Working with vulnerable children

Many children at Langoni School in the Diocese of Moshi are provided with uniform by the diocese [Thomas Omondi]

AIDS-related illnesses have left an estimated 40,000 children orphaned or vulnerable in the Diocese of Moshi. Sister Ubdala Kessy talks about how these children are being supported

Sister Ubdala Kessy has been Project-Co-ordinator at the Rainbow Centre for the last three years.

This centre is at the heart of the work of the diocese supporting adults who are living with HIV and AIDS and children who are orphaned or vulnerable because of AIDS-related illnesses.

One of the key projects run by Sister Ubdala is providing these children with the things they need to go to school.

Books and uniforms

Although primary education is free in Tanzania, families have to find the money to pay for uniforms, books and other contributions such as lunch during the school day. The problem is that many carers can’t pay for these.

“Many families don’t earn anything; they live off the land” says Sister Ubdala. “This could be just a quarter of an acre with only enough room for a building on it, and no land left over for farming.

"Some children live with their grandmother, aunt, uncle. These people are 60-80 years old, They have no support, and no energy to work. Or they are looked after by widowed mothers, but the mother may be sick.”

Sister Ubdala runs a scheme providing equipment for school, including uniform and books, and also for school lunches.

“Children are supposed to contribute food for their lunch, mostly maize and beans. We help some children with that” she explained.

“When you can’t help, you feel sad”

One of the hardest parts of Sister Ubdala’s work is the fact that the Diocese is not able to help all the children who need it.

Sister Ubdala says: “There may be more than 100 orphans or vulnerable children [in a school], but we can only help 50. Those who didn’t get school kit help from us were crying, and coming here to the Rainbow Centre to ask what can we give them.

"We have to explain to the teacher and the children that we can’t help everyone.”

This is made harder by the fact that the numbers of children who need help has been increasing.

Sister Ubdala explains: “In the whole diocese there may be 40,000 of these children, but we only have capacity to identify 10,000 so far. To reach more children, we would need more health workers.

"Sometimes when I help, I feel happy, but when you can’t help, you feel sad.”

Positive changes

Although it is impossible to help everyone, the work of the project has expanded a lot over the last few years.

”When we started, we were only in Rainbow Centre, and [Moshi] town, but now we have grown to 5 zones across the Diocese of Moshi.

"Before, we didn’t have health-workers in villages, or health committees in schools.”

Sister Ubdala is keen to stress how this has come about because of the support of donors and the local community.

“The contribution of donors enabled us to grow, and the good co-operation of parishes, small Christian communities, the community, and the village leaders working together.”

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