At 15 Christina moved to Arusha to find work and help support herself.

She is now 21 years old and a young mother of a two-year-old boy and she is eight months pregnant. She comes from the Manyara region, where her early life was shaped by hardship. Her parents separated when she was young, and her father remarried; since then, his whereabouts have been unknown. Christina and her siblings were raised by their mother, who is now a severe alcoholic and unable to provide safe care. Christina was the only child in her family to attend school, reaching Grade Four, while her siblings never had the opportunity to study.

Christina once considered leaving her son with her mother so she could find work more easily. But she could not bring herself to do it. Her fear was because of the past experience; one of her siblings left a baby with their mother, who, while heavily drunk, tried to cross a river during heavy rain with the baby on her back. Christina’s mother fell into the river and managed to hold onto a tree branch, but unfortunately, the baby was swept away by the current and later found dead. Christina could not risk her own son’s safety in such circumstances.

At 15, Christina moved to Arusha to find work and help support herself. She began working in a food vending business, determined to create a life for herself despite her limited education. It was during this time that she met a man, also in his early twenties. They moved in together, renting a small mud house and starting their life as a family.

When Christina was eight months pregnant with their first child, the man suddenly left her. She tried to reach him, but he was unreachable, and she had no way to contact his family because she knew none of them. Left alone, she survived thanks to the kindness of neighbors who provided food and support during her pregnancy. Despite the challenges, she delivered her son safely and, after a month, she began searching for work to provide for him.

Christina moved from one job to another, slowly earning enough for rent, food, and basic necessities. Through her hard work, she was able to buy her first bed, mattress, gas cooker, and other household items, things she had never owned before.

A year later, the man returned, seeking forgiveness. Claiming he had changed, he asked to come back and support the family. Christina, desperate for support, accepted him. They stayed together for a few months, and when Christina became pregnant again, he initially agreed to help. But one day, she returned home to find the house empty. The man had taken all the household items she had worked so hard to acquire and disappeared without a trace.

Once again, Christina was left to start over. Fortunately, a woman who has become like a mother to her stepped in, providing food and support for her and her son. This woman also connected Christina with Neema Village, recognizing that she urgently needed help, especially with hospital bills for her upcoming delivery.

When we visited Christina, she was living in a small, dark mud house, with only a 4×6 bed and a half mattress that had been given to her, no food, and no cooking stove. Today, Christina is enrolled in our MAP Program. Neema Village is covering her hospital bills to ensure a safe delivery. We are also helping her find a better house and providing the basic household items she needs to restart her life with dignity.

Christina is not attending classes at the moment due to her pregnancy, but after childbirth, she will begin sewing classes, counseling, and Bible study at Neema Village.