- Imilaminkosi Nkomo, 22, dropped out of school in 2016 after her family could not afford secondary school fees following her Grade Seven exams
- The Zimbabwean mother fell pregnant in 2018 and spent years working as a domestic worker before a World Vision programme gave her a path back to class in 2023
- Camfed stepped in to fund her O-level examinations after two previous sources of support fell away, and she now balances raising a daughter with her studies
Imilaminkosi Nkomo, a 22-year-old mother from Bulilima District in Zimbabwe's Matabeleland South Province, was elected head girl at Gwambe Secondary School this year, more than a decade after poverty first forced her out of the classroom.
Source: Facebook
Every morning, she rises early to get her Grade Two daughter ready for Kandana Primary School — the very institution where she herself completed primary education — before travelling six kilometres to attend her own lessons.
When was Nkomo's education cut short?
The routine runs in reverse each evening, with homework supervision, uniform washing and preparation for the following school day.
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Nkomo's education was cut short in 2016, right after she excelled in her Grade Seven examinations at Kandana Primary School.
Her father was unemployed, and the family simply could not meet the cost of secondary school fees. While her classmates moved on, she stayed behind doing household chores.
When did Nkomo fall pregnant?
"I have always loved school. That was heartbreaking for me because I had done well in my Grade Seven examinations," she said.
By 2018, she had also fallen pregnant. She later relocated to Plumtree town to work as a domestic worker, providing for herself and her child, but the wish to return to school stayed with her throughout.
"Inside, I was burning with the desire to continue with my education, even though it looked bleak because I was now a mother. I was praying daily to get someone who could assist me to get back to school," she said.
When did World Vision's DREAMS programme come?
Her breakthrough arrived in 2022, when World Vision's DREAMS programme came to her ward specifically to identify girls who wished to return to school.
She quit her job and enrolled, beginning Form One at Gwambe Secondary School in 2023 at the age of 19.
The return was not smooth. Younger classmates mocked her, suggesting she would fall pregnant again and leave.
Nkomo's dream shattered after DREAMS programme end
"I was determined, spurred on by the real-life experiences I had faced after dropping out," she said.
When the DREAMS programme ended while she was in Form Two, a diaspora-based well-wisher covered her Form Three fees, though that support also eventually ran out.
The Campaign for Female Education (Camfed) then took up her case, paying for her O-level examinations and keeping her enrolled.
Who is supporting Nkomo's educational journey?
"Camfed is now supporting my educational journey, and they even paid for my O-level examinations. My dream is to be a medical doctor," she said.
Her daughter, now in Grade Two, is aware that her mother attends school alongside her.
"My daughter knows mum is going to school just like her," Nkomo said with a laugh.
Gwambe Secondary School head praises Nkomo
Gwambe Secondary School head Nhlanhla Dube described Nkomo as a learner whose perseverance could motivate other young mothers.
"Imilaminkosi is a bright, determined learner. Her story is inspirational, and we are counting on her to do well in her final O-level examinations," he said.
Nkomo's message to girls in similar situations is direct: "To young girls who have fallen pregnant, you can still go back to school. Learn from your mistakes and rebuild your life again."
Youngest doctor from Ghana returns to school
In another story, TUKO also highlighted details about Dr Kwaku Boakye Gyamfi, Ghana’s youngest medical doctor, who pursued a Master’s in Public Health at Klintaps University College of Health and Allied Sciences.
He qualified as a doctor at 22 and was named the University of Cape Coast’s Best Graduating Student in Surgery.
Source: TUKO.co.ke