Against the odds, 43-year-old William Mapfumo defied them all to emerge as the best graduating student in his class, beating off stiff competition from 2,119 classmates at the Zimbabwe Open University. The visually challenged William emerged with a Bachelor’s degree in English and Communication Studies.
Born in Masvingo, Zimbabwe, William had to overcome several challenges to pursue his education. “Unlike my fellow students who were sighted, I had to study using photocopies of learning materials printed on paper, since I was the only blind student in class,” he said. However, it is his will and perseverance that make him stand out.
Before attending university for a degree, William had managed to scoop seven Ordinary Level subjects at Kapota School for the Blind, 10 points at Advanced Level at Pakame High School, and also managed to get a diploma in education that saw him work as a teacher. His ambition, however, propelled him to enroll for a bachelor’s degree.
William says most of his success is owed to his wife, Finance Makota, who played a very important role in his studies. She not only transcribed learning materials for him in Braille but also read out notes to him, which he recorded and then listened to. She also supported him by taking him to school for discussions and exams.
It has even been more challenging because he had to balance his studies with work as a teacher, family responsibilities, and financial challenges. William was constantly torn between sharing his time among students, university assignments, and family responsibilities, given that he has four children. Despite all these hardships, he said he has never lost sight of his goals.
This achievement of William is all the more special since he was competing in a class with all able-bodied students, and once again, he has proved that with will, hard work, and support, anything is possible to achieve. He conveys to the rest suffering from disability that nothing is impossible if one remains committed to what he does.
It’s an inspirational story, as behind a successful story, much of the time, there used to be hard effort and endurance.
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