Beatrice was born in 1980 and was recently widowed. We met her and her two children in January 2019. Her husband was a tour guide and had a very good income. Beatrice didn't work but took care of the household. She comes from a poor family in Moshi and moved to Arusha in 1995, where she first worked as a maid and then in a bar. There she met her husband, who died in September 2018. She suspects he was poisoned by colleagues. Her father's relatives subsequently froze his bank account. She lives in a two-room apartment with a television, refrigerator, stereo system, and sofas in the living room. She can't pay the rent and urgently needs to find work, but she has no capital. She wants to open a kiosk. The rent is 80,000 Turkish Lira per month. We gave her 350,000 Turkish Lira as start-up capital. This wasn't enough to buy everything she needed, but she will expand her product range over time.
Their daughter Noela (born in 2009) attended a private school until the end of 2018. She already speaks very good English. There's a noticeable difference between private and state schools. The new school year has already started, and Noela is staying home because Beatrice can't afford the school fees of 800,000 TSh. Additional costs for school supplies bring the total annual cost to around 1,000,000 TSh. Grace and Daniel have agreed to pay for Noela's schooling. Noela wants to be a pilot when she grows up. Her younger brother, Daniel, was until recently attending the same private school as Noela, but in the preschool classes.
Timeline & Updates
2020
Beatrice inherited a very old car from her husband, a car with more broken parts than working ones. However, she managed to sell it and invested the money, along with her brother, in a shop.
Daniel is now also going to school.
2021
The situation at home has deteriorated significantly, especially for the children. Beatrice has been swindled twice (first, when selling the car, she ignored our advice that the price she was asking was far too high. She sold it for the price she demanded but never received the money), and the second time it was her own brother, with whom she was planning to start a business, who then ran off with her money.
The COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting economic situation were also bad for her kiosk. It was difficult for us to help her, as she didn't inform us about her situation and doesn't seem particularly receptive to advice. She currently works in a bar and leaves her children home alone a lot. The children have started behaving badly at school. We think it would be best for them to go to boarding school and escape the bad environment they're currently in. We hope to find sponsors for them for 2022.
2022
Beatrice still works in a bar, and the hours are obviously not family-friendly, and her income is too low. Her health insurance was a great help when she was attacked by a man one night.
Fortunately, we had enough money to send Noela and Daniel to a private boarding school (Mariado School). Daniel is entering Year 2 (Standard 2) and Noela is entering Year 9 (Form 2). Noela has been diagnosed with a visual impairment.
2023
Beatrice has health problems (intermittent paralysis of her hand, hot and cold flashes, stress-related issues) that cannot be treated because she has no health insurance. She works long shifts as a bartender and usually earns little each month because unpaid customer bills and her own food expenses are deducted. She feels disrespected by younger colleagues but sees no alternative. Her monthly fixed costs (rent, electricity, toilet cleaning, water) exceed her income. She wants to sell used clothing and needs a moderate amount of start-up capital. She estimates she could make a decent profit within a few weeks. Her children, Noela and Daniel, attend a good boarding school where they are happy. Daniel's behavior had deteriorated at a less expensive school but improved again at the good boarding school.
2024
Beatrice still has problems with her hand, but it has improved overall – she didn't receive any medical treatment and now only washes with warm water. She was very unhappy in her old bartending job (long hours, poor treatment, very low pay). She now sells Vitenge (fabrics). She's also considering opening a small grocery store nearby. Her income from the Vitenge business is enough to cover rent and groceries. Her children, Noela and Daniel, attend boarding school, which eases Beatrice's financial burden. Daniel will be in third grade next year, and Noela in eleventh. Sometimes the school lunch isn't enough – so we give the children a small allowance. According to school rules, they're supposed to give the money to the teachers. Noela keeps it secretly, and Daniel hands it over but doesn't get it back when he needs it. We're going to complain to the school; if nothing changes, we won't send any more children there.
2025
Beatrice is doing better now – she's taking herbal medicine and has her own little kiosk near her apartment again. Her previous bar work was very stressful (long hours, bullying, high commuting costs for very low wages). Her current income varies; after deducting the rent for the kiosk and her apartment, there isn't much left to live on, but the situation is better than before. Due to the unrest in Tanzania, she was unable to earn anything for a while and now has rent arrears. Her children, Noela (after 11th grade) and Daniel (4th grade), attend a boarding school (Mariado School). We are dissatisfied with the school – the food is insufficient, and there are too few teachers. Noela will transfer to a state school next year (she has good grades and wants to become a doctor). Daniel is supposed to transfer to the nearby Goodwill School, as Beatrice will be home more often and able to take better care of him.