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I am sure those words have been said by millions of children the world over and you yourself might have replied that way when your primary or preschool teacher asked about your ambitions.
For me that dream is so close that I can almost reach out and touch it.

I wrote my A Levels last year and came out with As in Mathematics, Chemistry and Biology to get a perfect score of 15 points.
I have always wanted to be a doctor from the time I was young.

I am enchanted by the idea of making the world a better place.

Doctors not only relieve illnesses and help those who are injured, they also help people to stay healthy and enjoy a great quality of life.

I would like to go to the University of Zimbabwe and study medicine there to make my dream a reality.

And with 15 points I am almost certain that I will be able to get a place. But I have not yet applied. It is a challenge for me to raise the $50 needed to apply.

And even if I do get that money I have no idea how I would pay the university fees.

My mother is a domestic worker here in Mhondoro where I live and she earns $70 a month.

From that money she must meet all the needs of our family which comprises her, myself and my twin brothers one who is in form four and the other in form three.

I have no idea where my father is or even if he is still alive.

He walked out on us when I was three years old and has never been in touch since. So I think it is correct for me to say that I am fatherless.

My mother put me through school up to form three on what she earned. In form four I moved to the top of the class and qualified for a bursary at our school Mhondoro Rio Tinto High School at Mubaira Growth Point.

The bursary is sponsored by a Germany charity and helps with fees for the top 10 students in each stream.

I managed to remain in the top 10 until I finished A Level, helping ease the burden on my mother. My teachers are proud of me for being the very first student in the history of the school to get 15 points at A Level. I

am grateful to them for all the support and encouragement that they gave me.

They made sure that I had access to available school textbooks as they were aware that my mother was unable to afford to buy me personal copies.

After school I would go back to our simple home and sit on a 20 litre plastic container with a metal bench as my desk to study by the light from a lamp beside the fire in our kitchen. I did not care about the conditions and studied hard because I wanted to make sure that I used this opportunity to be the best that I could be.

But when the results came out, even I was surprised. I expected to get 12 or 13 points not a perfect 15. But with the grace of God, the support of my school and my mother and my own determination, I made it.

Now I only pray that someone somewhere will help me realize my dream to become a medical doctor.I promise that I will return to serve my community which does not have a doctor and must travel to consult one.

Ignacious Chizema

• Angels of mercy are requested to contact the editor on [email protected] or call 0773025623