"In the rural valleys of Malawi, where homes are built of mud and grass, and electricity is scarce, Tamala Chunda spent his evenings bent over borrowed textbooks, reading by the dim light of a kerosene lamp. During the day, he helped his parents care for the family's few goats and tended their half-acre maize field in Emanyaleni village, some 400km (249 miles) from the capital city, Lilongwe."
"Then, this May, a letter arrived that seemed to vindicate every late-night hour and every sacrificed childhood game: a full scholarship to the University of Dayton in Ohio, the United States. I thought life was about to change for the first time, Chunda told Al Jazeera. For my entire family, not just myself. News of the award brought celebration to his grass-thatched home, where family and neighbours gathered to mark what felt like a rare triumph."
"But just months later, that dream unravelled. The US embassy informed Chunda that before travelling, he would have to post a $15,000 visa bond more than 20 years of the average income in Malawi, where the gross domestic product (GDP) per person is just $580, and most families live on less than $2 a day, according to the World Bank."
A Malawian student, Tamala Chunda, studied by kerosene lamp while helping his parents tend goats and a half-acre maize field in a remote village. Chunda earned a full scholarship to the University of Dayton in Ohio, prompting celebration and sacrifice by his family and neighbours. Months later the US embassy required a $15,000 visa bond before travel. That bond equals more than 20 years of average income in Malawi, where GDP per person is about $580 and many families live on under $2 a day. The bond requirement creates a severe financial barrier to education and opportunity.
Read at www.aljazeera.com
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