Donor Development and fund-raising Coordinator
Street Shepherds Africa – Poland
Born and raised in remote Nyamilama village, Kwimba district in Mwanza Tanzania, Suna Leads the Safari ya Africa Volunteer program in Poland coordinating Street Shepherds with volunteer from Poland and the neighboring countries in planning their volunteer missions to Africa.
Out of love for children inspired by his own life story, Hurleyson, Suna Bufungile joins Street Shepherds’ team in Poland as a Donor development and fund raising coordinator, organizing fundraisers to support our work here in Tanzania.
Suna joined our team being inspired by our efforts to help the poor children surrounding our community recalling his own life background.
“I was born in remote Nyamilama village, in Kwimba District in Mwanza along the banks of Lake Victoria. By that time Nyamilama was really remote and far from almost all basic services including hospitals, schools, and water. I still recall my late mom telling me that due to lack of access to hospitals she was forced to give birth to me at home which was very risky.
We used to live in a small thatched house. After losing both of my parents at a very young age and left and orphaned, I was taken by my relatives from Nyamilama Primary school where I had just started my education journey, to Tabata primary School in Dar.
Life in Dar was also very hard, I recall sharing a bedless single mattress with my 7 other siblings. Until today I still don’t know how 8 children could fit in that small single mattress but that is exactly what inspired me to join street Shepherds hoping that I can change lives of poor children in my community, I know there are still so many children going through even harder situations out there.”
Regardless of the poor life, sharing a small bed less mattress with his 7 siblings, sometimes having nothing to eat at home and school, Suna managed to study hard and passed his primary school and joined Azania Secondary School, one of the best schools in Dar for children considered to be highly talented. After four years of hard work he also passed his final exams and joined Pugu High School for his high school.
In 2007 Suna was awarded a Polish scholarship that took him all the way to Poland for a Master’s Degree in Telecommunication and Electronics. Now he leads a successful career in Telecommunications and Electronics holding a number of distinction awards in networking including international CCNA and CCNP certificates.
Now he works with world leading Telecoms companies in Poland and back home including the world renown HUAWEI and Vodacom to mention but few.
Suna says that it is because of his life ladder experience as an orphan through a lot of hardships and struggles, he believes that nothing is impossible in our lives, and it is by this inspiration that he encourages all the children going through rough times in our community to keep striving for their dreams and reach their dreams as they can be whatever they dream of if they work hard, regardless of their painful back grounds.
Joining Street Shepherds Africa to Suna, is more than inspiration as he wants to give back to the community that made him who he is today, and believes in transforming and opening opportunities to the struggling children in our neighborhoods by helping them to reach and achieve their dreams regardless of their painful backgrounds.