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survivor

The Bittersweet Taste of Adulthood~ By Grace Banda

I vividly recall the awe-inspiring wonder of my early years, when becoming an adult felt like the ultimate goal. I used to watch my parents, aunts, and uncles, convinced they had everything figured out, and I admired them with a mixture of reverence and envy. Life, however, had other…

Growing Up In A Boarding School By Jasana Uandia

 

I spent my entire school career in a boarding school, where I was expected to look after myself from the tender age of 8, in Grade 2, until I graduated in Grade 12. I remember when I started boarding school during the second term of Grade 2 in the…

The Rebirth And Worth Of Me~ By Erica

Dear relentless love,
Look at what you made me do; I’m a pretty unfiltered fool for you. Through the epic ups and downs, through the tides that came with the deathly storms that rose high above the clouds, through the countless moments that got broad smiles converted from vivid frowns,…

The Joys Of Motherhood By Adeoluwa Deborah

Postnatal care seems to go hand in hand with the familiar scent of Dettol, the warmth of pap, and the soft puff of dusting powder. But once a child is born, not every mother steps into celebration; some step into waiting rooms, where the air is heavy with exhaustion,…

Reintroducing Myself ~ Mutshidzi Kwinda

Imagine this: a wide, clear blue African sky above you with the horizon that disappears behind the green hills and mountains, in a village filled with old, interesting stories passed down through generations. This is where I come from. My roots are fixed deep in the red most fertile…

Nostalgia~ Faith Matins

The wheels rolling unstoppable as time passes by,
There in with different souls as passersby,
Each soul a beauty, a specialty in tow,
Leaving colors splattered where spirit glows.

The good old memories, their sweetness clear,
As fresh as an untainted atmosphere,
The chatters, bickers of love we embrace
Lived through seasons in time and space.

Chapters…

Between Village and City Life~ By Joy

My name is Joy. I am a Nigerian woman, the second of five children. My family lived in the city and came from a lower-class. While my parents and siblings stayed in the city, I was raised by my grandmother in the village.

Growing up in the village, life was…

Meet Valencia, An Advocate For Climate Change From Zambia

My name is Valencia, and I’m an advocate for climate change from Lusaka, Zambia. In 2024, my family faced financial struggles that forced us to move to a shanty compound. It was during this time that a severe drought hit, and I witnessed firsthand how my community suffered. People…

Don’t Judge! Think Twice ~By Annette

Most of us are in cocoons that only we as individuals are aware of. Pits that we fear the worst and would rather bury it in our hearts than speak it out. In our minds, we fear what people will perceive of us. Sometimes, we feel alone and have…

YOUR GROWN DAUGHTER

The joy of knowing I didn’t lose you—
The solace of knowing it could have been so much worse.
The pain you carried,
The self-hatred that consumed you,
I felt it.

The feeling of helplessness,
hopelessness, and despair
You tried to cover with your jokes,
I felt that so painfully
When I saw you on the
hospital bed in…