Interfering in others affairs hasn't really been my thing because I like minding my business and doesn't get involve in people's affairs at all if what the person is doing is not affecting me in anyway. Not that I don't love my neighbors and doesn't speak up when I see a wrong thing but sometimes I tend to look away and allow people do their things in their own way so that I won't be tagged "miss know all". Well my actions speak sometimes and if the person doesn't catch the scope then I do voice out
While I was at the University, there was a particular woman in my neighborhood that I noticed she wasn't treating the child that lived with her very well. The boy was well mannered because each time he sees me, he greet me cheerfully but I noticed he likes sitting alone and his appearance is always tattered. I also see the excitement in him once he saw me coming from school so as to help me with my bag.
So I inquired from people in the neighborhood about the boy and I was told he was the woman's nephew whose mother had died, so the family handed him over to the woman. I loved this boy dearly which lead me to always send him errands so as to gift him foods and money. But I later heard that the woman do collect the money from him and if he asked her for anything, she will beat him mercilessly. So each time I call him to my house, I will give him food and instruct him to eat everything in my house before leaving but I don't like the way the woman is treating him although, she enrolled him in school but he wasn't adequately taking care of and I don't want to confront her.
After my inquires, I told myself that the boy needs help before the environment that we live turns him to something else because my neighborhood then was somehow rough and full of numerous atrocities. If parents aren't vigilant with their wards they can be led to prostitution, drugs or cultism and I don't want him to be wayward.
But each time this boy smiles at me, it as if his mind is saying "sister please help me, I'm suffering". I also discovered that if he is in my house, he is always cheerful and plays from one corner to another but once I tell him to go home, his mood will change then I knew he really needs help. So I decided within myself to give him a helping hand!
Luckily for me the boy was enrolled where my Mom was working, so I had to go through my Mom who was a teacher in that school to help me talk sense to his guardian about how she's treating the boy. So my Mom made a surprise visit to her house along with the boy in his tattered school uniform during school hour one day.
My Mom said the woman was shocked when she saw her with the boy, she thought the boy had done something wrong in school. But when Mom starting talking the woman was dumbfounded and couldn't say a word because Mom said she didn't give her a chance at all to justify herself.
Mom threatened her that she will report her to the team in charge of child support at the ministry of education if she doesn't change her non chalant attitudes towards the boy. She advised her to return the boy to his Dad if she doesn't have the capacity to take good care of him. The woman was afraid with my Mom's threats because Mom said she will ask the child support to take the boy away from her; so she pleaded and promised her that she would change for good.
So to keep the boy busy, Mom said her daughter (she was referring to me) will volunteer to take the boy evening lessons during weekdays free of charge. The woman agreed to all terms and conditions that Mom gave her and thankfully she changed her ways.
The boy used almost 4years with her, sometimes people can't differentiate whether the boy was living with her or in my house because we didn't give the woman breathing space at all on the boy which also helped him greatly.
I was so happy I stood up for the boy that time and I can't be more proud because Mom really rendered the help I needed with her maturity. I shed tears when the boy was leaving the woman when he finishes primary school to live with his Dad. I heard last year that he had completed his secondary school and I'm looking forward to this year Christmas to see him when he comes to visit my state.
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