Online Reporter
YESTERDAY, our main story was about a Zimbabwean model, Precious Sibalo, in which we celebrated her resilience and refusal to be buried by circumstances in the pursuit of her dreams
We revealed that Precious has flown to over 50 countries in the world, spread over six continents, in a dream adventure in the skies which has seen her transform herself from being a Qatar Airways cabin crew member to a commercial pilot.
We said that this is not bad for a Zimbabwean woman from Bulawayo who refused to let the burden of being born poor, having a child at the age of 17, and losing her mother when she was still young, overwhelm her and define her life.
Precious has come a very long way since she left her home in the City of Kings, after making the tough decision to leave her baby under the care of her grandparents, to chase her dreams in South Africa and Dubai.
She worked as a waitress and model in South Africa before getting a job as a cabin crew member at Qatar Airways.
The 38-year-old spent a dozen years flying throughout the world and, for many, it would have been a dream fulfilled. But, not for Precious.
She still wanted more.
In 2017, she enrolled at the prestigious 43 Air school South Africa for her Integrated Airline Transport Pilot License (IATPL) course.
There is no doubt that Precious has become a role model for millions of Zimbabwean women.
We ran her story because we felt that her powerful tale can inspire other teenage girls across the country that they also can dream big despite their humble circumstances.
It doesn’t matter that those teenage girls might either be pregnant or they have a kid.
Precious had a child at 17 but she refused to let that define her life and destroy her dreams.
She knew that she could not change her past but could influence her future.
For her, having a baby at 17, and being a single mother, was not a curse.
It was a blessing and it inspired her to work even harder, for the sake of herself and for the sake of her daughter.
That is the kind of spirit we want to see in millions of teenage girls dotted across the country.
We want them to know that they have the power to change their lives and all that they need is to work hard in the pursuit of their dreams.
They have Precious as an example that nothing is impossible.
She has shown them that all the barriers can be smashed and the hurdles can be cleared.
She has provided them with a template that being born poor should never be a barrier in the pursuit of their dreams.
Instead, she has shown, it should inspire them to work even harder.
That is the reason why we celebrated Precious’ beautiful journey because we want it to inspire others and, hopefully, that will be the case.
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