Mary in the village 2007Mary on graduation day in Dar es Salaam, TanzaniaIt was December 3^rd, 2025 and I was sitting in an auditorium on the campus of Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. As we waited for the ceremony to begin, my mind drifted back to a scene etched in my memory from eighteen years ago.

I recalled the hollow look on the little girl's face as she stood in front of her mud brick house in a quiet east African village. Her brown eyes looked both hungry and scared. Yet, somehow, I detected a bit of curiosity mixed with a flicker of hope in those young eyes.

Her name was Mary and she was seven years old. Both of her parents were dead, and she and her older sister lived with their sick grandmother, who some days could not get out of bed to find them food or make sure they went to school. On occasion, the girls had to steal food just to survive and help grandma live to see another day.

On that particular day, Mary would willingly choose to come and live at the newly opened Treasures of Africa Children’s Home, in the town of Moshi, Tanzania. And it would change her life forever.

Flashing back to the present, I knew what I was witnessing this day in a University auditorium was nothing short of a miracle. That little girl from the village, now a young adult, was standing on a University stage, receiving an award for being a top student in the Master's Degree program for Microbiology and Immunology. That early hunger had turned to fierce determination. Combined with a deep faith that God could do the impossible in her life and an incredible work ethic, Mary had achieved a level of education that statistics declared was highly improbable for an orphan in Tanzania.

Muhimbili University Award CeremonyThe joy that surged through me as I watched her walk across the stage to receive that award brought tears to my eyes. God had indeed done a miracle for her.

I could not help but think of all the people who contributed over the past eighteen years to supply the funds needed to house, feed, clothe, care for and educate that one little girl from the village. Now she is applying for positions as a lecturer/researcher in universities across Tanzania with high recommendations from her professors. Her goal is to continue on to attain a PhD after working a few years in immunological research and teaching.

Two things became evident to me that day. First, Mary's life has been radically transformed by consistent generosity and the prayers of so many people for so many years. And secondly, the dream we have held on to that the Treasures of Africa KIDZ would one day become leaders in their nation in every field – is becoming reality.

Thank you for being a part of Mary’s story and the stories still being written about our other TOA KIDZ, who are currently students in Primary and Secondary Schools, Vocational Training Programs and Colleges and Universities.

If you would like to help these students continue in school – please consider donating to our TOA KIDZ Education Fund. YOUR GENEROSITY WILL TRANSFORM A LIFE – JUST LIKE MARY’S!

All gifts to Hidden with Christ Ministries are Tax-deductible under the law including those designated for our Treasures of Africa KIDZ Project - Education Fund.

KIDZ Education Fund: Click to Donate