A single step towards change


Tahira had seen her mother die in the hands of a mid-wife while giving birth to her brother. From then on she wanted to be a doctor for the women of her village, to not let them die.

But girls weren’t allowed to go to school there. Nobody complained, nobody came for help as well.

She realized that she could no longer hide the truth. With whatever she had learnt secretly from her brother’s books, she scribbled letters to NGOs hoping for change!


Twenty years down the line she now educates girls in her time off from her clinic.

***
Over 200 girls who wanted to study were abducted from their schools. I hope they are brought back safely. I wish they #BringBackOurGirls. The world is becoming so unsafe for women even young girls, that I sincerely hope things change for the better.


Linking this to Write Tribe’s 100 Words on a Saturday.



34 thoughts on “A single step towards change”

  1. It's heartbreaking isnt it, and even so much more important to have these small stories of hope! Brilliant written on an important issue Nabanita!!:-) Well done

  2. A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step and glad that she took that step. More power to her!
    And yes, hope the girls come back home safe and sound!

  3. I love hearing about girls who can overcome adversity and be empowered like the woman in your post. I also liked how you made it so relevant to what's happening in Nigeria. Good use of the prompt.

  4. A single step toward change is a giant step towards empowerment .
    Bow to Tahira.
    Let us all pray that the girls are brought back safely.

  5. I have read about a few real life success stories like these. These write ups inspire people and create guts and passion to move forward in the society!

  6. Why is goodness always rendered powerless before the ruthless. Simply creating hashtags and holding placards will not get those abducted Nigerian girls back. I hope the world leaders are listening.

  7. Thank you for linking to the movement to get the Nigerian girls back!! I too hope that the world leaders are listening!

  8. Knowledge can't be stopped by force….if gained through determination it shines bright from under the layers…..more power to this kind of movements

  9. The incident in Nigeria so heartbreaking!! Hope there is a better future somewhere… Education is the only answer for a change! Great post!

  10. My heart goes out to all those girls and their families who face this kind of brutality and oppression. The most unfortunate part is that it is not just a Nigeria situation, these kinds of things routinely happen to so many young girls in Pakistan, Bangladesh, and some parts of India too – abductions, forced conversions, forced marriages, you name it… And then there is the whole sex industry thriving in so many Eastern European and East Asian countries, and the role that big money plays into all this….Where does it all end? How does even one begin to fathom all this? Where to even start unraveling the layers and layers to this kind of rampant discrimination against girls and women all across the globe? I have no answer. But surely, education and economic independence of girls and young women is one indispensable thing that can hopefully change somethings. At the same time much more is needed to dismantle the organized crime rackets that are behind such large scale atrocities.

  11. Inspiring, Naba! I, too, hope that the girls will be brought back safely. It's terrible when people do things with selfish intentions.

  12. wht makes me MAD and angry is .. its in the name of religion.. Which religion teaches that ..

    and I do hope they are safe .. my prayers for them

    Bikram

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