Alice Y is a junior staff member at the Pate Bana Marankh school. Passionate about girls’ education and rights, Alice came to EducAid when her family fell on hard times and were unable to fund her education. She enjoys writing and sharing her poetry.
THERE IS HOPE FOR TOMORROW
Seeing young talent wasting on the streets of my beloved country makes me sick!
They are very vibrant yet, they have been neglected
Give them a helping hand to get that which they seek,
Help in training them not to be rejected but to be wanted
Support them in attaining the key to unlock their potential
All they need is a pillar to hold on, they can reach the peak
Teach then not negatives but positive credentials
Say no to teenage pregnancy until they are of maturity
Make life much easier for them so their future will not be bleak
Take them to school, give them lasting security
Why must they taste the bitterness of the world?
You will do them a whole favour by bringing them to the light.
Ponder not cos that’s the right thing to do
They are strong, wise and full of might
Let’s not sit and watch their future to be doomed
Water them, then they can flourish,
Like petals during the rains, they’ll blossom
To provide food for the society but at the right time.
Move them from the streets, give them homes
Revitalize their dreams, give them achievable hopes.
Educate not just their heads but their hearts as well,
Let them make choices of education and not of marriage
For one day, they can be the answer to society’s ills, for you cannot tell
Protecting them from early marriages saves them from the troubles of miscarriages and unwanted abortions
For I passionately hold the view that better days are ahead
For when they are educated, surely there is hope for tomorrow.
MUTILATION IS EXECUTION
My heart filled with pain and anger at the mention of this name,
Outdated and inhumane it is, yet our girls are being pushed into it.
What a pity to those who still practice with no bit of shame!
Dangerous as it may be, but they still say that’s where they get their hand to mouth,
Look, how many vibrant souls we have lost,
Many died of excessive bleeding
Others, couldn’t withstand the hitting and beating,
Slowly, like a poison injected on food,
They died out of severe pain.
Oh, what a shame this tradition has cost!
Think about the helpless souls,
And not your selfish and inconsiderate gains
For the sounds of drums make me sick every day and night
For I know there are troubles waiting on the way.
But together we can all make this error right
If only we don’t turn deaf ears to what they say
Stop quenching your selfish thirst at the expense of tomorrow leaders
Recognize their human rights,
And give them a chance to make decisions for their lives.
Forcing them into this can only bring the trauma and fears
If they are wasted, who will we consider as fruitful mothers and wives?
Don’t you see that our society is doomed?
Mutilation is execution,
Our sisters, mothers, wives need protection
A practice done with no medical certification
Is as pitiful as an elite with no proper education.
Equality Song by Alice Y
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