When there is no freedom and happiness, there is no life.

There are people who suffered abuse, insult, isolation and humiliation, and they never experienced happiness and freedom from their childhood, into adulthood, and in some cases until they become older age I believe this is especially true of African women.

I am one of the women who has once never experienced happiness and freedom in life, but has suffered abuse, insult and humiliation. When there is no freedom and happiness there is no life.

I was born in Salisbury (1964) which was then the capital of Rhodesia. Now it is called Harare and is the capital of Zimbabwe. I was the first of a family of nine children of the same mother and the same father. We are five girls and four boys.

I grew up in the district of Bindura and started going to school at the age of seven in January 1971. I schooled there walking five miles to school and five miles back, Monday to Friday. On Saturdays and Sundays, I helped my mother to fields and do house chore. In school holidays my siblings used to visit our father in the city for two weeks with my mother. My father was working as a bus driver in the city of Salisbury which is called Harare now.