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My name is Mellisa Koswe, I grew up in Mutasa a rural area in Zimbabwe were girls fated to one life pathway. You reach teenage,get married, have kids and die. Most girls elope including my own sisters. Girls are taught to aspire to be housewives and receive all training intended for that. With this grim reality, it was ill-speaking of me to be dreaming of finishing high school as a girl and even worse talking about going to college.

I realized that l either had to be part of statistic or work hard to change my narrative and I chose the latter. I was born in a family of 8 and none of my siblings completed high school. My father could barely put food on the table so all my siblings dropped out of school. My three sisters were forced into marriages at the age of fourteen. My two older brothers became serious drunkards.

Being the only child left at home entailed many responsibilities. Thus my struggles involved balancing school work, house chores and going to the market to help my mother sell vegetables for my school tuition. The only time I could study was at night but that was very difficult because we do not have reliable electricity. So I had to use candles or the flashlight on my phone to study. In 2018, l wrote my Ordinary level and passed ten subjects. l went to Advanced level and I passed all 3 subjects with A’s.

Unfortunately, my parents told me that they can no longer afford to fund my University education. I had to follow suit like everyone else and get married. However, my life was given a purpose by Ms Prisca Dube when one of my friends introduced me to her. She is very humble, caring and easy to talk to. The opportunity was unbelievable and beyond my imagination but it all became real when she provided all that l need to study for SAT exam. Throughout my endeavours in education, my passion of going to college and becoming an engineer is definitely going to happen. I love mathematics the innovativeness and the creativity in it. I love figuring out problems and finding out solutions.

My name is Wesley Makavanga. I grew up in a family of five, living in the rural parts of Zimbabwe.My mother is a part-time teacher and my father is a subsistence farmer.

Growing up, my parents could not afford to pay my school fees in order for me attend school. Therefore, my mother worked as a general worker at the school or pay my school fees with maize. I saw poverty as a push factor for me to study hard and not as a drawback.I passed my National Ordinary Level with 6A’s, 2B’s in Mathematics A, Combined Science A, History A, Geography A, Shona Language A, Accounts A, English B and Commerce B

I was offered a place for Advanced Level at Alpha Institute in Mutare and I managed to pass high school with distinctions, 24 points out of 25: Pure Mathematics A, Statistics A, Accounting A, Business Studies A and Economics B. My dream is to study Mathematics and Computer Engineering because of my love for Mathematical problems.

Despite passing with such distinctions, my parents did not have enough resources to send me to a University, therefore I have been at home not doing anything for over one year. Miraculously someone posted my grades and plea for help on social media and someone told Ms Prisca about me. She quickly contacted me and offered to help.

She told me about the SAT exam and opportunities to get scholarships and she provided me with enough resources to take the exam such as SAT books, access to internet and she paid all the SAT fees.

The greatest desire of my heart is to get an education and improve my life, my families and lives of others in my community. Ms Prisca has been an inspiration, she believed in me, a stranger she has never met and gave me this opportunity that my parents can not afford.

I believe my passion to becoming an Engineer is going to come to life one day and I am going to help others in my community to get an education the way I have been helped.

Update 10/18/2020

Wesley was accepted at the University of Zimbabwe and he is studying Actuarial Science. He is in his first year

Hello, my name is Kundai Farai and I’m from Zimbabwe. My father died when I was 8 months old and my mother was left a single mother. She later remarried and my stepfather helped to raise me and helped me to get an education. Unfortunately, my mother and stepfather divorced the year that I was completing my Ordinary Level studies. It became challenging to get resources to continue going to school because my mom could not afford to pay my school fees, books and uniforms. l was forced to drop out of school a few times due to lack of resources. Though life was tough, l kept focused and I excelled and passed the National O Level exams with 8 As, 2Bs and 1C.

My mother later found a job in South Africa as a house maid and she had to leave me behind so she could take care of my two younger brothers and I. Mom sent me to live with a relative in Mutare where I completely my Advanced level studies. Mr Stephen Mutsongodza, the director of First Class Academy awarded me an academic scholarship.

Learning became very challenging in 2020 in the light of covid-19 when my school was introduced to online learning for the first time. This became a major setback for me because I did not have a computer or laptop or internet access to attend the google classrooms. I worked very hard with the only resources l had, my text books and getting notes from students who afforded to attend class online. By the grace of God l passed the National Advanced Level studies with distinctions in Accounting, Business studies, Pure Mathematics, and Statistics with 4 A’s and I achieved the highest scores at the school.

