Mariam Asuquo Okon, an orphan, finds succour in fish farming after facing many challenges in life, including abuse from stepmothers, sexual harassment and hopelessness.
Speaking on the challenges she has faced, Maryam said, “There was a time I considered ending my life because I believed everything was lost.” But she became an “incubatee” through a system that attaches young people to well established farms (incubators) on mentorship and training for six months.
“The system is operated by the federal government and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD)-funded Livelihood Improvement Family Enterprises Project for the Niger Delta (LIFE-ND) programmme.
“Subsequently, they gave me all the training I required, including instruction on how to raise fish from fingerlings to table size and how to maintain farm records. Even the in-and-out of the weather conditions were covered in my training. I learned how to feed fish. I was educated about marketing. I was also taught how to sell,” she said.
With her fish ponds located at a cluster of fish farms in the Akpabuyo area of Cross River State, the orphan is pleased that she can now support herself financially through her own business, adding that her life has purpose.
“I believe that having gone through this made me very happy. I am a better person for myself right now. Now, I am unable to consider killing myself. I can’t even bring myself to do it when I am eating. I am not going to sleep in any man’s house,” Miss Okon said.
She has so far done two cycles of fish production and about to restock her ponds for the third time despite the challenges of feed.
She said the first cycle served as her learning curve, and that after making the required adjustments, she was able to turn a profit in the second cycle and is now pursuing the third.
Her next step is to grow the business, hire one or two employees and reach out to other women who are going through similar circumstances to what she experienced as an orphan.
Her reason for targeting other females in the society is because “some even get pregnant and sell their babies. The IFAD has changed my life, so I don’t think I want to commit suicide again. It was a great opportunity.
“I am now proud that in the future I can employ someone. With time, maybe I would go to the streets and talk to the youth. I think we have many of my mates in the streets that are into prostitution. We need to talk to them every time and change their way of thinking. We need to teach them that it is not all about selling your bodies but trying to put things together. When you put your hands on something, you can never go hungry,” she said.
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