Graduation at Kisarawe

Today is a momentous day for the Sisters of Mary programmes. The first group of girls to start their secondary education at Kisarawe Girlstown six years ago are graduating. These girls have had an incredible journey, being the first to join the school while the buildings were still being constructed, and watched as their school grew from 162 girls to nearly 1,000 girls in just 6 years.

This group of 162 girls have grown and flourished in the Sisters’ care, they have pioneered the way for other young girls at Kisarawe, and have served as mentors and big sisters to the younger girls who joined after them. They have seen each phase of development of Kisarawe Girlstown and have been a part of the formative years in this programme. Every single girl is graduating from school equipped and ready to find fairly paid work, support themselves and their families, and make a difference in their community and country.

Happiness says “In my heart I am very grateful for the service that the Sisters offer to me. And also I’m very grateful to the donors because before, my life was really horrible, I did not have the vision to be human before. But for now really I see something ahead in my life. I’m very very grateful to the Sisters, to the donors, to the teachers.”

Understanding what a transformative impact these programmes have on every child, giving them hope and dignity, is why we do what we do.

Without the Sisters of Mary programmes, children like Happiness, Suzana, and all the girls at Kisarawe would not have the opportunities they now have, or even the hope to dream of a life better than the one they come from.