“I am Cornelia Marko, and I would like to send my warm dedication to SBC and my sponsor for your blessed prayers and every great support upon me, and to say how sponsorship has blessed me since I started my journey of education. I have no means to pay this back, but may Almighty God bless you abundantly. Apart from my education, I received a great support of my talent because I am blessed with a supernatural voice, and I am using it to praise the Lord my God. My wish has always been to sing of God’s grace and how sweet it is to have.
In 2009, I started in pre-kindergarten at Mairowa Integrity School. I was so happy since I begged my parents to go to school. I studied hard, trying to be smart and responsible and a God-fearing student. In March 2013, I lost my father, and it was the saddest time in my life because my mother didn’t have a job to support our family. She started working at a farm and as a low-class tailor to feed my family. In 2017, I completed primary school with good grades, and I was happy that I didn’t let my mother and my sponsor down.
I was blessed to join secondary school through sponsorship, and there I studied much harder in order to make everyone proud of my efforts. In November 2021, I completed secondary school. Since I graduated, I have been an intern with the school accountant at Mairowa Integrity School and it is so helpful because I am getting orientation on how to work financially and also learning the meaning of the Bible. Soon I will go to business school to learn to be an accountant. I am super thankful for the blessed sponsorship I am getting.”
The Intern Program in Tanzania was launched in 2021 to give secondary student graduates who are at risk for early marriage, unwanted pregnancy, and FGM, the opportunity to thrive spiritually, emotionally, and physically. The program gives the young women the opportunity to work in the area of their career choice and receive supervision from a professional within the environment (e.g., teachers, doctors, tailors, counselors and accountants). The interns receive a small stipend weekly. They are all required to participate in a weekly support group to assess their work and learn to integrate God’s Word through sharing a devotional together. The support group is led by our staff in Mairowa or Arusha, the two locations where the Interns are working. Our staff also mentors the interns by actively monitoring their progress at their workstations, communicating with their families, and encouraging their daily walk.
In this video, Cornelia sings with two of our other students at their secondary school graduation ceremony last December. Some of the lyrics in English are: “Education is the light of life. Youth are the pillars of the nation. So let’s work hard my brethren. The nation depends on us. In order to bring about development. The nation depends on us. Getting disciplined leaders. The nation depends on us.”
Learn about other students who currently need sponsors here.
