The Little School Girl

What do you make of this?

Source: www.infoghana.info

Today, they came to my school as well

I had already told Kwame that I too would get mine

I remember how Mama and Papa were excited to see Kwame in his new uniform

I remember saying “But it is too big!”

And Mama replied “That’s good, he can use it until he completes primary”

Now, I am a proud owner of my very own Kokonte and Ab3nkwan uniform

The short-sleeves reach my wrists

And my pinafore sweeps the floor when I walk past

But it is mine.

“...for what we have received, we are truly grateful. Amen.”

Now, I don’t have to leave school hungry

There is food in school

And we can eat to our fill

But by the time I get home, though

All the food is gone

I don’t feel the weight of the food in my belly anymore

And the bottom of my pinafore is twice as dirty as

It was before I set off in the morning

I’m exhausted but I have to do my homework and the dishes before dark

Because we don’t have electricity in my village

And I have to wake up early, do my chores and get to school before classes begin

I am scared that I would become like Sister Akos

Mama says she’s just lazy

Sister Akos said she won’t go to school again

Because we have to walk to the next village to attend primary school

She was fine with that

But when she completed primary,

She had to walk to the next two villages to attend JSS

That, she refused to do

I’m scared because I’m in Primary 5

Two more years I’ll have to walk more than twice the distance I do now

In the heat and with all that dust and with less friends than I walk with now

With my pinafore sweeping the dusty road that leads to my village.

Neina.