THE PLIGHT OF AN 11 YEAR OLD GIRL | Challenges that Life Throws at Us | @nathanielasuo

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There's an old saying in a popular Ghanaian language which is directly translated in English as; "No one knows the beginning of the great person."

Today, I'll like to share with you an encounter I had with a young girl and the reality of life she has to face at her age.

Source

In my school (Kintampo College of Health and wellbeing), I'm a member of a Christian group of students who periodically visit nearby villages and most especially hard-to-reach areas to do health screening for them at no cost. In my three year stay in the school, we've done about 6 of these outreaches.

At One of the Outreaches

The last one we held took place last month at a village called Paninamisa in the Kintampo South District. It was during this outreach that I met this young girl of about 11years called Rukaya. She came around with her other sister of the same age so I attended to her sister first and later attended to her.

At Paninamisa; the outreach where I met Rukaya

From the diagnosis, she was developing Stomach ulcer so I took time to advice her on preventive measures for the condition. I further asked whether she even eats at all? There, she started narrating her ordeal.

She said her father had passed on just a few years ago and her mother has been asked to leave her Dad's home back to her parents. She now lives with her Uncle (Father's brother) whose daughter she came with for the screening. Her Uncle's wife is a trader and hardly stays at home. She added that she doesn't get enough food to eat at home but does all the household chores by herself. She hardly finds leftovers to eat before leaving for school in the morning because her cousins are many too. She apparently goes to school without any pocket money to buy lunch.

Here's Rukaya with me

Rukaya's Cousin with me

She's been used to going hungry all the time that anytime she eats food now, her stomach hurts and that's why she came to be screened. She then started to shed tears.

The last line actually confirmed the diagnosis but I really felt bad and worried about her. I didn't know what I could do for her. I thought so much about her at the moment wondering why she has to face these challenges all by herself. I wondered what wrong she had done to deserve this pain. She was just 11 and in Primary 4.

While those thoughts were running through my mind, all of a sudden, I felt someone speak to me from inside saying that old adage; "No one knows the beginning of the great person."

I then went on to advise her never to give up on her education and to never habour any hatred for her foster parents because this might be God's way of raising a future giant but before that, He takes the person through tough situations to strengthen them. I added that she's a great person and she should keep saying that to herself. It shall be worth it.

I Know you might be having a similar story.
I know you might also be going through a tough time like this one.
I know you might be battling with something that you can't even share with others.

Here's my advice! Look to God and never give up on your dreams!
If you know someone who's also going through some of these challenges, just tap them on the shoulder and tell them to keep fighting cuz no one really knows the beginning of the great person.

Thank You for reading.