Meet the "Kit Girls"
As students in Tanzania begin to return to school following the government mandated closures due to COVID-19, many of SEGA's 2019 graduating class are arriving at their A-Level programs.
We are excited to share the blog below from Anne Wells, former advisor to Nurturing Minds and the Founder and Director of Unite the World with Africa Foundation. In early 2020, 12 SEGA students were selected to receive scholarships from the Unite Scholars & Mentorship Program, which provides comprehensive support for two years of Advanced secondary-level education (A-Levels).
We are incredibly thankful to Anne and Unite the World with Africa for their generous support of these 12 bright, motivated girls on their academic journeys after SEGA.
Anne Wells with the “Kit Girls” at SEGA Girls’ School in Morogoro, Tanzania.
Originally written by Anne Wells on February 25, 2020 and posted to Unite the World with Africa Foundation’s Blog
Her long, hand-crafted red, blue and yellow batik dress sashayed at her ankles as she walked down the well-swept dirt path towards me and the girls. When she got close to our little group still huddled in a warm embrace, she looked up at me with big dark somewhat tired looking eyes, smiled softly, and said with surprising power and warmth, “Welcome to SEGA Girls’ School. I am Elly, the headmistress.”
And then, to everyone’s surprise (especially my own) instead of taking Elly’s extended hand, I stepped forward and fell into the arms of this woman who I had never seen before in my entire life. And I began to cry. And then, for what seemed like eternity, all the tears I hadn’t cried since the day I saw my mother’s lifeless body, found their way up from the depths of my being and down my hot sweaty cheeks.
If Elly was taken aback by this culturally-unacceptable display of emotion -- especially from a grown white woman from America -- she didn’t let on. Instead, she stood strong and patiently held me tight. When I was finally able to compose myself, I stepped back, wiped my nose and face on my sleeve, and said, “Please forgive me. I am so happy to be back here at SEGA and to finally meet you and our Kit Girls in person. But we are all here today is because my mother is not.”
Two months earlier, at home in America, my mother lost a long and valiant battle with metastatic breast cancer. In her memory, dozens upon dozens of friends and family gave to a memorial fund created in her name within our non-profit Unite The World With Africa Foundation called The Kit Merriman Education Fund for Girls. This outpouring of generosity raised enough money for us to admit 12 highly talented-yet-impoverished girls into our competitive and selective Unite Scholars & Mentorship Program, which provides comprehensive support for two years of higher-secondary-level education (A Levels or the equivalent of 11th and 12th grades in America) as well extensive mentorship; leadership trainings; involvement in Unite’s talent shows, international symposiums and volunteer campaigns; family assistance; networking support; and much more. In Tanzania, where less than 3% of people enroll in A-Levels, this is truly an extraordinary opportunity, and thanks to those who loved my mother, these girls are now fully funded. [Click HERE to see a full list of what a Unite Scholars Sponsorship includes.]
Once Elly was confident that my weeping was over, she took my hand in hers and walked me further down the path to a red-painted, one-story u-shaped building called The SEGA Lodge. This structure, built in the past year to house volunteers and visitors, wasn’t here when I last visited the SEGA campus in 2015, neither was the wire fencing that marked the perimeter of the 23-acre property, nor the neighbors’ houses that now bordered every stretch of that fence. During my first visit to this site in June 2009, the entire area was wide-open bushlands marked only by the bright yellow blooms of nearby sunflower farms. While construction had begun, this boarding school that now educates 270 girls was then still largely a vision in the mind of its co-founder, my friend and esteemed colleague Polly Dolan. Given that Tanzania’s population has exploded since 2009 from from about 44 million to now nearly 60 million, I shouldn’t have been so surprised and bothered to see that urban sprawl had reached this once pristine plain set in the foothills of the looming Uluguru Mountains. But somehow I was.
Anne Wells with Polly Dolan at the site of SEGA Girls’ School in 2009.
