Surviving as a House Girl: My Journey Through Pain and Hope

I was in SS1 when my mother died and I moved in with a woman who sold tomatoes and pepper. She didn’t treat me like a child but made me work as her house girl. I woke before dawn to sweep, fetch water, cook and clean while her own children rested. One Saturday, I could not finish my chores on time and my madam became furious. She heated an iron and pressed it against my face. The pain was excruciating and left a scar I carry to this day. Every morning I went to school late and often hungry. I wasn’t allowed to wash up before classes, so I bathed behind the hostel building. Kind classmates shared food and clothes with me when they saw how I struggled. I cried myself to sleep many nights, but I refused to give up. Education was the only hope I had. Today, the scar reminds me how far I’ve come and how hope can survive even the darkest days.

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