Witness

My name is Witness, and my friends call me Witney. I live alone in Dodoma, Tanzania. I was born in the Singida region and am the third child in my family. My mother and father are both peasants. They raised us with good morals and values and taught us about God. My education has had ups and downs because of my poor economic situation. I managed to study primary and secondary education, but my living conditions got worse in college, as well as my economic situation, and I could no longer pay the fees to continue my studies. After this, I decided to stay in Dodoma and continue serving at my church. I also worked manual jobs to support myself. I believed that one day my dreams of finishing my university studies would come true.

I met Jesus through my mother and father when I was young. They helped me grow spiritually. My mother is a person of great faith. I attended church from a young age too. My father was an elder in the church and my mother was a senior deaconess and I am the secretary of the youth in the church. I became involved in Young Life through a friend. I went to club and camp and heard about Jesus in a very different way. I grew in my faith through Young Life and became a volunteer leader.

As a recipient of the Developing Global Leaders scholarship, I am studying community development at the Institute of Rural Development and Planning in Dodoma, Tanzania. With my degree, I want to help my community and young people within it. I also want to continue being a Young Life leader and for Jesus to use me to do His work. I will be the first person in my family to graduate from university.