teenage girls

A famous poet once said children should be taught how to think and not what to think.

Children are not only custodians of the future, they are like cement and whatever falls on them makes an impression, such is the story of our first #TeensCorner Champion Tunmise.

The 15 year old who was recently featured in a now viral BBC Video where she and other young girls were seen learning self-defense and protective techniques against bullying is smart, intelligent and very vast. From interning at ACT foundation to attending LEAD camp, where she learnt self-discovery during the summer break, Tunmise shares some of her Inspiring moments with us and how she will pay the knowledge forward to her peers.

Meet Me

I am a 15 year old girl with a creative mind that creates different ideas on how to improve myself and the world I live in. I am a lover of books who hopes that one day I will be able to write a book or even start a blog. I am a girl who loves to study people and try to make sure the people around me are in the right state of mind and hopes that one day, would be able to make the people in my environment have less mental issues than we have now.

Hobbies

Travelling to new places with my mum, writing on past occurrence in a relatable manner, shopping, trying new recipes (I don’t really do this too often), reading up on new things that are happening around me.

Favorite subject

I’m a bit indecisive on what subject is my favourite to be honest, but I like to put everything on the same level because I need to know as much as possible on this journey of acquiring knowledge. I would say that I don’t have a favourite subject as all of them are needed to get me to where I am going.

My Holiday Journal

I would always remember this holiday because it was truly a life changing one for me. I started the holiday by attending LEAD Camp where I learnt to fully discover myself and know my onions. I also participated in different life transforming conferences and had the opportunity to intern with ACT Foundation where I had an eye opening work life experience. This holiday is really one to remember as it took me on a journey of self discovery and running with my vision.

My Inspiration

I am inspired by women who are limitless as I see them reaching the peak of their careers without being threatened even when they are in male dominated industries. I am also greatly inspired by my mum even though I don’t tell her much but I really admire her hard work and I love how she doesn’t let any thing come in her way of achieving the best for herself and me. I hope to be like her one day.

Favorite sport

I am not really into sports to be honest. I am more of an introverted person who would stay home and read a book or write about anything.

Impact of the Self-defense class

The self defence class was really great because I learnt a lot on how to protect myself from harm. Being a young teenager in this part of the world, there is a tendency to face some form of harassment or the other. The self defence class has really taught me what to do in such situations and I am really happy I participated in it because I am now better equipped to wade off predators and stand up for helpless people.

If there is one thing you could tell the Nigerian President as a child, what would it be ?

I would tell him that he should sit up and face the fact that he’s the president of a Federation with 36 states and he should focus on employing capable people that would make Nigeria work. I would tell him to protect the lives of the citizens.

Being the first to be featured on #TeeensCorner

I feel really excited about this and I am grateful that a child is being given an opportunity to share her view. This is really a great opportunity that I am very grateful for.

One thing I wish I had right now

I always try to live one day at a time. I don’t dwell on what I wish I had because I know what I don’t have for now is what I don’t need, when the need arises, it will come to me. I think this is because I don’t measure life by what I have. I believe life should be measured by how many people’s lives are affected positively by me.

To my peers..

Focus on making a proper name for yourself and being a game changer. Forget about the money that one will come later.

“***Want to be featured on our #Teenscorner? Send a mail to womenofrubies@gmail.com

Jyoti Kumari, 18, and her 16-year-old sister, Neha, from Banwari Tola, in India’s Uttar Pradesh state, took over their father’s barbershop in 2014 after he suffered a severe paralytic attack that left him bedridden. The girls were only 13 and 11-years-old at the time, but the barbershop was the family’s only source of income, so they had to do something to put food on the table. At first, the barbershop was closed, but as the family savings evaporated, Jyoti and Neha reopened it and started running it themselves. But things didn’t go well at first, as some men were skeptical about having girls shave their beards and trim their mustaches, while others treated them badly. So they started disguising themselves as men.

Photo source: Gulfnews

“This was indeed a tough job but we had no option as well. So we transformed ourselves [to look] like boys. We changed our names like males, dressed ourselves like boys, sported boys’ hairstyle[s] and also behaved like boys,” Jyoti recalled. “But for our efforts, my family would have died of starvation and our study would have been affected.”

The teenage girls cut their hair short, started wearing stainless steel bracelets normally worn by men, and changed their names to Deepak and Raju. Most of the people in their village knew their real identities, but men from surrounding communities had no idea they were really girls. The disguises allowed the girls to keep the barbershop running and earn about 400 rupees per day, enough to provide for their family, pay for their father’s treatment and continue their studies.

Some of the people in the village kept mocking them for posing as men, but the two sisters ignored them and focused on their work, as they had no other choice. They managed to conceal their gender and real identities for four years, but as time went by, they became more confident and recently started revealing their secret to more people.

“Now we have gained enough confidence and don’t fear anyone,” Jyoti Kumari said. “The majority of people have come to know that we are girls.”

Photo source: alArabiya

After a journalist from the nearby city of Gorakhpur published their incredible story in a Hindi newspaper last week, Jyoti and Neha earned the praise of an entire nation and were even honored by local authorities for their grit and determination in the face of adversity.

“Unfazed by taunts coming from society, they carried the family’s responsibility on their shoulders and arranged livelihood for their parents, braving all odds. This is a wonderful story which the society must be told [about] and they indeed deserve honors,” local official Abhishek Pandey told reporters. “They are [a] brilliant example of women empowerment and we have recommended to the state government [that they get] suitable rewards.”

The girls’ father, who only recently started walking again, also declared himself incredibly proud of them: “They have run the family showing highest level of grit and I am proud of them.”

Source: www.odditycentral.com

#RUBYGIRLS| “I AM INSPIRED BY WOMEN WHO ARE LIMITLESS” – TUNMISE MAFE

TWO TEENAGE GIRLS PRETEND TO BE BOYS FOR 4 YEARS TO SAVE THEIR SICK FATHER’S BARBERSHOP