‘Youth should know, pursue what they want in life’

“Young people should define their goals in life so that they can pursue them. They should also impact on the lives of other people around them,” a graduating medical student, Habsita Mahamat Abakar has said. The Chadian who volunteers as a counsellor to young teenagers that are victims of gender-based violence also gives medical and […]

“Young people should define their goals in life so that they can pursue them. They should also impact on the lives of other people around them,” a graduating medical student, Habsita Mahamat Abakar has said.

The Chadian who volunteers as a counsellor to young teenagers that are victims of gender-based violence also gives medical and psychological help to the survivors.

The youth who is doing an internship at the African Network for the Prevention and Protection against Child abuse and Neglect (ANPPCAN) spoke on why she is a volunteer to these girls.

She said “Growing up, I didn’t get the chance to be open; I found it difficult to express or talk to people about my experiences so when I got into the university I decided to volunteer for girls who are survivors of violence.”

She noted that her counselling services in 2013 at the hospital with the help of her psychiatry teacher.

Also a fellow at the 2016 Mandela Washington Fellowship in the United States, Habsita said the fellowship enabled her to start her work in civic leadership.

The young undergraduate who has counselled about 86 girls since 2013 said the important thing about empowering young girls is that “these girls become the main persons that try to help others.”

She said the major challenge of the girls is that they are stifled from speaking up.

“It is perceived as a taboo to speak up by victims. A girl cannot go home and discuss her problems with her boyfriend because it is not allowed in our societies to have a boyfriend in the first instance and because of that, two of my girls attempted to commit suicide but we rescued them,” she said.