The Hive Mamas and Shaban

The Hive Mama’s in Tanzania have countless heartwarming stories to tell. The most recent story is of a young boy called Shaban. The Hive Mama’s show why their group is also know as “Mother’s Love”

Partnership Manager for Tanzania, Rachel Monger, shares this story:

There was a certain old woman who came to the Upendo wa Mama women’s group last week as they were making batik at their workshop in Mwanza. She has a grandson, Shaban, (age 7) who was born with albinism and abandoned by his mother. The father had also rejected the baby and the mother left him with his grandmother. No one knows where the mother or father are now.

The grandmother lives on Kome Island, where the stigma is far worse than in the city of Mwanza; she wanted to send Shaban to the government school but teachers and students were segregating him. She heard about Mitindo school in Mwanza, for children with albinism but she didn’t have even shoes for Shaban, no school uniform or anything which could support him to start school.

Through her sister in Mwanza, she heard about the women of “Mother’s Love” and she came to find them at their workshop and told them her story and how she is in need for her grandson.

The mamas pledged that they would do what they could to help and asked her to return after one week. One week later they received their Mama Hive salaries.

The Hive Mamas used their salaries to purchase almost everything that was needed: School trousers, socks, bar soaps, exercise book, blanket, suitcase to keep all his things at school, underwear, bucket and basin, toothpaste and toothbrush, mosquito net, and shoes … and 25,000 TZS (£8). Shaban came with his grandma to the workshop and received all these items which he has taken to start at his new school.