Jane Mulenga: A New Chapter in Her Story
Since its inception in 2007, Spark Ventures has provided access to resources that were once out of reach and opportunities to children who deserve a chance to reach their full potential. Our sustainable outlook on education is lifting communities out of poverty and changing lives of people like Jane Mulenga’s.
Meet Jane
Jane Mulenga’s father died when she was a young girl. After his death, her family had no source of income. One day, a teacher from Hope School found Jane digging in a pile of garbage. Concerned, the teacher stopped and asked her what she was doing. Jane shared that her life at home had become very difficult since her father’s death, and they had no money to buy food.
The teacher told the staff at Hope about Jane and arrangements were made for her to move into the orphanage and enroll in school. A place to sleep, 3 healthy meals each day and an encouraging environment allowed Jane to thrive. She loved school and impressed her teachers with her intelligence and eagerness to learn. When she took the national exams in 7th grade, she had the highest marks in the school and qualified to continue her education in high school. Thanks to Spark Ventures’ scholarship program, Jane was able to attend secondary school without the restraints of finances. Through hard work and determination, Jane graduated from high school then went on to college to pursue a teaching diploma which she completed in December 2018.
Jane’s life has changed so much since that day she was found digging through the garbage on the streets of Twapia. At Hope, Jane found a welcoming family of 400 students with similar stories and dreams. She also found comfort and an opportunity to pursue her dreams. She has been wanting to return to Hope Community School to give back to the people who changed her life. This month, Jane is officially joining the full-time staff at Hope as the librarian in the new library. She will earn a salary allowing Jane to completely support herself. Not only that, Jane is seeing her dreams become reality right before her eyes, and we are privileged to have played a part in it.