Sophia, an eight-year-old girl, calls Musoma home – a vibrant city located on the eastern shores of Lake Victoria in Tanzania’s Mara region. As an only child, she experiences a unique family dynamic in this lakeside town known for its rich cultural heritage and scenic landscapes. Her world is painted in yellow, her favorite color,…
Tag: Child
Vaileth
Seven-year-old Vaileth is from the Shinyanga region of Tanzania, belonging to the Sukuma tribe. She lives with her parents and older sister Sabina in a rural household that depends on farming and goat-keeping, which is a common livelihood for families in her area. Despite facing challenging economic circumstances, Vaileth is known for her bright personality…
Victor
After being abandoned by his mother, six-year-old, Victor, and his brother were taken in by their aunt, living in a difficult economic situation because both his father and aunt struggled with unemployment. Despite these hardships, Victor remains hopeful and resilient. He is a bright young boy with a vibrant personality. He loves the color yellow…
Zawadi
Living in Moshi, Tanzania with his grandparents, Zawadi is a ten-year-old boy who not only misses his parents but has also missed out on years of his education. His grandfather, who is blind and elderly, struggles to provide for the family due to lack of income. Zawadi has never had the opportunity to attend school…
Joseph L.
Joseph is a six-year-old boy from Arusha, Tanzania, who lives with his mother in challenging economic circumstances. Growing up in a region where nearly 68% of people in rural areas live below $3.10 per day, Joseph and his mother navigate life’s difficulties with resilience. His mother works as a small entrepreneur, selling clothes to support…
Kelvin
Joining Camp Joshua in April 2022, ten-year-old Kelvin lives in Arusha with his family, which includes one sister named Clara and a younger brother. His world is characterized by a love for football (soccer), a sport deeply ingrained in Tanzanian culture. Kelvin’s aspirations to become a soldier reflect the dreams of many young Tanzanians seeking…
Kurwa
Kurwa is an eight-year-old boy from the Shinyanga region of Tanzania. Born into a Sukuma family, Kurwa holds a special place in his community as a twin. In Sukuma culture, twins are believed to have divine connections and are treated with great respect and care. Kurwa arrived at Camp Joshua in January 2024 along with…
Lilian
A young girl from Arusha navigates childhood in challenging economic circumstances. Seven-year-old Lilian lives with her mother in a city marked by significant poverty, where many families struggle to meet basic needs. Lilian’s world is bright with her love for dancing and her favorite color pink. She dreams of becoming a teacher, an aspiration that…
Maria
Maria’s living environment is challenging, with some days where the family can only manage a single meal. An eleven-year-old girl from Shinyanga, she lives with her grandmother after being abandoned by her mother, who left to marry another man. Despite these difficult circumstances, Maria maintains a dream of becoming a teacher. Her favorite food is…
Maureen V.
From Arusha, Maureen and her younger brother moved in with their grandmother after their parents divorced. Eleven-year-old Maureen and her brother’s living environment was adequate, although the impact of her parents’ separation was felt in their daily lives. Her mother left to start a new life, and the children have little knowledge of their father….
Mushrif
Navigating his childhood in challenging economic circumstances, six-year-old Mushrif lives with his mother and grandmother in a poor household, sharing his home with two siblings, one of whom studies at Camp Joshua. Mushrif’s world is bright with his love for smiling and his dreams of becoming a football (soccer)er. His favorite color is purple and…
Adam
Eleven-year-old, Adam Hamisi loves smiling and has lots to smile about. He has three brothers and one sister and came to Camp Joshua in 2024 because he would like to be a doctor one day. LOHADA has seen several of its past children focus on medical professions and offers internships at its own Golden Grace…
Antony
Now at Camp Joshua for over a year, eight-year-old Antony is the baby of his family with two older sisters and an older brother. He came to Camp Joshua from Shinyanga and would like to study to be a nurse one day. Like most of our kids, he loves football (Soccer) and chips (french fries).
Faustin
Faustin is a nine-year-old child from Musoma, a city located on the eastern shore of Lake Victoria in Tanzania. Growing up in a family that has experienced loss with the passing of his father, Faustin lives with his siblings Annatazia and Vedastus at Camp Joshua. Despite the challenges, Faustin finds joy in simple pleasures: his…
Pendael
Pendael, a five-year-old Maasai boy from Arusha lives with his family, which includes his parents and an older sister. Despite being eight years old, he is currently in the baby class, having never previously attended school. This educational journey reflects the challenges many Maasai children face in accessing consistent schooling. His family has been experiencing…
Ernest
You can’t help but smile when you ask Ernest his favorite activity and he tells you it’s sleeping. With two brothers and three sisters, he probably wasnt getting a lot of it before coming to Camp Joshua. Ernest has some undiagnosed intellectual delays that we are still working on uncovering so that one day we…
Phabian
Phabian is a 14-year-old boy with seven siblings. Like many teenagers his age, he enjoys life’s simple pleasures, finding joy in joking around, dancing, and indulging in his favorite foods like hamburgers and ice cream. An avid movie watcher with a love for reading, Phabian stands out as a curious and engaging young individual. He…
Abriella
Abriella, affectionately known as Abby, is a bright and curious 7-year-old girl living in the Unga Limited area. Despite her young age, Abby is already on a path to a brighter future thanks to her participation in LOHADA’s early childhood education program. Although she has passed the critical period of brain development that occurs before…
Mount Horeb Farm
Southeast of Unga Limited slum, off a country road, Mount Horeb Farm is a peaceful 11-acre plot that is a site for sustainable farming and for learning. LOHADA grows multiple crops on the farm, including maize and beans, which help feed the children at Camp Joshua and Camp Moses. They also grow vegetables such as…
Hope where there was none
According to UNICEF about 71 percent of Tanzanian children live in absolute poverty. More than 73 percent have been physically abused. LOHADA children have suffered the most extreme indigence — theirs are the worst-case scenarios. About a third have been orphaned or lost one parent, often to HIV-AIDS. Others have been abandoned to the streets…