BY MAXWELL NYIMBILI

The Young Leaders Program, is designed to acquaint its scholars with exceptional mental adaptation skills, for life beyond high school. I aim, like scholars before me, to further develop my positive mindset and develop my critical thinking, in order to make an impact in university and find sustainable ways of giving back to the community. My passion is to alleviate computer illiteracy and apply technology in ways that improve lives, through magnifying the focus, on its diverse application.

I became acquainted with Our Moon through a childhood friend, Justin Bwalya, an alumnus of the organization. From his description of Our Moon, I imagined it as a sanctuary, a place beyond the horizon filled with the echoes of a better tomorrow, a whisper of a dream I was unwilling to let go. And so, I  stayed in touch with Helen, the CEO of the organization, through regular emailing, afraid if I didn’t, I would miss the opening of the applications.

Justin has, for what feels like a long time now, been a mentor. He supplied me with additional mathematics materials, as I reached the tenth grade, and advised me to get used to academic research and studying ahead, because there’s always a huge chance the school syllabus won’t be fully covered by the time of the final exam.

And through the years, he’s become my role model, an aspiration of what I would one day want to become.

I became acquainted with Our Moon through a childhood friend, Justin Bwalya, an alumnus of the organization. From his description of Our Moon, I imagined it as a sanctuary, a place beyond the horizon filled with the echoes of a better tomorrow, a whisper of a dream I was unwilling to let go.

When completing the Young Leaders Program application, Andrew Phiri, departing Our Moon student, gave me thorough guidance on how best to go about the questions in the application form. And emphasized the need of authenticity in filling the form.

Like me, both Justin and Andrew were recommended to Our Moon by Bwafwano Integrated Services Organization (BISO). It works with community peer educators, who are based at rural health centers and within local schools to reach young people, helping them acquire life skills and HIV awareness and the need to live healthily. They also sponsor a considerable number of children through primary and secondary school if their families can’t afford to pay.

Justin and Andrew have played huge roles in my admission into the program. And because of the opportunity their guidance and support, especially Justin’s, has brought in my life, I stay dedicated to making a difference in my life that will enable me to provide for my family, and finding an impactful way that fits my interests, to give back to the community.

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