Ending gender-based violence

I was born in 27th January 1988 under the Muslim family parents. I was named Fatma Hassan Massanja, it was the family of four children and I was born third. But for the mercy of almighty god I got revelation to the word of god in Christ, and then converted in Christian religion through the valuable message preached by prophet William Marion Branham. I am a believer worshiping in the “end time message tabernacle” here in dare s salaam Tanzania.

In the married life of my parents my father had never include my mother in his activities, my mother was just a house wife knowing nothing about her husband’s properties. The only thing she knew was to cook and take care of the family. And that is the ral life of many Africans.

In 1997 when I was in standard two my parents fell divorced, such thing lead us to remain with single parent and that was mom. So we had to stay to grand fathers house, in 1999 February my father died with HIV/AIDS. Life become too hard to live. Because my mother depended only on selling cooked food (mama lishe) business. In 2001 mother passed away as well. There it cost us to go to our separate ways.

Somebody took me for the promise of paying my school expenses, but when I was in form two he stopped what he promised. Nobody was there to support me fro my school expenses. I cried for help buy there where no helping hand.

Because I love education I decided to have a boy friend who does help me to survive with my school. I thank when I nearly to complete my o’level education my school cometee’s eyes were opened and see my suffering. I finished and got division iii point 25. I paid for computer course.

From there I used to work as a secretary in different places and also as a tuitor sometimes because I love children. In 2007 I met one of my fathers old friend he told me that my father had a large farms at Morogoro, had boat for fishing at kigoma and also had a large plot here in Dar es salaam. So how could I get them back while I had no any document for proof? In 2008 I met my husband whom we have two daughters till now. Nancy (7years) and Faith (1year).

My vision
It is time for change now. Men should not neglect their wives in the daily life planning, look for the suffering I went through all this is because my mom had never had a chance to know how wealth her husband is. If she could know my I could tell a different story about my life now.

If African will help children without thinking of gender issues I could do well in my education, because the wife of the one who was paid for my education earlier always told me and even her husband that “girls are for marriage and not education”

Poor understanding capacity results to low reasoning power, poor parents sometimes used to it easy when facing some obstacles in developing their children in education, thinking that even if a child lack education thing will settle it self on the future. This is so wrong

Due to what I went through my advice is to provide more education about gender equality in Africa so that we may reduce the number of street children and prostitute.

My vision too is to have a school where women will be employed especially widow and single parents so that their children won’t suffer as much as I did.