Neema Rashidi (17) with her daughter, Lailati (4-months-old)

Neema Rashidi is 17 years old. Her daughter, Lailati is 4 months old. Orphaned by AIDS, she also supports her elderly grandmother by selling chapattis (an unleavened flatbread that is a staple of Tanzanian diet). While searching for her current job, Neema got pregnant thus stretching her meagre salary even thinner. With only a primary education level (Western equivalent of elementary school), her options for job improvement were not promising without the assistance of Bright Futures for Young Mothers.

Fatuma Stamil (19) and her child (5 months old)

19-year-old Fatuma Stamil almost graduated from primary education, making it all the way to the highest grade of Standard Seven. However, in her last year, she got pregnant with her child who is now 5 months old. Like Neema, Fatuma’s family life has had its share of tragedy. Her mother passed away and her father is battling a long illness stemming from a stroke. She currently lives with guardians who are elderly and impoverished.

Zuena Bakari was employed as a house girl when she got pregnant. She supports her grandparents and her child because her parents passed away in an accident. Like Neema, she is only 17 years old and like both Fatuma and Neema, educated to the primary level. The training workshops offered to these girls and so many like them by Bright Futures for Young Mothers are vital to help them fill in the gaps between their missed years in school and the work force. The employable skills that they will develop will give them access to proper jobs that can sustain their families.

Neema, Fatuma and Zuena may all have a similar life story, one that they share with thousands of other young Tanzanian women. But through the support of Bright Futures for Young Mothers, their children can have an entirely new story filled with stability and access to nutrition, healthcare and education. First, they need our support to help make it happen.