It’s amazing how quickly life can get turned upside down. Ntakobajira Chasinga was a happy, young girl with seven siblings and a loving, hardworking mother who provided for their basic needs. Even though their father was a drunk who didn’t spend much time with them, their mother worked hard to feed them and pay their school fees. Life was good, until sadly, poverty took hold and quickly began spreading its darkness. Their mother got very sick, but the family didn’t have extra money to pay for the treatments she needed. The disease spread so rapidly that it took her life in a few short weeks. Understandably, the family was devastated. 

Without their mother taking the lead, everyone stepped up. The children stopped going to school because they could no longer afford the fees, instead working in the fields to try to make some money so they could at least have food. Their father soon realized that his children were now depending on him, so he began looking for a job. He found one in Keredi, the town near their village, and after working for a few months, he had enough money to rent a small room so he didn’t have to commute. He invited Ntakobajira and her younger sister to stay with him, but life there was very hard. They still couldn’t afford school fees, and they did not have enough food, so they often went to the neighbors’ house to eat or else went hungry. Even in the poverty-stricken slum community of Keredi, Ntakobajira’s family was pitied as one of the poorest there.


But in the midst of this darkness, a light was beginning to shine. Ntakobajira’s father heard about the ELI Academy and its care for orphans and vulnerable children. At the beginning of the enrollment process, an ELI social worker came to their home and confirmed their desperate state: three people living in one room with barely enough to eat was well under the normal standard. He helped admit the girls to the school, and then things really began to improve!

Ntakobajira realizes the blessings that have been bestowed on her all these years. Being registered among the poorest students, she and her sister have had their tuition covered. They also get two cups of porridge a day—and just this little bit made a vast improvement to their health! In fact, they were so excited about these meals that they made sure never to miss school. Also, she has been poured into spiritually. She is now a committed Christian who loves serving God.

The girls aren’t the only ones who received life-changing help from the ELI Academy. Their father was mentored, advised, and supported by the staff for many years. He quit drinking and became a responsible father. He got baptized and has been completely transformed! He recently got a job and invited the whole family to come live with him again so he could help care for them and be the father he always wanted to be. The family goes to church together every Sunday, and they are all on the path to becoming World Changers.

Ntakobajira is now 17 years old and will be graduating from high school this year. When asked about her experience at the ELI Academy, she said, "I keep asking myself, ‘Who is the person investing money to pay for us?’ I know God is using that person to help us, and I pray God’s blessing upon their life. Looking back on where I came from and seeing what God has done for me, I promised God, when the time comes, that I will also support someone. The same way an unknown person supported me; I will also do the same for others. Many people are out there suffering and need support. I have learned that you don’t need to know someone to help them."

Thanks to caring friends like you, Ntakobajira received so much more than just an education.  Because of the light that shone into her darkness, she is looking to change the world by helping others and being that light for them. What an incredible woman she is becoming! From a starving little girl with no hope to a strong follower of Jesus with a heart to support those in need. We can’t wait to receive more updates about Ntakobajira and hear about how she is shining a light for others in their need.