Leah’s Story

July 2024

Is she still alive?  

This was the question Leah’s mother asked when the Social Welfare Officer called her from Dar es Salaam during the family finding process. She had assumed her 16 year old daughter had died because she had been missing for more than eight months and the family had not heard anything from her despite their efforts to find her.

Like many young people living in rural communities, Leah had hopes of someday finding a good job in Dar es Salaam, the country’s largest city. Even though Leah’s family was economically stable, she was pressured by her friends to go with them to find a job in the big city. Knowing her parents wouldn’t want her to leave, she ran away without explanation.

After making the 745 mile journey to Dar es Salaam, Leah was hired as a housemaid in the home of an unknown person. Unlike other sectors, in Tanzania, domestic employment is not well regulated. Eight months after being hired, Leah had still not been paid. Furthermore, she was forbidden to leave the compound where she worked. One day Leah’s employer took her to hospital for a “health check-up.” After telling Leah to wait for her on a bench at the hospital, her employer never returned. Eventually, one of the pharmacy staff at the hospital contacted the Social Welfare Department for Leah’s rescue.

Leah’s Rescue

Because of GCA’s ongoing partnership with the Social Welfare Department in the region, instead of an orphanage, Leah was placed in a trained foster family while efforts began to locate Leah’s employer. These efforts were in vain since Leah couldn’t name the area where she lived with her employer. Next the Social Welfare Department moved on to family finding and successfully traced Leah’s family…745 miles away!

You could hear the shock in her mother’s voice on the phone when she was informed that her 16 year old daughter had been found. She asked, “Is she alive?! We tried to find her and we thought she had died. Bring her home, please!”  Like any mother, she desperately longed to see her child again.

“Is she alive?! … Bring her home, please!”

GCA supported a thorough assessment and reunification of Leah with her biological family. Once approved, a Social Welfare Officer and a GCA Social Worker escorted Leah back home. Leah’s parents were waiting for them and when they spotted Leah, her mother fell to the ground in tears. 

Imagine the overwhelming sense of joy and relief she must have felt. A child she thought had died was alive and home. Leah was equally joyful having nearly lost hope of ever seeing her family again.

At GCA, we understand the complexity of families in crisis. We work everyday to ensure that every child thrives in a caring family, that separated children are reunited with their families, and that unnecessary separations are avoided whenever possible. Join us on this journey!