I become worried because I didn’t know how I was going to attend college because that is something my mother can not afford as a house maid. I just prayed that something could happen so pursuing my dream of going to college and that is when l met Mama Prisca. It’s true that God has plans for us in the midst of our frustrations. I heard she was helping students who come from less privileged families connecting them to opportunities, so I decided to contact her. Mama Prisca was impressed with my results and offered a hand in search for a scholarships to study abroad. She provided books, internet access to study online, paying for SAT exam fees and all the resources I needed in preparation for the SAT exam.

Above all, Mama Prisca is a good motivator who kept my hope. l have never met her but she takes me as her own child and provides everything. Mama Prisca is also a good counselor; she teaches me how life is and always tells me that I should not let my current situation define who I am. This has taught me that I can achieve my life goals if I stay focused and believe. I want to study Mathematics and Data Science and masters in Actuarial Science. One day I am going to do the same that she has done for me and I will help the underprivileged talented students in my country and around the world.

Update 10/18/2020

Kundai was accepted at the University of Zimbabwe and he is studying Actuarial Science. He is in his first year

My name is Rose Sando and I come from the city of Mutare. My parents divorced when I was 7 years old and I was raised by my father along with my older brother and 3 cousins.

Despite of living without my mother for nearly all my life, I managed to stay out of trouble and completed my O level with 3 A’s, 5 B’s and 1 C. I went to Advanced level and I passed the National exams with 15 points out of 15. Although I passed on top of the class, my father can not afford to send me to college because of financial inadequacy. I had to fumble my dreams of going to university and watch the sun rise, set and wait for tomorrow which contained absolutely NOTHING.

However, my life was given a purpose by Miss Prisca. I heard she was helping some students and my friend reached out to her on my behalf. The opportunity was unbelievable, even beyond my imagination. It all became real when she provided all that I needed so that I may write a standard test required in the United States in order to qualify for a scholarship and go to college.

Coming from a family which has an illiterate mother, a father who only learned how to read and write without an education, I am very motivated to break the cycle and be the first one in my family and extended family to go to college. I want to study mathematics and computer science and give back to my community just like Miss Prisca is doing. An opportunity to attend University is a dream but the selfless act of mama Prisca has given me a strong fire, a zeal to help anyone out there and let them know that, “Your today is not your tomorrow”.

Update 10/18/2022

Rose was accepted at the University of Zimbabwe and she is studying Accounting and Finance. She is in her first year.

My name is Tinashe Nickson Dube . I come from Shurugwi ,a small mining town in the midst of the Zimbabwe. They say it’s the environment you choose that always shape you. But for me, I decided not to be shaped by that, but by my desire to achieve great things in life despite of the environment I live in. I managed not to indulge in drugs and illegal mining activities which my town is well known for.

Despite of the financial hardship faced by my family, I passed my O Level National examination with 7 As and 3 Bs with the money I had saved from working as a general worker at a Clinic. I developed a passion for medicine because I love serving people. I was able to go to Advanced level with the help of my Aunt Linet who sent me to a boarding school. I studied Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics, and Crop Science and I passed top of my class with 21 points out of 25 points.

I have been sitting at home not attending school because my family and relatives can not afford to send me to college. A friend of mine was told by someone that there is a lady helping students linking them to opportunities to study abroad. My friend and his Aunt worked hard to find this lady and they were able to connect me with Ms Prisca whom I refer to as Mama Prisca. With her caring heart she has been helping me turn my passion into a lifelong career. She has been sacrificing her time and she’s doing everything for me to get a scholarship. I’m greatly thankful mama.

My name is Gladman Madawaenda I was born and raised in Harare Zimbabwe. I was named Gladman, an emblem of hope in hopelessness. I am a testimony to the pains and pricks of life as well as the sweet and sane side . My father being a mere brick and block-layer, there were many times I was forced to be out of school for non payment of school fees, but somehow I manage to excel in my academics.

I attended Bradley High school for O level and I passed all 10 subjects with 4 A’s and 6 B’s. I proceeded to Advanced level and I passed all subjects with A’s 15 points out of 15. I developed a passion of being a Lawyer and this came from the chambers of public speaking and debate which moulded me into a confident orator that I am. In high school I became a junior parliamentarian and I took the opportunity to reach out to human rights organizations calling out for justice of the oppressed.

By the grace of God I was accepted into law school at the University of Zimbabwe and I attended one year of school. With 76% of Zimbabweans living below the poverty datum line, my family happens to be one of them and continuing with my education is a struggle to due financial hardships.

It is within the caring heart of a noble woman Mama Prisca who has been assisting me in getting funding and a scholarship that one day this son of a brick-layer can become a Lawyer and give back to my community by advocating on their behalf and serving them.