Whilst Maxwell, Oni and I were chatting a lecturer came up and said that Maxwell was a hard working and polite young man and had done well.

Subject to his final results Maxwell should qualify as a primary school teacher at the end of the year.

After completing his first year and a teaching placement out of town, he returned to Sakubva where him and his brothers lived. He completed the next 4 terms of teacher placement in Sakubva however he found he could not live with his brothers anymore. There were two reasons. Firstly it was too cramped and he could not complete his work and secondly people in the community started treating him badly. The reason is they were jealous of the opportunity he had and wanted to make his life difficult. This young man didn’t give in, instead he found a room in the neighbouring township and moved there. It was more expensive to live there so he started tutoring young children in the community to make ends meet.

It humbles me to know this young man didn’t take the opportunity for granted but sacrificed and contributed himself towards completing the course.

The situation in Zimbabwe is incredibly challenging and the ministry of education froze appointing teachers for the last two years. They have recently started recruiting again so Maxwell will be applying for jobs. In the meantime he will be volunteering back at Amatelaz and generating an income through tutoring and his small business. By giving back he will be helping the next generation of orphans complete their schooling and be equipped to face the challenges of life in Zimbabwe. He is a shining example.

I want to thank Carlton Community Church in Nottingham who have covered the tuition fees for Maxwell over these last three years. It is because of their commitment for the three years that we took the step to enrol Maxwell. The last thing we want to see is funding dry up mid course. Seeing more of the children we support complete a tertiary qualification is made possible by the combination of secured funding, on the ground care and monitoring and with the character and hard work of young person.

This story has shown it can work when all the ingredients are in place and has set an example that I hope will see many more benefit from.

If you have been inspired by this story and would be willing to help cover the tertiary tuition fees for a young person please get in touch. Fees range from US$350 (Teacher training) to US$800 (Chemical engineering at University of Zimbabwe) per term.

There are many more young people who come from a similar background to Maxwell that would definitely benefit from and make the most of a tertiary education. This obviously costs significantly more than secondary school so having a commitment from a donor to fund a young person through their studies is the ideal. Please would you consider committing to covering the fees of other orphans we have supported through secondary school and now need the opportunity to attend University or a vocational training college.

Here is an insight into the lives of some of the young people that would benefit from the opportunity.

Chipo - https://youtu.be/LdfzQGwuggE

Courage - https://youtu.be/S2PgsjpyfG4

Brian - https://youtu.be/vaWIKILGM3A

Fellistas - https://youtu.be/DLoXu56ZXeg