Ombaja lost his father before he was born, and his mother when he was 2 years old. For many orphans in Tanzania, their future is bleak. But Ombaja was taken in by his uncle a few years later, who immediately took him to their local church to register him in Compassion’s program.
“My uncle came to the village and took me to live with him so that I could go to school,” says Ombaja.
Through his Compassion sponsorship, Ombaja received a gift of one cow and two goats. His uncle began working to expand their small animal herd, knowing the income could greatly benefit Ombaja. Each time the goats reproduced, he sold the offspring for another cow. After several years of good stewardship over the herd and gifts Ombaja received, they had 20 cows. At this point, Ombaja was ready to attend school, and his fees for a private primary school were completely covered through the sale of some of the cattle.
Motivated to succeed in a great learning environment, Ombaja excelled in his studies and became one of the top ten students at his school. He recently passed entrance exams for secondary school and now attends the Komu Secondary School where he lives.
“The gifts of cows have helped me a lot. I was able to pay off my school fees and also pay for my other school needs and transportation. I want to major in science because I like biology, chemistry, physics and mathematics. My dream is to be an engineer.” – Ombaja