A teenager “abandoned” by her alcoholic mother faces a daily struggle to feed herself and her five-month-old baby.
Grade six student Bertha, 17, became pregnant last year when she met a man, 20, who promised her he could provide food.
She told how she faces the added burden of feeding her son Jankel, as well as her brother Liton, 14.
Bertha said: “The boy who is the father to my son doesn’t work so the baby has become a challenge in my life. My mom works as a house helper somewhere else so she’s not here to help. It’s a challenge to feed myself and my baby.”
My life of suffering started in 2014 when my father died. In 2021, when my mother started drinking heavily and abandoned us, it made our state a terrible one. I now live with my brother alone because we had nowhere else to go.
“We have one or two other relatives who are working but they don’t show a concern for us which has been difficult. We’re at a tender age and should be under the care of an adult who is able to help with food and clothes.”
Bertha and Liton showed us the small patch of crops behind their home in rural Zambia which produces two bags of maize a year, far from enough to sustain the pair.
The siblings started living together in 2021. Their father was killed in an axe accident nine years ago.
Bertha, who cradles Jankel while he latches onto her, said: “It’s difficult now to even afford a bag of mealie meal. I live a life of struggle at a young age. I even abandon some activities like being with friends because I need to go out looking for food. I should be at school, with friends.
“I feel bad when I see my friends passing by in their uniforms when I’m just sitting here. I also want to be in school but I have a child and no one to take care of him so it’s delayed my return to school.”
Liton, who hopes to be a tour guide one day, continues to attend Katapila Primary School nearby where he gets a cup of porridge thanks to Mary’s Meals every day.
He maintains he has no plans to quit school and search for work despite the challenges his family faces.
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The youngster, whose favourite subject is English, said: “Receiving Mary’s Meals every day has had a big impact on my life.
“I feel so good because when I come back home and there’s no food, I’m full of porridge.
“On the weekends, some of the people always help us in terms of food.”
Bertha also hopes to return to school next year if she finds someone to look after her baby in the hopes of becoming a nurse.
She said: “My dream is to see my son have a bright future and not to go through the struggles I’ve gone through.”
The Daily Express is raising money for Mary’s Meals as part of our Christmas appeal this year so millions of children across 18 countries can continue to receive a life-changing cup of porridge daily.
To donate, please visit: https://www.marysmeals.org.uk/express
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