Thank You Sponsors!


The Sonshine family members on this page are fully sponsored. Thank you for your love and kindness. They have combined to help cover all critical, monthly and annual expenses for full-person, home care and high-quality schooling.  


Your support and prayers continue to transform lives in amazing ways. 

Fully Sponsored Children

Andrew Luka

Gender: Young Man

Date of Birth: February 27, 2006

Location: Kikatiti, Arumeru

Andrew came to Sonshine in November 2013.  His father died from HIV when Andrew was 5 years old. Sadly, his mother tested HIV positive. This stigma led the mother to be expelled from their village. She pleaded for work but the only job she was able to get was cooking food at a big marketplace. This kept Andrew out of school because he had to serve customers. A government worker noticed his absence from school and intervened. Sonshine was able to step in and help. Andrew is a gifted, kind, and intelligent young man excelling in school. His plan is to become a doctor for God to bring healing and care to others. 

Daniel Kaaya

Gender: Boy

Date of Birth: August 1, 2007

Location: Ngyeku, Arumeru

Daniel and his sister Neema came to Sonshine in June 2013. When their father passed away, the mother became extremely depressed after the father’s family took away most of their land. This depression affected the mother’s mental health, and the children suffered greatly. They were not going to school, and abuse became a regular occurrence without the mother’s knowledge. A church reached out to Sonshine for help. Daniel and Neema have grown tremendously at Sonshine. He is a protective big brother who walks with quiet and humble determination. It is a blessing to have Daniel at Sonshine. 

Mariam Mpemba

Gender: Girl

Date of Birth: December 13, 2015  

Location: Kikatiti, Arumeru 

In April 2021, Mariam was brought to Sonshine with her younger brother Alfred. Their mother was hit by a vehicle and died. The children went to live with a grandmother who was unable to work due to a twisted leg. Another organization was able to help the grandmother acquire a two-bedroom home. However, the grandmother needed to beg for food in the streets to survive. Through a referral by a worker who knew about Sonshine, Mariam and her brother were rescued from a dangerous situation. Mariam is a beautiful child of God filled with kindness and gratitude. It is exciting to see where Mariam's future will grow.

Junior Swai

Gender: Boy

Date of Birth: April 3, 2016

Location: Leki Tatu, Usa River

Junior is the youngest of 3 Swai brothers that came to Sonshine in March 2018. They were barely surviving on the streets of Usa-River. Their father was challenged with severe alcoholism as well as mental illness. A village elder reached out to Social Servies who in turn contacted Sonshine. They met with the father to caringly share the importance of how Sonshine and the ministry can fully care for his sons. In agreement, the father desired that his sons could be freed from the risks of his lifestyle and choices. The joy and happiness that Junior shares are infectious. Supporting transitions from death to life is what Sonshine is all about. 

Mary Julius

Gender: Girl

Date of Birth: May 5, 2010

Location: Ngongongare, Usariver 

Mary and her sister Rose entered Sonshine in January 2017. They were pulled out of a corrupt mining town after their father succumbed to Tuberculosis. After the father’s death, the mother put herself into prostitution to survive. The neglect of the children led to unimaginable abuse. The children were able to be relocated to an aunt after she was located. The aunt lived in a shack of a house as a single mom with 3 children of her own. Tragically, while the aunt was out working, the unprotected children faced further abuse which led to emergency hospitalization. Mircale intervention has brought restoration and hope.

Neema Kaaya

Gender: Girl

Date of Birth: October 1, 2009  

Location: Ngyeku, Arumeru 

Neema arrived in June 2013 with her older brother Daniel. Their mother became extremely depressed after the father passed away and his family took away almost all their land. The children suffered greatly as the mother’s mental health worsened due to depression. School attendance was not possible, and abuse became a regular occurrence. Sadly, the mother was incapacitated. Thankfully, a church contacted Sonshine and asked for urgent help. Sonshine was able to rescue the children from the tormenting and abusive situation. Now Neema and Daniel are growing strong and flourishing.

