Keeping up the dream-
Gloria wants to be a nurse. As a first step towards the fulfilment of this dream she goes to school. Like any other girl, Gloria made friends in school. Unfortunately to her, she landed into a bad company and as the word says bad company corrupts good morals, Gloria’s friends got a better part of her and she started following her friends’ deviant behavior.
Gloria started to feel less of herself (to shed off her self-esteem) and she got convinced that she was not enjoying life other than just getting less of what life had to offer. Her friends told her that finding a boyfriend was the way to go and that all her worries and problems will vanish in a blink of an eye. In no time Gloria got herself a boyfriend. Days went, months passed by and instead of getting pleasures of life from the relationship, Gloria got herself in a big mess. Yes she was pregnant.
Her 17-year-old boyfriend told her to terminate the pregnancy saying he was too young to be a father. He asked Gloria to choose between having an abortion to save their relationship or keeping the baby and lose him. The mere thought of getting an abortion terrified her and she decided to get the second option. She mastered the courage to tell her parents about her situation and luck for her they accepted her situation and promised to take care of her.
Her parents told her to go back to school a year after giving birth. This however was not easy for Gloria, she was mocked by her classmates and even some people from her community ridiculed her for her decision to go back to school asking her where that would take her. However, Gloria drew her strength from her child and the need to make him proud and also to make up to her parents for breaking their trust and hope.
Gloria will be sitting for her Malawi School Certificate of Education-MSCE this year and she is hopeful that she will pass. She wants to keep the dream of becoming a nurse alive and be able to help people in her community. Her words to fellow adolescents was so short and to the point, “there is no short cut to success’’. “Girls let’s not rush to live a good life just to fit in, this will delay your future just like it did to mine.’’ Let’s be satisfied with what our parents are giving us and work hard to fulfil our dreams. Make sure if you can’t abstain always use a condom and don’t you ever compromise on that.
