A tiny seed: The story of Wanderimam Danasabe
Terkule Aorabee
Maya Marshak
In a village on the slopes of Mambilla Plateau in North-East Nigeria, a little girl worked in the fields with her mother. Her name was Wanderimam.
Wanderimam loved being outside. In her family's food garden she broke up the soil with her machete. She pressed tiny seeds into the warm earth.
Her favourite time of day was just after sunset. When it got too dark to see the plants, Wanderimam knew it was time to go home. She would follow the narrow paths through the fields, crossing rivers as she went.
Wanderiam was a clever child and couldn't wait to go to school. But her mother and father wanted her to stay and help them at home. When she was seven years old, her big brother persuaded her parents to let her go to school.
She liked to learn! Wanderimam learnt more and more with every book she read. She did so well at school that she was invited to study at Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria. Wanderimam was excited! She wanted to know more about the world.
At the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Wanderimam learnt many new things. She studied plants and how they grow. And she remembered how she grew: playing games with her brothers in the shade of the trees in the beautiful Kurmi forests.
The more she learnt, the more she realised that she loved the people of Taraba. She wanted them to be happy and free. The more she learnt, the more she remembered her Mambilla home.
When she had finished her studies, she returned to Taraba, her State. But her whole country had changed. Huge farms stretched across the land. Women had no wood to make cooking fires. The people were poor and the children were hungry.
Wanderimam knew what to do. She taught the women how to plant trees from seeds. The women sold the trees and used the money to look after their families. The women were very happy. Wanderimam had helped them to feel powerful and strong.
As time passed, the new trees grew into forests, and the rivers started flowing again. Wanderimam's message spread across Nigeria. Today, millions of trees have grown from Wanderimam's seeds.
Wanderimam had worked hard. People all over Nigeria took notice, and gave her a famous prize. It is called the Nigerian Conservation Prize, and she was the first Kuteb woman ever to receive it.
Wanderimam got married in 2018. We can think of her every time we see a beautiful tree.
You are free to download, copy, translate or adapt this story and use the illustrations as long as you attribute in the following way:
A tiny seed: The story of Wanderimam Danasabe
Author - Nicola Rijsdijk
Adaptation - Terkule Aorabee
Illustration - Maya Marshak
Language - English
Level - First paragraphs
© Nicola Rijsdijk, Maya Marshak, Tarryn-Anne Anderson, Bookdash.org and African Storybook Initiative 2015
Creative Commons: Attribution 4.0
Source www.africanstorybook.org
Original source www.bookdash.org
