LIMPOPO TEEN WRITES BOOK ABOUT THE ABUSE YOUNG GIRLS ARE EXPOSED TO
JOHANNESBURG - A 14year old Limpopo girl in South Africa has written a book in which she tells the stories of the abuse of young women by people who pretend to be good Samaritans.
Ntiyiso Amukelani, a ectionately known as Amu, was single-handedly raised by her mother in a village in Soekmekaar and was confronted by many chal- lenges such as an absent father.
Other girls in the village shared their stories with her
hat touched her the most was the terrifying story of a girl named Jessie who was determined to live a normal life but the adults in her life had other plans.
"She was taken from one home to another but survived each scary episode. She still learnt to forgive and move on with life," Amukelani explained to News24.
Challenges
e idea of writing the book, titled Life's Journey, came after she realised that many other girls in other countries produced matemate rials on various topics that a ect young women. "Firstly, I did a research and found that kids here in South Africa are not successful like the ones in other countries. So, I asked myself: 'What makes them di erent from us and why can't we also do what they are doing?' "I decided to nd my talent and I knew I have writing skills, but I asked myself what I am
Writing the book
The idea of writing the book, tit ed i e’s o rne c e ter she re ised th t n other gir s in other co ntries prod ced teri s on rio s topics th t ect o ng o en.
irst did rese rch nd o nd th t ids here in o th A ric re not s ccess i e the ones in other co ntries. o s ed se h t es the di erent ro s nd h c n’t e so do h t the re doing ’
going to write about.
So, I remembered the stories of the people around me and I realised that when they face challenges, they don't know what to do.
"So, the idea came to put the stories in the book so I can help them. is is how the book came about. Some of the stories are from my own experiences and some from my friends' experiences.
"It was not easy. But I had support from my family and friends who told me that giving up was not an option. It took me about six months to write it," Amukelani said.
Culture of reading
She is aware that she is young and that she will still face many other hurdles along the way: "I may continue to write other books. I like writing about realities of life."
Asked how she was going to encourage her peers to adopt a culture of reading, she said: "I will tell them that reading gives us knowledge. From reading something, you get knowledge.
"I will also tell them that if I was not into reading books, I wouldn't have written this book."
Amukelani said she would donate part of the proceeds
. made from the saleWof the book to charity to help young girls to grow in a safe environment.
She encouraged young girls to be alert and smart in the face of the challenges of life.
Meanwhile, the Democratic Alliance in Limpopo has indicated that it will donate toward the printing of the book as part of its Youth Month programme.
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