A Difficult Early Life
Norbert was born in Mwanza Region of Tanzania. He moved to Shinyanga with his nine siblings when the family were gifted a small plot of land for his father to cultivate. However the living was very difficult, the dry season was long and the land unproductive.
The family rarely had enough to eat and lacked even the basic essentials for survival.
Norbert was the only family member who was able to attend primary school but he was required to repeat the standard year one, when he had no uniform. Eventually his attendance ended when he was needed to help his father and brothers earn money working other farms.
Their already difficult lives were marked by tragedy with the death of two of his sisters through malnutrition, his younger sister Teddy died in 2022 and then another younger sister in March 2023, who died whilst gathering water for the family.
The Sisters met Norbert and his family during their community outreach work in November 2023 and thanks to the support from our generous friends were able to offer him a life-changing place at school in their new boys’ school in Dodoma. He joined them in 2024.
Learning and thriving
Norbert is gradually recovering from the traumas of his early life. With regular nourishment, medical support and the nurturing care of the Sisters he is growing strong and healthy and starting to thrive in his studies. He loves everything about his time at school. He has made some wonderful new friends, he loves his hobbies, particularly gardening, he loves the Sisters and he treasures the opportunity provided by our supporters.
“Even in my family, even my sisters and my brothers, they cannot get the chance to study. So for me, I get the chance here in the Sisters of Mary to study. I’m so happy to study. In my family, I did not get to eat food, or a good place to sleep. But here, in the Sisters of Mary, it is only here I get the food, to sleep on a good mattress with good blanket and with mosquito net and I have all the things that I need to study, thanks to you. I am very happy and thankful”.
New Ambitions for the future
Norbert likes everything at school but he particularly loves his vocational studies, and the Electrical and Carpentry vocational courses are his favourite.
In the future he dreams of becoming an Electrical Engineer so that he can help his family and his community with everything that he is learning and he is so grateful for the chance he has been given.
“I want to say thank you for all the donors of the Sisters of Mary, and that they help us to study in the school. I pray for all the donors who are helping us. Thank you very much!”