Everyone has hopes and dreams but, my Yankho doesn't even want to talk about them. She doesn't even see the point of talking about something that will never happen. I attempted to reason with her but it seemed to irritate her. I will take my time with her. A lot of people have succumbed to such words, thrown in the towel, and lived aimlessly. My fear is that these words will likely cause Yankho to end up like some of the girls in the community. A little trip to the health facility and I was told how teenage pregnancies were high and how most drop out to get married. My fear is that Yankho will settle for what is easy.
Yankho is just an example of how powerful words are. It has been said that words have the ability to build someone or tear them down completely. So many have had hopes crushed and dreams scattered because the wrong words were spoken. But the opposite is true as well.
I will choose to be different, to build rather than tear down. I am hoping to start a girl’s club in my community with help from the mother group. I would want to inspire them that they can be so much more and open them up to a whole world of possibilities. Hopefully, my words will help.
I still have a couple of months still to go, I hope to inspire girls like Yankho.
"Be careful with your words. Once they are said, they can be only forgiven, not forgotten." - Unknown