DAY 5
Building blocks to healing
I am Samantha Chidodo a survivor of child marriage. Let me elucidate on the building blocks to the healing process. Healing is a process and concept that explains the aftermath of the damage that was caused. Healing is a commitment process that exaggerates the stages that a survivor undergoes. Healing narrates reparation processes or defines stages to ensure a once again stable mindset, as before or even better. Healing entails re igniting a once glowing splinter. It also entails getting back on track, a once disturbed mindset, so that life proceeds as before, and as the survivor of child marriage, the experiences that I underwent saved as some kind of training, hence I'm now invigorated to perform better.
Building block 1. You need to assess your position. I thought first of what happened to me during the traumatic experiences. I told myself not to stay long at this stage. I took note of my strength and abilities and my continued vulnerability. For I had nothing except my mind and my hands. I elucidated my strength as false and able to understand quickly in academics. So I had to make rest to rejoin in school. This I did and passed my A levels. That enabled me to enroll at Zimbabwe Ezekiel Guti University for a Bachelor of Laws Honours Degree.
Point two. I have a passion for marketing that was spiced by an outgoing character of myself, that could enable me to start selling various items, in vending business for my survival and that of my child. I hate begging, as this can increase your vulnerability to unscrew plus people.
Point three. I find myself able to socialize with people at various levels of the social structure with this I failed the only way to send in myself was to find any coordinate peers in a similar situation as mine and those who are still in school from five years. With the support of Rozaria Memorial Trust, I spearheaded Nhanga, a group of girls and survivors of child marriage.
Point four. I started working and continue to work through selling food items to fellow students at university to finance my studies. This is very taxing as I need to balance between studies and business.
Building block 2. Here you must set yourself objectives and learn. For one to achieve, they have to set targets as I did. I have to raise my fees and at the same time for my food and upkeep. With the help of Rozaria Memorial Trust, locally and internationally I have brushed the shoulders with luminaries like madam Graca' Machelle former first lady of Mozambique and subsequently South Africa. Inherently I got schooled on the basics of survival against a plethora of life upheavals.
Building block 3. Engage with stakeholders, social enterprises or activities like undertaking the Nhanga project which needs one to be linked. I linked with the local, political and traditional leadership to perpetuate my mindset of the need to coordinate peers in various income generating projects. I got propelled in advocacy work through coming up with the bylaws with local chiefs that could protects girls from all forms of abuse.
Building block 4. Share with others through designed programs for peers to teach one another how to use practical skills like weaving or cultural baking etc to generate income and do away with begging syndrome.
Building block 5. Pray. Praying might appear as an unwarranted block, yet it's highly important. Prayer strengthens, prayer helps you to be focused, prayer gives confidence, prayer makes you disciplined, prayer teaches through teachings, prayer makes you realize your abilities, prayer is an icing on the cake in the healing process. In prayer you use your soul, a visionary mindset, prayer demands in you coordination skills necessary in social and advocacy work and lastly prayer motivates.
I thank you.
Samantha Chidodo.
A survivor and a champion in ending child marriages. A game changer and a mindset shifter towards total girl child emancipation. A community leader in RMT Nhanga's in Shamva. A visionary aspiring Lawyer of the twenty-first century, student at Ezekiel Guti University. Samantha has a prospective, active and legally conscious mindset, fighting for justice and human rights of girls