From Uncertainty to New Beginnings

After completing her O’ Level examinations with an impressive eight passes, Tadiwa Chigombe should have been celebrating. Instead, she found herself facing a painful reality her parents could not afford the fees for her to proceed to A Level. What should have been a moment of pride quickly turned into uncertainty, and it felt as though her journey had come to an unexpected halt.

Determined not to sit idle, Tadiwa decided to join her sister, who runs a small events décor business from home. While it was not the path she had imagined, it at least gave her something meaningful to do as she tried to figure out what the future might hold. Then, an unexpected opportunity changed everything. When Tadiwa received the news that she had been identified as a volunteer eligible for a scholarship to study bakery and food preparation at Bethel Hospitality Training Institute, she could hardly believe it.

“I never dreamt in my wildest dreams that I would get such an opportunity,” she said.

Since joining Bethel, Tadiwa’s life has begun to change in ways she never imagined. Beyond learning new skills, the experience of interacting with other students has helped her step out of her shell.

“I am naturally a shy person, but in such a short space of time I have gained so much confidence from interacting with other students,” she explained.

The transformation has not gone unnoticed. Pastor Joe Debwe, her pastor at an assembly in Epworth, says the change in Tadiwa is remarkable.

“You can see it when she is addressing young people in her new role as Youth Vice President,” he said. “She is no longer the timid young girl we once knew. From the time she started studying at Bethel, she has become a completely different person.”