SEGA Girls’ School is a USA-funded private lower-secondary school that provides quality education to impoverished girls who are at risk of becoming involved exploitative forms of child labor. SEGA provides them scholarships to receive a quality education through the equivalent of about 10th grade in America. While at SEGA, the girls also receive life skills training and exposure to staff and volunteers from all around the world. Since for our Unite Scholars Program we seek students who not only have earned top grades but who also have leadership capabilities, choosing our 12 Kit Girls from the top-performers of SEGA’s 2019 graduating Form 4 class made sense. During our selection process, we look for students who have demonstrated academic excellence and a commitment to service. We challenge them (and ourselves) with such questions as: Who are you? What are you passionate about? What are you capable of? How can you be of service to the planet and to humanity? What can you do with your time and talents to help make this world a better place?
On this 27th day of January, 2020, my team and I had awaken long before dawn to drive from Dar es Salaam more than five hours due west to reach SEGA, which is located in the Morogoro district of central Tanzania. We had come to meet nine of our 12 chosen Kit Girls who had also traveled long distances from their homes across the country by overcrowded buses and motorbike taxis for this very special day. (Two others would meet us later that week back in Dar, and the 12th girl we were unable to meet in person this trip.) The girls had arrived the night before and were super happy to be back at their beloved SEGA School. And, as the school’s most recent graduates, they were enjoying the adoration and attention of their former and younger classmates.
With teammates Rhoda Lugazia, Nina Evison, Joan Mnzava & Anty Marche making a “pit stop” on the drive from Dar es Salaam to Morogoro.
Inside The SEGA Lodge we snuggled in close together on couches whose wooden frames had been covered with colorful cushions hand-sewn by SEGA students. One by one, we introduced ourselves and told the story of how we ended up in this room on this day. I cried some more, but this time, I was not alone. Each Kit Girl was then presented with her Unite Scholar Welcome Package, which includes Unite T-Shirts (to be worn at all Unite events and meetings), a notebook, a “title of one’s own” (we always carry as many fiction and nonfiction books as possible when we travel), and a cell phone. The cell phone was of course most exciting gift and essential to the girls’ compliance with Unite’s intensive communication, documentation and home-work requirements.
Headmistress Elly (at the front of the room) addresses our Unite Team & The Kit Girls in The SEGA Lodge.
Later, we shifted our meeting a few feet over to the long wooden dining table that had been pleasantly covered with the Maasai traditional red shukas. There we read through all of our Unite Scholars admissions documents (rules and regulations, media release forms, financial policies, technology agreements, etc.) and completed one of the self-awareness modules from our Unite Mentorship Curriculum. To close the evening, under the light of a single solar-powered bulb, we shared a meal of rice, chicken, vegetables and chapati; cleaned the kitchen and dishes; said our goodnights; and retired to our rooms.
Working into the night.
In my room, after getting ready for bed, I climbed into my lower bunk, tucked my mosquito net in tightly around me, lay my head down on the hard thin pillow, and, moments later, felt what I hoped were beads of sweat dripping down the back of my neck. It had been brutally hot all day with intense humidity and absolutely no breeze, I told myself. But when this “sweat” began to crawl sideways, I ripped open my net, raced barefoot across the floor, used my iPhone flashlight to find my key and unlock my door and banged loudly on the door to the room next to mine where thankfully Unite’s Program Director Anty Marche’s hadn't gone to sleep yet. Anty dug around in my mane of dry, frizzy hair and removed a bug the size of a walnut. When I finally got myself settled back into bed, after having used my flashlight to check every inch my room, I felt foolish. Finding a harmless (most likely) little creature in my hair had thrown me into a frenzy. Yet for our Kit Girls (and all our Unite Scholars) bugs, rodents and creatures of all kinds, shapes and sizes are expected parts of their every day lives.
Here, let me tell you just a bit about each of our very BRAVE, lovely, smart, resourceful, engaging and truly extraordinary Kit Girls.
And while my mother may not have there to them in person, it was her kind, loving, generous and joyful heart and spirit that made it all possible, and we are all eternally grateful — to mom and to all those who donated to our Kit Merriman Education Fund for girls. Asante sana!
