It all started with a meal a day , five boys and a girl child from the North central And for the first time in her life she finally feels in control , one with her chaos.
She stopped thinking of the next phase life will put out
Nurturing her self and growing into the secure woman she was meant to be , roaring into the serene version of herself with all the chaos in her not keeping her up at night or clouding her mind for she’s no longer stuck in the constant cycle of putting everything in place instead she reassures herself to let the chaos come for she was sure that whatever it came with she’d be at bay with her chaos.
of Nigeria in Lavun village.To scrap the surface the story begins , on a bright sunny day little expected changes just the same routine everyday as the norm took its routine ,little did the 6 minors know except for two adults as the search for a spouse had began to help cater for the family , as whispers conspired in the room more often it was now time the decision took effect
Mariya thirteen then now fifteen , the only girl from a family of five boys who barely had enough to survive was made to marry prematurely at the early age of thirteen as it is part of the culture of their clan to marry off their girl child at a tender age, which they still deny sold of all because of poverty. I met Mariya for the first time when I went back to the village for the festival as she was not as courageous to share her version it took some tears and trust for her to pour out her story in which she was sent back because she was sick and was no longer useful to her husband and in-laws imagine how it still eats her up inside. While girls at her age are busy being children , child brides like Mariya were used as poverty elevation scheme by their Families in return for money . This type of marriage at such an early age has negatively impacted the life journey of the girl child & body of young girls not to mention mental & health issues and other challenges that the girl child faces. fortunately for Mariya’s family , my family decided to cater for her education and currently resides with us.
To strike good cause Small villages like this need help where education can be free and skills are exchanged for better returns.