Victoria M. 

Victoria and her family are our very first recipient’s of hope, and has some of the biggest needs of any of our current recipients. Victoria’s family is affected by addiction as a byproduct of generations of poverty.

Victoria’s family is made up of her husband and four children; one daughter and three sons. They live in a rural village on the side of Mount Kilimanjaro. Her husband is in a constant battle with sobriety and is a porter on Mount Kilimanjaro. Porters are some of the lowest paid people who climb Kilimanjaro with tourists multiple times per year. On average they make about $10 per day, which is not enough to provide for a family of 6. That wage is only earned if there is a group of tourists, so during the low tourist season, sometimes months go by with no work, leaving Victoria as the sole bread winner. Victoria cleans house for multiple families within her village, making a very small wage.

The house that they currently live in is not up to “livable” standards, but they make due with what they have. Their home is only two small rooms. All four children sleep in a twin size bed and only have one blanket to share. During the rainy seasons on Kilimanjaro, they are faced with flooding inside their home because of the poor conditions. The roof is blown up and down with the strong winds and they are rained on throughout the days and nights of that season. The currently have an outdoor kitchen where Victoria cooks all of the meals by fire. There is no plumbing at all within the home. You can watch the video below to see the actual living conditions.

If you are interested in sponsoring this family and helping us meet some of their needs, you can find those needs listed below and can contact us through the attached form.