FROM GRASS TO GRACE

From one room apartment somewhere in Fadeyi came alive a beautiful young Mercy some thirty years ago. All hope was high and dreams were up that she will become a very important person in life. Considering her pareants background, this dreams could not be achieved easily hence, the need for her to assist the mother to hawk her business while going to school.

This was a big challenge for Mercy as she had to double up in her studies to be able to meet up, not only that she was also faced with the challenges that every normal black African girls exposed to street hawkings always face.

Mercy is the fourth child of her mother and the tenth of the father coming from a polygamous home. The Mother was in the business of selling fresh Plantain, so Mercy grew up selling plantains on the wicked street of Lagos.

Her mother though not literate, understands the important of Western Education and she desired it for all her children. The effort from these children, who understood the effort from their mother, yielded good result though not without the sacrifice that comes with such children such as not having the opportunity of playing with their peers. They however got that with their contemporaries in the same trade on the street 'at work'.

Mercy through hardwork, perceverance and God went through primary education, a public school then and through to the University to achieve her dream and that of the mother. Three out of the five children of Mercy's mother are graduates from Higher institutions of learning today.

Street selling though was not the best option as at then but the only option available for 'mama ologede' as she was fondly called.

Very little support if any at all came from the father and other members of the family such as uncles and Aunties so the resolve to street selling to support the family ecomony.

"The parents we had were the ones God chose for us and no matter how we feel they were custom-designed with God's plan in mind, and they bear the master's seal. said mercy"

So no matter the trauma, no matter the condition under which we grew up, God would not have allowed it. God allow it to sharpen your life and to bring the best out of one. you are who you are for a reason. You are God master piece.

Realising that life is what you make out of it early enough help in the journey of life for Mercy. She realised early enough the need to have a dream and work at it and focus to overcome obstacles that should come along the way like the condition under which the street hawking presented itself.

The determination Mercy and the other sibblings put up, most especially Mercy being the only girl among them was outstanding. Not even the name calling and other similar humiliation from her peers and pupils in school, she pushed on with her studies while she sells after school and during vacations.

the business because successful and their mother was able to pay for their school fees and pay for other things that they needed for their education. Mercy also benefited immensely through the relationships that she developed with some of her good customers in the course of selling her goods. She still see some of them till date.

Today, Mercy is a celebrated Journalist, an international speaker of repute on the subject that she knows very well and runs an NGO to support young people in similar capacity to achieve their Dream.

Mercy is happily married with children.