VOF Week 4 (Vision Speaks Volumes: Turning Vulnerability into Victory)

It is now almost two decades since that dark day in my life when, saw the pangs of death mercilessly snatching away the pillars of my family and threatening to tear apart our household. HIV/Aids had taken us captive with nothing to look up for except the thin air of misery that saw my siblings and I blown away like a puff of smoke, daring not to be heard, be seen nor be felt.

I remember vividly, one day travelling to the city with my two little brothers. My hands too little to hold both of them and the luggage in hands safely while trying to get to what was once known to be home. By grace we got there but my eyes could not get dry of tears as I cried in awe wondering where is God in all these and Why me? Many were the nights of such one and only unanswered question? Why me?

I refused to believe in fate and instead sought to find faith when I assured myself that "It is well". In this faith, I found the courage first to admit that the cause of death of my beloved folks was not long illness bravely borne but HIV/AIDS and I vowed to step on every platform and confront HIV/AIDS head on not allowing my spirit to wallow in pity but to stand up tall and strong to speak against injustices that HIV/AIDS has caused in my life, in my community, in the Society,

That was the dawning of a new chapter in my life. as if reckoning the spiritual text that "before you were formed in your mother's womb, I knew you and set you apart to be My servant". With this, it was envisioned me the multitudes of women and children in Africa being denied inheritance upon the death of their benefactors, living in poverty, Can there be a way out of this? Yes but not without a price.

What is the price? You may ask. For me the price has been along list of events in my personal and corporate lives that have been grounds long years of learning through experience and a test. At times it has been sweet but other times it has been bitter that I desired quitting. But the vision like a mighty river moves me from the mountain tops of meeting with dignitaries to listen to the voices of the women and children living down low on the valley of inequality and even across the bridges of networking forums like worldpulse.com.

The vision for me is: to TURN VULNERABILITY INTO VICTORY and PAIN INTO POWER, one woman/girl at a time, one village at a time. I have learnt that forgiveness is a key that lock the past and opens a new door to the future. In turning around my captivity by amongst others things, forgiving but not forgetting and accepting that there is no second chance for those carrying vision because we mess our second chances. If the second chance was the only chance remaining, no vision carrier would make it to the promise. For a visionary, there is always another chance, and if the first and the second fail there is another chance.

These are the lessons, I bring along with to be a mouthpiece of peace and empowerment for women, As a correspondent, my responsibility is void if the women and girls in rural Africa cannot be allowed to powerfully and vibrantly express their views about their lives and what they desire. If they cannot be included as equal partners who not only take but give value in the discourses as world citizens. I therefore diligently partake of the task to be the mouth piece and let the vision speak volumes and turn around captivities.