MAMA GRACE, DEN MOTHER

Mama Grace (Lyimo) wears many hats for EdPowerment.  As our Country Director, she oversees the sponsorship program, acts as Director of Autism Connects Tanzania (ACT) our autism and special needs advocacy and support program; and supervises the Kilimahewa Educational Center on her family’s property outside of Moshi. 

Nowhere are the skills and heart of Mama Grace more evident than in our Tomorrow’s Scholar-Leader sponsorship program.  She literally makes sure every one of our 30+ students gets to school each semester with everything he or she needs.  As a health professional by education, she even notices skin and scalp issues and runs around to find appropriate medicines.  She takes emergency calls at ALL hours when there is any problem with a student, such as a death in the family or sickness.

Each semester, when U.S. staff meets with the students, they tell us everything is fine… then they pull over Mama Grace and start speaking softly in Swahili…. and pour out the latest turn of events in their family (usually a heart-breaker) or some added need such as a new pair of black shoes or a uniform piece that has been stolen at school.

When a student is unusually quiet or seems out of his or her normal personality, she coaxes them to share what’s going on.  She encourages, admonishes, cajoles, sympathizes – and always she listens.

Mama Grace makes EdPowerment’s long-term sponsorships the exceptional program that it is today.  Here’s what one student said (unsolicited and unedited):

            “… I like the way the teacher teaches us.  This is when Mama Grace wants to see us or teach us something.  She like to laugh with us and she also love all of us and she like to teach us some truth about teenagers and always tell us about life and how to live. And not only her but also others like Brother Tom (Tom Kway, our Operations Administrator), and those white women (that’s us!) who come to teach and stay with us all the time. Example, when Brother Tom teach us how to use computer, he love us that is why he taught us how to use computer.”

                                                                        -Mary W.