Do you believe in magic?

When I was younger, I always watched a TV show about a boy who had a magic pencil. 

The boy was a little hero, always protecting people who needed help.

 I always thought:

    - “I also want a magic pencil to make other people happy. With the magic pencil I can draw beautiful dresses for  my mother; the best buildings in the town for my father, so he can open many schools where children can study; and a good ball for my brothers and me.”

Every night I wished for a magic pencil. And every morning I woke up and check my cupboard… but the magic pencil was never there.

One day, I was throwing rubbish at the dump when I saw a girl about my age collecting rubbish. There were some boys too.

When my father returned home from work, I told him what I saw. It made him sad.

- “Aba?” I said.

- “Yes, honey?” he said.

- Why didn’t I see that girl in my class?

- Because, honey, in our country not all the girls go to school. Some children must work to support their family. If they go to school, their families can’t eat.

School was my favourite place. Was I lucky to go?

That night I thought about families who didn’t have enough food. I   thought about the girl who can’t go to school. I also knew that I didn’t want to cook and clean for my brothers in the future.

I knew that if I had a magic pencil I would use it to draw a better world, a peaceful world.

I wanted to erase war, poverty and hunger. I also wanted to draw girls and boys together as equals.

I started working hard in school every day. 

I wanted to be the best student in my class.

But soon powerful and dangerous men said: 

“Girls can’t go to school”.

They walked the streets of our city. 

They carried weapons. 

Girls stopped going to school.

- “Aba, where are all the students?” I said.

- “They don’t feel safe here, honey” he said.

I thought: “ Why can’t girls go to school?

 All the people has to know what is happening. 

They can help us.”

Someone needed to speak up: why not me?

I wrote about my school and that we were scared. I travelled around my country, telling my story.

 People wanted to learn about my life.

My voice became so powerful that dangerous men tried to silence me. But they failed.