Aliya's Struggles
I mean its Twenty first century and Aliya still struggles to go to a proper school and study the course she wants.
Being the third of seven children and the first girl of three girls, a lot of responsibilities are laid on her. Chores after chores, errands after errands, takes care of everyone in the house and still takes care of herself. She lost her mother a year ago, she is literally the mother of the house.
Every time Aliya sees her mates, trains of thoughts passes through without permission “I wish I could be like them, I miss schooling, I would never be good enough, if only mother was alive”. Its being over five years since she stayed in a classroom to learn, it bothers her a lot, but she was just an helpless hopeless girl, who just had to do what she is meant to do.
Her father is of the belief of sending the boys to school, because he feels they will be of better profits to him. Besides he doesn’t have enough fund to send them all to school, and the girls would be of help at home. He manages to send all the children through primary school and junior secondary school, while the boys finish up to college.
Aliya at least when she was in school was really smart and was very enthusiastic about learning, but when she dropped out, she just focused on what she was asked to do. She runs the family business very well, and she knows what to be done and when it should be done. Aliya might not be a literate but she is sure disciplined. She doesn’t talk much, she cries very often, when she feels overwhelmed, less catered for, exhausted and frustrated.
Her brothers on the other hand got almost all they wanted, all they had to do was make mention of it, and as long as it could be afforded, they get it. Her oldest brother brags about things he does on campus, he brings his friends over to the house and tells Aliya to do whatever they wanted. His friends often molest her, and touch her inappropriately and every time she complains she gets beaten by her brother, despite the fact she keeps the house in order, she is still the younger one after all.
Aliya knows she doesn’t deserve all the treatments she gets, her friends are her major companion, and they aren’t treated that way, often makes her feel very inferior, and incompetent. Aliya suffers from low self-esteem especially among her peers. Most times her friends brings up crazy ideas, introduces her to sugar daddies and the likes. She has had tons of almost rape cases and from time to time she gets harassed, so she avoids men or guys as much as she can.
There is a whole lot to heal from, from the day to day frustration from work, her brother and his friends, peer pressure, harassment, molestation and depravity of good education. So she can be a better person for not just her siblings, but for her children. But why does she have to go through all these in the first place, all because she is a female.