Rajab

My name is Rajab and I'm from Zanzibar, from the village of Bungi. In our community, the Muslim faith is central to our culture. I come from a large family, as my father had multiple wives, and I have seven siblings. In 2020, my father passed away due to a paralytic disease he had been suffering from for five years. After his death, some of my father's relatives rejected me because of my Christian beliefs, claiming that they did not have a Christian relative. In Zanzibar, there can be a stigma in some families and communities due to concerns about protecting their reputation. Fortunately, not all of my family has rejected me. As a child, I dreamed of being a great Tanzanian soccer player, but a broken leg and a lengthy recovery ended that goal. A bit later, I was offered a position in the army – something else I thought I wanted but was unable to raise the money to join. Unbeknownst to me, the Lord was closing some doors to open others. I began to hear my brother enthusiastically recall and invite me into wonderful moments at a thing called Young Life club. Soon after he invited me, I was blessed to attend a camp where I accepted the gift of a relationship with Jesus. My life has never been the same. A goal I have set my sites on is achieving a college degree. I would be the first to do so in my family and it would mean a great deal to me. As a part of the Developing Global Leaders program, I will attend Zanzibar Alliance and earn a degree in tourism and hospitality. My prayer is that I would support my family, help my community, and feel respected in society.