Dorothy Musonda: Building A Future As Strong As She Is

Dorothy has been in our program for 15 years. She was recently asked to speak at an event, what she said was so powerful, we’ve wanted to include it here for you to read as well. We invite you to give to Arise Africa to provide a future for other students like Dorothy.

my name is Dorothy Musonda, and I am an Arise Africa student at University of Texas at Arlington, majoring in Architecture. I was raised in full time care with Arise Africa in Zambia and now I live with Executive Director Alissa Rosebrough and her husband Asher in Fort Worth.  I moved to America in August to pursue college through the help of Arise.  I grew up in the Arise Homes that were built by the generous donations of Kershaw’s Challenge donors.  Many of you in this room probably donated to the homes, and are the reason I can stand here today. 

I was born in Zambia and I have 7 biological siblings. I was the second born, and the only one who ever has gone to school.  My mother had my brother when she was in high school and had to drop out.  As a small child I lived with my mom but never saw her, maybe sometimes at night.  My grandmother was the one who took care of us and suddenly one day my mother left all together.  I was told later she had gotten married and left me behind, because in Zambian culture the new husband does not want the previous children. It was hard to understand my mother leaving me like she did and that she did not care to continue to have me in her life.  Sadly, my grandmother decided it was too much as well and she too got married and left me alone.  From there I began moving throughout homes of our relatives with anyone who would keep me.  When you enter into a home in this situation you are not taken care of well.  Food was hard to find, I slept on dirt floors, and my family was not happy to have me dumped upon them.  I was alone most of the time and went to neighbor’s houses begging for food. This was how the first seven years of my life were. 

I was in a very poor school off and on. I walked about 3 miles to get to school which was hard at my age and on an empty stomach. You were beaten if you were late and this made me not want to go at all at times because of the fear.  My family also would not pay school fees for me so I was harassed about it constantly.  Sometimes I would put on my uniform and leave the home only to run around the slums all day and return just so my family thought I went to school.  This made it worse because when I went to school, I was made fun of for not being able to read or write and how far behind I was.  I felt growing up I didn’t belong anywhere, at school, at home, and was basically unloveable. 

Then one day my entire life changed.  I decided to go to school even though I was scared of getting beaten. I arrived and there were some Zambian ladies I had never seen interviewing children and I was asked a few questions.  This was the beginning of the Arise Africa child sponsorship program and I was chosen to be a part of it.  From there, Arise paid for my school fees, and I suddenly was eating a hot meal each day at school. I got a brand new uniform and shoes.  Little did I know that was only the beginning. 

In December of 2012 my extremely difficult life changed forever. I was unaware that Arise Africa had been working with my grandmother and the Zambian government to get me into their full time care and custody.  I had no idea the Arise Homes were opening and I was going to live there.  One morning I woke up and my grandmother told me nothing of this, other than to pack my two pairs of clothes I had in a backpack and to go to my school.  I thought it was very odd to be going to school on a holiday but I did what she said.  I walked into the gates of the school to be met by the Arise Africa staff I knew so well, and a white girl, who was Alissa!  There were some other classmates of mine and some of them did have family members who were hugging them and saying goodbye.  I had nobody.  We were loaded into cars and taken to the Arise Homes. It was like heaven, I had never seen a home so big with green grass. I was shocked when I learned this was my home and I would live there and be with Arise full time.  You will never know the feeling of relief that I had. 

I grew up in the Arise Homes. I always had someone looking after me 24/7. I had food, in fact all three meals a day! I had clean water to drink that came out of faucets in the homes!  I had my own bed to sleep on. When my eyesight became a problem we immediately went to the doctor and I got glasses.  It was a dream come true. I never even knew people could live like this.  I had a family of loving house parents and other children in the homes.  We went to church together, got to go camping one year, had nightly devotionals, went on a vacation to Victoria Falls, learned to ride bikes and so many more amazing memories I have.  By the grace of God, and many of you in this room who made those homes possible, I got to grow up being a child.  It took years for the anxiety and stress of my previous life to go away.  It took a long time for the trust to be built that there would be another meal tomorrow and the next day.  

I received an amazing education and this is why I am able to study in America. I have four house parents who love me so much and we are constantly texting while I am in states.  In fact I talk to all of my Arise Home siblings all the time and it drives Alissa crazy because I like to face time them all over the Rosebrough house at all hours of the day!  

Arise has given me a future I look forward to, they have given me security and love that my own family didn’t give me. They have taught me that God loves me so much, as well as all of the Arise staff.  I have a huge fan club now!  You do not know how much you have helped by allowing children to wake up everyday knowing that they will have a full meal and a roof over their head.  I know for a fact I would have ended up like my mom and the poverty cycle would have continued. But God stepped in through Kershaw’s Challenge and Arise Africa, and helped me and many others like me. Thank you for providing the homes that changed my life forever.  Thank you for helping me know how much the Lord loves me, that little girl who was abandoned in the slums of Zambia, and that I am worthy of being here today.