Emmanuel's Story
The first thing that caught our attention when Emmanuel came to live at Treasures of Africa Children’s Home was his stunning smile. Yet hidden behind that beautiful smile, was a lot of heartache.
Emmanuel was eleven years old when he was brought to Treasures of Africa. He had been living in a rural village with his mother and siblings. His father had died when he was very young. His mother was quite ill, though it is unknown if she was even aware of the serious nature of her own medical condition.
Emmanuel in 2007 shortly after arriving at Treasures of Africa Children's Home.One day, Emmanuel’s mother decided to take Emmanuel’s four-year-old brother, Antoni, to the hospital. He was very sick from several maladies including intestinal worms, TB and a serious condition he inherited from his mother at birth. They boarded a bus to travel to the town of Moshi. It was a trip from which she would never return, and it was the last day Emmanuel saw his mother alive.
When mother and son arrived at the hospital, it was quickly apparent to the staff that the mother was very ill. Both were admitted and the mother died before the day was over. The staff had very little information on these two patients and resorted to making an announcement on the local radio station, in an attempt to find any living relatives. The Social Welfare office was informed, and they took charge of Emmanuel’s little brother, Antoni, bringing him to Treasures of Africa Children’s Home.
After the hospital released the radio announcement seeking relatives of the dead woman and her son, a neighbor in Emmanuel’s village heard the broadcast and informed the family. That is when the Social Workers became aware that Emmanuel’s mother had left two more children back in the village. The Social Welfare office reunited Emmanuel, his three-year-old sister, Sabitina, with their brother Antoni at Treasures of Africa Children’s Home. Though tragedy brought them to TOA, it was a safe place for these three siblings to land.
Despite being 11 years old when he arrived at TOA, Emmanuel had never been to school and did not know how to read. He had to face the enormous challenge of starting first grade at the age when he should have been in the fifth grade. With help from our tutoring program at the orphanage, Emmanuel learned to read. With a lot of effort on Emmanuel’s part, he made tremendous progress in Primary School and was even able to skip a grade.
Emmanuel on Graduation day From Mweka College of African Wildlife Management.By the time he was ready for Secondary School, his hard work paid off. He was accepted into an excellent all boys Christian Boarding School. He worked hard, progressed well and graduated. Deciding what to do next was a big challenge.
The staff at Treasures of Africa encouraged him to consider training for a career in Wildlife Tourism, one of the biggest employment sectors in Tanzania. His friendly personality and his command of English made him a good candidate for that field. But Emmanuel resisted and wanted to follow his TOA “sibling” Raymond, to Arusha Technical College. Though he was counseled against this idea as he had never displayed interest or aptitude for anything mechanical, he was allowed to give it a try. Sadly, this effort was not successful.
Disappointed and still resisting the idea of the tourism industry, Emmanuel then tried working at various jobs. The harsh reality of the poor job market in Tanzania convinced him he needed to reconsider the counsel he had been given early on.
He applied to Mweka College of African Wildlife Management and was accepted. Three years later, Emmanuel graduated from the most respected Wildlife Management College in East Africa and had fallen in love with the beauty and wildlife of Tanzania. This was only made possible through the generosity of so many Treasures of Africa supporters over the years!
Please pray for Emmanuel as he faces a challenging job market, though he is currently interning with a company that may hire him. His dream is to eventually become a Wildlife officer with the Tanzania Wildlife Parks Authority.
We have many children following in Emmanuel's footsteps. If you would like to help then please make a donation to the Treasures of Africa KIDZ Education Fund: Click to Donate
