My name is Polum and I am visually impaired. I am a native of Malar, Tafawa Balewa Local Government Area of Bauchi State in northern Nigeria, and I am married with four children - three girls and a boy, aged three to thirteen years. My father died while I was still in primary school and my mother struggled to send us to school from the proceeds she got from selling firewood and grains.
My sibling and I were born with eye problems, but mine is worse; I can only see a little. I managed to pass through primary school, and during my Senior Secondary School 1 in a boarding school in Bauchi State, my vision became so bad that I had to return home. My mother always took me to the hospital for eye drops, and then I would return to school, but the problem kept cropping up again after exhausting all the drugs.
In 2004 during school holiday, a crisis took us unawares when we heard gunshots and neighbors calling us to run for our lives. My mother ensured we were all together as we ran for about two hours to a nearby village called Rawaiya. Along with our neighbors, we stayed there for a day without food or water. I remember the little children crying from hunger and their mothers begging whoever they saw for anything edible to give their little ones.
We trekked for about three hours after leaving Rawaiya village before getting a vehicle that conveyed us to Bwoi village, where my aunt (father’s sister) lived. After staying for about two months, my mother felt we should leave because we were becoming a burden to my aunt. My mother requested a piece of land for farming, and she started a small business from which she saved up some money to rent a room. Then we moved out of my aunt’s house. My mother began to pay rent by the month because she could not afford to pay yearly.
When I was in school, I sent word to my mum that I needed some provisions. I did not know there had been a fire outbreak at home, so she wasn’t able to send me anything for beverage provisions. I did not find it easy throughout that period, and school life was tough. I was begging for food until I finished school.
I met my husband when I returned home to re-sit for some of the papers I failed. He walked up to tell me he liked me, and that was how our relationship blossomed into marriage. My husband is sometimes frustrated with our present situation as we are both farmers and do not have much by way of assets.
I heard about the program through my neighbors who have now graduated. The first time I came for the enrollment exercise, I was not selected, but this time I was fortunate. I joined because I had no means of income, and I needed financial assistance to start a business and utilize the opportunity to also learn about my rights.
I saved my training stipends for two months and started a business selling grains by applying the knowledge from the business training classes. So far, the profit has been worth the effort. I have learned to relate better with my husband, and his anger from frustration has subsided. I also gained knowledge on the importance of gender division of labor from which I was able to convince my husband to allow our sons to take part in household chores. I am learning how to manage my finances, which has positively impacted my business.
My journey through WfWI is exciting, and I hope to keep learning better things to help improve me as a woman while making meaningful contributions to my family and community. My gratitude to WfWI sponsors and staff for helping me and other women have a better life.