Moshi, TZ – Father aims to help his children finish education – 12 Sep 2015
The FEM family has lived in Mwangaria village in Kahe, Tanzania for their whole lives. The father is 36 years old and the mother is 32. They have four children. The two oldest children had to leave school in search of work when they could not pay school fees. The other two children, Joseph (9 years old) and Happy (1 year old), live at home with their parents. The family is determined to help the two youngest children finish their education.
A few years ago the two older children were forced to leave school because the family could not afford to pay school fees. This was sad for the family because both parents attribute their own poverty to lack of education. They were very upset about allowing the same problem to affect their children. Since then the family has strived to ensure the youngest two children complete their education.
The FEM family started an organic vegetable garden with Tupendane on July 15, 2014. By the end of October the family was feeding regularly from the garden and had earned an additional income of 20,000 TZS (US $9.52) selling vegetables. Over the next three months the family earned around 25,000 TZS (US $11.90) per month selling vegetables. The parents are excited to have this extra income because it has allowed them to pay school fees and purchase equipment like books and pens. The family now sees an opportunity to make their dream of seeing both young children finish their education come true!
The family also decided to invest some of their income, so they purchased three chickens for 10,000 TZS (US $4.76) each. Those chickens have produced five chicks and now the family is planning to build a chicken coop to continue growing their business and increasing their income.
According to the father of the family, joining Tupendane’s organic vegetable garden program has brought happiness to the family. Through the program they can see a path to reach their goal of keeping their children in school. He is so excited about this vision that he has become a valuable advocate in the community, helping other families see the benefits of having their own organic vegetable garden.