Peace Is the Freedom to Grow Without Fear

“Miss Gold, those girls are calling me a witch in Catering class.

Miss Gold, can you hear what I am saying?”

I heard her but that day, I was overwhelmed managing 500 students been trained in our facility.

“Asime, please give me space. I need to attend to other students in other classes. I will see you later.”

The next day, she returned. “Miss Gold, I brought someone to see you.”

I turned and saw a baby about 23 months old, smiling. I lifted the child, and she held me so tightly. That day, she followed me everywhere, going with me from classroom to classroom as I checked on students and ensured learning was happening.

Later, during our personal session, Asime broke down. Ma, this is my child, I gave birth at 14.

I was abused by our neighbor, Iater abducted by unknown men at 13.

At 14, I became pregnant. After that, another neighbor abused me sexually again and threatened my parents telling them i am witch, am cursed he did'nt do anything, am lieing..

I screamed inside. I cried. But I held her tightly.

From that day on, after classes, Asime found a safe place with me. I mentored her, reassured her, and reminded her again and again that her life was not over. I bought her food as much as I could. She stayed. She healed. She graduated from our training.

Today, Asime is a graduate of the University of Port Harcourt.

Her child is doing great.

That is what peace looks like to me.

Another day. Another girl.

“Miss Gold, I need to speak with you.

My dad has been abusing me since I was seven.”

What?

“Yes. I can’t run away. But I’m happy this foundation started. I’m glad to be under you and Mr. chrsitian mentorship.”

I was angry, mad but there is no way i could take her Dad to court as she was still young. Welcome to Nigeria where cases like this go scot free or it turns against you so all i did was pray with you, mentor her and encouraged her.

We kept talking, online and offline. We had sessions. We prayed. We planned. For some years, I lost touch with her. Then one day, my phone rang.

“Miss Gold, I need money.”

“What for?”

“I’m pregnant. I didn’t want to tell you.”

Her mother was tired. I kept communicating with her through video calls and WhatsApp, reminding her she was not alone. Last year, she graduated from Ignatius Ajuru University of Education, Port Harcourt.

These stories are many....

Too many...

They are the reason peace is not a big word to me.

Peace is not silence.

Peace is not pretending everything is fine.

Peace is the freedom to grow without fear.

Peace is a girl, boy being safe in his/her own home.

Peace is a teenager finishing school without trauma deciding her future.

In my community, conflict does not always wear the face of war. Sometimes it lives quietly, in abuse, in fear, in poverty, in trauma, in the normalization of harm against girls. Yet, women and girls keep surviving. They keep resisting. They keep choosing life. They keep fighting.

Peace, for me, is survival.

Peace is prevention.

Peace is mentorship.

Peace is showing up before damage becomes destiny.

If I could speak to global leaders, I would say this:

Protect young girls early. Believe them. Fund prevention. Create safe spaces where they can grow without fear.

Because when a girl is safe,

peace has already begun.