He is 12 years old but Alex Kalaluka has never ever stepped his foot in a classroom.
This is because Alex had suffered from Epilepsy coupled by lack of finances to enable him get into school.
Our staffer Osward Sichone visited the family in Chilanga’s Freedom Compound to learn more about their plight.
Alex who stays with his single mother narrates to KT that being the eldest son, he decided to look for a job as a car washer to supplement her mother’s efforts in providing for the family.
He says after a day’s work, Alex is given a K5 daily which he takes home to his mother to enable her buy food for the family.
Alex’s mother Muyapekwa Wamundila who works at a local restaurant, says she had allowed her son to work at the cash wash because she can’t not manage to buy School requirements for him.
“There is free education but there are other requirements such as shoes, books and uniforms which I can’t afford to buy. So instead of just let him just sit, Alex had opted to be washing cars so that he can help the family. I’m a single mother and my salary is not enough as I only get K700 and I I have to pay K600 rent” Wamundila narrates.
Luckily, Alex will not continue washing cars whilst his age mates are in school as the Helga Matanda Anscombe Foundation has come in to support him with all his school requirements.
Helga Matanda Anscombe Foundation Founder and Director Helga Matanda Anscombe says her organisation will take care of Alex ‘s educational needs till he completes his secondary school education.
“A few months ago I took my vehicle to a car wash near Chilanga Police Station and I was amazed I saw a young boy working at a car wash. He was assigned to wash my vehicle and I was impressed at the way he did the work, so l decided to find out more about Alex and that is how I learned about his predicament. As a foundation we will support him until he Successfully completes his education” Matanda said.
The Foundation has since secured a place for Alex at Chilanga Primary School and is scheduled to start going to school next week.
Source:Mybrytfmonline.com
