Opening her arms to protect the community’s young girls

Those who have returned from the furnace burnt and scarred are arguably best positioned to guard the youth from harm.

In 2007, Veronica Chinyamakobvu left Zimbabwe for a better life south of the border. Then in her late twenties, the now 42-year-old mother of four left behind painful memories of a tragic upbringing that has left her hardened, yet determined. Veronica was brutally raped and subsequently impregnated by a family member when she was just 14 years old.

Veronica carried the foetus to term, giving birth to a little girl when she herself had not fully matured. The events that led to her teen pregnancy were equally heaped in misery, as she would lose her mother in a car accident when she was just 12 years old. The abuse and neglect suffered at the hands of relatives have now put her on a path to save young girls from a similar fate.

“Two weeks after my mother passed, I slept next to her grave because the family I was sent to told me to go ask my mother for food,” recounted Veronica, sharing the heartbreaking tale of her early adolescent life. “What I have experienced I would not wish upon my worst enemy. Those who where supposed to help me through that time threw me in a bush somewhere,” she added.

The Mashonaland East native now lives in Roodepoort North and wants to use her experience to help young girls navigate the perils of being a female teenager. She has begun her work with a few young girls living in a block of flats near Florida Lake, explaining, “I want to teach them to be kind but also to identify the signs that someone is trying to hurt or kill you”.

Veronica is planning to give talks at schools and hopes to build a public-speaking brand that pushes female empowerment and highlights systemic flaws in society. The young girls she is taking under her wing are between 10 and 12 years old, but she is cognisant of using a gentle touch to educate and not frighten. “I do not really tell them my story because it is a burden for a big heart,” she admitted.

Change begins at schools, and Veronica is offering her services to be an outlet for young girls who have a distrust of authorities. The aspiring counsellor believes that she can teach communication skills that help solve problems, equip young girls to stand up to the bullies, and make better choices. Once neglected, Veronica is spreading her arms to embrace those in need, saying, “I’m not here for the money but to change the world”.