LIVIA'S BOOKLET

DID YOU KNOW?   “Childhood is a precious time for innocence, learning and growth.” Child marriage in all sense must be fought against!! Child marriage remains a violation of children’s human rights. Child marriage perpetuates a cycle of poverty and inequality. Realistically, child marriage can have serious and lasting effects on children’s physical, emotional and mental well-being. Mostly, child marriage leads to early pregnancy, child birth complications and even death. It is associated with traumatic outcomes that can damage one’s mental state before getting the opportunity to grow. “ Children who are forced into marriage often face violence, abuse and exploitation in the hands of their spouses and in-laws. They are denied the chance to finish their academic journey, pursue their dreams and live a fulfilling life .” – Extendedhandsfdn. Statistic estimation says that 1 in 5 girls are married by the age of 15. The issue of child marriage cannot be viewed in isolation. ...

 I want to get on my knees to scrub everywhere but no amount of soap will make me clean or get his actions out of my mind. How do I cleanse myself from these cuts that have now become scars? Sex without consent is simply rape and rape is a heinous crime that destroy lives and it’s important that we all take a stand against it. 1 in 4 women is sexually assaulted or raped every day and this should not be the norm. It’s important to understand that rape is not just a physical act of violence, it’s also a violation of an individual’s trust, autonomy and dignity. Rape culture is when a society or environment whose prevailing social attitudes have the effect of normalizing or trivializing sexual assault and rape . Most societies tend to label sexual assault allegations as drama. ·        They blame a survivor for their abuser’s future abusive behaviour because they didn’t report them, instead of blaming the abuser. ·     ...

Society thinks someone who is suicidal is a person who is crying uncontrollably every moment, engaging in dangerous activities and constantly in a bad state. At times, it’s the complete opposite. Persons who are suicidal may not act it at all. Suicide is not selfish. It is normally death caused by the illness of depression. It is the final symptom, a final collapse under unbearable weight. I read somewhere that said; “ Having anxiety and depression is like being scared and tired at the same time. it’s the fear of failure but no urge to be productive. It’s wanting friends but hate socialising. It’s wanting to be alone but not wanting to be lonely. It’s caring about everything then caring about nothing. It’s feeling everything at once then feeling paralyzingly numb.” Many people who suffer with poor mental health do actually reach out and are either ignored, fobbed off with high dosage medications or put on waiting lists for months. Such scenarios have a probability of leading on...

  Did you know? Two in six women and two in eight men experience abuse in their lifetime? Abuse is one of the most pressing human and societal problems. Either domestic, emotional, psychological, financial, sexual, mental, physical and more. Abuse is subtle and it is sneaky. Most abusers are cunning and manipulative. They are aware of what’s going on and what they are doing. Most people abuse to gain control or power over their spouses or partners. Over 60% of cases in the family courts involve ‘domestic abuse.’ Most marriages and relationships are going through a different type of abuse; some blame it on culture but Abuse can never be justified by cultural norms. Cultural beliefs shouldn’t be an excuse for inflicting pain or fear upon others. There is a difference between a person who hurts you by making a mistake, and a person who hurts you by continuing a pattern. Mistakes can be forgiven. Patterns must be broken. – Ella Hicks And one thing to put into mind is; it...

SGBV = Sexual and Gender Based Violence is violence committed against a person because of his/her sex or gender. Books and experts have it that SGBV is more of forcing another person to do something against their will through violence, coercion, threats, deception, cultural expectations or economic means. ü   Realistically, Sexual and Gender Based Violence is pervasive and there are a series of consequences for victims and their families. To fight SGBV there should be a channel of measures and efforts, awareness campaigns and Support Services for Survivors (SSS method), there’s a need to come up with an inclusive and safe environment to promote the respect for all genders as a way of preventing and responding to SGBV. ü   The painful reality of SGBV is that it could have been any one of us or it has been so many of us. Voices are really pervasive in discussions about SGBV and it has shifted responsibility off of the group on who is committing or perpetrating the vast m...

