Own Your H
Why By Megan Jaworski
I WAS SITTING ON A COLD HARD FLOOR IN A HOUSE IN BULAWAYO, ZIMBABWE. IT WAS THE EARLY HOURS OF THE MORNING, AND SEVEN SMALL BODIES WERE LYING AROUND ME SLEEPING. IN MY ARMS WAS A TENYEAR-OLD BOY WHO WAS TELLING ME HIS LIFE STORY.
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e was six years old when he ran away from home to take his chances of survival on the streets of Harare due to domestic violence. He showed me scars on his body and shared stories of the horrors he received whilst living on the streets. As he was telling me this, tears were streaming down my cheeks. What do you say to a child telling you such horrors? I looked down at him and said the only words that came to my mind: “If you could have one thing in this world, what would it be?” He looked up at me with a glimmer of hope in his eyes and said, “all I want is to go to school.” You know those pivotal moments in your life where the words that come out of your mouth next shape the course of your life forever? This was one of those moments. I looked down at him and replied, “For as long as you need to go to school, I will make sure you go to school.” I kept my promise. I had no idea what I was doing. I was twentyseven years old living in Zimbabwe as a white Australian teacher volunteering with a local organisation to run a school holidays program
