An orphaned family of geniuses

10 Jun, 2022 - 00:06 0 Views
An orphaned family of geniuses Lazarus Mazhambe

The ManicaPost

 

Tendai Gukutikwa
Post Reporter

LAZARUS Mazhambe (18) came out tops during his 2021 Zimbabwe Schools Examination Council (Zimsec) Advanced Level examinations at Masasi High School, a remote school in Mutare District.

He attained an A in Pure Mathematics, an A in Accounting, a B in Mechanical Mathematics and a D in Geography.

His 16-year-old brother, Tribe Mazhambe, also came out with flying colours after sitting for Ordinary Level examinations at the same school during the same year.

He also did science subjects and is now doing Lower Sixth.
The two’s sister, Lana Mazhambe, is also academically gifted and scored 12 units at Grade Seven in 2021.

She was the top performer at her former school, Mangatu Primary School.

Their youngest brother, Joseph Mazhambe, is doing Grade Six at Mangatu Primary School and is always the best student in his class.

 

Despite being a child-headed family; the Mazhambes are determined to excel and have vowed that their situation will not distract them from achieving that goal.

 

The four children’s father died in 2019, a year after they had moved to their rural home in Matiza Village, under Chief Marange.

Their mother had long relocated to South Africa in search of greener pastures.

 

She sporadically returns home, leaving the four children struggling to take care of themselves.

Narrating their sad ordeal, Lazarus said from October 2018 to June 2021, he and Tribe would walk 24km daily to and from school.

 

They would arrive home late and prepare their supper before settling down to study.

“During winter when the sun sets early, we would arrive home after sunset. At times, I would do my homework on my way home because usually when I got home it would be too dark for me to do so. Most of the times we would not have paraffin to provide lighting for my siblings and I to study.

“The most daunting task was trudging the long distance to and from school. We would leave home around 5am and arrive at school around 8am.

“We would leave school at 4pm and arrive home around 7pm,” said Lazarus.

He said despite all that, when he got home, he had to prepare food for the family.

Lana and Joseph would have fetched firewood after school and would be waiting for him to cook. He would bring the relish for supper.

“I would get home, cook for my siblings, eat and sleep for a few hours then I would be up to start a new day. That routine did not give me much time to study and I think that is why I got a D in Geography. I only had time to study and refresh in June 2021 after I got accommodation a stone’s throw away from the school. I am forever grateful to the school for providing me with the accommodation,” he said.

Leaving his siblings to fend for themselves was the hardest decision he has ever had to make.

“It was really hard for me to leave my siblings alone at home those few months until I sat for my examinations because I am the one who provides and looks after them. They were very long months, but I managed to soldier on and passed with flying colours.

“As a family, we have one mission. We pull each other up and success is our destiny. Our dream is to make it in life and bring our mother back from South Africa to be with us,” he said.

Lana started her secondary education at Masasi High School this year and Lazarus is paying for her school fees while she awaits to be admitted into the Basic Education Assistance Module (BEAM).

He has moved her to the school’s boarding facility and pays with the money he gets from doing part-time work in the village.

He appealed for assistance to enable him and his siblings to further their studies.

“I am so much in love with books. I aspire to take up Actuarial Sciences or Mechanical Engineering at university level. I am praying for a scholarship to realise my dream,” he said.

In an interview, Masasi High School headmaster, Mr Talkmore Chisenwa said Lazarus’s case is heart-rending as he has no one to pay for his tertiary education despite his vast potential.

“Lazarus and his siblings are very smart, but they are from a disadvantaged and child-headed family. He is the one who looks after his siblings. He does part time jobs in the community, but the little that he gets is not enough for the upkeep of his siblings.

“It is also not enough for him to pursue his tertiary education. He is working hard to raise money to pay for his siblings’ school fees,” said Mr Chisenwa.

A neighbour, Mrs Christine Mushumbi said at times, Lazarus would skip school due to the long distance he had to walk on a daily basis.

 

She begged those with means to assist Lazarus to further his studies and fulfil his dream of becoming a Mechanical Engineer or an Actuarial Scientist.

“His determination to succeed is unmatched. He took over as the head of the family upon his father’s death in 2019. His mother visits here and there and leaves the children with nothing. We pray that he gets a scholarship so that he enrols at a university of his choice,” she said.

 

Those willing to assist the family can contact Lazarus on 0774975900 or 0712963014.

 

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