Many of you have been asking about James. First of all, we would like to say a big THANK YOU to everyone who has been supporting James’ education for months (and years). Thank you for your patience and understanding. It’s been quite the rollercoaster ride for him but we haven’t written much about James for two reasons. For one, when he came to Poland, he was under a lot of pressure. We didn’t want to add to this pressure by sharing his successes as well as failures with a wider audience. James also struggled quite a bit with the pre-med program at Gdansk University due to educational differences between Zambia and Poland. Even though he was a top student in his country, in Poland, he had to work twice as hard to catch up. He spent his first year fully devoted to his studies. He would study 12 hours a day or more, barely taking any breaks except for food and sleep. His hard work paid off and he passed some of his classes. Unfortunately, he failed some classes but was conditionally accepted to the program. He spent another year working hard, fighting to get through the program, and, yet again, passed some classes with flying colors but failed others. At that point, we weren’t sure what to do but James begged us to give him another chance. Ultimately, we made the decision to continue supporting him based on one factor alone – how we would act if this was our own child. After all, we consider all residents of Kasisi to be our children. We decided to support his dream for another year, after which we suggested he switch to a physiotherapy program. We argued that there is a huge demand for physiotherapists in Zambia and that the program itself isn’t as challenging as medical school. James agreed and soon transferred to Collegium Medicum in Bydgoszcz. He was doing so well, that, in an unexpected twist of events, his professors decided that he has what it takes to study medicine after all. We spent a lot of time discussing this decision and whether he wants to take this risk again. He decided to follow his heart and re-enroll in his dream program. This time, we’ve signed a contract with him that stipulates that he must pass all his first-year exams before he turns 30, otherwise he has to return to Zambia. Of course, we will continue to support his education in Zambia but we will not be able to cover the more expensive education he’s been getting in Poland. Regardless of the outcome, the money we invested in him has not gone to waste. Quite the contrary, your financial support has allowed him to learn things he would’ve never learned in Zambia. He gained valuable cultural experiences and Polish language skills, while his volunteer work allowed him to acquire professional know-how he would’ve never gained at home. We sincerely hope that James’ difficulties are behind him and that the rest of his studies will go a lot smoother. It’s great that his grades are so good (see pictures) but he’s been struggling for three years. At this pace, it will take him many more years to graduate! We think the deal we proposed is fair. We have given him many chances and now it is up to him. We will support him no matter what but we do hope that he will make a turnaround in these next six months. James, you can do it. We believe in you!

In spite of his huge effort, James failed to pass all his college classes and will have to repeat his first year. Sister Mariola and Szymon Holownia have decided that we will continue to suport his education. James is certainly not the worst student in his group – he is slightly below average – and unlike many students who have dropped out, he is still fighting. His first year was especially tough. The differences in education between Poland and Zambia turned out to be so overwhelming James spent day and night studying to make up for his knowledge gaps. He is currently spending a month at Kasisi. Once he’s back in Poland, he will start an internship at a hospital. We believe he will be able to overcome his obstacles and make his dream of becoming a doctor come true. Keep your fingers crossed!

We are celebrating the success of one of our students today - a few hours ago, James passed his medical entrance exams with flying colours! He came fifth out of 55 students! This is a reason for ALL of us to celebrate - his accomplishments would not have been possible without you! James worked hard and fully devoted himself to his dreams, but it's thanks to your support that they were able to come true. James already received his certificate of completion of the preparatory course and his letter of acceptance. Now it's time for him to rest and charge his batteries so that he can hit the ground running when college begins in October. This bright, young man is very grateful to you for your role in helping him spread his wings. Let's not forget about him!