Street boy who dared dream

Daniel in the company of his guardian, Ms Pelagia Kokuhirwa (second right), and representatives from The Small Things Organisation , Bethan Crisp (right) and Emilie Elmhorn (left), at the family compound in July this year. PHOTO | BELDINA NYAKEKE 

By Beldina Nyakeke

Posted  Saturday, October 5  2013 at  07:37

In Summary

He is gradually putting behind him the miserable life he led when the mother died in 2007, and his father a year later in Dodoma.

Musoma. At last, Daniel Meshack, a 17-year-old student who had been reduced to a street urchin following the death of his parents in succession has a new lease of life.

He is gradually putting behind him the miserable life he led when the mother died in 2007, and his father a year later in Dodoma.

An Arusha-based organisation that provides education and support for vulnerable and orphaned children has offered to meet his education expenses at Tabora Secondary School.

Daniel secured the place at the school after excelling in the Complementary Basic Education of Tanzania (Cobet) meant to take care of those who missed out in the early schooling phase.

Daniel’s story came to the limelight in June last year after The Citizen on Saturday sketched his suffering and what he then described as a burning ambition to go to school.

Following the death of his parents, a neighbour took him to Mwanza with an intention of helping but he died in a motor vehicle accident soon after, throwing the boy’s life into uncertainty yet again.

He would go on to become a street urchin in Mwanza, later making his way to Musoma, where he continued to scavenge for survival. Another good Samaritan picked him up from the streets, in a turn of events that would open a new chapter in Daniel’s life and his dream to pursue schooling appeared a possibility.

The boy lurched on the opportunity and did not take time to demonstrate his ability as he quickly won the accolades of his teachers. “He went on to become one of the brightest pupils in our school and we are happy that he will have a bright future ahead if the trend continues,” said James Makanya, his former primary school head teacher.

Last year, he was offered a chance at Tabora Secondary School but failed to raise Sh500,000 required to enable him to pay fees and pay for incidentals. Nevertheless, he reported to school with hope keeping him focused on his desire.

Our reporting in February of his plight drew sympathy from an NGO –Small Things –that committed to support all the four years of Daniel’s secondary schooling.

Founder and director of the Organisation, Rebecka Ross Russel, told The Citizen on Saturday via email that they were anxious to meet Daniel and see how best to help him meet his goals.

Ms Russel also runs a small non-profit organisation working with Nkoaranga Orphanage near Arusha to help orphaned and abandoned children meet their potential.

She said that after their two representatives met Daniel, they decided to put his plight on their website to allow friends and well-wishers to contribute.

“Currently we have set aside money for him and we now can provide whatever he needs,” she said.

Born in 1995, Daniel and two siblings were rendered orphans early. He disrupted his learning at Mkuyi Primary School in Standard Five. He remembers how one Joseph Zacharia brought him to Mwanza only to die before he could get his footing there. The widow of the deceased was paralysed and unable to give any help.

He joined the ranks of street vagabonds and scouted for towns with better survival chances. That is how he ended up in Musoma.

Lucky day

One day while roaming the streets, an old woman spotted him and decided to take him in. Daniel says he did not know what drove Ms Pelagia Kokuhirwa to show kindness and compassion for his plight but has since then embraced her as he would his own mother.

It is Ms Pelagia who went from school to school to plead for his case and despite being turned away several times, she finally landed an opening at Mshikamano A Primary School.

It was a six kilometre round trip to the school. “As a devout Christian, I adopted him as a son, as a test from God,” she explained. She is all praise for the NGO’s support, saying she did not expect that Daniel would land such an opportunity to see him through secondary education.

“I thank The Citizen on Saturday for telling his story and now I can rest assured that his days ahead will be better. It is all that a mother can ask for his child.”

SOURCE: THE CITIZEN