a smile to a mother or a grandmother.
Sincerely,
Stanley Mutunga
President/CEO