Today was a big day for me. The first time I truly felt what it means to impact the lives of others.
I reached 10 minutes before time and soon the Principal welcomed us warmly and we were escorted to the open ground where our first training session would begin. The ground was in the heart of a sprawling campus with a one storey building wrapped around it, with classrooms on both the ground and first floors. The open space stretched easily 200ft by 200ft, its neat hexagonal tiles catching the afternoon light. All around, tall trees stood like sentinels, their leaves whispering softly in the breeze. I smiled, knowing these trees would shelter our outdoor sessions from the summer sun.
The school had thoughtfully created a special slot for our training towards the end of the academic day. Still, a worry lingered in my mind – would the girls want to stay back after a long day of classes, or would they see this as just another chore before they could go home?
At exactly 3:00 pm, the sharp clang of the school bell rang out. The sound carried through the corridors, and soon,one by one, the students trickled out – first in twos and threes, then in larger groups.
Some were shy, their eyes darting curiously towards us.
Some walked with quiet determination, as if ready for anything.
Some giggled softly with friends, unsure of what was about to happen.
But in every single pair of eyes, I saw it – a spark.
The kind that comes when you begin to sense you are stronger than you’ve been told.
Within minutes, about 120 girls were standing in perfectly straight lines. A small mic and speaker system sat on a table nearby, waiting for our voices to fill the space.
The Principal joined us, her voice carrying warmly across the ground as she introduced us to the students.
I stepped forward, the mic in my hand, and looked out at the girls – young, curious, full of untapped strength. And in that moment, something shifted inside me.
This wasn’t just about teaching self-defence.
It was about shaping a generation that could walk through life unafraid.
And at the end of this first session I knew with certainty – this was only the beginning.
This was not just their first lesson. It was mine too.