Posted to Sister Zeph’s Journal
By Sister Zeph
On 05 June, 2014
(Written by my Student Amna)
I am Amna, an 8th-grade student at Zephaniah Free Education. In my family, there are three brothers and four sisters, and I am the youngest, so I am quite cherished by everyone at home. Prior to coming here, I was just an average student, and education felt like a burden to me. In my family, girls are discouraged from pursuing jobs, which leads to a lack of interest in education, as it is mainly seen as a means to secure employment.
My father is a laborer, and my mother is a simple woman who loves us deeply, and we reciprocate that love. However, my father is very strict. When he comes home, we are not allowed to watch TV or listen to music. We are expected to cover our heads and sit quietly in one corner of the house or pretend to be busy with household chores. My brothers follow the same strictness, so I grew up being taught to remain silent. My mother used to say that girls should be like goats—quiet and docile. Talkative girls were not well-received in our society because they were considered too clever. Good girls were expected to obey without question.
One day, I heard from a friend who was already a student at Zephaniah Free Education about the opportunities it offered. I was initially hesitant because it was run by a Christian lady, and there were rumors that the place was not safe. People said that she might try to convert us to her religion or even engage in human trafficking since nothing was done for free in our society. Therefore, ZFE wasn’t readily accepted by the community. However, my friends convinced me to give it a chance, so I joined because of them.
It has been three years since I became a student here. We pray together, and I have never witnessed any discrimination based on religion. We are like a family. There is a poster at our center that reads, “Nobody will say words that hurt anyone’s feelings,” and that principle is followed diligently. I’ve learned so much here that was previously unknown to me. I’ve come to understand that education is not just about getting a job; it empowers us, makes us thinkers, gives us courage, freedom, and the ability to distinguish between right and wrong.
I’ve also learned that girls are not meant to be passive like goats but are human beings with equal rights, who should speak up for those rights. ZFE even has a Beauty Salon Training Center where girls learn makeup, hair styling, and hand painting. I’ve learned hand painting from there and won a calculator. This achievement was not only expected by me but also by my teachers and family. It is the most precious gift of my life, a constant reminder of the love and equality bestowed upon me and other students at Zephaniah Free Education.