We鈥檇 like to introduce you to Catherine, mother of St Jude鈥檚 student Augustino who is in Standard 2. Catherine is a remarkable individual, a Tanzanian woman with immense compassion and resilience. Every day is a struggle for her, an upward battle against cyclical poverty. She is currently raising three children while also caring for her cousin鈥檚 child. This Mother鈥檚 Day we鈥檇 like to share the story of Catherine because her selflessness and great strength are an inspiration to everyone at St Jude鈥檚 and should be to the world.
Catherine, her husband and children live in dire conditions. The family of six rent one room in a shared compound with other families. It鈥檚 overcrowded and resources are scarce. The families share a water tap, toilet and wash room. There鈥檚 no internal plumbing, or electricity. Buckets of water for cooking, drinking, washing and cleaning are collected from a nearby tap for a small per-bucket fee. To support the family, her husband farms his plot of land in Babati which is three hours away, meaning during harvesting season he鈥檒l be away from Catherine and the household. What he鈥檒l manage to grow 鈥� maize and beans 鈥� and sell will be their main source of income.
Catherine is also pregnant and expecting her fourth child any day now. With the impending addition of a fifth child to her flock, she鈥檒l need all the help in any way possible as every day she must think about where her family鈥檚 next meal will come from. One of her main concerns is having enough food for her children and herself. Like other Tanzanian mothers, she has more worries than most women around the globe. More than 12 million Tanzanians live below the poverty line and don鈥檛 have access to safe water, food or a proper education. The women then have to do menial work like selling vegetables on the side of the road; just to keep the family alive. Everyday, Catherine cooks a fish and peanut dish to sell in town and make a bit of money. She doesn鈥檛 have much but will use the few ingredients that she has.
It is a constant struggle for Catherine, but she continues on, and we do what we can at St Jude鈥檚, which is to give her son, Augustino, a completely free education. It鈥檚 one less thing she now has to worry about. We provide her son hot, nutritious meals everyday, give him a safe environment to learn and expand his creativity and imagination. We want Augustino to teach his siblings what he learns, to help them with their studies. A proper education can transform lives and the success of our students is testament to that.
鈥淚鈥檝e seen a lot of difference since Augustino started studying here, he鈥檚 become smart, he鈥檚 more polite, he鈥檚 hardworking,鈥� Catherine says. 鈥淚鈥檓 very thankful to St Jude鈥檚.鈥�
We fully support Catherine as she raises her family and love that we can help take some of the load off her shoulders. This Mother鈥檚 Day, we invite you to salute Catherine鈥檚 strength and all of the mothers of our St Jude鈥檚 students.
Replies