It was on Monday 04/05/15 at around midday when I arrived at the workshop. Having come late I felt a little nervous, guilty and I imagined how I should fit in with my colleagues who were so attentive to the ongoing session. However with the mind that better late than never, I told myself that I must leave the workshop a different person.
Sweating profusely, I quickly spotted a chair next to the entrance. I sat down and started wiping my sweat wondering what to do next.
The topic of discussion was on child sexual violence and each time a question was asked, I was so attentive since I felt like saying something too. After we were shown some clips from the media about child sexual violence which were so touching and educative as well. My minds rushed back home, school and my surrounding environment and I started seeing how vulnerable children suffer in the hands of people they trust and worse still those meant to protect them. I saw this vice wanting and myself as an instrument of change.
As we moved out, I quickly went to one of the facilitators to apologize for having come late. She understood and she ushered me to join others for lunch. When we entered back for the session, I felt a bit relaxed and was able to learn a lot more on child sexual violence like causes, effects and forms of child sexual violence
Later in the day, I interacted with my old friends, shared a few experiences and I discovered that majority of them had moved a mile to becoming small scale entrepreneurs. I made new friends too and I knew that one day I may need them.
During the same time I also took the initiative to update myself on what I had previously missed. I discovered that most of the activities have been hands-on activity and needed the use of a computer which due to lack of access and practice. I had totally forgotten and to add to this, I did not even have an active email address so actually did not know where to start from.
That night everyone was busy on a computer and my attempt to sit on one was in vain. Looking around, all the computers were occupied. Someone even worsened my emotions when she said “you woman, stop standing, the man is serious, he needs his work, for us we took the whole night almost with no sleep, do something.” I looked at her but in my mind I knew that at times self-sacrifice is the way to go if one wanted anything done.
This statement made my heart skip a bit and like a Christian would say; “God rarely abandons his own”. I chanced to get a Good Samaritan because of my previous interactions who assisted me to take a step.
At this point I saw and realized the importance of friends. Together we opened an email using his computer and besides kept giving me some directions on how to use a computer like saving work, coping, pasting and I saw myself climbing a ladder.
However other tougher tasks kept arising which required to me I would say one to have the original concentrated computer knowledge. This exactly happened when we were given a task of researching information on child sexual violence on Internet, copy the Internet addresses to a Word document and send to other colleagues especially if it had important relevant information.
It was a challenge at first because the Internet was slow and yet I had not mastered the procedures, so several attempts to copy and paste failed but after consultation here and there, I finally did something.
Each achievement put a smile on my face and somehow I believed in myself and as the saying goes that “Never Give Up” so I never gave up.
FOR GOD AND MY COUNTRY.
