Amarilda and university

In Porto Romano, an outskirt of my city, there is no high school and the pupils have to travel for at least 6 km to the nearest school. Not all boys and girls can go to high school - because they need to work or is going to be married in early age.

Amarilda was one of a few lucky girls from her area who went to high school. Her strong will to go to school was a torment for her mother. She had always been an excellent pupil, but her father wanted to find a husband for her. Amarilda´s father come from the north of Albania. In that area Kanun (an informal but very strong tradition and custom referring to family honor) is beyond every laws and he was threatening to kill his daughter if she continued in school.

Her little brother, tired of the bad character of the father, had supported Amarilda, but he was not strong enough to face him. Their neighbours, who witnessed the every day violence and quarrels, tried to convince Amarilda´s father to quit threaten his daughter, but in revenge he was furious and violent especially against his wife.

Amarilda’s mother was beaten every time she prayed that he would let their daughter frequent the school. During all the last year of her school, we, teachers and local governors in the area pressured a lot and convinced him to let his daughter go to the university

This year Amarilda is a student for jurisprudence. Her family is poor and she is waiting to receive a scholarship from the Municipality. Endless documents had to be prepared on this purpose; some of them need the signature of her father.

When Amarilda’s mother politely asked her husband to sign the request for the scholarship he beated her again. With the mother’s blood on the walls Amarilda’s father signed the start of a new life for Amarilda, as a student. Amarilda’s mother lay on the floor with that paper finally signed, waiting to regain her forces, clean her face and run to the Municipality for the scholarship.

Amarilda is afraid to go back home, but she has promised to study hard for every drops of tear and blood her mother shed in her defence.