Mofa's hopeful future

Mofa is a happy, intelligent and vibrant young girl currently in her second year of secondary school in Dar es Salaam.

Mofa was born into a Masai family in northern Tanzania. Her father had been expecting a boy, and was disappointed when presented with a healthy baby girl. In fact, he was more than disappointed; he was ashamed and angry—like many in societies where women and girls are regarded as lesser than men.

Mofa’s father took her out into a field that was known to have many snakes and left her there to be bitten and eventually die. She was bitten, but miraculously survived and was taken to a medical facility where the decision was made to amputate her left leg to save her life. Now, not only was she a female, she was a female with a disability.

Not much is known about what happened in the first few years of Mofa’s life except that she was not accepted by her family. But when she turned seven, she was brought to The Salvation Army’s Matumaini School for Disabled Children. Matumaini is Swahili for ‘hope’, and it was here that Mofa received a new artificial leg, along with love and support from staff and teachers, seven years of primary school education, friends, confidence, love for God, and a place to call home.

To move on to secondary school in Tanzania requires students to pass a set of exams at the end of standard seven, which Mofa did. This is quite an achievement for any child in Tanzania, let alone one who has faced the hurdles Mofa had already cleared. But because she had no family support Mofa was unsure what her future might look like.

Having been a part of our Salvation Army family for seven years, the Tanzanian Territory decided that this bright and gifted girl could not be sent away from Matumaini with no home and no possibility of continuing her education. We are her family. She is our child.

And so, with the help of our Mbagala home for girls rescued from human trafficking and funds from overseas sponsorship, Mofa now attends a secondary boarding school during the school term and lives at Mbagala during the holidays, where she continues to be a valued part of our family.

As well as paying for all her school fees, personal items and transport costs, The Salvation Army—with the help of local resources and overseas donations—continues to ensure that Mofa is provided with new prosthetic legs as she grows, as well as covering any medical expenses.

The upshot? Mofa’s life has been transformed, and hope has blossomed in the place of rejection and near death. We pray that she will use her gifts and abilities to better the lives of others here in Tanzania as an amazing role model for all those on the margins in this country.

So, does the Self Denial Appeal make a difference in people’s lives? Yes it does!

Without the support of donations from countries like New Zealand, the Tanzania Territory would not be able to run centres like Matumaini or our two homes for girls rescued from human trafficking. Without overseas financial support, girls married off as children, girls as young as seven or eight forced into prostitution, girls left to die in a snake-infested field simply because they are girls—girls like Mofa—would not have a future.

By Liz Gainsford

Go to  www.salvationarmy.org.nz/selfdenial for more info.