Moza Shadia is 17 years old. She is in her second year of Secondary School, called Senior 2 in Uganda, equivalent to the freshman year of high school in America. Shadia has had an adventurous and painful life, though she is still young. Her life spans three nations.
She was born in Tanzania, her father’s home. Her mother is Rwandan, and she now lives in Uganda. Though her mom is hard working, she is still only able to provide minimal care to her 5 children. Shadia often had to stay home for school years at a time due to lack of funds for school fees.
Though her family is poor and her education has been inconsistent, that is the least of Shadia’s worries. She could manage to make a way for herself if she had only that burden. But she has gone through far worse for someone so young. She has struggled through several years of sexual abuse, from the age of 8. As a result of the abuse, she has gone through two pregnancies that were miscarried, both very painful experiences.
Shadia managed to hold all of this in for many years, until she came to Calvary Chapel and felt safe enough to tell of her pain. As her story became known, it took some time for a solution to be found. A solution came, but just after she became pregnant for the second time. She was able to be removed from her parents’ home immediately. And every effort was made to care for her and the baby, but God had other plans for her life. He took the baby home to be with Him. Though the experience was traumatic and painful, Shadia was freed to put the past behind her and begin a new life pursuing her education and becoming part of a new family with Asifiwe Child Care.
Shadia still has a lot of healing ahead of her, but she is a courageous and ambitious girl. She dreams of becoming a lawyer and is eager to finish her education so she can in turn help her mother be comfortable and her younger sisters to pursue a future of their own.