2021 Graduates
17 year old Noela walks about 20 minutes to class each day from Migungani. Her father saw NLF and talked to our director, Mary, to learn that Noela could be a candidate for admission. Her favorite thing about tailoring is making all kinds of different clothing. Her parents raise chickens to support Noela and her four siblings. Someday she would like to have a tailoring business in her home.
Glory walks about 45 minutes to get to class each day. At 17 years old she is the middle child of three. She’s especially excited to learn the design end of the tailoring trade. Her favorite pastime is singing.
It takes an hour and a half for 14 year old Philipo to walk to class from his home in Shambarai. Being the second oldest of five children he had a lot of responsibilities helping his mother with their farming (maybe about an acre of land). When asked if he could make something for anyone in the world who would he sew for, he stated he would make a suit for a person serving God.
It’s an early morning for 18 year old Obed when he comes to class at NLF. He leaves home in Shambarai at 5:30am for the 8am class. He heard about our training school from 2019 graduate, Theresia. After completing his schooling he thinks he’d like to go to Arusha to use his skills.
When Isaka, 15 years old, was young he became very ill, to the point that he had to drop out of school. He was only able to finish Standard 4 (equivalent to 4th grade). He looks forward to being able to make clothes for the poor. He is the younger brother of Obed.
Neema, 19, is the second born of six children living with her parents. She walks each day from Shambarai which takes her an hour and a half each way. She would like to make a gown one day for her mom. Her favorite pastime is singing.
A neighbor of Next Life was in Florah‘s neighborhood and told her about our vocational training center. 14 year old Florah thought it was worth the two plus hour walk to join our “family”. She comes from a large family if 9 children. Her father went to work in the tanzanite mines but never returned home which is a difficult reality for her and her family. Florah enjoys singing in the church choir.
Sarah is 13 years old and walks over 2 hours from Makiba to get to class. She lives with a younger brother and sister and both parents. Her favorite food is rice. She enjoys cooking and claims she’ll make a meal for us! She’s looking forward to making a pink gown for herself.
Salome, 16, lives with her mother, Grandma and four siblings in Shambarai where they do some farming ( probably an acre or less). It’s an hour walk to NLF each morning. Her uncle in Shambarai heard about Next Life and Grandma made the connection so she could attend classes. In her spare time she enjoys working out.
Joyce, 15, lives next door to Next Life Foundation (our old site) with her great aunt. Both her parents and her siblings are deceased. She has loved watching all the activity going on at our site and is excited to be a part of it and learn tailoring. Her favorite food is rice and her favorite activity is sleeping.
Celina is a quiet, self assured 18 year old from Manyara. She’s been living with her sister in Mbuguni and her sister told her about Next Life. She loves to sing so she’ll probably be singing as she sews all kinds of men’s and women’s clothing.
If 20 year old Mary could make anything for anybody she’d make a dress for her bibi (grandma). That’s who she lives with along with her younger sister. Her mother and 3 other siblings are scattered around the country. She traveled to the coast to help her great aunt for a few months but did not like the hot, hot environment. She likes to listen to music and admits she dances a little.
Musa travels all the way from Mererani to learn tailoring. If he’s fortunate to scrounge together bus fare (1,000 tsh = $0.43 round trip) he doesn’t have to make the 4 hour walk each way for class. He is the second child of five in the family. His father does some farming (probably less than an acre) and his mother has a small business (maybe buying and selling fruits or vegetables in the market). He’s looking forward to making men’s and women’s clothing. After graduation he’d like to move out of the area.
23 year old Neema E grew up in Moshi and went to school through Form 4 (equivalent to 11th grade). She has not been able to find employment since 2014 when she finished school. She moved to Mbuguni with her grandma and is now looking forward to becoming a designer some day. In her free time she likes to work out, sing and read her Bible.
A gown for her younger cousin, Agape, is what Queen is aspiring to sew. She is the youngest of seven children and walks about 25 minutes to class from Kambi Ya Tanga. Our student, Nancy, is from the same village and told Queen about the tailoring program. She finished Standard 7 in school and her favorite subject was science.
If you stop in at 17 year old Fatuma‘s home in Mbuguni you’ll probably find her in the kitchen. She enjoys cooking and frequently practices her skill for her family. Her favorite food to eat is ugali, a traditional Tanzanian dish made from corn flour and water. Fatuma grew up in the Singida area with her mother but moved to Mbuguni to live with her dad and step mom after finishing Standard 7 (7th grade). She’s excited to learn how to sew clothing.
