John Medo Shares His Story

John Medo was the very first student supported by The School Fund.  While he awaits his A-Level exam results that will determine if he may attend University, John is interning for TSF in Iringa and assisting TSF advisor, Fuad Abri.  John wrote up a short bio below including his first interactions with TSF and TSF’s founder, Matt Severson.  In the coming weeks, John will be conducting interviews with a few other The School Fund students supported in Iringa. Stay tuned!

John Medo and Matt Severson in Karatu, Tanzania; Summer 2013.

My name is John Medo. I was born in 1993 and am now 21 years old. I live with my mom and my father, I have two brothers, and two sisters.  My father is a carpenter and my mom is a small agricultural farmer.

During my whole life, I have been living with my family and life has not been that simple and easy. When I went to primary [school], my mom had to sell some dry vegetables and get some money to pay for our primary fees. My brother and [my elder] sister did not go for further studies but my younger siblings are now in secondary [school].  They are [both] in form two. This is because my sister failed the exams so she has to re-sit.

My father is not employed therefore he is just getting a little money and due to the hardness of life, he became an alcohol user, so life became very difficult for all of us and I thought I could not go to secondary [school].

I was very tired of life. This was because father could come home late and drunk and then from there he [would] start disturbing [us] and spend some time fighting with my mother and he destroying things.  This was all because of alcohol. Alcohol made our life hard.

In 2007, I met Matt and he became my friend. I did my standard seven exams and I passed, [allowing me to continue] on to secondary school.  Matt promised me he [would pay for me to go to] school through a letter which he wrote, but the money was needed at school right away, so my mother had to sell her cow and I went to form one. God is great, Matt came and he paid the form two fees up to date.

But still home life is not that easy though my dad has changed, he no longer drinks alcohol, and he loves his family and wife.  It’s only that he does not have a permanent job. My mom is very wise she keeps on drying vegetables and sells [them] during national festivals and she gets some money to [support] the family though she is not getting enough but some where it helps. So they all collect a little money to [support] the family and the same money they get from their small work is [what allows] my younger sister and brother [to attend school].

I believe that my career was almost endangered by the fight [between] my father and mother. I love them and I couldn’t let them fight. I would think ‘when will this end,’ but now things are ok and there is no more fighting.  The fighting was [caused] because my parents have no education aside from a primary education.  Otherwise, our life would have been very good.  That is life in Africa. Most families have no education and they end up not taking care of their family.

I love my family and I would like that one-day I help them to forget their past and enjoy the good life. I can only achieve this by having the key of life and that is education.

My mom and dad now think positively. They think, if they get enough capital, they will start a business and that business will be for my younger siblings’ fees and the basic needs of the family.  They are Christians and they believe in God and that one day their time will come but now they will keep on collecting a little money.

My brother works with an organization that deals with street children, so he also gets something from there and he saves for himself and he gives our mom something for my sister.  [My sister] is just at home but she thinks about applying for jobs in the hotels where she will be get a little money for her and her daughter.  I told [my younger siblings] to study and invest their time in books even if the fees are not paid.  Let them at least concentrate.  At the end, we will all change our lives and our family and one day we shall live a wonderful life.

For me, I believe in education. Many bad situations for my family have affected my education in one-way or the other, but I am still happy that am getting an education and I love it. I wish to become a President. I pray to God that my dreams come true. This is because I love to help individual people and the world at large.

The School Fund has been my savior. I love it and I will always work with it and I will be helping it where necessary because it has a vision and it has seen the tears of very many.  I can say The School Fund, for me, is like a gift of life from God directly because it has changed my life from nothing to something. It has helped me with so many more things than my education.  Because of it, I now know many places and many people.

My aim is [to help] all students [access] their right to education and I will support TSF because its make sure it do whatever it can to help the upcoming generation [especially those] who are failing to afford [their school fees].  What I can say is that I love The School Fund and the people who run it.  Thanks given to Matt and his family who met me.  Together we have agreed to change the world and to have an educated generation.

I am glad that I now am waiting for my Form Six results.  Later on, if all goes well, I will be joining a university for further study, but meanwhile I don’t have any challenges aside from [encouraging] other kids, who are supported by TSF, to journal and communicate with their donors.

My heart beats for The School Fund.

Love, excellence, and peace,

John Medo

Snapshot #1:Gaining an Education without Losing your Family

Spending time this summer with our students in the East African countries of Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania, we want to share with you a glimpse into their daily lives.

Snapshot #1: Gaining an Education without Losing Your Family

by Suzanne Skees

Students from developing countries all over the world face a similar dilemma–their worldview expands, yet they wish to remain connected to their family and home.

John Medo: Our first student

18-year-old John Medo has blazed a few trails. The first student ever to be awarded a scholarship by The School Fund, he studied hard for 4 years to become the first TSF graduate. He’s also the first in family to attend secondary school; and John’s ambitions and accomplishments have impacted everyone around him as they, too, struggle to build a better life.

Living together in a mud hut in the hills overlooking Karatu–a town of 17,000 en route to Tanzania’s popular safari parks of Serengeti and Ngorongoro–the Medo family have seen a lot of changes in John’s lifetime. As their family grew to five children they expanded their hut from one 8×15′ room, adding a second small bedroom and a fire-pit kitchen. John’s parents, Medo and Christina, completed primary school, married in their early 20s, and (in the tradition of the local Iraqw tribe) moved onto the land left by his parents. It wasn’t much to begin with, and during tough times they’ve had to sell off small parcels, until only 1/2 acre remains. Dad, a woodworker and builder, laid the foundation next door for a solid brick 3-room house. They build it pole pole, slowly slowly, as they can scrape up the shillings needed for materials. So far, it has walls but no roof.

Matt Severson with the Medo's

The family felt enormous pride when John passed his national exams, earned a scholarship, and maintained good grades and attendance to complete high school, something neither of his 2 older siblings could do. Brother Huruma, 23, kicks himself now for not working harder in school. He failed his exams, and that gave him access only to expensive private high school–he got halfway through and quit. “Now I am too old to go to school,” he sighs. “My life is not good because I didn’t study.” Huruma does outreach work for the 16-resident Mwema Street Children Center and rents a room from his auntie in town. He dreams of building a 2-room hut on his parents’ parcel and landing a well-paying job in tourism. Sister Eliamani, 21, also failed her entrance exams for high school. She stays home and does chores for her parents. 1 1/2 years ago, Eliamani gave birth to a daughter Sarah, a bright child on whom the whole family dotes. John has never met the baby’s father, and he wonders if Eliamani will ever get a job or home of her own.