Francisca used her studies to help others after family loss
Introduction
Turning to education after the death of her two sons, a mother is rebuilding her own mental wellbeing and using everything she has learnt to help others after studying at the University of West London.
It was not until retiring from a fulfilling career as a primary school teacher, raising her six children in Zimbabwe and moving to the UK at the age of 50 that Francisca Faku even considered higher education.
Suffering from severe mental health struggles when her mother died and her two sons were killed just months apart, she fell into a deep distress, relying on friends and her church to keep her going. It was this time of difficulty that would transform her future, as she decided to repay all the kindness she had received by gaining the skills to help people struggling in any area of their lives.
Now, after supporting four of her children through university, she has thrown herself into her own full-time study to complete a degree in BSc (Hons) Psychology with Counselling Therapy.
Introduction
After I lost my mother and my two sons, I really struggled with my mental wellbeing. It was only with support from friends and my church that I survived. That was when I decided to come to university so I could learn the skills to support other people dealing with what I went through. It was not easy at all after so long out of education - technology was my biggest challenge as I had learnt with paper and pen in my days. I was so terrified of computers that I almost gave up, but I never hesitated to look for help. I have shown that it's never too late to learn new skills, all it takes is a passion and determination. I’m so much more knowledgeable and feel younger than when I started.
As well as being given a peer mentor, Francisca has regular IT support and even benefited from financial support to enable her to keep studying while she supported herself.
