"YOU WILL FIND, AS YOU LOOK BACK ON YOUR LIFE, THAT THE MOMENTS THAT STAND OUT ARE THE MOMENTS WHEN YOU HAVE DONE THINGS FOR OTHERS."
- HENRY DRUMMOND
- HENRY DRUMMOND
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The purpose of this website to promote higher education success by providing mentorship and support to college and college bound students and their families. Professor's Pearls operates with a mission of charity. Programs, services and resources offered by Professor's Pearls are free for students and families who need them.
In addition to serving the needs of college and college bound students, Professor's Pearls sponsors educational pursuits in Zambia, South Africa, where free public schooling is only offered through the 10th grade. Due to the limitations of this public policy in conjunction with a widespread AIDS epidemic, most students will never graduate from high school thus perpetuating the cycle of extreme poverty. My friend (more like an adopted son - he calls me his "American Mum"), Mukupa Chintu is a victim of the social and educational crisis in Zambia. His father died of AIDS when he was 15 years old, which prevented him from being able to attend school beyond 10th grade. His mother was left impoverished after the passing of her husband rendering her unable to care for Mukupa. After she moved to the countryside to live with her sister, Mukupa was left to care for himself before he had even turned 16 years old. Backstory - I sponsored Mukupa Chintu's preschool education when he was 6 years old at Muchuto Academy in Karfue through the Christian Children's Foundation in 1991. When Mukupa's family moved, we lost contact for nearly 20 years until one day he found me on facebook. It turns out that we had both been looking for each other for years. At the time of our reunion, Mukupa was serving withan AIDS awareness program where he traveled to rural areas in Zambia yo promoting AIDS awareness and prevention. He was passionate about this mission, as AIDS had taken his father away from him as a young man. Mukupa shared his dream of finishing high school with hopes of someday studying social work or community planning at university in Zambia. My family was blessed to sponsor Mukupa's education at the Great North Road Academy in Lusaka where he resumed 10th grade classes at 27 years old. He worked very hard and graduated in 2014. He is my hero and I can't wait to see how he will change the world! Education changes everything! Mukupa and I also feel a greater commitment to assist the epidemic of street kids in Zambia obtain educational opportunities by building a free community school with living quarters for the hundreds of children who literally live on the streets. It is my dream to help his dream materialize. UPDATE: Mukupa Chintu opened his own school, Bold Park Academy, in January of 2018!! I'm not sure what it's like to have an "Oprah" moment. But, this has to be up there! The power of ONE is MANY!! |