A special birthday

This is one of the Wells For Zoe girls, pictured with three of our current volunteers - Sandy, Aine and Kevin. Like all of the Wells For Zoe girls, she is very special to us and her story is the perfect example of both the resilience and selflessness of Malawian women. 
First of all, in the picture the guys are celebrating her 19th birthday!

This young woman knocked on the Wells For Zoe gate at the entrance to the factory in 2016, in search of financial support to study nursing. Her secondary school results were amazing, with a score of 19 points, but her story of perseverance even more so. 

Her mother died when she was just six years old and her Father married again. She was determined to do well at school, and after acing her exams, her Father delivered the heartbreaking news that she would not progress with nursing as he had other children to care for and could no longer afford to keep her. The reality of what he meant - it is time for you to be married off.

In general, Wells For Zoe do not pay third level fees, as our focus in on secondary education.

Word spread around the factory about this girl who had achieved exceptional results despite a tough upbringing, and her story was met with much compassion from our Malawian staff. Rose, the Wells For Zoe secretary, simply said she would take her as her daughter and look after her as one of her own. And that's exactly what she did. A selfless act that Rose took to assist her fellow Malawian without any hesitation. In this exceptional circumstance, we set about finding a sponsor for her in Ireland so that she may be able to take her place at the St. John of God's School of Nursing and Midwifery as fees are quite expensive.

We found one and we have not been proven wrong for doing so. This girl is a gentle soul, a trojan worker and when she is not studying then she is at the factory on Saturday helping out with whatever tasks need to be completed. Rose took her in as her second daughter and she stays with Rose during holidays or any time off the nurses have from studying. Two inspirational women!