Melindah, a Northrise University student studying Business Administration, grew up in a compassionate home. Her family put their trust in the Lord and valued the needs of others. Melindah says, “Despite not having enough money for the whole family, my parents have always had compassion for fellow less privileged people. Due to that, most of my orphaned cousins would come live with us. On occasions when there was no money to pay for my school fees, my mother told me never to give up. She always assured me that God was in control and would see us through. From grade one to grade twelve, I always experienced being chased from class because I did not pay school fees. I remember I could not afford to pay school fees from grade eleven to twelve. I only managed to complete my secondary schooling because the head teacher in charge of the school, a Catholic Nun, understood my situation so the school allowed me to learn for free.”
The self-sacrifice displayed by her parents instilled in Melindah the desire to problem-solve and give back to her community. “Honestly speaking, the one thing that I desire for my life the most is to be a solution to the problems of the world. It may seem impossible to solve all of them, but I believe that I have a role to play to make this world a better place for everyone. I want to be a beacon of hope to the less privileged. I want to be that shoulder they can lean on in times when they feel alone. I can testify that because of the compassion portrayed by my parents, it made me dream of opening up an orphanage and having a charity organization of my own. No matter how hard life would become or how scarce food would become in the house, my mother always taught me to care for the needs of the person next to me.”
Melindah feels blessed to be a recipient of financial aid through the Northrise University One Student Scholarship Program. She is tremendously grateful to the Lord and to the Northrise family saying, “There is no better way to thank all the partners and friends of Northrise University, but from deep down in my heart. With a very grateful heart, I would love to say thank you very much for allowing a vulnerable young African lady like me have an opportunity to be at a wonderful university like Northrise. So many people out there are not able to access education due to poverty. Through your support, you have been keeping that torch burning in the lives of so many desperate and lost individuals like myself. May the almighty God richly bless you and may you keep on helping and supporting us. God bless you!”