A young British woman's month-long gap year adventure transformed into a lifelong mission after she uncovered shocking abuse at a Tanzanian orphanage and became the legal guardian of nine children.
A Life-Changing Discovery
Letty McMaster, now 31 and from Tunbridge Wells, Kent, was just 18 when she travelled to Tanzania in 2012 for a short volunteering placement. What began as a brief stop before university evolved into a three-year stay after she learned the local Swahili language and discovered the horrific truth about the children's home.
"This is where everything changed," Letty told the Daily Mail. "I learned the language and that's when the truth really unfolded. When I heard and witnessed what the children were going through, I was determined to give them a proper place to call home where they could be safe, loved and cared for."
The children confided in her about enduring emotional, physical, and sexual abuse, treating her like an older sister. This revelation compelled the teenager to abandon her original travel plans and commit to helping them.
Building a New Family and a Safe Haven
Remarkably, by the age of 22, Letty was registered as the legal guardian of nine children, then aged between 10 and 16. She had already set plans in motion to create a new home after the local government closed the original orphanage.
"They needed a place to call home and not be seen as orphans," Letty explained. "At the orphanage, they were very much a tourist attraction with a much darker side. I needed them out of that situation and that cycle of abuse."
For the past nine years, she has raised them as a family unit, describing the bond as more sibling-like than parental. "I see them all like my brothers and sisters," she said, noting her own family in the UK visits Tanzania to meet them.
Expanding the Mission: Street Children Iringa
In 2017, Letty formalised her efforts by founding the UK-registered charity Street Children Iringa, named after the city in Tanzania's southern highlands where she works. The region has a high number of vulnerable street children due to rural poverty, family breakdown, and inadequate child protection services.
In 2019, she opened a second safe house providing immediate relief for children living on the streets. This facility supports over 100 children annually, offering food, showers, counselling, and football. It also cares for abandoned babies, often providing life-saving essentials for newborns whose mothers have died in childbirth.
The charity's work is vital in a country where an estimated two million children have lost one or both parents to HIV/AIDS and only 19% of births are officially registered.
Letty spends nine months of the year in Tanzania, returning to the UK for temporary work to fund the charity. Her dedication has raised over £500,000 to date and earned her a Point of Light award from then-Prime Minister Boris Johnson in December 2020.
Transforming Lives and Future Plans
The impact of Letty's work is profound. One former resident, Mohamed, 19, was involved in gangs and drugs from age 12. "Now I am a respected boxer, referred to as a champion and representing my region," he said. "I am so grateful to my sister Letty for believing in me when no one else did."
With the original children now adults, Letty's focus is expanding. Plans are underway for a 2026 project supporting young mothers and babies living on the streets, many of whom are fleeing forced marriages.
"With the right support, love and believing in them, they can do anything," Letty stated, reflecting on the joy of watching the children prosper. Her story is a powerful testament to how a single gap year decision can create an extraordinary legacy of care and protection.
