Hi! I’m Audery.
I’m 17 years old, from Manenberg, and I’m a Rock girl.
The most important person in my life is my grandmother – if it weren’t for her I wouldn’t be here today.
You’re probably wondering why I say so.
My mother was an alcoholic and since the day I was born my granny took me in her care. My mother was also living with my grandmother, but was never home.
It was very tough for my grandparents to raise me.
My mother used to come home at night drunk, then she would take me from my granny.
Then she wanted to put me out on the street.
My grandmother would always fight with her, and there were times my granny would run away with me so that my mother would not do something bad with me.
My granny later found out that I’m asthmatic and had to rush me to hospital a lot.
She didn’t knew who my father was and never asked my mother.
She always told me when I was a little older that I should love my mother no matter what she does and is, and I did as my granny told me to do.
Years went by, then 2007 came. I was turning eight that year and my mother fell ill.
She would lie down a lot, and she wouldn’t go out any more.
My granny used to take my mother to hospital a lot and she would wash my mother, and I couldn’t understand what was going on. Maybe I was too young to understand.
Whenever I asked my granny what was wrong with my mother, she would tell me that everything’s going to be fine, but I could see it in my granny’s eyes she was worried about her daughter.
Later that year, in September, my mother was rushed to hospital. My granny would go visit her just to make sure she was okay.
My granny would still come home in the morning to get me and my cousin ready for school.
One day I went to visit my mother with my granny at the hospital and my mother was lying on the bed.
I would go and lie next to her, and she would speak a lot about my birthday and told me that she was going to buy me the biggest present ever because my birthday was the next month.
But she didn’t make it until then; she passed away a week after my visit.My granny was so deeply hurt after losing her first-born daughter.
Weeks went by, but my granny would still cry without anyone knowing although I could hear her crying at night.
She tried her best to give me everything I needed. She and my grandfather did a lot for me.
So years went by and I got much older to understand what was going on. She then told me my mother died from HIV and Aids.
I started to take it hard then, because I realised I would never see her again.
I used to think she was only gone for a short period and that she would return, but I was wrong – she was gone forever.
My granny always encouraged me to become something in life.
She has been through a lot, but she still tries to keep that smile on her face.
She lost her husband this year and now she is all alone. Her daughters are still around, but I can see she is not the same as she was before…
We both lost the two people that really meant a lot to us, but we still have each other and I want to somehow show her that I will become something in this world no matter what life puts us through; we’re in this together.
And I want to make her proud. She has had too much sadness in her life, but she is strong and I love her with all my heart.
I don’t tell it to her a lot, but she is the most important person in my life.
I don’t know what I would do without her. It’s because of her that I’m part of a sisterhood.
She always told me that I should become part of a group that fights for women’s rights.
She always told me that I have a passion for it.
Now I’m part of this amazing group called Rock Girl.
We stand together no matter what.
We created that sisterhood in different places in South Africa.
Girls should have the right to become resilient, bright, inquisitive young women.
No girl should live with the fear of violence, whether it’s brought about by gangs, family members, friends or strangers.
Every girl should have the right to pursue her education and personal interests without fear.
Together the Rock Girls commit to work together to end violence against girls and women, to create safe spaces for girls, and seek lasting solutions to violence, inequality and poverty in our lives.
I hope readers would read our stories because we got some important things to write about.
We’ll be writing for the next 16 Days of Activism for No Violence Against Women and Children – and trust me, you don’t want to miss this.