- Chekwube Mercy lost her father before she turned one, growing up in a household where even three meals a day was considered a luxury
- At nine years old, she dropped out of school because her mother could not raise KSh 48 for her Common Entrance examination fee
- She took to hawking pure water at markets and parks to fund her own education, a journey that eventually led her to a law degree
Eze Chekwube Mercy, a Nigerian woman who spent part of her childhood hawking pure water under the sun to scrape together KSh 48 for a school examination fee, has graduated with a law degree and is now sharing her story to inspire others.
Source: Facebook
In a heartfelt post on Facebook, Chekwube described a childhood shaped by absence and want.
Her father died when she was barely a year old, leaving her mother to raise the family with almost nothing.
Basics that other children took for granted, school sandals, Christmas clothes and regular meals, were far beyond the family's reach.
When last did Chekwube have new clothes?
"I honestly cannot remember having new clothes for Christmas as a child," she wrote.
Her mother would collect clothing gifted to her, take it to a tailor and have it remade into outfits for Chekwube and her sister.
The family did not kill a chicken for Christmas until she was 16.
Chekwube sells groundnut for her Common Entrance examination
At nine years old, Chekwube was withdrawn from school because her mother could not afford the KSh 48 required for her Common Entrance examination.
Rather than accept that as the end of her education, she began hawking pure water around markets and parks, determined to raise the money herself and secure her place in school.
"Suffering is not a trophy," she wrote. "It is not something anyone should have to experience to prove their worth."
Chekwube finds the Dear Young Me Initiative
That same girl who once walked the streets carrying sachets of water is now a law graduate.
Beyond her degree, Chekwube has founded the Dear Young Me Initiative, an organisation dedicated to encouraging young people to believe in their potential regardless of where they come from.
Reflecting on the journey, she said she did not view her story simply as one of personal resilience.
Chekwube testifies of the mercy of God
"I see the mercy of God," she wrote. "I see a God who never abandoned me, even when life gave me so many reasons to wonder how things would turn out."
Her message closes with a direct word to young people who feel their backgrounds have already decided their futures.
"Your present circumstances do not have the final say over your future," she wrote. "With God, determination and the courage to keep going, you can become more than your present situation suggests."
Temi Nkem opens up about her mother
In another story, TUKO also highlighted facts about BBNaija Season 11 winner Temi Nkem’s account of her mother’s stroke and its impact on their family.
Temi was 16 when her mother suffered the stroke, and she said watching her work through recovery remains painful.
Source: TUKO.co.ke
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