Thyolo genius gets fees boost
The girl from Thyolo, who scored seven points in the 2014 Malawi School Certificate of Education (MSCE) examinations and was struggling to find school fees after being selected to College of Medicine, on Thursday had every reason to smile after a sponsor donated fees for her first semester through Times Group.
On Tuesday The Daily Times carried a story that highlighted the plight of the 18-year-old Zinenani Kakowa from Beula Village, Traditional Authority (T/A) Kapichi in Thyolo District whose ambition of becoming a medical doctor was under threat due to poverty in her family.
But in response to the story, a Good Samaritan donated tuition fees amounting to K270,000 which was presented to Zinenani by Times Group Editor-in-Chief George Kasakula at a ceremony held at the company’s head office in Blantyre,
“This is the beauty of journalism where it uplifts livelihoods of the underprivileged. No doubt through this donation, we have not only saved a girl from poverty, but also increased chances for the country to have additional numbers of medical doctors.
“As much as we are grateful for the fees, we would also want to ask those with the capacity to help to come forward. Apart from the tuition, the girl will need to settle other bills, including lodging, stationery, buying a laptop and clothing,” he said.
Zinenani was all smiles after receiving the cheque, promising to put in everything in order to realise her dream which she harboured since she was in Form 1 at St Mary’s Secondary School in Zomba.
“With this kind of support, I can already see a bright future. This has motivated me to work extra hard in my studies. I will stay focused and it is my appeal to girls in my situation not to give up but work hard,” she said.
Her father, Samson Kakowa, who lost his job and stays in the village, got injured during the floods that hit his area in January this year.
“I am still hoping that people will assist us secure the future for this bright girl,” he said.
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