Tatenda Mapoka

Tatenda lives in Chivhu and is being raised by his mother following his fathers death in 2018. He is supposed to be in 8th grade but he missed school for 2 years due to financial hardships when his father died. His mother has been trying to support him but she doesn’t work not because she doesn’t want to, but there are no jobs in the country. Tatenda was walking to school roughly 6 miles each way and by the time he arrived at school or back home from school he would be extremely exhausted. We learnt about Tatenda through social media and we contacted his mother who was pleading for help. We managed to find Tatenda a place at a boarding school with the hopes that it will help him to stay focused on school since his situation at home is not the best environment.

As you can see from the video he is a very talented boy typical of geniuses born in hard times, but the spirit and desire to explore unknown world cannot be tamed for him. We are supporting Tatenda by paying for his school fees at the boarding school, buying his uniforms, books, food and paying for extra lessons since he was behind academically performing below his grade level. Tatenda’s are improving he is showing much progress because he can now read and write. We are working with the school to find ways to maintain and develop his scientific interests with the resources available and groom him to greater heights.