14- year-old Makes History as the Youngest Ever University Student in Zimbabwe

She is a student at the University of Zimbabwe, and she is only 14 years old!

Maud Chifamba has risen from the brinks of poverty to make history as the youngest ever student in Zimbabwe and the whole of South Africa.

Maud lost her father at the age of five, and her mother just last year. She was left in the care of her two brothers who could not afford to pay for the fees associated with a formal school. Understanding at a very young age that she needed to take charge of her destiny, the orphan then stayed home and made books her “best friends.” She studied passionately; undergoing several reading routines that she said lasted throughout the day and sometimes into the night.

The 14- year-old attained an astonishing score when she took her A- Level exams last year and earned a place at the University of Zimbabwe on a full scholarship.

"It's phenomenal, especially if you consider that for her A-Levels she was not in formal school," says Gershem Pasi, the commissioner general of the Zimbabwean Revenue Authority in an interview with CNN African Voices. "She was just reading by herself at home and her brothers only managed to pay the examination fee."

With the goal of becoming an accountant, Maud is now well on the path to becoming Zimbabwe’s youngest ever accountant.

We wish her the best!

Photo credit: African Voices