Lilian’s Story

Lilian just finished her last year of primary school as #1 in her class.  She was also the top scoring girl on national exams for her entire district last year. Her mother abandoned her and her father remarried to a woman that treated Lilian very badly and stopped allowing her to attend school.  An aunt took Lilian in but she became unable to pay school fees and the director of her primary school saw how smart Lilian is and allowed her to continue attending for free.  But now that Lilian has finished the primary school that was sponsoring her, she has no means of attending high school.

Lilian’s aunt is the mother of a girl named Dorcas who was sponsored by the organization where I was Director in 2013.  Mama Dorcas is one of those really kind women that despite having nothing, will take in more children and try to find them assistance.  So this year she called me trying to find help for Lilian.  At the time I didn’t realize why she called and asked to meet me.  I thought maybe she was bringing Dorcas to surprise me.  Instead, I felt duped that she brought a girl I’d never seen before to ask for help with her school fees.  But after about 1 minute of speaking with Lilian, I understood why Mama Dorcas felt it was so vital that Lilian continue her education.

Lilian is 14 years old.  She is spunky, smart, has perfect English, and wants to be the second female pilot in Tanzania – a great profession for breaking down gender barriers and encouraging equal rights for females.  She’s very passionate about this goal and she’s so incredibly bright that it’s clear she can reach her goal if given the opportunity. She’s already been accepted to one of the top schools in Tanzania. Now we just need to raise the funds to get her there. Also, if you happen to know any pilots who would be interested in sending an email to their network of pilot friends on behalf of Lilian, that would be wonderful!