Meet Eunice.
We met Eunice when she was just 17 years old, about to drop out of school from Mchitanjiru Community Day Secondary School, located in one of the rural areas of Lilongwe District, where she also comes from. Her parents, who run a little tea room business that barely makes $40 a month, could not consistently support her and the whole family. As a result, Eunice, the firstborn in a family of five, would sometimes go to school on an empty stomach and skip school days during her menstrual period because she would not afford to buy proper menstrual kits. At the time we identified her, she had not paid her school fees for several terms, and the final national examinations (MSCE) for secondary school were coming up. With tuition fees debts to settle and outstanding balances for the upcoming national examinations, her fate was decided, she was going to drop out. But Eunice was a bright girl full of aspirations. Upon hearing her story, Fund a Girl Initiative found and linked her to a kind sponsor who settled the tuition debts, and paid the tuition fees for her final term, as well as the examination fees balances. She successfully completed her secondary school education with 22 points! A year later, she was selected to the University of Malawi, a prestigious university in the country, where is studying for a Bachelor of Education in Biological Sciences.
With higher expenses that come with tertiary education, her challenges never stopped. She could not afford a laptop and struggled to have funds for food and groceries, among other things. Fund a Girl again continued to support her. We linked her to another well-wisher who bought her a laptop and provides monthly upkeep through the initiative.
We look forward to her graduation as she is now in her third year of college as of 2022.