Maggie Chiweza

Gender: Girl

Date of Birth: December 20, 2006

Location: Themi, Arusha

Maggie is one of the founding members of the Magnificent Seven, Sonshine’s term for the first children to arrive at Sonshine in March 2011. She is related to Jasmin through family connections. Maggie’s father died when Maggie was young, and her mom became very ill. Her father was originally from Zambia and escaped to Arusha, staying in a slum-like refugee camp due to a war in Zambia. The way of life where they lived was dangerous. So, as street children, they found comfort and security in a church crusade and caught the attention of the founders Ray and Melody Schumacher. 

Grecious Kaaya

Gender: Girl

Date of Birth: November 11, 2017

Location: Ngyeku, Arumeru

Grecious, the youngest of 3 sisters, was welcomed into Sonshine January 2025. Opportunities for health, safety, and a hopeful future were quickly diminished when her mother abandoned them after their father was incapacitated by a tragic, traffic accident. Grecious, the youngest, had gone to live with an aunt while her 2 sisters stayed at the property to help their grandmother care for their invalid father. Sonshine was contacted for urgent help. Sonshine arranged for help for the father and grandmother and brought Grecious and her sisters into Sonshine's love and care.

Holness Julius

Gender: Girl

Date of Birth: ~2016

Location: Kikatiti, Arumeru

Holiness came to Sonshine in Feb 2025 with her younger brother. Their mother suffered a terrible accident at a factory. She thought it was a minor injury and stayed home rather than seeking medical attention. Her condition worsened, leading to paralysis in one leg due and a severe spinal cord injury. The damage was irreversible. Then, the father lost his job and then abandoned the family when he learned the mother was pregnant. Her own mother passed away when she was young, and she never attended school. Holiness and Inocent are now in full Sonshine love.

Jayson Mosha

Gender: Boy

Date of Birth: ~2021/22

Location: Leguruki, Arumeru

Jayson was welcomed into the ministry in March 2025 with his 4 siblings. Sonshine had been called into an urgent rescue mission. The children’s disabled mother had abandoned the children after leaving them at the grandmother’s small, one-bedroom home. The grandmother had been struggling to provide for the kids because of her own declining financial condition. A special-needs, 4-year-old cousin required the grandmother’s full-time attention. The grandfather had passed away and the family had no income. Jayson and his 3 brothers shared one small bed, and his sister slept in another bed with the grandmother.

Samweli Akyoo

Gender: Boy

Date of Birth: July 11, 2019

Location: Kikatiti, Arumeru

Samweli was welcomed into Sonshine in April 2024. He was living in unsafe and unhygienic conditions in a local village with his mother after she separated from her second husband due to relatives’ accusations. A caring neighbor contacted the local government who, in turn, called Sonshine to rescue the child from the dangerous environment. Samweli has faced challenging circumstances since birth. His father remains unknown, and his mother has lost all contact with his relatives. The neglect of Samweli has ended, and the provision of adequate food, clothing, healthcare, and Sonshine Love has begun. 

Estomii Nnko

Gender: Boy

Date of Birth: April 7, 2013

Location: Leguruki, Arumeru

Estomii with his younger brother and older brother came to Sonshine in March 2025. They were rescued from a dangerous and dire living situation through the outreach of a social worker. The pictures of the poverty in their area are overwhelming. Their father’s birth defect kept him from stable employment. Also, the care needs of the brother’s 7-month-old sister kept the mother away from income. The children were unable to attend school due to the abject poverty. A very careful and thoughtful decision was made together as a community. Sonshine would take in the boys while also working to help the family make it.

Ebenezer Festo

Gender: Boy

Date of Birth: December 20, 2014

Location: Majengo, Kia

Ebenezer is the youngest sibling of three that came to Sonshine in January 2017. They had gone through terrible hardship from the death of both parents days apart. Their inattentive father came home drunk one night and discovered medicine hidden by the mother. He learned that it was HIV/Aids medicine, and he confronted the mother. A huge fight broke out and the father angrily departed the home. The next day the mother learned that the father had killed himself. With this news, she collapsed and died. Further conflict and hostility occurred at the parents’ burials with each side of the family blaming the other side. This was further devastating for the kids. They were brought to Sonshine with great care and are recovering in the love of God.