Halima from Senegal - Everyday A Girl #EDAG

By Ndey Yassin, Gambia

This is Halima Jarjue's story for #EverydayAGirl, as shared by Ndey Yassin via UN Volunteers. 

Halima lives with her aunt. She used to live in Cassamance, a town near Senegal, West Africa. She lost both of her parents due to the war that happened in Cassamance. Her dad’s sister took her in and brought her to Gambia to live with her. 

Halima is 23 years old, and very hardworking.

Her aunt is a cleaner in one of the GSM companies in The Gambia. She has three children and they all live together with Halima. She said she enjoys school and wants to be a doctor in the future.

Although she was taken many classes back, she believes she is doing well in school. She doesn’t want to be a maid forever that is why she is going to school. She is exceptionally tired when she goes to school but she said she has no choice, but to try and stay alert and learn.

Halima Sworks as a maid to use her earnings to pay for her school fees.
Every day she wakes up early and goes to work.
She cooks food everyday for her boss.

When she goes home from school, she helps her aunt cook dinner and then she goes to bed, sometimes without eating because of exhaustion. Her grades were very bad at first, because she sometimes doesn’t do her homework because she is very tired and sometimes there is no light at their home and her aunt doesn’t want her lighting candles for she believes it is not safe, she might forget to blow it off and sleep.

Halima takes a quick nap after chores because she has to go for afternoon classes after work.

Her bosses are very nice to her and sometimes pay her more than agreed for when she needs to pay for exam fees or to buy books. She is in junior school, year 9.

Before napping, Halima cleans the dirty pots and washes the clothes.

She makes sure the clothes are very clean.

Once refreshed from her nap, she gets up to check if the clothes have dried.

She gently removes the clothes from the clothing rail.

After doing all her daily household work, Halima rushes to go home. She has to change and go to her evening classes.

Halima wants to be a doctor one day. She is working as a maid to fund her school fees.

ABOUT EDAG

The story of Everyday a Girl, tagged #EDAG, is a glance into the lives of ordinary women through a series of poignant photo stories. These series of images will visually express the roles, challenges, activities and duties that females in diverse communities face in their daily lives.

SAFIGI Outreach Foundation Ltd, a volunteer-run NGO registered in Zambia, implemented EDAG in order to place a strong emphasis on positively redefining the role of females in our society. This campaign highlights that gender equality and equity, woman empowerment, and safety for the girls is key to the world’s socio-economic development.