The Inside Of The World

My name is Tamandani Mattaya, am 21 years old and I was born and raised in Malawi. Am a student at Domasi College of Education. Being a girl I have gone through alot of things which almost each and every girl faces in our everyday lives. I remember when I was 9 years old our houseworker used to rape me and it wasn't just once or twice, it was continuous. I couldn't even tell my story because of the humiliation I had and I was being threatened. I felt like everything of me was buried, my academic life and relationships with family and friends were highly affected. But still, some part of my heart had faith and hope that someday, somewhere I will tell my story and it will change a lot of lives. I named the combination of these two faith and hope (FAPO). It was my FAPO that gathered my courage and brought me back online. Here I am today supported by Students With Dreams- a program of Art & Global Health Center Africa, and achieving my goals by leading a project called Lingalira Mawa, which is basically about the youths future and bringing back to school girls who are sexually harassed and teenmothers. I even have much FAPO that my project Lingalira Mawa will reach out alot of girls and young women widely. Being a girl doesn't give an arrow that reads "GO SEXUAL HARASSMENT OR YOU ARE USELESS" No, we are all the same and we can also do it, we can even do it better than anybody else. I do believe that my FAPO, your FAPO and our FAPO can make change only if we work together and "No matter what your history has been, your destiny is what you create today. What are you going to create?" Steve Maraboli.