From the Village to the Clinic, Miriam's Story of Overcoming Poverty in Chanyanya
By Annabel Mumba
Annabel Mumba is AEP’s Donor Relations Coordinator in Zambia. She is a Scholarship Fund recipient, high school graduate, and one of our latest Success Stories too! She still is a mentor to many AYC students. Today, she interviewed Miriam for her Success Story.
The theme for International Women’s Day this year is “Women in leadership: Achieving an equal future in a COVID-19 world.” It celebrates the tremendous efforts by women and girls around the world in shaping a more equal future and recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic and highlights the gaps that remain. We thought this would be the perfect time to share Miriam’s story with you as she not only continues to inspire us with her journey, but provides us with insight on the pandemic in Zambia as she works on the front lines in a local clinic.
Miriam was awarded her first scholarship from the African Education Program (AEP) in 2010 and has not looked back since. She was one of the first participants of AEP’s Rural Outreach Program which was created to provide the most marginalized girls and boys from the fishing village of Chanyanya access to high school and AEP’s after-school programs. Chanyanya is located about 16 miles from Kafue on the river and it is known for its fishing and farming activities. Education in Chanyanya ends in 9th grade unless a family has the resources to have their children attend school in Kafue.
Miriam’s story is like so many other girls from this small village. She was born into a large family of seven and her parents fished and sold their catch at the local market for a living. She remembers going with her mother to the market to sell fish, however, even from her younger years, Miriam always wanted to stand out and be different.
Miriam’s mother and grandmother made sure she attended primary school and her hard work paid off. She performed well on her 9th grade exams and received some of the highest scores. However, her family did not have the money to pay for mandatory school fees that are charged in secondary school nor the resources for her to live within walking distance of a school. To add to her worries, her mother became ill, too. Miriam explained, “I wanted to finish school and become independent. I stayed home and kept praying for a miracle to somehow happen.”
Fortunately for Miriam, AEP’s educational resource center in Kafue works closely with local schools and learned that she would be a good candidate for their scholarship program. When the leadership team came to Chanyanya to talk to her that day, she laughingly shared, “That miracle did come! I still remember that day, I jumped with joy and I did not even question where that sponsorship was coming from but I was ready!!”
Upon completing secondary school, Miriam went back to Chanyanya during her gap year between high school and college. She always wanted to pursue a science career so she applied at Lusaka Institute of Applied Sciences to study to become a registered nurse in 2014, attaining the credentials to become a registered nurse in 2016. Miriam approached AEP’s Executive Director, Julie-Anne, to chat about what her big dreams were and she told her that she wanted to further her studies and become a Gynecologist because women’s health always fascinated her. Julie-Anne encouraged her to apply at the University of Zambia to further her education at the School of Medicine. Miriam is now in her third year of doing general medicine and hopes to specialize soon in Gynecology.
Since Miriam’s studies are via distance learning, she is also currently working at Ndeke Clinic in Kitwe and enjoys helping her community and improving the health of the people in her country. Miriam shared, “My first inspiration was the desire to succeed from my childhood. I was also motivated by the poverty around my home, I was scared that I would suffer all my life if I did not work hard. I came from a village where girl child education was uncommon and impossible, I wanted to set an example for most girls and the people, to prove them wrong. I also wanted to make my sponsors at AEP happy and my mother proud. I think these are some of the things that contributed to me succeeding.”
Miriam explained, “The financial help that I received and continue to receive from AEP has been my biggest support system, it keeps me going. I also received emotional support from my mother and the clubs at AEP’s educational resource centre — especially the girls club — it was my safe haven. I also had supportive friends.”
Miriam enjoys mentoring the girls and boys in the community on her day off from the clinic.
With the COVID-19 pandemic, many girls across Zambia and Africa have been affected by school closures and are becoming disinterested with school. We asked Miriam for the advice she would give to the younger generation of girls in this situation. She said, “Looking at my own experience, I would advise them to not give up and to get an education. Education is the answer to so much, especially to a young woman. Getting educated means liberation, freedom and being able to see life in a different direction. You also get to add value to yourself and you will be able to inspire others that have lost hope. There is a sense of satisfaction that comes with getting educated and achieving dreams. I will urge them to not give up and strive to make their dream a reality.”
Miriam has continued to mentor to the younger girls in the AEP program providing motivational talks, “I enjoy doing that a lot, it is one of my many passions. Not only do I go to churches and schools, but the streets, too. I enjoy talking to the young men in the streets and get a chance to hear their stories and try to find solutions together. I know I cannot do much but listen to their stories, but this gives me so much satisfaction and joy.”
AEP’s holistic development approach means meeting each and every student where they are, empowering them to address the challenges that are holding them back from experiencing financial independence and overcoming poverty. When a student like Miriam works hard to achieve her dreams, nothing can stand in her way. Thank you, Miriam, for setting a wonderful example for the younger students and for giving back through mentorship.
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