***
Unite Mentor Joan Mnzava presents Maria John with her Unite Scholar items.
MARIA JOHN
Standing 4’11” with heels on, Maria John is a tiny force of nature who does not appreciate comments about her lack of stature. “I don’t like it when people tell me I am short,” she said. “I agree,” I quickly chimed in, as -- being on the other end of the spectrum – I can relate to unwanted height-related comments. The oldest of our Kit Girls, Maria John, 21, was the first to clear and wash our dishes and in our few moments of free time she curled up alone in a quiet corner to disappear into her book. (She chose “Elephant Whisperer” from our suitcase of options). Born to peasant farmers in a remote village, Maria John’s education was regularly interrupted as she was forced to drop from school over and over again to work the fields and try to earn money for her family. While at SEGA, Maria John served as Discipline Prefect, Organic Gardening Prefect, and Leader of the Tembo Anti-Poaching Club. She also participated in the Beekeeping Club and in managing the school store. Maria John was chosen to attend the East African Girls Summit in Nairobi in 2016 and to represent SEGA in a cultural exchange in America in 2018. Over all school holidays, Maria John stayed with a church member who she calls her “guardian” as her own parents could never afford transport money to bring home. They were unable to even attend her SEGA graduation. In return for her guardian’s kindness, Maria John works her fields and does domestic labor to help the family. Maria John dreams of a career in either engineering or medicine. “I feel like I have a duty to play in my society as well as to the world at large. I think the world is waiting for me to change it.” Click here to see Maria John discussing her feelings about being a Unite Scholar.
Loveness and Headmistress Elly with her chosen book “A Long Way Gone — Memoirs of a Boy Soldier.”
LOVENESS
Loveness, 17, grew up in the Arusha region of Northern Tanzania with her parents and four brothers. She lost her oldest brother in 2017 when he was 23, and due to her family’s extreme poverty her two other older brothers dropped from school after Form 4 (10th grade). They were never able to continue on for A levels (Form 5 and Form 6) as Loveness now will as a Unite Scholar Kit Girl. Loveness’ home life is one of the most dire of all of the Kit Girls. Her father is an alcoholic and doesn’t work. Her mothers and brothers cultivate maize in a small farm around their tiny home, which made of earth and dung. The family’s latrine is a dangerous hand-dug hole in the ground surrounded only by plastic tarp held up by branches. There is no roofing so the area is muddy and slippery when it rains. Loveness was sponsored through primary school by Jifundishe (a USA-based non profit that helps poor children with their education) and then received her scholarship to attend SEGA for lower-secondary. While at SEGA, Loveness was elected to serve as Class Monitress and School Head Girl, and she participated in the English and Sports Clubs. Loveness dreams of becoming a nurse and one day opening a dispensary as “many people suffer due to a lack of access to good medicine.” She also has a passion for the environment and will join our Volunteer Coordinator Clara Ngowi in leading Unite’s Green Campaign, through which we are cultivating various tree species to plant in deforested, high-need areas across the country. Click HERE to see a video of Loveness, and HERE to see Loveness’ home.
Khadija with Headmistress Elly and her book “Moon Over Manifest.”.
KHADIJA
With her new phone, Khadija, 18, loves to text. She asks about me and my family, and I ask about hers. She lives with her mother, who is very ill with HIV/AIDS, and sister in a tiny rented room in central Tanzania. Abandoned by her father many years ago. Khadija is the family’s only hope. Her mother, when she is able, makes and sells charcoal for a meager income. While at SEGA, Khadija earned the honor of Best English Performer and Best Mentor, and she was appointed Health Leader, Religious Leader and Chairperson of the English Club. Khadija dreams of one day becoming “a successful businesswoman to employ many people who are in need of jobs.” Specifically Khadija’s desire is to use her talents to help people living with HIV/AIDS. Khadija is the first Kit Girl to submit her business proposal to receive for a small, interest-free loan from our Kit Girls Fund to help her and her mother grow their fledgling charcoal business. From our Family Assistance Fund, we will also purchase for them a raised bed and insecticide-treated bednet so they can sleep off the wet, mold-covered floor protected from the mosquitos that transmit malaria..
