Amber Richards:
So, when I was in my early teenage years, I unfortunately experienced the sudden death of a parent, and a grandparent. About a year after this, I developed depression and lost the sense of who I was. I was heavily engaged in school and making new friends, but did not feel like me.
Soon after this, I also developed anorexia nervosa, and having huge insecurities about my body. This all happened whilst I was trying to achieve high grades in school, and do extracurricular activities.
In the last two years, I have been hospitalised for anorexia many times, which is unfortunate, however, it has never stopped me focusing on my education and my friends and family.
Yes, I have mental health issues and huge physical insecurities, but, I am getting through it and focusing on being successful despite this. I have achieved the grades I wanted, and I am going to another form of education to further this, because I aspire to be a children’s nurse and help others in their time of need.
I believe that, no matter our insecurities or our disabilities, we are still important as people, and we still deserve to have success and happiness. It can sometimes be hard to find, but we can all find it, because we are good enough to have it.
Everyone is beautiful, it doesn’t matter whether they look a specific way, or what clothes size they are, or even their grades at school. We are all good at different things, and we don’t have to be a certain way just to please others or match up to standards.
Reproduced with permission from Love and Care for People Worldwide.
LCP is a safe haven where loving and caring supporters, volunteers and team members or as we say our family all work together to bring hope and provide Non-Judgemental Support, Education, Vocational Skills Training, Referral and Counselling services, Opportunities and Networks among other services to children, young people and women from different cultures and nationalities who are survivors, affected or at risk of Family Violence (including but not limited to Forced Marriage, Reproductive Abuse, Honour Based Violence, Disownment, Destructive Relationships, Child Abuse), Poverty and other Social Exclusion.
LCP works with other grassroots organizations and offers business and vocational skills training, mentorship as well as the necessary tools and resources for women and young people to become economically self-sustaining.