Janet John

Janet John is 7 years old but does not know her birthday. She never met her father as Cancer sadly ended his life in 2003 before Janet was born. A few years later, her mother, who suffered from Anaemia, died from organ failure - a death easily preventable by a simple blood transfusion, had she received basic medical care. Consequently, Janet and her three older brothers and sisters were left orphaned. Janet and her siblings sought refuge with her auntie, uncle, and two bibi’s (grandmothers) in a three room house in Mbaaseny village, a rural area on the slopes of Mt Meru in Tanzania.

To provide for the family, Janet’s uncle is a teacher at a local primary school. Teachers in Tanzania are on a very basic wage – earning only $2.00 per day and often being paid late. Janet’s auntie has a small vegetable patch in the garden where she grows the tomatoes and onions which Bibi Priska sells at the market every Wednesday. The revenue from this is so small it only just feeds the family for one day.

As a result of financial struggle, the household has only been able to educate Janet, whilst the other siblings earn their keep by growing vegetables for the market. However, with the recent drought, even sending Janet to school is proving too costly and without extra financial support, she will lose the opportunity for an education. Janet loves school and especially admires her teacher. She wants to continue learning so one day she can also be a teacher and help other children succeed in life.

It is normal for impoverished families in Tanzania to have no other option but to send their children out to work to earn the extra income which will feed the family. It does not demonstrate that there is not a strong emphasis on education – it is simply a matter of whether they will eat tonight or not.

Adopt a School has established a sponsorship program to help orphan children like Janet and severely impoverished children who are currently not being educated or are at risk of being pulled out of school and forced into labour. With the help of generous people such as you, Adopt a School will ensure disadvantaged and deserving children like Janet will have the opportunity for an education by covering all the costs associated with school. Your sponsorship will include enrolment in school, books, uniforms, lunch contributions, medical cover, and a monthly monetary supplement for the child’s carers to cover home expenses.

As a sponsor, you will receive the full background of the child you are supporting, and also receive monthly updates, letters, photos and progress reports. Of course, you are also invited to come to Tanzania and visit any time you like.

With a relatively small yearly contribution, you or your group could help give hope to hundreds of deserving children such as Janet. To give the gift of an education click here