Click HERE to see a video of their current living conditions, and HERE for their sleeping quarters, and HERE to see their small charcoal business.
Elina is extremely talented with computers.
ELINA
Elina, 17, lives not far from SEGA with her mother, who works as a cook at the school, and her young brother, who was born with severe birth defects. When Elina was a toddler, her parents mobilized all of their resources and took out debt for Elina’s mother and brother to travel to India for long-term treatment. During these years, Elina lived alone with her abusive father. She rode a bike seven kilometers back and forth to primary school each day, and every evening she did all of the domestic work—cooking, cleaning, laundry, etc. Elina rarely slept and suffered greatly. When her mother and brother returned from India, her mother divorced her father and took Elina and her brother to a small rented room to live. Elina worked as a day-laborer in neighbors’ farms alongside her mother to earn money for food, rent and her brother’s medications. Elina is uniquely talented with computers and dreams of becoming a Computer Programming Specialist. Not only is she interning at SEGA in their accounting department before she will start Form 5 in July, but she has also taken on the responsibility of developing our Unite Scholar Computer Training program, which will take place in Dar es Salaam in June.
Click HERE to see Elina introduce us to her family and home.
Witness with Headmistress Elly and her book “Little House on the Prairie.”
WITNESS
Witness, 19, is the fourth of six children born to subsistence farmers in Arusha, Tanzania. Their family home burned down when Witness was young and her parents split shortly thereafter. Witness went to live with her grandmother who had no work. She made it through primary school with the support of extended family and Good Samaritans. During her four years at SEGA, Witness was elected to serve as Academic Prefect, Secretary Prefect and General Manager of the school’s Entrepreneurship Program. Witness was also chosen to represent SEGA at the East Africa Girls Leadership Summit in Nairobi and voted “Best in School” in 2018. Witness is a passionate animal-rights advocate and a lead member of SEGA’s Tembo Anti-Poaching Club. Yet her family’s financial challenges have made life difficult for Witness, so to get money for food, uniforms, school supplies and her basic needs, during each school holiday she would walk from her grandmother’s rural home four miles back and forth to the nearest town to sell ripe bananas. Witness dreams of opening her own pharmacy one day.
Click here to see Witness introduce us to her family and shows us her home environment..
Pendo with Headmistress Elly and her book “Mockingjay.”
PENDO
Pendo, 20, is the second-oldest Kit Girl. She lives with her mother and five brothers and sisters in Tanzania’s capital city of Dodoma. Pendo’s father abandoned them when she was young and her mother struggles to support their basic needs by selling alcohol in the streets. Pendo worked hard in her local government primary school and although her education was often delayed due to her mother’s inability to pay for uniforms and school supplies, ultimately Pendo performed well enough to be offered a scholarship to SEGA. Throughout her years at SEGA, Pendo struggled and was unable to afford such personal items as sanitary napkins, body soap, and transport money to go home over school holidays. She also faces relentless and often brutal advances from men. A breathtaking natural beauty, Pendo has always been a target for those looking for sex in return for money. She says she does her best to resist helping her family in this way. Pendo dreams of a career in nursing or law so that she can “help girls and women who have been violated and abused.”
Lucia with Headmistress Elly and her chosen book “Orphan Train.”
LUCIA
Lucia, 17, was born and raised in Dodoma, the capital of Tanzania. Her parents are both still living and eke out an eager existence as peasant farmers. Her father has serious medical condition that includes a speech impairment, which leaves Lucia’s mother responsible for the family. Lucia is the third born of four girls. Her older sisters both dropped from school after primary level (7th grade) due to their family’s inability to pay. Her youngest sister is still in primary (elementary) school. Lucia is a talented athlete and while at SEGA enjoyed playing volleyball and netball. She was also elected Head Girl in both the Anti-Corruption Club and the Entrepreneurship Club. Lucia dreams of becoming an accountant or a banker. During her time at home, Lucia is busy helping her family with all domestic labor, working their small shamba (plot of land) and teaching her parents and sisters the entrepreneurship skills she learned at SEGA.
