Travelling to Ukara Island
“I’d like to share highlights from my recent visit to Ukara Island, near Mwanza, Tanzania to meet children in need. Ukara Island is the most remote island in the Tanzanian side of Lake Victoria. About 22,000 people live there.
To reach the island, we first took a 1.5-hour flight from Dar es Salaam to Mwanza. From there, we boarded a large ferry to Ukerewe Island, a 3.5-hour trip.
Our journey began at 2:30 a.m. without breakfast, and we didn’t board the ferry until around 11:00 a.m. There were no seats available, so we had to stand. Some kind men offered us a seat for a short while—about 30 minutes—but then we stood again. Still, we arrived on time and waited a bit longer to board a second ferry to Ukara Island.
Ukara is remote, and most people there make their living from fishing. We were warmly welcomed by the parish priest, and the very next day, we began meeting the children. To our surprise, 463 children were already waiting for us. Thankfully, there was a school near the parish, and we were able to use four classrooms to meet the children to conduct interviews.”
Meeting the children
The children looked exhausted after sitting in the classrooms for hours. In my classroom alone, there were about 80 students. I asked, “Who has had breakfast today?” It was nearly 1:00 p.m., and not a single hand went up. None of them had eaten. I asked the school director if we could at least buy some biscuits. We bought 200 packs and divided them—each child received about six or seven small biscuits.
Only then did they begin to talk and smile. Before that, they had been silent from hunger and exhaustion. They hadn’t eaten or drunk anything since early morning. We talked to each child and assessed their difficulties and their need for a place of education and our care. With the funding available, in the end, we were able to offer places to around 50 children. But one other little boy stayed in my heart.
Rigobert
On the ferry to Ukara, we had met a small boy named Rigobert who was truly one of the poorest boys we’ve met. We had encouraged him to attend our meeting and we were so pleased to see him during our outreach and to learn more about him. Despite his great difficulties we saw that he has great potential and so Sister Vaileth and I immediately decided to accept him
As we listened to Rigobert’s story during our meetings, we were reminded of the broader sorrow affecting so many children on Ukerewe and Ukara Islands. In 2018, a ferry travelling between Ukerewe and Ukara capsized on Lake Victoria, killing at least 228 people. The vessel had been overloaded with more than double its capacity. Many of the victims were parents—mothers and fathers of the children we now meet during our visits. The impact of that tragedy still echoes throughout these communities. Rigobert is just one of the many children left behind.
Why we are here
This was my third year helping recruit children for the Sisters of Mary school in Tanzania. I am more convinced than ever that Mama Mary, the Virgin of the Poor, has sent the Sisters of Mary to Africa to love and serve the poorest of the poor, especially those without a mother.
Mary said, “I am the Virgin of the Poor.”
Our vocation is to be mothers to these children—to go to their homes, invite them to our schools, and offer holistic care: education, spiritual guidance, emotional support, and vocational training. Then they can go into the world with a strong foundation and a future.
The more homes I visit, the more I see how much a mother’s love is missing here. Our vocation–to be a mother to these children–is desperately needed in Africa.
Helping as many children as we can
Yes, this mission is not easy. The journey is long, the conditions are difficult, and everything is costly. We pay for each step, each meal, each place we stay, because the people here have nothing to give religious Sisters for free. There is little water, we couldn’t even wash our habits or clothes properly. We just had to dry them and wear them again. But it’s okay, because we know how precious these children are. Even if we cannot help them all, we can help some. And those we help may one day help others.
We cannot change what has happened in the lives of the children already in our care, or those we are still trying to reach. But we can walk with them now, offering love, opportunity, and hope. Rigobert, like so many others, deserves the chance to heal, to learn, and to dream.
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