By Aber from Uganda

My name is Aber. I live in North-Central Uganda.

I study at Uganda Martyrs Centenary School. I am in Primary 5. The school is found in Kitgum District. For school every day I put on a skirt and a blouse. At my school we are only allowed to wear black shoes. At home I help with the cooking. I remove ground nuts from the stem. We can find these in the garden. It’s nice because I don’t have to go far to get them especially since I remove the nuts from the stem every day.

1. We sort through the nuts.
   
2. Once we have enough nuts, we peel them and put them in a bucket. 
   
3. Afterwards, we cover the peeled nuts with leaves.
   
4. Then we put a bowl over it to cover it. This protects it from bugs. 
   
5. I then have to start a fire to cook the nuts. The fire pit is made with stones and tree wood that we have collected.
   
6. Once the fire is ready, I put the pot on top of the fire.

This personal essay was developed as part of the Girl Child Project. For the project, Peace Corps Volunteers around the world collected and shared stories of girls in their communities to celebrate their diverse paths toward opportunity and success. This project was facilitated by the Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment Working Group at Peace Corps Headquarters.