As
a
child,
his
foster
parents
could
not
afford
to
send
him
to
school,
forcing
him
to
drop
out
after
completing
Grade
Six.
Determined
to
continue
his
education,
Njara
supported
himself
by
taking
on
various
menial
jobs,
and
saving
money
until
he
was
able
to
return
to
school.
Said
Njara:
I
remember
I
was
doing
Grade
Six
in
Malawi
when
I
stopped
school.
I
started
doing
menial
jobs
in
other
people’s
homes
and
managed
to
save
money
to
go
back
to
school.
It
worked.
During
the
holidays,
I
would
travel
to
Lake
Kazuni
(Malawi)
to
buy
fish
for
resale.
It
also
worked
and
I
managed
to
complete
Grade
7.
Njara
later
relocated
back
to
Zimbabwe,
where
he
enrolled
for
secondary
education
at
age
27.
He
said:
I
returned
back
to
Rhodesia
(now
Zimbabwe)
and
went
straight
to
Wedza,
where
my
father
was
staying.
I
wanted
to
enrol
for
Form
1,
but
I
was
blocked
due
to
my
age.
I
had
to
go
for
Form
2
in
1983
at
the
age
of
27.
In
1986,
I
sat
for
my
O
Level
examination
and
only
passed
Agriculture.
The
reason
for
my
failure
was
that
I
was
doubling
school
and
pastoral
work.
My
father
then
took
me
to
Wedza
High
School
at
Wedza
Centre
and
I
passed
five
subjects.
I
only
failed
Mathematics
and
English.
Njara
then
moved
to
Murambinda,
where
he
worked
at
a
bakery
and
acquired
certificates
in
bakery
and
confectionery
over
time.
However,
due
to
Zimbabwe’s
well-documented
and
prolonged
economic
challenges,
the
bakery
where
Njara
was
employed
eventually
closed
down,
prompting
him
to
return
to
his
home.
Undeterred,
Njara
seized
the
opportunity
to
start
his
own
bakery
shop
at
the
Gumbonzvanda
Shopping
Centre.
Concurrently,
Njara
attended
Biology
lessons
and
sat
for
the
final
examination,
which
he
successfully
passed.
Said
Njara:
My
wife
would
laugh
at
me,
but
this
did
not
deter
me
from
attending
lessons.
The
good
thing
is
that
Biology
has
worked
so
efficiently
in
our
farming
life.
For
example,
our
chicken
project
has
boomed
due
to
cross-breeding,
part
of
the
knowledge
I
acquired
by
attending
biology
lessons.
Njara’s
deep
passion
for
learning
and
education
is
evident
in
his
life
choices.
He
married
at
the
mature
age
of
34,
and
he
now
has
three
children
and
three
grandchildren.
Driven
by
his
love
for
books
and
academic
pursuit,
Njara
is
currently
enrolled
in
Advanced
Level
studies,
focusing
on
the
subjects
of
Biology
and
Crop
Science.
He
plans
to
sit
for
the
public
examinations
in
2025,
further
expanding
his
educational
achievements.
Said
Njara:
I
am
doing
this
at
home.
I
could
have
enrolled
at
Gumbonzvanda,
but
there
are
some
people
who
called
me
promising
scholarships
for
me
to
study
Health
Sciences
at
tertiary
level.
A
professor
at
a
university
in
Zambia
has
offered
to
provide
him
with
a
scholarship,
while
others
have
pledged
to
enrol
him
in
a
nursing
school.
Njara
said
he
desires
to
become
a
nurse
or
pursue
a
career
in
the
health
field.