Gracie, 14, claims her parents are very old! She is the youngest of seven children and her older brother supports the family through farming (probably an acre or less). Her favorite activity is a type of tag that is played with a ball of socks. One person stands in the middle of the circle and tries to keep from being hit by the “ball”. She would like to make a suit for her father and a dress for her mother. Of all the students interviewed she was the only one to ask the interviewers a question when invited.
Amon, 14, is the oldest of four children. They all live in Shambarai with their parents who buy fruits and sell them at the market. He wakes up at 4am, has tea, then sets off for 8:00 classes at NLF. He has three younger brothers he would like to make suits for when he masters the tailoring skills.
15 year old Vanessa also walks an hour from Shambarai each morning. Her aunt who lives in Mbuguni told her about Next Life Foundation. She is the oldest of three children living with both parents. Her father drives a motorcycle taxi to support the family. She would like to make a green gown for her mother as her tailoring skills are honed.
Haroni is 15 years old and lives with his grandma in Shambarai. It takes him two to two and a half hours to walk to Next Life. He’s looking forward to the day he can make a dress and scarf for his grandma. He likes to eat ugali (a traditional Tanzanian dish made with corn flour and water), rice and beef but claims he’s not a good cook. He enjoys sweeping and cleaning up the environment.
Pastor Elia, who visits Next Life Foundation each week for devotions, was the one who told Prisca about our tailoring program. She is 17 years old, the second of five children and lost her father January 2020. It takes her an hour and a half to walk to class from Migungani. Her favorite household chores are washing dishes and laundry. If she could tailor anything for anybody, she would make a gown for Patti!
15 year old Editha is staying with her aunt in Mbuguni while attending Next Life’s tailoring program. She is from the village of Kwa Ugoro which is over an hour drive away but her aunt told her about our program and she was very interested. When she gets proficient at her skills as a seamstress she looks forward to making a gown for her mother. She enjoys the household chores of dish washing and laundry which will be a great benefit to her aunt and two cousins.
Zahara is the oldest of two children from Kambi Ya Tanga. It takes an hour to walk to class each day. She completed Standard 7 in school and her favorite subjects were English and Geography. In her free time she enjoys reading. Zahara is looking forward to learning how to sew a skirt.
2019 Graduates
Sarah has been anxious to learn tailoring for a long time. At 15 years old she has seen what the former NLF students have accomplished and she’s inspired to master the same skills. Sarah is the oldest of three children and lives at home with her mom and siblings. Her father passed away in 2017 and is dearly missed.
19 yr old Christina comes all the way from Moshi. She is living with her step sister in Shambarai so she can attend NLF. This means she walks over an hour each morning and afternoon to attend class. Christina was visiting a friend in Mbuguni when she walked past our site. She stopped in to inquire about attending tailoring school.
Glory is 14 years old and the youngest of 4 children. She is the only child living at home with her mother. Her father passed away and the other children are living with aunts and uncles because Glory’s mother couldn’t afford to care for all of them. When Glory is finished with tailoring school she would like to live in the capital, Dar Es Salam.
Passing by the NLF site one day, Mery, stopped in to talk to the director to ask if she would be able to join the next tailoring class. This 13 year old aspires to open her own tailoring shop when she completes her training. She is the youngest of 4 children and is often found doing chores at home. Her family has a small farm (less than an acre) and a few livestock.
Neema J lives in Kikuletwa with her uncle. She is 18 years old, has 4 brothers and 3 sisters who live in Singida with her parents. She came north to her uncle’s because life was very difficult in Singida. She was happy to discover Next Life Foundation. When she completes the tailoring course she wants to stay in the area to work so she can support her family back home.
Queen is 17 years old. Like almost all the other students at our vocational school, due to circumstances beyond her control, she could not continue school past 7th grade, or Standard 7. Her friends told her about Next Life Foundation. Her father passed away years ago so it’s just her mother and herself at home. Her mother has a very small business selling tomatoes.
15 year old Mariam went to Ngarenaro Primary School in Arusha. She lived with extended family while there. Her father passed away so her family could no longer afford schooling for her. Mariam had always wanted to be a Christian but with a Muslim father the reality of staying in the family as a Christian was not good. Now that her father is gone she can profess her love of Christ freely. Mariam was elected as class representative when in school. She shows good leadership skills.
