Tererai Trent...an african woman who achieved her 'impossible' dream

Tererai Trent an African woman shares her story with Marie Forleo. And this story is one of the most powerful ones you will ever hear. I haven’t read her book but it is at the top on my To Read list.

Tererai Trent was born in a village in sub-saharan Africa. She says like all the women in her community she too was born, holding a ‘baton’, a baton of poverty, illiteracy and early marriage. This baton was being passed from generation to generation. But She also talks about the wisdom that was passed on from generation to generation. Her wise grandmother told her that she had the power to decide whether to run with the baton of illiteracy and poverty or to run with the baton of wisdom, so that she can rechange and reshift the paradigm and break the cycle of poverty, early marriage, physical abuse and all the ugly things

Her wise grandmother told her that she had the power to decide whether to run with the baton of illiteracy and poverty or to run with the baton of wisdom, so that she can rechange and reshift the paradigm and break the cycle of poverty, early marriage, physical abuse and all the ugly things

Her country had just earned independence. A bunch of foreign women, from USA, Australia etc were working there for a social cause.

 One day an American woman , gathered these local woman , She had asked Tererai ‘What is your dream?’ At this point, Tererai was a 14-15 year old girl with 4 children of her own…She couldn’t answer, she had grown up believing that she was nothing!

But the lady kept looking at Tererai expecting an answer...Finally Tererai answered ….She said ‘I want to go to America, I want to have a degree, I want to have a Masters degree and I want to have a Ph.D.’ And all the other women were whispering …Is she crazy? Those dreams were not for her.. But Tererai was inspired by the foreign ladies … Looking at them she felt a sense of empowerment…They had confidence, they were in control and a sense of self…Tererai wanted that…. They had backpacks …they would reach into the backpacks , get out their books and spectacles and would read through their papers and books and then would put their spectacles back. For Tererai Spectacles became a sign of education!!

Looking at the foreign women, she felt a sense of empowerment…confidence-loving thyself…Tererai wanted that…. They had backpacks …they would reach into the backpacks, get out their books and spectacles and would read through their papers and books and then would put their spectacles back. For Tererai Spectacles became a sign of education!!

The foreign women would talk about these degrees and Tererai felt that education was THE means to change her life.

Hearing Tererai, the American woman said to Tererai…’Yes it is achievable, If you desire those dreams …if you desire to change your life, yes Tinogona (‘It is achievable’ in Tererai’s mother tongue’). 

When Tererai told her mother about her four dreams, she advised her write the dreams on a piece of paper and bury it in the ground just like they would bury the umbilical cord of their newborn child… The burial of the umbilical cord was symbolic to remind the person of his/her roots …And her mother told her that in addition to these personal dreams she should write a fifth dream… Tererai’s uneducated mother explained to her ‘Your dream in life would have a greater meaning when they are tied to the betterment of your community ’ 

Your dream in life would have a greater meaning when they are tied to the betterment of your community.

Tererai then spent ‘8 freaking years’ to finish her under graduate degree through correspondence to Cambridge…When she moved to the US, along with her kids and husband to get a Masters Degree, she didn’t have a scholarship, or even support system to take care of children…she would work three jobs… she had to sometimes feed her children off the food in the trash can… But she was determined to break the vicious cycle of poverty and illiteracy …She told herself that at the end of the tunnel despite its darkness, there was light …And the she was the only one who could have solutions to her problems.

 Listen to this profound, wise and courageous woman....or read her book The Awakened Woman https://amzn.in/cYjRJVK

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