Nomsa’s Happiest Day

“It was my happiest day,” says a smiling Nomsa when he enrolled in Form 1 of secondary school.

It’s a remarkable change for a boy who thought his education would end at age 12.

In 2016, young Nomsa completed Grade 7 at Mokoverere South in the Chivi district of Zimbabwe. At that time, his parents were unable to pay for the next step: secondary education. Rather than spend money on Nomsa’s schooling, they chose to invest in other household needs.

Nomsa was incredibly disappointed. After dropping out, he spent most of his time at the river or playing on dried riverbanks. Soon, he started spending his days with the “wrong crowd”. Nomsa’s mother became worried, wondering what her son’s life would be like without an education.

Then, help arrived. In 2017, a new program called the Girls’ Education Champion Network (GECN) began in Makovere. While their focus is on girls’ education, the GECN encouraged all out-of-school learners in Nomsa’s village to re-enroll in classes. That was the push Nomsa’s parents needed to enroll their son in the local Razi Secondary School.

When he returned to school, Nomsa received a Buffalo Bicycle through World Bicycle Relief’s Bicycles for Education Empowerment Program (BEEP). The bicycle has motivated him to better his life by pursuing education.

“The bicycle helps me to get to school faster every day and I am not as tired as I used to be when I was at primary. I passed five subjects out of nine…and will make it come end of third term. With support I got from BEEP, I promise to make up the time I was away from school. I want to be a doctor,” adds Nomsa.

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