Student Profile
| Name: | Mercy Chisala |
| Gender: | Female |
| Date of birth: | 24th October 1991 |
| Place of birth: | Mansa, Zambia |
| Guardian: | Mary Mwewa |
| Profession: | Telephone Operator with Ministry of Education |
| Primary School: | Chibelo Basic School |
Family Background:
Mercy was born in Mansa, in Luapula Province, the northern most province of Zambia. She moved to Lusaka early in her childhood with her parents and four siblings.
Mercy’s parents passed away soon after coming to Lusaka. She is therefore an orphan but fortunately she has found a home. Mercy and her four siblings live with a close family friend, Mary Mwewa. Sadly, Ms. Mwewa is blind and struggles to provide for Mercy and her siblings. She works for the Ministry of Education as a telephone operator. She goes to work being assisted by someone, who helps her get to the bus stop. Unfortunately, some days there is no one to assist Ms. Mwewa and she stays home from work. Ms. Mwewa would like to have more work, and has looked, but struggled to find any organization that will employ a blind person.
Mercy's Education:
Mercy attended Chibelo Basic School in Lusaka and earned the 3rd academic position in her Grade 7 class. Her favorite subjects in school were mathematics, English, and science.Outside the classroom, Mercy was an active member of the HIV/AIDS Resource Center at Chibelo School. She loved the center because she could learn more about HIV/AIDS and she could also work as a peer counselor and educator.
At Leopards Hill Secondary School (Grade 8):
In her first year at Leopards Hill Mercy made a noticeable impression by the way she behaved. This led her to win an award for the best behaved student in her class. Undoubtedly, this behavior has contributed to her academic improvement and progression. One thing she noted a great improvement in was her ability to express herself in the English language. She also managed to do well in German as a foreign language, earning first academic position in that subject. As Mercy continued to study hard, improvements could be seen throughout the year in Mathematics, History, English and Office Practice.
(Grade 9)
Now in grade 9, Mercy has shown even further improvements since last year. Her performance has brought her higher in class positions although she feels she will continue to do better. Her favorite subjects this year are Mathematics, Religious Education and History. The subjects she has worked hardest on to improve in are French, Civics and Geography.
Mercy's Interests:
While Mercy was in primary school she liked reading books, cooking, and drawing. Now at Leopards Hill, she takes part in soccer, cross-country running, javelin and discus. She earned first place in the javelin and discus events this year. She also has joined the JETS club as an extracurricular activity, which primarily focused on science and mathematics.
Career Interests:
Mercy wants to be an accountant someday and hopes to achieve that goal in her life.
What the teachers think of Mercy:
Mercy’s teachers at Chibelo School said that Mercy was one of the best pupils in the seventh grade. She was well behaved and captured all the concepts very fast. She was a bit quiet in class, but when she contributed it is always thoughtful and intelligent. Furthermore, the teachers noted that she was a hard working and determined girl.
Mercy's Thoughts:
“I enjoy this school very much. This school offers a very good education and allows us the opportunity to participate in sports and to keep physically fit. I also have a good number of friends because the people here are friendly including the teachers.
As a KF member I have been helped in many things. I have come to meet different people with different characteristics. As far as I am concerned, it is good to know different people and their behavior.
I am really thankful for the opportunity to be at this school. I will do my very best to achieve my potential.”