The plight of a girl child:21 days lockdown

By Patricia Mashiri

Chipo!!! Chipo !!!! Chipo!!!! How many times did I call you? My mum shouted. Good morning mum I replied. What time is it? Don’t you know that you are supposed to wake up early and clean the house before going to the borehole to fetch us some water.

Hurriedly i woke up and make my bed before leaving the room because I knew if I left it unattended it will be another story. In my mind I was thinking about the Corona virus third case which has been confirmed dead. I didn’t want to go to the borehole not because I was lazy but because I was afraid of getting in contact with people with the deadly virus of covid- 19 but I didn’t know how to tell my mother.

With a drowsy pace I finished cleaning the house and tried to negotiate with my mum that we use the water in the house and go to the borehole in the evening when the number of people there would have reduced.

Simbe!! She shouted at me Ndiani wemuno muraini akafa neCorona yaukutaura iyoyo after all you are a girl ndiani waunoda akuendere kumvura watokura so you should be preparing yourself for marriage kwete kutoyema zvako? Go and tell your father that today you don’t want to fetch water and see if he will tolerate that nonsense remember he is home he didn’t go to work because of the lockdown, because of the stereotypes that a girl child should be responsible for all household chores I knew if my father was told that I had given excuses of going to the borehole I will be in hot soup.

Corona Virus is real and deadly but my family was not ready to accept that the disease exists. They thought it only affected those who had travelled to the most affected countries like Spain, Italy, China etc.

With so much pain in my heart I lifted a bucket and started walking in the small dusty road in the noisy ghetto of Mabvuku heading towards the borehole. My mother’s voice echoed in my head. I’m only 19 but she is already talking about marriage. Wasn’t I too young? Who will marry me at this young age? All those questions filled up my mind but I couldn’t find answers. I wanted to cry but it wasn’t going to help. I started thinking about the survival tactics that I had learnt through Muchaneta’s short Covid-19 dramas on ZBC TV. I had to practice social distancing.

Luckily I got to the borehole when no one was there I quickly fetched water and returned home. Saka wafa here? my mum’s voice welcomed me. I kept quiet and went straight to the kitchen with the bucket of water on my head.

I came back and sat down with my mother. “Mum it’s not that I’m lazy but we should avoid crowds at all costs, avoid touching our face, nose and mouth and wash our hands frequently with soap and water to avoid the spread of corona virus,” I told her.That’s when I saw her interest in knowing more about corona virus. It’s our responsibility as youths to help spread the covid-19 awareness messages.

#staysafe#stayathome.wash your hands frequently with soap.sanitize.Corona virus is real.