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Scholarship triumph for Murambatsvina survivor
Vusumuzi Sifile, The Standard (Zimbabwe)
August 10, 2008

http://www.thezimbabwestandard.com/local/18685-scholarship-triumph-formurambatsvina-survivor.html

IN June 2005 Dominic Mhiripiri missed school for almost a month after the backyard shack his family lived in was razed at the height of Operation Murambatsvina —a government-initiated exercise that displaced nearly a million Zimbabweans.

This was a few weeks before Mhiripiri wrote his Ordinary Level mid-year examinations at Zengeza 4 High School in Chitungwiza, 30km south of Harare.

But what was supposed to force Mhiripiri to drop out of school, and possibly perform badly in examinations, actually encouraged him to work even harder.

"I was staying with my step-mother at the time. After our shack was destroyed, we were left in the open," Mhiripiri said. "I later got temporary accommodation at a church elder's place. As a result, I missed school for more than three weeks, but I was still determined to complete my studies that year."

The youngster turned his nightmare into a pleasant dream, and this has landed him a prestigious scholarship at Brown University, a top institution in the United States.

"Initially it turned out to be a shock, but it later turned out to be a test of my character," Mhiripiri said. "That is what gave me the strength to look ahead."

And it paid off. He passed his O Levels with distinctions and was granted a bursary to pursue Advanced Level studies at an independent college in the capital, Harare. The college paid all his tuition and related expenses. He passed his Advanced level studies in Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry.

The hard work paid off this year for Mhiripiri when he was awarded the inaugural Brown University Advancing Africa Scholarship Fund. The scholarship is designed to educate students from Africa and to encourage them to return to their home countries after graduation.

He was assisted to secure the scholarship by the United States Student Achievers Programme (USAP), which identifies and assists talented but less privileged high school graduates.

"I'm so excited by being a first generation recipient of this prestigious scholarship. When I complete the programme, I hope to come back home and become a leader," Mhiripiri said. "I want to play a critical role in the restoration of Zimbabwe."

Introducing the scholarship at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland early this year, Brown University President Ruth Simmons said the scholarship was meant to avail opportunities "to an underserved continent".

Simmons said: "We are making this announcement from the World Economic Forum to underscore the global nature of the gift. All nations must be given the chance to participate in the world's economy. As educators, we have the responsibility to reach out to developing nations to provide the necessary tools to a wider cross-section of students."

In addition to the full board scholarship, Mhiripiri is already guaranteed of "an appropriate monthly stipend for two years to ensure a higher standard of living and to ease their transition".

Speaking at a send-off ceremony for Mhiripiri and 18 other students who were assisted by USAP to secure scholarships, the Educational Advisor at the US embassy in Harare, Rebecca Zeigler-Mano said this year's group was "most outstanding" as their studies were affected by Operation Murambatsvina, and later, the erratic power supplies and general economic meltdown.

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