Women, I honour and celebrate you

Today, I celebrate women. Today I am thinking of my amazing mother who had the strong arms and the iron determination to raise 11 strong willed children,who have grown to be responsible young men and women.

Today, I am paying tribute to the woman who sells tomatoes and sukuma wiki to feed her children. She does, after all, in her long day build someone’s nation, one day at a time.

Today I am  feting the lovelies with long hair and big bosoms who raise children that were thrown in the gutter by their sisters.I am doing this because, it’s just that there are some women that I feel need to be honoured, but are not. And this is my reason for blogging today. For the women who are not honoured.I am also  applauding the men who take care of women; standing by them and lifting them up. 

Today, I should be looking at the hard story with a happy ending.As young as  01-year old children are being raped. The beast of this crime are arrested, but its normally  too late. The damage is always done and now this child may grow up without the ability to honour or feel honoured. She was the fifth of his ‘victims’, forced into womanhood.

Hundreds of women need reconstructive surgery after being raped and mutilated. Their husbands who maybe watched them get raped, cannot afford to honour them anymore. Their families cannot see past the disgust that these women are trying to forget. As she struggles to walk several kilometres to the nearest station to report the matter, the soldiers shrug and say ‘it happens’.

Their stories reminded me of girls kicked out of schools and homes because of getting pregnant. They reminded me of the night nurses who are beaten and bad-mouthed by the very same men who have used their services but don’t want to pay. They remind me of the girl who stopped tying her breasts because she was forcefully ‘shown’ how it feels to be a woman.

Today I will honour the women who are looked at as if they were dirty. May you be honoured this  day. Though your voice is waspy and unheard and your dreams are terrifying, I will honour you because I know you are great and deserve it. May our good Lord bless you and take care of you all the day of your life.