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The story of Aisha still fills me with goose bumps anytime l think about it. Speaking to her reveals she is a very ambitious young lady who was deprived of her basic necessity her friends enjoyed. According to Aisha: “I loved school and l have always dreamt of being a teacher in the future but circumstances wouldn’t allow me. I am a 17 years old girl, who grew up in a remote village in Northern Nigerian. Born into a family of 6 and happened to be the first child and only girl. My father paid for my fees till l finished my primary school after which his other intentions started manifesting regarding my future”.
She was told that she would be getting married in a few years and it would be pointless spending all that money on her being a female child. Especially because she would be betrothed to another family entirely, and answer to a different name and no longer the family name. Her father practically used her as a source of income generation to support her younger siblings without even considering her age or consent. He even threatened to disown her and send her packing out of his house. In her words: “As a young girl, l had no real choice but to comply all in pain and anguish”.
She got married to a man she never knew let alone love, and to worsen the situation she was made the 6th wife to this man because of his wealth. “My Dad sold me out to him.” She got pregnant after a few month of marriage. But the worst was yet to happen: she went to the hospital for her anti-natal and she tested positive to HIV. At this point hearing her illustrate her predicament felt very sad but l had to give hope -- at least that is my responsibility.
She said to me,” I felt this was the end of my short stay on earth, even when I told my so called husband, he said I should leave his house and go find out who infected me with this virus.” I hear they say contracting HIV is not the end of the world but what about my dignity? What about my unborn child? My response was that there is hope for and l told her about all the opportunities she had as a young person. As young people despite all the rights we have, many more still suffer these basic necessities as a child and we are turned into commodities for sale. The thin line though is the hope that we still have as a community and a force that the world cannot do without!!!
