We had a chance to visit a boy named Saidi, who received a bedkit
3 years ago. This boy lives with his grandmother, older sister and
uncle in some very cramped quarters. The area was enclosed by a palm
leaf fence and inside it was a cement structure where we were told the
grandmother and sister sleep and then the mud structure you see in the
picture where the Saidi and his uncle sleep. There is also a chicken
coop, complete with suitcase! Behind that was a cordoned off area we
were told is the bathroom. The cooking is done in the small space
beside the mud hut. Our team was warmly welcomed into their yard and we
greeted one another and asked about who lived in this home and the
specifics of the site and Saidi and his bedkit. He was still using the
mattress and the mosquito net he had received. The school supplies
were long used up, but he still had the school uniform. We were invited
to go inside his bedroom and had to take turns going into the hut
because the space was so small. You can see Saidi sitting on his bed
with the mosquito netting hanging above him. We were told by the
headmaster of the school that he is very bright and does quite well in
school. His grandmother told us she wasn’t sure he would pass his exams
for secondary school and even if he did, there was no money to pay for
him to go. Tuition is approximately $100 a year plus the cost of
uniforms, books and other expenses. Our bed kit helped him stay in
primary school so he could get the basics of an education. It is
difficult to listen to the dashed dreams of a bright boy whose future
hangs in the balance, as we stand in a tiny space filled with things we
in North America can barely even imagine but are the day to day life of
this lovely boy. The school supplies offered in the bedkit, a uniform,
6 exercise books, 3 pencils, 3 pens, an eraser, ruler and pencil
sharpener truly can mean the difference between going to school and not
being able to afford those necessities.
Jennifer Travis for Team Tanzania
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