One story changed my life forever

Fatuma Hassan.

By STEPHEN MUTHINI

In Summary

• Being the second born in a family of seven, Fatuma’s father wanted to marry her off so as to raise funds for the education of his first-born son
• In December last year, Fatuma graduated with a Bachelor of Education degree in English and Literature to the joy of her parents

Flashing back to the day that would forever change the course of her life, Fatuma Hassan, 22, is glad that she took a second look at an article that appeared in a newspaper that had been used to wrap her groceries.

If it was not for Stephen Mburu’s article, A degree in lieu of forced marriage, published in the Daily Nation of October 27, 2002, Fatuma would have been married off at the age of 15, and her dream of acquiring a higher education would have been nothing but a distant memory.

She was preparing for her KCPE exams at the DEB Muslim Primary School in Nyeri. Little did she know her father was also making preparations to have her married off as soon as she completed the exams.

Her cousin, who was then in high school, got wind of the plans and informed her. Fatuma felt helpless. She was just 15, and she had seen her friends and age mates married off without much fuss. It was part of the traditional culture in her Somali community.

“As soon as a girl has acquired enough learning to enable her to read and write, she is as good as ripe for marriage,” says Fatuma. “I wanted to be a journalist because I loved writing and I was good in languages,” she recalls.

But things were not as easy as they seemed.

“My dad was jobless. We lived in Majengo and I had no hope of ever pursuing education to higher level. I had friends who had been married off after dropping from out in Standard Five,” explains Fatuma.

THE STORY OF ESTHER TUPEITA

She adds that her father was not completely against education. He just wanted to give her a little education as a girl, enough for her to learn how to read and write.

“I was shocked when I heard that I was about to be married off. I wanted to continue with my education. I thought about the consequences of defying my father. I knew I would annoy him if I refused to go along with the plans,” says Fatuma

Being the second born in a family of seven, Fatuma’s father wanted to marry her off so as to raise funds for the education of his first-born son.

“Life in Majengo was tough because we didn’t have privileges like other kids. We didn’t have electricity and we didn’t have role models. Personally, my role models were my teachers,” Fatuma says with a distant look on her face.

But matters took a new turn when she was sent to buy bread one morning, just a few days before she sat for her KCPE exam. Having learnt of the marriage arrangements, Fatuma, who was to be married off to a Nakuru-based businessman, had resigned herself to her fate.

However, her mind changed after she came across the Daily Nation article about a Maasai girl miles away, who had been in a similar predicament.

The shopkeeper had used the newspaper to wrap the bread he had sold her, and the article had caught her eye. It was the story of Esther Tupeita, who had been rescued from early marriage and gone on to pursue her education and dreams.

The story changed Fatuma’s attitude and indeed her future. She went home and wrote a letter whose wording she can vividly remember:

“Dear Teacher,

My dad has planned to marry me off and I am not ready because I am too young. I want to continue with my education.

Please help.

Fatuma Hassan.”

Fatuma did not, however, immediately hand over the letter to her teacher. She kept it for two weeks, meditating on the repercussions that would follow.

She finally bit the bullet and informed her teachers; Mrs Purity Wanyoike and Mrs Becky Migongo Thiga, who swung into action and helped forestall the arranged marriage with the help of the district administration.

Mrs Thiga, who is now a lecturer at the Mathenge Technical Institute, recalls Fatuma’s case.

“Fatuma was a bright girl and I knew she was a national school material. But when she reached Standard Eight, her performance deteriorated. I asked her what the problem was but she at first would not disclose,” says Mrs Thiga, who had been her English Teacher.

“Fatuma later came to me. She was crying as she said her life was ruined,” Mrs Thiga recalls.

The teachers, together with the District Education Officer (DEO) summoned Fatuma’s father, but he remained adamant.

“Hassan could not even listen. He shouted at me and accused me of wanting to destroy his family,” says Mrs Thiga, recalling how they finally threatened her father with prosecution as provided for in the Children Act to gain his submission.

But securing freedom from early marriage for Fatuma was the easier part. There was the bigger challenge of paying for her high school education. Who would do it?

Fatuma scored 298 marks with ‘A’ grades in English and Kiswahili. Mrs Thiga says that despite this, she knew the girl had the potential of making it to a national school, and thus took it upon herself to look for a school.

She talked to the Principal of Kangubiri Girls High School and explained the girl’s background. She vouched that the girl could have scored higher marks if she wasn’t under stress during the KCPE exam. The principal accepted the explanation and admitted her into the school.

“She must have been admitted with the least marks in the school, but she proved us right as she performed well enough to join university,” says Mrs Thiga in retrospect.

Mrs Thiga then talked to her husband George Thiga (now deceased), who agreed to pay school fees for Fatuma throughout the four years of her education.

Defying all odds, Fatuma looked for a job after completing her high school education and worked as a cashier at a petrol station in Nyeri. She saved enough to enable her pay for her upkeep in her first year of learning at Kenyatta University, where she enrolled for a Bachelor of Education in English and Literature. By then, organisations like the Umma Foundation and the Higher Education Loans Board (HELB) had come to her aid, having recognised her needy status.

In December last year, Fatuma graduated with a Bachelor of Education degree in English and Literature to the joy of her parents. She has since reconciled with her father.

“We settled our differences and he encouraged me to go on with my education. I want my story to inspire another little girl somewhere out there who might be faced with a similar situation,” says Fatuma.

Fatuma Hassan (extreme right) poses for a photo with friends at Kenyatta University after graduating with a Bachelor of Education in English and Literature. PHOTO | JOSEPH KANYI

NATION MEDIA GROUP

Did she get to meet her betrothed ‘husband’? And what happened to his dowry?

“I didn’t know him. It was an arranged marriage although I was told he was a family friend. I think they settled the issue of the dowry between themselves,” says Fatuma.

And what does she think of arranged marriages, do they work?

“Arranged marriage is unfair to the girl-child. It is not about Islam because Islam advocates for equal opportunities for both boys and girls. I am not against arranged marriage if people are mature enough, but for a child, it’s bad,” says Fatuma with a sense of vehement conviction in her voice. She adds that she is willing to roll up her sleeves and help fight it, if only to save a young girls’ future.

“I’d like to make a difference in someone’s life. I look forward to working with organisations that help the girl-child, in addition to pursuing a master’s degree in gender studies and development,” says Fatuma.

“I want to have children someday; to be an educated mother who can make informed decisions. I want to give my daughter a good education. I have never regretted the decision I took, although I was traumatised for quite a long period of time,” she recalls.

If she was to meet Tupeita today, what would she say?

“I’d say thank you sister, you changed my life. You encouraged me because if I had not come across that article, I wouldn’t have got the courage,” says Fatuma.