17 year old Brenda J completed standard 7 (7th grade) at Miembeni Primary School. She lives at home with her younger brother and mother. Her mom supports the family by cooking at a small café. Brenda heard an announcement at her church that Next Life was taking applications for enrollment and came to inquire. She would like to become a designer one day and make a custom-made outfit for “Vanessa”, a famous singer in Tanzania.
16 year old Zamzam is the 2nd born in a family of three boys and 2 girls. They are all home with their parents doing farming. She knew some of the young ladies in the previous tailoring class and was impressed with their work. This inspired her to apply for the 2018-19 class. When asked who she would be most excited to make something special for she replied a “mzungu” (white person)!
Elizabeth would love to become a tailoring instructor. At 20 years old, she wasn’t doing anything at home so was excited to be accepted into the program at Next Life. She’s looking forward to learning how to make all kinds of different types of clothing.
Brenda E is 18 years old and went to Oldeves Primary School through Standard 7 (7th grade). She is the second born in a family of three girls and two boys. They all live at home in Shambarai and do farming. Brenda walks about an hour to, and from, home to Next Life each day.
14 year old, Maureen, lives with her mom, who has a small business, her father, who farms, two sisters and two brothers. She’s anxious to make a blue skirt in her tailoring class. Money was not available for school fees so Maureen was not able to attend secondary school after she finished Standard 7 (7th grade) at Mbuguni Primary School. Maureen’s favorite food is pilau. It’s rice cooked in stock with some vegetables added; somewhat similar to fried rice.
21 year old Mwajuma heard about Next Life from a neighbor of our site. Her grandfather, who she and her brother grew up with, came in the next day to check out the requirement for application. She would like to move to Arusha and open up her own tailoring shop.
Ivone is 16 years old and lives with her two sisters, one brother and grandparents about an hour walk from school. She has completed Standard 7 in the public school system. She is enjoying everything about tailoring. If she could make something special for anyone in the world she would make a skirt or dress for her mother, who lives and works in Arusha to provide for the family.
Theresia is from Shambarai but stays with family friends in Mbuguni while taking classes. This 17 year old randomly heard people talking about NLF so her father visited to inquire about our classes. Theresia lives with her four siblings and both parents who are livestock keepers, which means they probably own a cow or two and a few sheep or goats.
16 year old Editha is living with her Grandmother in Mbuguni while she attends tailoring classes at Next Life Foundation. Her mother and younger brother live in another village. Editha learned about NLF from an announcement at her church. Her favorite item to make, so far, has been school uniforms. Next Life tailoring students make uniforms for primary school students that are in danger of being expelled because they can’t afford the appropriate clothing.
2017 Graduates
Amina is 17 years old and lives at home with her mother, grandmother and brother. She completed public school through Standard 7, which would be approximately equivalent to 5th grade in the United States. Her mother works in the fields around the village to provide for the family. Amina would like to own her own business in Mbuguni when she completes Next Life Foundation tailoring school.
Irene is a 15 year old who lives with her parents, a younger brother and a younger sister. Irene’s parents are farmers and have some land of their own but there has been no rain in Mbuguni for over three years so they have been forced to work for others who have irrigation. Irene heard about Next Life Foundation through talk in the village. She loves to sew and would like to work for herself someday in the city.
Monica is 18 years old and attended public school through Standard 7. Her mother died in childbirth when her twin sisters were born. Her father is also deceased. She and her sisters live with their grandparents. Monica always wanted to study tailoring and dreams to be a skilled artisan who creates girls designs. She would like to learn computer skills to complement her tailoring.
19 year old Paulina completed Form 2 in school (approximately 7th grade). Her mother passed away and her step mother didn’t want her to continue her education. She would like to save up the money she earns from her self-employed tailoring business to go back to school. Paulina brings a spark of fun with her wherever she goes!
Jesca is 13 years old and finished Standard 7 before she found her way to the tailoring school. She doesn’t have any siblings and doesn’t know the whereabouts of her mother. She lives with her grandfather. Jesca always wanted to learn some sort of vocation but wasn’t sure what; then Next Life Foundation was born in Mbuguni. She enjoys sewing and also cooking. She could always be found helping with the noon meal while the guests from the US were visiting.
Dalvina is the 3rd child of six. She lives at home with all her siblings and her parents. Dalvina is 14 years old and finished Standard 7 in the public school system in Mbuguni. Her mother always promised her that she could go to a vocational training school to learn tailoring. Her favorite part as she lives out this dream is the instruction and learning. When her tailoring course is finished she’d like to take another course in English. Dalvina thinks she might like to be a tailoring instructor someday.