  Before and After everything else, Healing comes first. You heal before you take a new step, and you heal after you meet the chaos and catastrophe. Healing is a deeply personal journey. Realistically, there’s nothing like a one-size-fits-all approach to healing. If your path looks different from others, don’t be disheartened; embrace your own journey and trust that it’s leading you exactly where you need to be. No one knows how much you’ve been through, the paths and routes you’ve been to or you’ve had to take. I read something that said; “May the quality of people you attract be a reflection of the healing and hard work you’ve put into yourself over time.” No matter how much you wish you could, there’s no way you can control how another person feels or thinks about you. That’s why it is important to surround yourself with people who are committed to understand who you truly are. The kind of people that are soft and gentle with your heart and soul, the ones who will...

  Tobi; You are the chapter that I didn’t know it’s words. No matter what takes place, my heart will always choose you. Like a bedtime story book, I will open my chest and read to you all my love. I said; “I want to relearn love in a beautiful way.” and I knew the universe remembered me the day that I met you. You have given oxygen to the parts of me that were suffocated, energy to my broken bones. Your name belongs at the tip of my tongue, I want to speak of you and with you all day long cause there’s a certain kind of magic in your name. I want to wrap my entire body around yours. I want the love that ravishes and envelops me. My hands long to hold you, to lace my fingers all over your lips, to feel the whole of you on my skin, to breath your scent and fill my lungs with your precious cologne.   Kegi….

 Damiliri; You told me not to take things to heart but everything I have ever loved left me. I realized that; It was never really you I fell for. I guess I fell for potential which I saw in you. I keep making mistakes and never get to learn from them. I have missed the sign again and again. It feels like this feeling is going to swallow me whole, like I'm going to remain like this forever never to feel happy or excited about anything ever again. I wonder if it's my fate or I'm cursed to be a heartbroken man forever. I just hope that; If I am to make a home out of anyone let that person be me. -Bob

  Dearest Aku; I wrote this note to gently remind myself that I am going to be okay even if I don’t believe that I will. There's Philophobia and Pistanthrophobia within me. I don’t know much about love, but I know you. You are not the first person that I have confused for home. I am too real for people and I believe that’s the reason why I haven’t found love yet, everyone I meet is either fake or full of themselves. I know some things are just not meant to work out no matter how much you want them to, and some moments are meant to be brief, forcing them only harms us. I get it. I read somewhere that said; “It’s kind of hard to love someone else when the one you once loved gave you no reason to love again” and that’s exactly you and me. You know; When I like someone, I go too hard. I am too available, too giving, too loyal, too thoughtful and too reliable - hoping it gets reciprocated. Do you remember when I said; “I will peel off all my skin away if that’s how much you want me to s...

 I got my heart broken and I survived. The closest friends disappointed me several times but I made new friends and loved them with all my heart. I got to be selective of who has access to me. I'm breathing life into this new chapter; One in which not everyone is allowed to be a part of. I am becoming more attentive to how others make me feel because I am tired of fake feelings. I have survived storms; Not because I am capable of withstanding the storm but because I have navigated the storm. I'm slowly learning to live a little even when my shoulders are feeling the weight of the whole world on them. This is me accepting myself for who I am and for what I have been through.

Feels like I am dying tonight. They never warned me about these moments. They never told me Healing cannot save me but can only teach me not to experience pain again - to find peace within.   Feels like I am carrying the weight of the world on my shoulders. I haven’t felt like myself in years, my sky is down pouring. I have tried holding back my emotions thinking it’s a sign of strength - I am dying. Some days I am tired till my eyes sting. Some nights I am filled with heartache and yearning. I never allow myself the same energy that I radiate onto others because I am a pretender.   I don’t need to know if the ending will be a happy one for it is beyond my control. I don’t need to build walls to keep myself safe or strong. I am so fragile, I can easily break I am so overwhelmed, I can explode.   I have been on probation most of my life. I have walked through madness and gathered a stronger sense of self. I will have so much light inside of me one day and I will run out of...

I packed up my anger, I carried it close to my chest I am retracing my steps catching my breath by time I have walked through madness and have gathered a stronger sense of self I don’t need to be a fortress to show how strong I am I have gone back in time and erased all parts that I spent knowing you, loving you Some days I’m so tired to the extent that my eyes sting but I stay focused   Hope I will learn to live again, to look forward to every day with a hopeful mind and a soft heart   Coz; I do not need to know if the ending will be a happy one. The ending is beyond my control and imagination.