Meet Mary: Orant Ulemu Scholarship Student

Meet Mary Chipala. Aged 21, Mary Chipala hails from Jali in Zomba. She is the sixth born in a family of seven. Mary’s father passed away when she was young. She lives with her mother who relies on subsistence farming to support her seven children.

In 2019, Mary graduated from Nkhamenya Girls Secondary School as an Orant sponsored student. Malawi University accepted her into their Business and Applied Sciences Program in 2020. She planned to study for a Bachelor of Education in Business Studies. Unfortunately, Mary couldn’t afford tuition. 

With regret, she deferred her spot. This meant she withdrew for the 2020-21 year but secured her place for the next academic year. She hoped within a year, she and her mother would find a way to pay for tuition. If not, she could lose her place.

“Despite withdrawing from school in 2021, my mother could still not afford to pay my school fees in 2022,” says Mary.

Some months ago, Orant’s Education Program launched the Orant University Fund for students like Mary. The Orant University fund aims to enable underprivileged students in Malawi to attend university. 

Mary applied for our Ulemu Scholarship. She is one of 7 students who won the scholarship. 

“I am so thankful that Orant came to my rescue,” she says. “Otherwise I was on the verge of dropping out of school.”

Mary’s sponsorship covers her tuition, food, accommodation, books, and other academic materials. 

“I am happy that apart from the tuition, Orant also provides for my needs,” she says. “I don’t have to worry about accommodation nor meals. I am working hard in school to support other students in need.”

Congratulations to Mary for winning the scholarship!