The outcome of discrimination.

I grew up in a complicated home. My dad got married to my mum but my mum was not loved by her in-laws, probably because she was from a lesser class.

My granddad was a \"big man\" in his days. He worked with the Cameroon Development Corp ( CDC ). His children had the best life could offer, from good education to jobs. They lived and grew up in the Coast of Cameroon.

My mum was from a poor family with very little to live on. She gave birth to us at a very tender age. Her marriage was hell. Yes, Hell!

My father was a wife beater. He got my mum well beaten most times and after that, he would leave the house without food money. I had to run after him to collect money which he will give reluctantly. His siblings didn't like my mum. They insulted her and made her look mean. She was miserable.

After she had given birth to the 4 of us, she decided to go back to school. She wanted to get education, a job etc to better her condition. She began by doing some petit businesses and she raised money with which she sponsored herself through school. She sat for the First School Leaving certificate exam with my elder brother. It was not easy for us because we couldn't understand how our mum would be with her son in the same class. We laughed at her but it didn't stop her. Thank God she passed her exams. She continued and got the Ordinary Levels.

My mother loved reaching out to women and talking with them. She helped them especially when it had to do with health issues. She eventually became a midwife without proper training because most women would call on her to take them to the hospital to give birth to their children and most times, the baby came on the way. She performed the duty and most of the births were successful as when they got to the hospitals, the nurses would examine the women and babies and they were always satisfied. She was a \"nurse\" to most women.

This only pushed her further to acquire more skills to reach out to people properly. She continued and eventually joined the Red Cross where she rendered her services to humanity and empower many more women.

Life was still very difficult and complicated for my mum as my father eventually took all of us away from herand distributed to his siblings. She was not allowed to see or talk to us. They kept reminding us of how much they hated our mum and this hatred eventually crossed to us.

Our relatives did not love us because they hated our mum. We became more of house helps than children to them. Their children did not treat us differently as we do not get along till date. Our own children don't even know each other due to some discrimination that began a long time ago.

My mum couldn't withstand the trauma, she developed a blood pressure that ended up killing her some some 18 years ago.

With all of my mum's challenges, I told myself I was going to make a difference. I would advocate and fight for the rights of women and children especially the girl child. My marriage wasn't the best but I am fighting for my right.

I am trying to empower women and girls through life skills and education. I want a Cameroon where women and children will be treated like human beings. A Cameroon where women will not be considered as consumers and toilet fillers. If my mum had the opportunities I have today, she would have done more and may not have died early. I teach boys and girls through the Gender Clubs to love and treat one another as human beings and equals.

She remains my inspirer and I'll continue fighting for women, girls and children until families will no longer hate a member because of her limitations.