The day my life was transformed

Fredy Godfrey Mtakata, 27, is now a man with a vision filled with enthusiasm for the future of his family. 

“I now run a business, and my family is sure of what tomorrow holds. My daughter is now happily going to school with all the necessary requirements without worrying,” Fredy says with a big smile on his face.

Fredy married Elipendo Makala, 24, in 2005 and they are blessed with one daughter Anjelina Fred Godfrey, 7, who’s also a Registered Child.

“I married early around the time I was turning 20 years old. I was so eager to be independent and start a family of my own even though I didn’t have a steady income,” Fredy reveals, adding that he had faith that it would all work out fine in the end.

According to Fredy, this never got easier but harder especially when his wife conceived their first born Anjelina. His wife confirms that they had stiff porridge ‘ugali’ everyday, despite the fact that the clinic urged her to eat more nutritious meals.

“I used to really feel sorry for my husband when we go to the clinic, and the nurses would blame him for not feeding me properly. He would just nod, with nothing to say. I knew and understood our condition, I knew he couldn’t afford but said nothing. I only assured him that I am okay,” Elipendo states sadly.

She says life was very difficult for them. They were not sure of meals and even after the baby was born, things didn’t improve. She also says that her husband started selling honey, and they would rent a piece of land for agriculture activities. 

“Around 2007, I had a second pregnancy where I lost the baby. The baby couldn’t survive because I didn’t eat well, I was very weak, and the nurses just said it was bad luck,” Elipendo says, “I continued praying, hoping God will open doors for us.”

Fredy says that he was desperate and during one of the normal day to day conversations with his friends in the village, someone mentioned World Vision and that they help people. Out of curiosity, he went to one of the World Vision offices that was a about a two kilometre walk from home.

“Have you ever blamed yourself for not knowing about something?” he asks, and adds that at first he didn’t believe the things they were saying. So to start with he was directed to join one of the groups in his community.

“That was the day my life was transformed,” he says. “I was trained and educated on how to do what I was currently doing - beekeeping, and I was also given a loan to help me boost my small business,” he states.

Fredy says his life has meaning now. He was provided with bee hives, a piece of land where he plants maize, onions, sunflower and chick peas. He now harvests up to 500 litres of honey, 20 bags of onions, 30 bags of chick peas, 40 bags of maize, and 20 bags of sunflower.

Fredy reveals that he gets up to Tshs 1,500,000 [US $1,000] from his harvest which he gets twice a year.

He appears happy and content sitting beside his family, stating how proud he is now due to the fact that he can afford to feed his family without the uncertainties they once had. 

Fredy has bought more land and more bee hives. He now has five dairy cattle, a cart to help carry water or products from their farms worth Tshs 800,000 [US $500], and has started building a house.

“I’m grateful for the good work that World Vision has done to our life and I’m also grateful for their work in our community. They are transforming our lives for better and giving us hope for a future we had didn’t even bother to think about,” Elipendo concludes.