Click HERE to see Lucia say thank you for being chosen as a Unite Scholar “Kit Girl.”
Zaituni and Zainabu with Unite’s friend and traveler Nina Evison.
ZAITUNI & ZAINABU
Zaituni and Zainabu, 17, are the life of the party. These identical twins are adored by their peers and seem totally unbothered by the harsh reality of their home life. They live in a small rented room in Dodoma, the capital of Tanzania, with their parents who struggle to find work selling charcoal and cooked food bites on the streets. They sleep alongside their parents and older brother and sister each night on a cold, wet floor. However, while at SEGA, both girls were top performers. Zainabu excelled in entrepreneurship and since graduating she has taught her older siblings how to make liquid-soap (a skill she learned at SEGA), and they have since started a small soap business to make money for the family. Zaituni, while at SEGA, served as Academic Prefect and was invited to attend the East African Girls’ Leadership Summit in Kenya and to represent SEGA in America for a cultural exchange. Zaituni dreams of becoming a doctor to help care for expectant mothers and “prevent the needless death and suffering of mothers and babies”. Zainabu dreams of opening her own entrepreneurship school to “teach poor Tanzanians the skills they need to create small businesses and earn enough money to support their families.”
Click HERE to see a video of Zainabu and HERE for Zaituni introducing their family and home.
Me with Agness at our Unite Scholars meeting in Dar.
AGNESS
Agness, 19, was born in Dodoma, the capital of Tanzania. Her single mother died when Agness was five years old, and Agness and her sister went to live with their grandmother, who was old and unable to work. Agness started working when she was just six years old as a day laborer to get money. She worked to put herself through primary school and faced such challenges as sexual harassment and assault, intense heavy labor far beyond the capability of a child, and theft (she was often unpaid for her work). Agness desperately wanted to change her life and that of her grandmother so she studied as hard as she could. At SEGA, Agness participated in such activities as tailoring, soap making and baking, and over every school holiday, she would go home and do these activities to earn money for her grandmother and sister. When Agness graduated SEGA, she was awarded the top student in the school’s entrepreneurship program. Agness dreams of becoming an “international business woman to help my family, my community and my nation at large.”
Click HERE to see a video of Agness introducing her grandmother and auntie.
Me with Amina at our Unite Scholars meeting in Dar.
AMINA
Amina, 17, is perhaps our most “privileged” Kit Girl. She comes from a warm, large, loving family in Dar es Salaam. Her parents do their best to take care of her, her four younger siblings, their own parents and their extended family — all of whom live with them in their home. Her father has a basic business as a driver; however, like all Tanzanians with gainful employment he also has a line-up of extended family, neighbors and parishioners from his church who are always asking for money to help with medical needs and funerals, school fees and weddings, and the list goes on and on. In this country where there are no social services, extended family and community members are one’s only safety net, and it is culturally unacceptable for anyone to turn their back on anyone else. This means that even those who have jobs will struggle day in and day out to make ends meet. Amina dreams of one day opening her own orphans center of her own to “care for and educate the most needy, discarded youth in Tanzania.”
Ashura at The SEGA Girls’ School, 2019.
ASHURA
Ashura, 18, is our 12th and final Kit Girl. After her parents split when she was a young child, she was sent to live with her grandmother who struggled as a peasant farmer to care for many of her grandchildren. Ashura missed school regularly to labor in the fields. When she was nine, her father remarried and came to get Ashura. While Ashura is now part of a small-but-loving family, she continues to live in abject poverty. Her father, a small-scale farmer, struggles to meet their most basic needs. At SEGA, Ashura earned As in all of her classes, and she achieved the extremely difficult Division 1 on her Form 4 National Leaving Exam. Ashura dreams of a career in environmental conservation.