Precious Phiri has always understood the value of education. When his family could not afford to send him to high school, he chose to repeat Grade 8 rather than give up on his goal.
That decision gave Precious another year to work hard and hope that an opportunity would emerge. Today, he is entering Grade 10 and beginning his second year in The Sonder Project’s Education is Power program. He is also on track to become the first person in his family to graduate from high school.
Determined to Find a Way
Precious at home with his grandparents
Precious is the oldest of three children and has lived with his grandparents since he was 12. His parents moved to another region of Malawi to work as tenant farmers, and the siblings were divided between their parents and grandparents. Precious decided to remain where he was so he could continue attending the same school.
Because traveling between the two regions is expensive, Precious’s parents haven’t visited since, but they stay connected through occasional phone calls. His parents have always wanted him to continue his education, but their circumstances made high school unaffordable. Neither parent progressed beyond Grade 9, and his grandparents did not have the opportunity to learn to read or write.
Precious finished primary school at the top of his Grade 8 class and earned a place at a local high school. When his family could not afford the fees, he made the difficult decision to repeat Grade 8. He excelled again and was accepted into an even better high school, but the financial barrier remained.
This time, the school allowed Precious to begin classes while searching for someone to sponsor his education. He remembers feeling “terrified” that he would not be able to remain in school, particularly because no one in his family previously had.
Still, Precious kept showing up and working toward the future he wanted.
The Power is in His Hands
Precious at school with The Sonder Project’s Education Coordinator Jervas.
The opportunity Precious had been hoping for arrived through The Sonder Project’s partnership with the Addax & Oryx Foundation. He was selected for Education is Power with support for all four years of high school if he continued to excel. The power was now in his hands.
Precious was at school when Jervas, one of The Sonder Project’s Education Coordinators, came to share the news.
“I felt very excited because before I couldn’t see any hope,” Precious recalled.
Joining Education is Power meant that Precious no longer had to wonder whether unpaid fees would interrupt his education. He could focus his attention on learning and begin thinking beyond the next school term.
“The program helps me not overthink things outside of my studies,” he said when asked about the biggest change sponsorship has made in his life.
Precious also attended his first annual Education is Power Academic Camp in April. During the camp, he met students from other schools, received academic guidance and tutoring, and participated in sessions covering mental health, child protection, and other topics designed to help students succeed both inside and outside the classroom.
Looking to the Future
Precious (center) with fellow Education is Power students at school in Malawi.
With the security to continue his education, Precious now has more room to consider where his studies might take him. He especially enjoys mathematics and solving problems, interests that have already shaped his ambitions.
“I want to be a bank manager because I enjoy math and solving problems,” he shared.
When he is not studying, Precious enjoys playing football and spending time with other students. Sponsorship has given him something every young person deserves: the opportunity to work toward his goals while still having the space to learn, grow, and enjoy being young.
His grandfather, Limdikani Maliteni, believes the value of supporting students like Precious reaches far beyond one family.
“I’m so grateful for the donors supporting students like Precious across Malawi,” he said. “Our country depends on our young people getting an education for our society to grow.”
Help More Students Keep Learning
Precious is one of 50 Education is Power Students sponsored through the Addax & Oryx Foundation. All 50 students pictured together at the April 2026 Education is Power Camp.
Precious’s story is still being written. He has already continued his education beyond the point his parents and grandparents had the opportunity to reach, and he is working toward becoming the first high school graduate in his family.
His determination brought him this far. Education is Power has given him the security to keep going.
Through Education is Power, students like Precious can remain in school, concentrate on learning, and begin planning for futures that once seemed out of reach. For Precious, that means continuing toward graduation and pursuing his goal of becoming a bank manager. For his family, it means seeing a new path take shape for the generations that follow.