Tinoh Kanyala

MY LIFE IS A MYSTERY

Born in a family of four children of which all of us are boys. 1990 was the year my mother and father enjoyed my coming to the world of hardships. My life is a mystery because as I'm writing this story I'm a university student at Chancellor College in Malawi as my country. Nobody dreamed of Tinoh to be a college student since I was born on a poverty stricken family. The death of my father in 2007 when I was 17 was the mark of my dead future. When father was alive I could still struggle to get educated. Now my father, Mr Potipher Kanyala died, how did you expect me to run my education smoothly? It was a double blow on my neck to witness the bizarre death of my father. I'm not here to explain in detail how my father died but you may just know that in our family we never know the cause of my father's death. Even the doctors with expertise in the our community hospital in Lilongwe area 25, failed to find the underlying cause. At the age 17 my form one scientific knowledge made me to understand that the cause of my father's death was too forensic of which even the modern microscope could not trace it.

But why did I say my life is a mystery? I know you are curious to know in detail. I can only promise that soon you will know. The death of my father forced me to drop out of school in my first year at secondary school. I stayed for 2 years and my dreams were gradually shuttered. Although I stopped school, I was brilliant such that most of my friends whom I was in same class with could visit me to help them. "Tinoh, help me this problem in mathematics," one could earnestly beg of me. To my surprise, even those who were my seniors in terms of education could also come to me for help. I wondered how was this to be possible. But trust me, this was possible. I managed to help them and completely influenced their position in classroom performance. This made me to question what if those I helped get better jobs in future and tell others that the poor Tinoh is the only cause of their success in life? What a shame and sympathetic! This made me dream again. Those dreams which were once shuttered began to blossom again like flowers.

The second year after my drop out of school came. This is in 2008 when my young brother Joseph Kanyala and his friend who also happens to be my friend and brother, Francis Maneya met a good Samaritan in Kanengo industry area in Lilongwe capital of Malawi. The good Samaritan, Mr Trinta E. Nyamilandu, asked these little dudes the map to Transcom company. These dudes carried their ice cream boxes as it were their piece work during their primary school vacation. My brother, Joseph told Francis to help him since he was going toward the same direction. As they were going Mr Trinta asked him about Francis' education. He told him he had just wrote his Primary School Leaving Certificate of Education (PSLCE). As his kindness he offered himself to help him in Francis' secondary education if he was to pass. Mr Nyamilandu knew that the lad was doing piece work in order to carter for his education.

When I heard the story I thought God just spoke to me to ask Mr Nyamilandu to help me find anyone who could help me. Luckily enough, he himself offered to help me as well. He helped me my form 2 which is second level of secondary education. Although I did not learn my form 1 I still did well in Junior Certificate of Education (JCE). Mr Nyamilandu lost his wife when I was to begin my third level of secondary education. This incident distorted everything because when I went to him to pay me school fees, he said he couldn't anymore. He told me together with my mother that this time we were supposed to help ourselves and he could possibly take it over in my final year of secondary education. I began to feel lost again but one thing I knew is that my God did not leave me alone.

Seeing how I was performing in my education at this school in area 25, Mrs Nkaonja, who is the owner and director of Hilltop Pvt School, offered me a chance to be learning at her school for free till I wrote my Malawi School Certificate of Education (MSCE) in 2011. Fortunately, God was with me and I passed the examinations. It did not end there. I was selected to University of Malawi Chancellor College to pursue my Bachelor of Education in Languages. Here God is still with me and Mrs Kanyala is a proud mother now. She had been there for me since I was born and till now. And how I wish father was alive too to see his son fulfilling his dreams. I believe that through mother I will always make the spirit of my father happy. Though I'm not yet with my studies here are college but I have faith that God will take me there where my destiny lies and awaits for me. I thank Mr Nyamilandu and Mrs Nkaonja for they did a good job. And they are always proud of me because I did not take their help for granted. I always appreciated by working hard in my education. What these Samaritans did to me I will do to others as well and that is my goal. I'm always happy for my two brothers Joseph and Francis who acted as my bridge to my Samaritans. That's my story.