By Patricia Uyeh,
In celebration of the International Day Of the Girl Child, Nollywood actress, Omotola Jolade-Ekeinde, via social media,  recounted her struggles while growing up as a young girl.

According to her, she lost her dad at 12 and had to start helping her family at 15. She added that she was called all sorts of name and that she lacked freedom to be herself.

Here is what she wrote:

“On today’s girl child day I’ll do an unusual post true to me. As a child I lost my father age 12. I was sponsored by a great community of Ondo men, the #Ekimogun club, so I could continue my education. At age 15, I started struggling to help my widowed mother. I started working in the Entertainment Industry.

“While going to school, and working, faced many challenges as a female child… talks of being loose, perhaps being a prostitute, lack of freedom to mingle like male counterparts, rumours and fear of slander, sexual harassments… but one of my early dreams, and  was to be great at whatever I chose and be side by side the best in the World. I’m not totally there yet But that 12 years old Iyana Ipaja little girl did take care of her widowed mum till she died, took care of her younger brothers… they are in marriage stages now, taking care of herself and her own family, taking care of a few people she is privileged to be able to.

“She has worked, spoken on, been awarded on World stages , and has been compared to the people she admired when growing up , from other parts of the World… She’s still a work in progress but…
don’t you dare underestimate the possibilities of a girl child.
#Educationiskey #Educationbreedsconfidence #Ressilience #deligience #Girlchild #internationaldayofgirlchild #impossibleisNothing”

Photo credit : Instagram @realomosexy