A journey to celebrate

Growing up in Zimbabwe at the SOS Children's Village Bulawayo was part of an amazing journey for one former SOS child.

Sarah Deredza, and her young brother and sister had been travelling through various towns in Zimbabwe with their ailing mother. Their father had died previously and the family had been struggling to survive. Having spent several months in Bindura, a small town north of Harare, their mother eventually brought the small children to Harare in search of relatives who might be able to take care of the three of them as Sarah's mother had fallen ill.

On reaching Harare, Sarah's mother collapsed outside a radio station. An ambulance came and took the mother to hospital where she subsequently passed away. The radio station broadcast an appeal for assistance for the young children. Eight-year-old Sarah and her six-year-old brother and twelve-year-old sister eventually found themselves living with Peggy Sibanda, an SOS mother at SOS Children's Village Bulawayo, in the south of Zimbabwe.

Arriving in the village in 1996, the three siblings grew strong within the loving home and village environment. They did encouragingly at school and fitted in well with their new family. The permanent home suited the little family and all three children are now independent from SOS Children's Villages and living their own lives.

Sarah has continued travelling - she has attended high school in Ghana at the SOS International College, where she successfully completed her International General Secondary School Certificate in 2006. This certificate, which is internationally recognised, covered subjects such as English, IT, French, Economics and Biology. One of her tutors in Ghana, Zenaye Soloman, remembers Sarah well. "Sarah was one of my brightest students. She has been very successful and is a lovely young woman"

Graduating in 2006, Sarah was accepted at Berea College in America to study a 'Peace and Justice Studies' programme in her initial year in America.

What does the future hold?

Berea College is unique in that all students accepted - and offers are only made to academically promising students - are provided with a scholarship to cover their tuition. Berea College was inaugurated in 1855 and boasts a strong undergraduate prospectus that leads students into either a Bachelor of Science or Arts degree.

Sarah's interest in biology has led her to start her undergraduate degree in nursing and she hopes to qualify as a nurse practitioner. She maintains her interest in peace and justice though by also undertaking courses in conflict mediation. In the future, Sarah would like to consider specialising in dentistry or medical school. She's also keen to give back to those who have helped her in her life. "I find joy and rewards in giving back to the community," she says.

Now aged twenty, Sarah's interests range far and wide. "I would say I am a person that values independence, service, life and an individual who demonstrates a higher level of maturity. I enjoy travelling and learning about different cultures and languages. I addition to English, Ndebele, Shona and Swahili and French that I studied in high school, I would like to learn Spanish."

"I really couldn't say that I have much free time now, but when I do I enjoy counselling on relationships for my friends. I also enjoy reading different forms of literature while in natural settings - there is something deeply calming about that. I value friends and family and try to spend time with them."

"I love to explore cuisine and cook; it seems to be a genetic trait that my mother passed on to my sister and me. We hope to study further and open our own restaurant someday."

Of her life at SOS Children's Village Bulawayo, Sarah is succinct. "It's the best thing that could have happened."