Being orphaned at a tender age left Selina hopeless and being a second born, she and her siblings had nowhere to get help.
But thanks to their grandmother Olivia Chimphamba, who roped them in and has been taking care of them for years.
For so long, Chimphamba could manage to get some money and support Selina and her siblings.
But now Selina is 17 years old and her grandmother is 64.
At 64, Selina’s grandmother has not been that healthy; she has difficulties in walking making her unable to work.
The grandmother’s problem left Selina with no choice but to assume all the house’s responsibilities.
“My grandmother has been there for us since our parents died. Without her, I don’t know what would have happened to us. She has struggled to take care of us with the little money she has been raising but now she cannot do it,” Selina says.
She feels for her grandmother and prays that God heals her.
“For now, I have assumed all those responsibilities and in most cases I have to go out and look for some menial works just to raise some money. Sometimes it works but other times it doesn’t work and we end up sleeping on an empty stomach,” she says.
Selina says she struggles a lot to find basic needs.
“Life has been hard,” she says.
According to her grandmother, most of the times they do not have proper meals.
“We eat once or sometimes nothing and in most cases we have porridge or tea without sugar. This is the life we are living and it is a struggle,” she says.
Selina and her grandmother live in a house that was temporarily given to them by one of their relatives as their house was destroyed two years ago by heavy rains.
The challenges which Selina and her family have been experiencing since the death of her parents forced her to drop out of Mzamba Community Day Secondary.
“I had no choice but to drop out of school because I could not afford to pay fees. I tried to do piecework just to raise money but things didn’t work,” she says.
But with all the problems, Selina never gave up. All she wanted was to get a chance and further her education despite that she had no means of sourcing the fees.
So apart from looking for piecework to raise money, she also started looking for other opportunities that would get her back in class and further her studies.
It was through one of her outings that she met some people who told her about Jacaranda School for Orphans which is situated in Chigumula in Blantyre.
The school founded by CNN hero Marie Da Silva has been offering free education to orphans and some of them are currently doing tertiary education though the school’s scholarships.
And just last year, two students through their art had an opportunity of travelling to China and United States of America for visits to some of the schools as part of an exchange programme.
Having heard more about Jacaranda School for Orphans – that it offers free education, Selina did not hesitate but to walk all the way to the school to look for a place.
It was a long walk from where she lives but she did not mind as all she wanted was to get a chance and get back in class.
Selina’s long walk was not in vain as having narrated her story to the management of Jacaranda School, she was offered a place to continue her Form Three studies.
Now she is a student at Jacaranda School for Orphans.
She believes through education, she will be able to make a better future.
Even though Selina’s education needs have been met, her home situation remains a challenge.
Selina leaves for school as early as 5am and she makes sure that she does all household chores before she sets off for school
Thank God that Jacaranda School for Orphans enrolled me. I never knew that this chance would come, without which I could have been at home. I know to make it I need to work very hard,” she says.
Selina also has a chance of qualifying for Jacaranda College scholarships if she passes with flying colours during her Malawi School Certificate of Education next year.
Jacaranda School for Orphans Executive Director Luc Deschamps says they are happy with the progress Selina has made in her studies.
“She is now part of Jacaranda School for Orphans. Her strength, courage and determination to stay in school against all odds are inspiring. And she is actually in love with science subjects,” Deschamps says.
He says Selina has now the capacity to go to college.
Deschamps says at Jacaranda School for Orphans they give students an opportunity to express themselves and their students have done well in all the areas including arts.
He says they have primary and secondary education, nutrition and medical care which are entirely free.
“We do all we can to keep orphans in school so that they become self-reliant and get out of poverty. Once we give them the tools they need to study, most of them have always surprised us,” Deschamps says.
Selina can now reach her potential, reach out for her dreams and inspire girl students and fellow orphans in Malawi and beyond.
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