Hawa was raised, along with many cousins, by her grandparents in Farkwa. After winning a place in secondary school (a privilege in Tanzania, not a right), she also won a scholarship with Fostering Futures. This allowed her to complete her secondary schooling and to go on to further study.
Hawa has a love of languages. After completing her secondary education, she gained a place at Greenbirds Teachers’ College in Moshi. She trained to teach English language to children in kindergarten and primary school and now she has a job teaching grades one and two at a school in Dodoma.