Impacting Lives: Meet Sebwatto Daniel

Sebwatto Daniel

“I know God has my family at heart,” says Sebwatto Daniel, but it wasn’t always this way. Sent away from their home by his father when their land was sold, 13 year-old Daniel, his six siblings, and his mom didn’t know where to turn. Then they learned of a commercial farm that hired day laborers, so she brought her family to the area HEED serves. With no relatives in the area to host them, a kind stranger allowed the family to make a temporary shelter out of sticks and tarps on his land.

Daniel and his mom began working on the commercial farm earning about $2/day each. For two years, they worked long days and ate just one meal of porridge daily so they could share the food given to the farm workers with the children back home. Then Daniel learned of the HEED Scholarship Program that helps struggling families provide education for their children.

Daniel and his younger brother were welcomed into the program, and he resumed school in the 6th grade at 15 years old. As part of the scholarship program, he “gave back” by working on the HEED vocational farm where he learned animal rearing skills. Daniel would run to the commercial farm after school to work alongside his mother and earn a little money to help the family. He also saved a little each day until he had $14 which was enough to buy a piglet. He had observed the care and multiplication of the animals on the HEED farm and put that knowledge to use with his piglet. Daniel sold that piglet for $125 when mature. His mother had also learned to save through interactions with HEED, so she added her funds to his, and together they purchased a calf.

Daniel and his family now own a small plot of land, have made and sold bricks to build a house half-way, and he has trained his siblings in animal keeping. Recently he purchased chicks for fattening to sell at Christmastime to purchase clothes for his family. We are proud of Daniel and the “hand-up” that the vocational farm and Scholarship Program provides for children like him. Daniel’s dream is to graduate from high school and become an agriculturist with animals and a coffee plantation.

Daniel’s family & their partially built home

Daniel and his cow