For World Teachers Day, celebrated on 5th October, meet Aldo Sanga from Tanzania. Aldo is a Watipa alumnus from Tanzania, and now works as a teacher. In this blog, Aldo shares his journey.
” My educational journey before meeting WATIPA was full of ups and downs, and it all started in primary school. Growing up in a farming family with a tireless and resilient mother was not easy. I knew that without education, I was nothing.
Apart from my parents, my teachers/tutors/lecturers (Primary-College level) fought hard for me. I can’t mention all of them, but they stood by me in every step. They were with me in this journey of HOPE. Growing in a humble background posed a great challenge in accessing some basic requirements in terms of proper school uniform, stationary materials and the like but my mother worked hard to make sure her children met all if not some of them. It was not easy. When I got to secondary school, I almost gave up due to financial difficulties. I remember one day, my English teacher told me, “Aldo, running away from problems is not the way to solve them. Fight on, education is your salvation. Education is your father and mother!”
That statement gave me strength, and I continued to study with even more determination. My teachers stood with me shoulder to shoulder. May God bless them greatly. I completed my O-Level (Form Four) and earned several merit certificates, despite coming from a humble background. Then, I entered the real world and started struggling again. Life was not easy. But I knew that many people wished to be where I was, so I didn’t give up. When the results for A-Level (Form Five) admissions came out, my parents couldn’t afford to support me further. My family gave me some amount of money (that was everything they had at that time) and my father told me: “This is all we have. Whether you want to start a business or continue with your studies… that’s up to you. As you can see, we have nothing else.”
I thanked them and accepted the money. I had no business skills, so I decided to continue with my studies, though the purchases required was not enough for that money. I pushed myself and went to report to school. I thank God for everyone who played a great role in accomplishing this; (I can’t name all here. God bless you all.)
My A-Level education taught me about life and opened my mind. I learned many things, including the importance of helping others; especially orphans and those in need. After graduating, I joined a non-governmental organization, volunteering to support children living in difficult conditions and teaching them.
Eventually, I was selected to join a college, where I went to study a course in education (teaching). Life at college was also not easy, as I was among those who did not receive a government loan! I, and my fellow were planning to terminate studies in a few days to come. We were hopelessly, especially I who had nowhere to turn. That’s when I was introduced to WATIPA by the director of the organization I had been volunteering with after finishing high school, Ms. Elizabeth Thompson (Madam Lizzie). She just came in time, I can’t thank her enough since she advocated for me and helped me apply for a WATIPA scholarship.
I followed through a number of procedures for application and truly, I was among those awarded sponsorship covering tuition fees. A new hope! I was overjoyed. I put in even more effort and began to think deeply about how I could use my education to help my community. I chose to focus on orphans and children living in difficult conditions as the focus of my project. My goal was to help them achieve their educational dreams so that they wouldn’t suffer the same way I had.
That same year, I appealed to the government loan board because, although WATIPA paid my tuition, I still needed support for books and food. God is good, I was granted 100% government sponsorship. I felt it was only right to write to WATIPA, asking them to redirect the scholarship funds to support other young people like me. God was gracious, I completed my studies and returned home, ready to face the world.
That spirit of volunteering still burned inside me. I started several community projects, although many didn’t succeed at first. Still, I kept fighting. Eventually, I was employed as a secondary school teacher, a field I’m devoting my time and experience to bring hope to Tanzanians youth through education. I now strive to reach my community whenever possible, especially helping orphans and vulnerable children. My future plan is to establish an organization that will fulfill this mission in a sustainable way.
For now, I am committed to using my education as a teacher to make sure the youth I teach live their dreams and make them a reality. I do my best to be a role model, mentor them, and give them encouragement. And that fills me with pride, because all of this has been made possible through WATIPA.
My advice to young Tanzanians who come from humble backgrounds: Never give up. Your dreams are still alive. Put God first, believe in yourselves, and keep moving forward; a better tomorrow is possible.
Thank you Dr. Lucy Stackpool-Moore for bringing WATIPA, a truly HOPE thus positively changing lives of youth in the community through education! To everyone who stood with me in my education journey, Mama & Baba Aldo, my teachers and every soul; THANK YOU; the journey is not over! God bless you all!”
Thank you, Aldo, for sharing your journey!
