When Faith’s parents got divorced when she was at age seven, she had to stay with her mom, Doris. She resented her so much that she ended up not seeing her as her own mother. How did this hatred come upon her? What caused it? Was it going to end?

One day when Faith’s mother Doris came back from work, she found the house disorganised, she got furious with her and she yelled, “Faith!! Why is the house not clean? Why are the dishes not clean? You did not even make the bed you didn’t even cook!” As faith trembled, she did not say a word.

Tears started running down her face, then her mother came with a shoe she started beating her up. Faith cried even more when she was being beaten by broom stick. She had bruises all over her body and her body was swollen.

Inside the house she found a corner and thought to herself, I’m only nine, I can’t do all these things she expects me to do. “Does she hate me this much, that she beats me up like this? What will I do?” Faith cried, but she had no answers. Then her mother did the chores and offered her food but Faith didn’t take the food.

One day when schools were closed, Faith was playing outside when her mother called her.

“Faith! Come inside the house, I need to talk to you.” Faith quickly ran inside the house and went to the room where her mother was. When she got there her mother said, “As you know that it’s the school holiday’s you have to go visit, right?”

“Yes,” answered Faith,”

“So I’m sending you to Venda. You will be fine there you will have friends and family. I can’t take care of you as I even work night shifts, you are not safe here. You will go to school there,” continued Faith’s mother.

Faith was so happy that she was going to start afresh in a new environment with new friends and her family. Little did she know that things were going to turn from bad to worse.

In two days’ time Faith was going to Venda. She told all her friends what was happening and they were all excited for her. Two days later, in the morning, Faith went to Venda, Ha-Ramantsha, with her mother. When they arrived they had a warm welcome and her mother stayed for a week before she returned to Johannesburg. Faith was left alone. Faith had a sister, Promise, but they were not living in the same house, her sister stayed with her aunt.

Faith was very happy in Venda more than she was when she was staying with her mom. She lived with her grandmother, her brother, two younger sisters and her aunt.

When the school re-opened, on her first day, she was so nervous like any other person who was starting their first day at a new school. Her brother and one of her younger sisters got pocket money school but Faith didn’t get any pocket money. She let that pass.

Her first day at school went well; she made many friends because she was a friendly person. After school she found her way back home alone.

Her grandmother and aunt went to work and that meant that after school she was left with her brother, her younger sisters. A week went by things were great although she wasn’t getting pocket money or a lunch box, like she used to back in Johannesburg.

She survived and lived on the school’s feeding scheme during lunchtime. And at home she would wait for super, as her siblings ate everything and left no food for her.

One day the school had a trip. Her siblings didn’t go because their mother didn’t care about them and she went. She had so much fun on that outing. The transport arrived late so they came back late. When she got back home her grandmother was waiting for her.

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