Meet Mlambe: John Bamusi
I am John Bamusi, from Chokolongo village, T/A Kalembo, Balaka district in Malawi. Currently am studying online an Associate degree in Business Administration with the University of the People (UoPeople). I managed to access a scholarship with the assistance from a charitable organization called the Mlambe Project which operates in my village (Chikolongo) and has partners and donors in UK. I have been studying this degree for a year, now I have completed 8 of 20 courses I am supposed to complete to attain the degree.
Since I began my studies with the UoPeople, I have some great achievements. I have been outstanding through the 8 courses, up to the point that I managed to get A grade in one of the courses (Globalization).
This outstanding performance made me to be named among the Honor's List for Term 2 of the 2016-17 academic year for earning between a 3.00 and 3.49 CGPA at UoPeople. Currently, I have just been included in the UoPeople student ambassadors list.
I love and am one of the happiest person to be part of the project. The project has done a lot to me. My dreams of attaining a higher school were shattered due to financial constraints, but the Mlambe project opened up my future and now I have hope for a better future and this is a thing I will not forget in my life.
Sometimes I don’t feel like myself when I think about how I managed to be one of the University students, that’s why I try to work extra hard so that I should not lose this opportunity. The second favourite thing I like and I even regard as one of my happiest moments is the trip that we had to the Lake. That was my first time to travel a long distance, visit Lilongwe, visit the northern part of Malawi, swim in a lake, camp, in fact everything was just new to me. I think I will understand better after attending such events a lot but currently I feel like it was a dream.
I feel myself unique because am a person who easily learn things with little assistance or facilitation. For example, I am able to operate a computer using the little knowledge I got from Mlambe Project volunteers. I am gaining more skills on how to operate a computer on my own.
The second thing is about how am learning with the University. I am able to do well in my studies though passing through some hardship. Studying and doing well alone without physical learning is not a simple task, it takes my effort to pass. I find it hard to combine work (teaching) and studies. However, I still try to manage time properly and perform all the two tasks perfectly. Going through these situations I feel myself unique.
To someone willing to join UoPeople, I would tell him/her that, it is not just a mere university but is one which offers real courses for academic excellence. It’s a university and the degrees offered are recognised worldwide. Graduates from this university can work anywhere around the world. One more thing I would advise her/him would be to work harder, the courses are not just walk over courses but they require much effort in order to succeed.
I have been studying with the UoPeople for a year now and I have got some experiences. I have learned how to analyse articles, avoid plagiarism, principles of management, impacts of globalisation and skill on microeconomics.
The Mlambe Project has really impacted and improved my life. My life is not the same again. Talking about support, The Mlambe Project has and is supporting me in my studies, through providing me with a laptop on full time basis, 1GB of airtime monthly, assisting me to acquire a scholarship, supported with
computer skills and how to study online.
As stated earlier, the project supported me to explore Malawi through taking me together with my colleagues to one of the greatest events, The Lake of Stars.
In conclusion, The Mlambe Project has transformed my life through enrolling me with the UoPeople and exposing me to the technological world. This is fulfilling the project’s slogan, Building for a Better Future. The project is truly building for my better future. I wish the project to continue with the support to me and fellow Malawians. I can be on the forefront to reach out to other youth.
