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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 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.

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 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 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 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 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, 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.

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 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 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 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 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.

Jasmin was brought to Sonshine in March 2011 with six other children. She is related to Maggie through her father. Although her father and mother are alive, they separated and Jasmin went with the mother. The lifestyles of the parents would have led to a short, very difficult life for Jasmin. Due to the risks of life, a social worker was able to bring Jasmin to the original matron of Sonshine. After a few years, Jasmin was able to open up and blossom. She is tremendously talented and very smart. She actively leads worship, interprets, and is preparing to earn a degree in Accounting and Finance to make the world a better place.

Happy joined her twin sister Antonia on March 1, 2011 as part of a group of seven first children to come to Sonshine. She, her sister, and a small group of street children came running to a church outreach event when they heard the excitement of the gathering. Sonshine founders Ray and Melody Schumacher were in attendance and immediately noticed Happy and the others kids. The Schumachers were able to make careful arrangements to have the small group of children become the first members of the Sonshine family. Happy is off to college to earn her Social Worker credentials so she can help orphaned children.

Ikram was welcomed into Sonshine in Feb 2025. He was born into a family that faced numerous challenges. Sadly, his father abandoned him while his mother was still pregnant with him. Each of his other two, older siblings have different fathers, and they were all living in a very abusive environment. When a social worker discovered the children being abused by their relatives, the children were moved to safer locations. However, the relatives who fled upon being discovered eventually returned, posing a continuing threat to Ikram. The safest place for Ikram is Sonshine where he is now receiving great care and love. The support of sponsors makes the healing journey easier and complete.

Ruth arrived at Sonsine in March 2025 with an older sister, a younger brother, and an older brother. Their daily life was a battle with extreme poverty. Her family lived on a small piece of land on very slopped and hilly terrain. Farming or growing food was not possible. For survival, the father often had to take on dangerous, unreliable work. Ruth and her sister slept in one bed with the mother, and the brothers slept with the father in a separate bed. Their financial condition kept the youngest children out of school. Sonshine was called in to rescue the siblings from a dangerous environment.

Exaud arrived at Sonshine with his older sister and younger brother in January 2012. The three siblings had gone through shocking hardship when their parents tragically died days apart. The tragedy as told by a village elder was that the absentee father discovered the mother’s hidden HIV/Aids medicine one night when he came home drunk. A very big fight ensued, and the father stormed out of the house. The next day, it was discovered that the father had taken his life, and the mother collapsed and died when learning this news. At the parents' burials, tremendous conflict arose between both sides of the family. The children suffered terribly. Through incredible intervention, the Festo siblings were brought into Sonshine.

Japhet came to Sonshine in January 2017 with his older sisters Mary and Rose. Living in a rough mining town was very difficult. Their father died from Tuberculosis and their mother entered a lifestyle of prostitution for survival. The children’s neglect brought unthinkable abuse. An aunt was contacted in a different location, and the children were pulled out of the mining town. The aunt lived in a very run-down house with 3 of her own children. While the aunt was out working all day, the unprotected children were tragically further abused. This led to hospitalization and God's miracle intervention through Sonshine. Today, Japhet is well and growing strong in faith, trust, and wisdom. The Julius siblings show the glory and goodness of God every day.

Joshua, respectfully referred to a “Big Joshua”, came to Sonshine with the original group in March 2011. He has a similar, threatening life story. After the death of his father, his mother was remarried to her husband’s brother, per cultural tradition. The uncle gained power at the funeral and took all the property and a large herd of cattle from Joshua’s father. Joshua was subjected to herding cattle at the age of 5 by an unkind uncle. Joshua’s abandonment brought him to a church outreach campaign and into Sonshine. Joshua is a remarkable young man with an entrepreneurial spirit to someday be a founder and contributor to children's homes. He is currently completing his first year of advanced studies to work in radiology.

The testimony of Diana coming to Sonshine in April 2013 is unique. Sonshine was introduced to the mother when Sonshine visited a government office to arrange for electrical power lines to be installed to the Sonshine property. The mother was very sick and was begging for the government to help pay for school fees. The kids were in very bad shape. Sonshine worked with the government official to take Diana into Sonshine if the official would help the mother and would help provide electricity to Sonshine. The wise and creative solution worked. Diana came to Sonshine, and the ministry worked with the mother to help her regain health. She now lives in a safer, healthier house, grows sweet potatoes, and sells them at the market. God's light shines bright in Diana.

Junior joined Sonshine July 2013. The lifestyle of his mother brought siblings to Junior in rapid succession from different fathers. His mother eventually dumped Junior and his siblings on her father’s home and walked away. A local pastor who knew Ray Schumacher told Ray about the abandoned children. At that time, Sonshine was only able to help one child. So, Junior being the oldest was picked. The growth and stability of Junior has been amazing. Being at Sonshine has helped him when encountering the challenging behavior of his mother who had returned an alcoholic. Junior is doing good academically, and he is tremendously gifted in music.

Thomas and his older brother Peter came to Sonshine in March 2021. Disability and illness were a big challenge for their parents. From this unfortunate environment came significant malnutrition and poor health. It became so concerning that social services and police got involved. Sonshine received an urgent request for help. A caring team from the ministry met with the father to help him understand the best options for the survival of his sons. With assurance, the father agreed to have Sonshine care for the brothers. Thomas and his brother are a blessing to the Sonshine family. The opportunity for an amazing future is exciting through the support of kind-hearted sponsors.