CHOICES

The choices they made determined their destiny. Sando's Choice: Sando gains admission into his dream senior high school but soon discovers that studies are tougher than he had imagined. As the first end-of term examination fast approached and the exam fever inflicts him, Sando panics and seeks help from someone who is reported to have supernatural powers. Sneaking out of school, he goes to see this powerful man and comes face-to face with the biggest surprise of his life. Ayisha's Choice: Ayisha's desire is to be like the other educated girls in her community, but while her mother supports her desire, her father doesn't.

How will Ayisha and her mother overcome her father's belief that girls in their village don't attend school? The hard-to-convince father has already betrothed her to a suitor anyway who has paid the required number of cows. This suitor, like Ayisha's father, cannot imagine Ayisha attending school and arranges a kidnap.

Will Ayisha's desire to be educated ever be fulfilled? Abiba's Choice: When the crops fail again and there are no jobs to do to earn income for the family, Abiba sees only one choice open for her: travel down south to try "kayayoo" as a female porter. Saying a painful goodbye to her family, she travels to the south and joins the hustlers.

Abiba thinks it is a fine choice; if so then why does she return home so prematurely? Tulali's Choice: Dr. Zakaria cannot understand what is happening at the villago of Tulali. Why does it appear that everybody is sick in that village? He must find out. Together with his small team of health personnel, they travel to the village and what they see astonished them.

Why on earth does a village make such a choice in modern times? They must do something about this!

Author: Lawrence Darmani