Growing up in the rural community of Chefunye, Zimbabwe, where women and girls are dependent on men for their livelihood, Gracsious Ncube never believed that she would one day be pursuing a Masters Degree.
With support from Plan’s child sponsorship programme and her parents’ encouragement, Gracsious overcame many obstacles to gain a good education. Walking 8km daily to Chefunye School, she attended lessons in the open air in all weathers, scrambling with her classmates for the few textbooks available.
Gracsious was among the first children from Chefunye to be enrolled as a sponsored child under Plan’s children education and development programme. Plan supported her with school uniforms, fees and learning materials, and enabled her community to build new classrooms.
“Plan’s support to our school motivated us to enjoy education as we knew we had enough books and good classrooms to shield us from the chilly mornings,” says Gracsious, with a smile.
Gracsious passed her high school examinations and went on to study for a Bachelor of Science and obtained an Honours Degree in Sociology at the University of Zimbabwe. Her passion for education has led her to pursue a Masters in Development Studies.
“I feel honoured to have made it this far. Where I grew up, girls were under pressure to prove that they too can do well academically. The boys who had dropped out would harass the school girls, making it hard for us to go to school and achieve our ambitions,” says Gracsious.
“I had to balance school demands and my roles at home such as cooking, fetching water and firewood. It was a challenge,” she remembers.
Given her experiences, Gracsious has a passion to help girls, women and other marginalised groups in society. She says, “I want to see them live their dream and fulfil their potential.”