WHEN 14 year old Paul Chilambwe lost his mother and older brother within two years, his future seemed uncertain.
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1CWj3Jvz2N
Struggling to continue school because of finances, he was rescued by the generosity of a neighbour who offered to sponsor his entire education, an act that would shape his life and that of others.
Born in Bulangililo, Kitwe, Paul was the ninth of 10 children.
After losing his mother in Grade 7 and later his older brother, he faced severe depression and illness.
Then a neighbour and a former colleague of his late brother, offered him a home and promised to pay for his education.
“From a moment of despair, I suddenly saw light at the end of the tunnel,” Paul recalled.
“I didn’t have to worry about fees, food, or books. My health improved and I began to dream again.”
After secondary school, Paul moved to Lusaka, working in shops and studying accounting through ZICA.
An opportunity in media production allowed him to redirect earnings toward his school fees and by 2012, he graduated with an accounting qualification and later studied at four universities, including the University of Zambia and Heriot-Watt University in Scotland.
Never forgetting the neighbour who gave him a second chance, Paul launched a campaign in 2022 called “Zambia Must Go Back to School”, aimed at sponsoring young people rewriting their General Certificate of Education (GCE) exams.
“I wanted to change the narrative. Different people fail Grade 12 for different reasons, such as financial problems, depression or difficult family situations. Everyone deserves a second chance,” he said.
Since then, he has sponsored over 400 students, paying for exam fees and materials, and supports university students facing financial hardship.
Through Students’ Stata, he also provides small business capital to campus entrepreneurs.
He told Kalemba in an interview that he funds these projects from his own income, online adverts and thrift suit sales.
“If one neighbour’s kindness could change my life, the least I can do is extend that same kindness to others,” he said.
For young people struggling after failure, Paul says:”Failing is not the end. Failing a subject is not the end. Rewrite your exams. Let God rewrite your story.”
By Catherine Pule
Kalemba, October 10, 2025
