In the bustling city of Kano lived a woman named Halima. Life had not been kind to her. Widowed at just 32 with three children to raise, she faced the harsh reality of survival. Many advised her to remarry quickly, but Halima was determined to fight her battles on her own terms.
She started small—selling akara by the roadside. Every morning at 4 a.m., she would grind beans, fry them with care, and serve customers rushing to work. The money was little, but it was enough to keep food on the table. Her neighbors often whispered that she was wasting her youth, but Halima kept her eyes on her children’s future.
One day, a teacher from the local primary school noticed how hardworking she was and offered to help her children with extra lessons after school for free. Halima never missed an opportunity. She sacrificed her own comfort to make sure her children always had books, uniforms, and encouragement.
Over the years, her small akara business grew. She began supplying breakfast snacks to nearby schools and later opened a small canteen. With her growing income, she sent her eldest son to the university. He studied engineering and graduated with honors, becoming the first in their family to earn a degree.
Her second child became a nurse, and her youngest, inspired by her strength, started a foundation to help widows and single mothers in their community.
When people asked Halima how she did it, she would smile with teary eyes and say:
“I was not strong because I wanted to be. I was strong because my children needed me to be.”
Halima’s journey reminds us that true strength is not in how much we carry, but in how much love pushes us to keep going.
