Madame used to beat me if I didn’t cook and bathe her children when they came back from school. She’d make me kneel down and whip me on my back.
One day, my sister asked me to go and live with her in the capital. She took me to a woman’s house and made me work as a servant. I washed the dishes, cleaned the floors, cooked and took care of her children. Madame insulted me a lot, but I’d just keep quiet. I would just take heart. I’d hold on to my sister’s promise that she’d come back and take me home one day.
When I finally came home, I was so happy to see my mother and said to myself, I won’t suffer again. But sometimes when I think of what happened in the capital I feel very sad.
Narrative provided courtesy of Plan International
