When David asked me to write this letter, I was most humbled. I was excited right until the moment I sat down to write. Then my countenance went dim. My countenance lit up, however, when the image of my grandmother struck my mind. How, widowed as she was in the rural Zimbabwean village of Murehwa, she understood the value of education, mustered whatever strength and meagre resources she had, to ensure that not one, but all of her children got a decent education.
I was born in Harare, Zimbabwe to two parents whose lives were remarkably touched by the power of education – a gift they received from their parents. At the time of my birth father worked for a non-alcoholic beverage company and my mother was a primary school teacher. An education gave my parents an advantage in a world that is becoming increasingly competitive.
I thought perhaps the reason that David approached me to write this letter was because my mother and father passed on before I finished my formal education, but against the odds, I made it through the difficult and trying times in Zimbabwe. Before I left Zimbabwe to begin my studies towards a PhD in Biology in the USA, the whole family gathered to bid me farewell and give me their blessings. My biggest hero at that farewell lunch was…my Grandmother of course. I must also add that I am grateful to my parents as well as their parents, for when you give the gift of knowledge to one, you give it not to one but, to generations and generations to come. One of the greatest gifts one could ever give to a child is an education, for unlike material things, its effects permeate from one generation to the next.
Not every child has been privileged to have parents to support them through school. This is the case in Zimbabwe largely due to the scourge of HIV / AIDS. So many children lose their parents at an early age, before they complete primary school. If one were to cast a coin in the streets of Zimbabwe, chances are that it will fall on someone who has lost a loved one to that disease. The hardships for the orphans are further compounded by the dire state of Zimbabwe’s economy. In such a situation it is even more difficult for children to obtain school fees. Hope is lost.
I recall the days when David and Brenda joined Phithizela in the cause of Educating Others - the excitement in their words. I believe their greatest joy (as is mine) is to see the brilliant minds of so many children getting an opportunity to reach the fullness of their potential. To educate a child is to expand a child’s horizons. Every child dreams, but a child can only dream as far as his or her horizons permit. I shudder at the thought of how drastically different my life would have been had my grandmother and parents not passed to me the gift of education - I would I have never imagined myself in a laboratory trying to understand better the workings of the cell. An education is undoubtedly one of the most important tools for life.
Though any contribution I make to this cause may be like a drop in an ocean, I am not discouraged. I gain some strength from a short modern Zimbabwean proverb which says “Padiki padiki saga reshuga rakapera netii spoon”. This translates to: “Little by little the sack of sugar was emptied by a teaspoon”. No single individual can end the problems of the world, but when I take my small teaspoon and shovel out what little I can daily, weekly or monthly or yearly I can make my small big difference.
I was born in Harare, Zimbabwe to two parents whose lives were remarkably touched by the power of education – a gift they received from their parents. At the time of my birth father worked for a non-alcoholic beverage company and my mother was a primary school teacher. An education gave my parents an advantage in a world that is becoming increasingly competitive.
I thought perhaps the reason that David approached me to write this letter was because my mother and father passed on before I finished my formal education, but against the odds, I made it through the difficult and trying times in Zimbabwe. Before I left Zimbabwe to begin my studies towards a PhD in Biology in the USA, the whole family gathered to bid me farewell and give me their blessings. My biggest hero at that farewell lunch was…my Grandmother of course. I must also add that I am grateful to my parents as well as their parents, for when you give the gift of knowledge to one, you give it not to one but, to generations and generations to come. One of the greatest gifts one could ever give to a child is an education, for unlike material things, its effects permeate from one generation to the next.
Not every child has been privileged to have parents to support them through school. This is the case in Zimbabwe largely due to the scourge of HIV / AIDS. So many children lose their parents at an early age, before they complete primary school. If one were to cast a coin in the streets of Zimbabwe, chances are that it will fall on someone who has lost a loved one to that disease. The hardships for the orphans are further compounded by the dire state of Zimbabwe’s economy. In such a situation it is even more difficult for children to obtain school fees. Hope is lost.
I recall the days when David and Brenda joined Phithizela in the cause of Educating Others - the excitement in their words. I believe their greatest joy (as is mine) is to see the brilliant minds of so many children getting an opportunity to reach the fullness of their potential. To educate a child is to expand a child’s horizons. Every child dreams, but a child can only dream as far as his or her horizons permit. I shudder at the thought of how drastically different my life would have been had my grandmother and parents not passed to me the gift of education - I would I have never imagined myself in a laboratory trying to understand better the workings of the cell. An education is undoubtedly one of the most important tools for life.
Though any contribution I make to this cause may be like a drop in an ocean, I am not discouraged. I gain some strength from a short modern Zimbabwean proverb which says “Padiki padiki saga reshuga rakapera netii spoon”. This translates to: “Little by little the sack of sugar was emptied by a teaspoon”. No single individual can end the problems of the world, but when I take my small teaspoon and shovel out what little I can daily, weekly or monthly or yearly I can make my small big difference.
Another of Kuda’s “Letters from America” will
appear in a future issue of our Newsletter and on our blog.
appear in a future issue of our Newsletter and on our blog.
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