Happy Birthday, Gwandumi!

In Tanzania, a birthday party is still a rare treat. Many of the pupils at Arise School are from families who would never be able to afford to celebrate their child’s birthday. Some, like Gwandumi, are more fortunate but what is so special is that he shared his birthday treats with his school friends at Arise. Rumishael, one of the school’s local volunteers, sent us this piece:

“Can we pinch him to grow an inch? Happy Birthday, Gwandumi. You just made it to 5! More years of blessings and success ahead of you.
Everyday has its own special start filled with amazing memories to be captured, and today was one of those days for some of our preschool students as they gathered together during break time with their friends and teachers to celebrate what some of us might call a little birthday party, but to these little ones felt deeply in their hearts.

All our preschool students, starting from ABC Class to Pre unit Class, joined together in one of their classrooms to wish ‘Gwandumi’ a happy 5th Birthday. Sat in front of the class, accompanied by his friends Jovian (on the left) and Briton (on the right) with his little birthday hat on, they all joined their sweet voices and sang him a ‘Happy Birthday’ song as he blew the candle shining on top of his birthday cake and made the wish.

To children, there is never a party without a cake or sweets, so the party planners made sure that all were available and accessible to each child. Parents have been so keen in remembering and treasuring these moments for their children by ensuring that they prepare a little surprise for them. Everyone got a bite of the cake, juice and sweets. What can we say, children love their parties and we enjoy seeing them making the fun of it.

It delights us to see children celebrating such occasions and we have committed ourselves to ensuring that our students are in an environment where they can create and capture memories whether it’s in a social occasion such as this one or in their studies. Despite all the struggles they might pass through we believe that a one day smile can change things for a year and this is what we are called to do.   

Gwandumi just made it to 5 with a smiling face and we believe many more will do the same. So why not join us in wishing Gwandumi a Happy Birthday!”