REFUGEE DEFIES ODDS AS SHE IS 3RD BEST

MALINDZA – A young refugee girl has defied all odds by performing exceptionally well in the Swaziland Primary Certificate (SPC) final examination.

Giselle Nishimwe (15), who sat for her examination at Malindza Central Primary School, is a refugee from Burundi, a Central African country which is currently experiencing political unrest.

Despite all odds, Nishimwe attained 80 per cent aggregate in the examination and was placed third in the list of overall best performers. Nishimwe resides at the Malindza Refugee Camp with her mother and three siblings.
At the camp, she faced tough conditions, which include scarcity of rooms for studying, a very noisy environment and lack of basic necessities. However, she rose above all these tough conditions and performed exceptionally well in the examination.

Joy

She was overwhelmed with joy when this reporter broke the news to her that her name had been listed as the third best pupil in the country.
 “I’m not surprised, I was expecting this,” she said in her Central African accent.

She attributed her success to the support she got from her mother and teachers.
“I also prayed before and after studying,” she said, while also stating that the tough living conditions at the refugee camp motivated her to work very hard.
Nishimwe revealed that in preparation for the examination, she studied from 5pm until 10pm then went to asleep and studied again in the morning before going to school.

She said what drove her was the ambition to become a doctor.
“I do not have a father and my mother advised me to work very hard,” she said as she revealed that her family arrived in Swaziland in 2008 after fleeing Burundi because of the wars in that country.
Nishimwe’s mother, Irambona Revocate, was full of praise for her daughter.

She asserted that it was the Lord who had helped her to perform well. Revocate is a teacher at a Crèche situated at the camp.
Meanwhile, Head teacher at Malindza Central Primary School Simeon Matsebula said the school was proud to have produced a pupil who has been placed among the best in the country. He said this had placed the name of the school on the map.

Dedicated

Matsebula said this was an indication that teachers at the school were committed and dedicated to their jobs and further revealed that the school faced many challenges during the course of this year.
The challenges were as a result of the severe drought that plagued the whole country.

“As a result of the drought, some pupils would come to school without having eaten,” he said.
Another pupil from the school who performed well is Musa Colani Mthembu who attained aggregate 77 per cent and was placed at number 30 in the list of Top 100 pupils.

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