Benard first became a PZ sponsored student in 2006.  Upon completing primary school, Benard elected to join a carpentry program at a nearby vocational training center.  After successfully earning his Grade 1 Carpentry certificate in 2011, Benard began volunteering at the new Zinduka Vocational Training Centre in Nyamuswa.  Described as a hardworking boy by PZ’s community…

Mrembo is one of many children in her extended family. Students with albinism face unique challenges in East Africa due to the effects of the harsh sun on their unpigmented skin and local superstitions surrounding the condition.  Upon hearing about Mrembo’s difficulty with the sun on her long walks to and from school each day,…

Lucia has been a PZ-sponsored student since 2005 where she excelled academically throughout her primary schooling.  In 2009, she was selected to the prestigious Tabora Girls boarding school where she continued to do very well in her studies.  Lucia’s goal is to one day become an engineer.  This year, she scored very highly on the…

Msafiri, a PZ-sponsored student since 2004, lives with his elderly grandmother.  As a young child, he suffered a severe burn to his face and eye socket in an accident.  As he grew, the burn became increasingly problematic and painful and it interfered greatly with his normal daily activities including his secondary school studies.  Last fall, through…

Eleven-year-old Wakanyi Mgisi is the youngest of nine girls. Education is very important in the Mgisi family and Wakanyi is dedicated to her studies. She walks five miles to and from school every day. However, it’s a major struggle for her widowed mother to cover the costs of Wakanyi’s schooling. Recognizing this, in 2009 Wakanyi’s…

Chukista struggled in the traditional academic track in secondary school but has found her calling with vocational training. In 2011, Chukista graduated first in her class of mechanical electrical technicians at St. Anthony Vocational Training Center in Musoma. Chukista recalls: “I had nowhere to go and nothing to do because my exam results were not…

In 2002, 14 year-old Elibariki Walter became one of Project Zawadi’s first sponsored students. Elibariki was l iving at Children for Children’s Future (CCF), a center for street children in Arusha, and had been abandoned by his parents. Ranked 2 nd in his class of 115 students, Elibariki was described by the CCF director as…

Nyabina lives with her mother and five siblings. Her mother supports the family by making charcoal and selling firewood and grains to local families. Nyabina has to walk 5 miles each way to school and hopes to someday become a teacher. She receives a lot of support and encouragement from her mother who advises Nyabina…