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Meet Martha.

14-year old Martha* is from North Central Nigeria.

Read Martha's poems below.

African Girl.

You come to this world with little or no value

Attached to you

But your counterpart the boys

Valuable and precious

 

They give birth to a male child

Chanting and merriment

Caring for the mother

For that purpose

Only at that particular time

 

Giving birth to a female child

Shallow. Camouflage smiles

As if they will question God.

With that effect no caring no protection

 

If I see my God

I will beg him

Stop giving them female child

When they realise they can’t succeed 

Education.

A girl beautiful and intelligent

They are discriminated

They are not given the opportunity to be educated

They left to feed for herself on the streets

They do not have access to even medical care

They are exposed to brutality

These beautiful and intelligent girls

 

During conflicts they are treated like farm animals

During conflicts they are forced to horrifying acts of violence

These beautiful and intelligent girls

 

They are being forced into great hands

That shatter lies

And the hands that thwarted their dreams in the past

Read more poems written by girls from Nigeria.