What began as a short gap year adventure transformed into a life-altering mission for a young British woman, who found herself becoming a mother to nine children overnight.
A Volunteering Trip That Changed Everything
Thirteen years ago, Letty McMaster, then an 18-year-old fresh from her A-levels in Tunbridge Wells, Kent, embarked on a volunteering trip to Tanzania. Her plan was straightforward: spend one month assisting at an orphanage before continuing her travels. However, the reality she encountered was far from the benevolent institution she expected.
"I first went out when I was 18 on a normal volunteering trip," Letty recalls. "But it was noticeable that there was a lot of abuse there." She witnessed a system corrupted by "orphanage tourism," where children were used as props for visiting Westerners who would take photos and leave, inadvertently perpetuating the cycle of neglect.
Disturbed by what she saw, Letty's one-month stay extended to three years. She learned Swahili and formed deep bonds with the children, defying her family's concerns about her safety and future.
The Heart-Wrenching Choice: Becoming a Guardian at 22
In 2016, the orphanage was shut down due to the documented abuse. This closure left nine children, aged between 10 and 16, with no living relatives and facing a return to the dangerous streets of Iringa. For Letty, then just 22 years old, walking away was not an option.
"I couldn’t walk away from the children once I had seen the abuse they were receiving," she states. "Knowing I could do something to change their futures, I had to stay."
She navigated the complex Tanzanian legal system to become their legal guardian. With just £4,000 raised from a fundraising ball in the UK, she rented a house, furnished it, and hired a cook and a guard to create a secure home. Overnight, the recent graduate became a single parent to nine adolescents.
"They see me as their big sister but also their parental figure," Letty says of the unique family they created. "I’ve heard best friend, parent, sister. We created our family."
Building a Legacy: Street Children Iringa
The alternative for these children was grim. The Iringa region has one of the highest rates of child vulnerability in East Africa, where children survive by begging or scavenging in rubbish dumps, often falling into gangs and substance abuse.
Letty's commitment did not end with her original nine children. In 2019, she founded the charity Street Children Iringa and opened The Safe House, a sanctuary offering street children a chance to shower, eat a hot meal, and access rehabilitation programmes.
The charity now supports over 100 vulnerable youths annually, helping them break the cycle of poverty through education and vocational training in fields like mechanics, driving, and business.
The success stories are profound. Gosberth McMaster, who took Letty's surname, was once a street child with no English. He later achieved the top A-Level results in Tanzania for Physics, Chemistry, and Maths and is now studying Civil Engineering at the University of Cape Town.
Another youth, Mohamed, who struggled with drug addiction from age 12, found discipline through the charity's boxing programme and is now a regional champion.
A Life Redefined, With No Regrets
Now 32, Letty splits her time between the UK and Tanzania, focusing on fundraising to sustain her charity's vital work. Her original nine children are now thriving adults aged 18 to 24. Her work is evolving to support young mothers and abandoned babies, including girls as young as 11 who have fled forced marriages.
Reflecting on the conventional twenties she missed, Letty has no regrets. "I loved what I was doing," she affirms. "Having a second family was more than enough for me." Her month-long trip became a thirteen-year (and counting) testament to the power of one person's refusal to look away.