Salma is a 15 year old who completed class 8 in Kenya (equivalent to 9th grade in the US) but had to leave school due to financial struggles. There are seven in her family and it became too expensive for her family to pay for all the school fees for all the children. Salma loves tailoring and wants to open her own business in Mbuguni plus teach locals the trade in order to help others. She dreams to learn English so she can sell her goods in other countries.
Theresia is a middle child in a family of six children. She is 20 years old and went to public school through Form 4 (equivalent to 11th grade). She lives at home with her mother, father and siblings. English and computer are skills Theresia would like to learn so she could someday own her own business and also teach tailoring somewhere outside of Mbuguni.
Since Fatuma‘s parents are separated, she and her 3 younger siblings live with their grandfather in Mbuguni. She is 20 years old and the chosen “leader” of the tailoring girls. She completed school through Form 3 (10th grade) but had no funds to continue. Fatuma is just anxious to work. She would be happy to work for someone or be self employed. She just wants to get out of Mbuguni and work! She would like to learn some business skills to go along with her tailoring.
Neema is 18 years old and lives with her grandparents and her 5 year old son. Her parents are deceased and her son has not started school due to lack of money for school fees, shoes, books, uniform, etc. Before starting tailoring at Next Life Foundation, Neema had only seen people working at sewing machines but had never touched a machine. She loves making things and hopes to someday have her own business in Mbuguni.
14 year old Halima is the 3rd child of six children and lives at home with her mother, father and siblings. She completed Standard 7 in the public school system in Mbuguni. When she completes her training in tailoring she hopes to move to a large community and have the ability to make anything!
Hadija is 17 years old and lives at home with her mother, an older sister and an older brother. She always wanted to be a tailor. She would really like to learn more about design so she can develop her own style of clothing and produce it.
Halami is 17 years old and lives at home with her mother and 3 brothers. She finished Standard 7 school in Mbuguni. She would like to learn some computer skills so she can be a BIG designer some day and move to Paris, France!
Janeth is an 18 year old that has 4 brothers and 2 sisters and lives with her uncle. She attended school in Mbuguni and finished Standard 7. Before beginning her training at Next Life Foundation Jannette was working in the fields in the area. She would like to learn more about farming and computers. Someday she would be interested in being self employed somewhere other than Mbuguni.
16 year old Failuna went to public school through Standard 7 in the village of Msitumbogo. She lives at home with her mother and father. She has an older brother and two older sisters. She always wanted to go to a VoTech school to learn tailoring so was very happy when Next Life Foundation opened their doors in Mbuguni.
Husna is a 17 year old who is planning to find a job in tailoring when her training is complete, so she can save her money to open her own business in a community outside of Mbuguni. She would like to learn more about design so she’s able to create her own styles. Hussna lives at home with her parents and grew up with two brothers and two sisters. She completed Standard 7 schooling in Mbuguni.
Emima is a 20 year old living at home with her parents and five siblings. She attended Mbuguni Secondary School through Form 2 but missed the passing score by one point to continue to the next level. Her next goal was to learn tailoring. She would like to learn design to go along with the tailoring. After mastering these skills she’d like to learn Hotel Management. Her dream would be to do custom design tailoring in a hotel setting.
Elizabeth is a 28 year old mother of two. She lives with her husband, Jackson, and her 5 yr old and 1 yr old daughters. They tragically lost a child a few years ago in a drowning accident. Her husband had been doing casual work in the area to support the family but with the 3 year drought he was finding it harder and harder to find work. He is now staying home with the children while Elizabeth learns the skill of tailoring. Their 5 yr old daughter is not attending school due to the fees, etc. Owning her own business is a dream that Elizabeth is striving for. She looks forward to supporting her family.
25 year old Veronica is a wife and mother of one son. Before starting training at Next Life Foundation she was a stay at home mom but she wants to help support her family financially. She would like to learn more about design so she can come up with her own styles of clothes. With a Standard 7 education Veronica has big dreams to move away from the village of Mbuguni and own her own business.
Ester was born in a village called Msitu wa mbogo (Hippos forest), which borders the village of Mbuguni. She finished standard seven at Msitu wa mbogo primary school and she passed her standard seven examinations. The Government assigned her to a government secondary school but Esther was forced to leave school at form two (9th grade) due to her heart problems. When her schooling ended, her hope of a better life disappeared until she heard of NLF. She dreams of opening her own tailoring store in Arusha and supporting herself and her family.
Next Life Foundation 