Rebeckah Dawkins
Gerald Njobvu
Fundraising for Project Luangwa
Story
For most rural Zambians life is not easy so imagine what it is like if you are blind.
Gerald lives in a rural area of Zambia known as Mfuwe and wants to be a teacher more than anything but he is blind and his family are too poor to help him attend college. At Project Luangwa we believe that determination counts for a lot and Gerald has plenty of that. He expects no sympathy or special help but just wants a chance of attending University so that he can become a teacher. We believe that he deserves that chance.
Gerald's father died when he was 3 years old and he, and his 7 brothers and sisters have been brought up by his mother and step-father. When Gerald was a child he became ill with measles and the drugs that were administered affected his eyes. He tells me that he went to hospital to have an operation on one eye but when he awoke after the surgery he discovered that the surgeons had removed both his eyes.
Gerald attended the Magwero School for the Blind in Chipata, about 120 km from Mfuwe. He was supported at this time by an elder brother but he died 2 years ago. For many disabled children in South Luangwa Magwero is their only hope of getting an education; it is divided into two sections, one for the blind and the other for the deaf. Magwero already has four blind teachers and this is where Gerald hopes to teach once he has completed college.
The school teaches to grade 12 level and Gerald wants to specialise at Secondary level in History and Special Needs (teaching the blind).
When interviewing applicants for sponsorship to attend a teacher training college, as a director and manager of Project Luangwa, my last question is always to myself. 'Would I like my children to be taught by this person?'
With Gerald I had no hesitation but to answer, 'Yes'. He is a kind and personable young man and has an empathy with people that is not often seen. And he is very determined to succeed.
Gerald is one of just four blind students country-wide to be accepted at a special section for blind students at ones of Zambia's top universities for a 3 year course which starts in June 2012. funding his first year has now become a matter of urgency and if we cannot find help by the end of may Gerald will miss his one and only chance.
Gerald is computer literate and has used a program called Jobs Access With Speech (JAWS). We would like to be able to supply him with a laptop.
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