“Growing up in poverty, living in rural village, and attending schools with crumbling infrastructures, I got battle weary. I saw things no child should, and I became exhausted, learning of someone else in my community failing to achieve their goals and among friends who used to live close to me struggling with substance abuse”.Said Julius from liwewe village in Nkhotakota district T/A Malengachanzi.

Julius being the first born son in the family of 5 ,he always dreamt of becoming a change in the family he was determined, “but everything somehow always seemed a bit harder than I expected. As a village child, I thought if I behaved well and did my work, the path would pave itself for me. But in my younger years I had fears of poverty that created roadblocks such as not eating and other things.”said Julius.

After writting his STD 8 exams at kasamba primary school  he was selected to Kasamba CDSS but first term he failed to attend school because the family had no money to pay for him ,then he heard of  FOCCAD bursary program which is under Children and youth program he had to apply and he was enrolled in the program in 2017 as a beneficiary.

Then he wrote his form four maneb exams in 2019 and he scored 13 points.Julius Chapenga is one of our Tiphunzire bursary beneficiaries who is now in polytechnic and has again benefited from our social cash transfer program at university level where foccad is supporting him financially though his fees is being paid by government loans..