Here is my story....

As you all already know my I am Wongalethu Mthana, 20 years of age. My mother passed away in 2006, my father shortly disowned right after thathttps://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="💔" title="Broken heart" aria-label="Emoji: Broken heart">Now I live with my aunt, grandmother and my 3 siblings in a small one room house.
My grandmother is a pensioner...

My aunt is working, so basically those are the two breadwinners at my house... and me ever since I& #39;ve got to University because I have some how lifted some burden off their shoulders, I try.
Since this lockdown I have been home for over a week now, we struggle to make ends meet.

Sleeping with no food in our stomachs, waking up with no idea what we will eat. Yes pay day was just this week but the debts in this house, we can& #39;t even afford meat on pay day, you& #39;d swear we are cursedhttps://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="💔" title="Broken heart" aria-label="Emoji: Broken heart"> this really pains me and breaks my heart everyday waking up to this.

I always dodge coming home during holidays, not because I hate my home but because I see it as an better option to send some of my allowance this side to help, and to minus one mouth for them to feed. Now that I& #39;m hear I have just realised that my allowance was never enoughhttps://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="💔" title="Broken heart" aria-label="Emoji: Broken heart">

My friend once said "it is important no to look like your situation" and apparently I& #39;m good at that. I can& #39;t even ask for handouts because when I do I& #39;m judged and some use my situation to make me feel less of human, it& #39;s really painful.

Last year I became so depressed....

I became a drunkard but because I messed up my University opportunity some friend helped me to get into counseling. Truth is I live in poverty and it depresses mehttps://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="😥" title="Disappointed but relieved face" aria-label="Emoji: Disappointed but relieved face"> waking up to this life is not easy, imagine spreading a loaf of bread between 6 people with no hope another meal...

This thread isn& #39;t enough to tell my story but yes that is me, that is why this lockdown is so traumatic to mehttps://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="💔" title="Broken heart" aria-label="Emoji: Broken heart"> cupboards empty, no electricity in the box but I wake up and pray for the better.

I will okay, I pray for the strength to finish my studies because it isn& #39;t easy

The burden is too much... I am even the first person to go to University doing my 2nd year now, I think of killing myself every day but then I think what would do to my family. If I can& #39;t pull them out of this poverty, who will?

So that& #39;s me, the guy behind the @KingdomOfPoetry accounthttps://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🙏" title="Folded hands" aria-label="Emoji: Folded hands">https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="❤" title="Red heart" aria-label="Emoji: Red heart">

I& #39;m sure there are many people who like me too, scared to speak out, to ask for assistancehttps://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🙏" title="Folded hands" aria-label="Emoji: Folded hands">https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="😥" title="Disappointed but relieved face" aria-label="Emoji: Disappointed but relieved face"> I have learned there& #39;s no shame in asking if you really need there help.

Ooh and there& #39;s also this one wonderful lady @AndieBukula who helped to cover my school fees in 2018 enabling me to upgrade my results so that it was possible for me to study at @MandelaUni.

Before the day she offered help we had never met nor communicated in any way, she just saw my post on Facebook asking for help, and she did just that.

She didn& #39;t end there, now and again she still checks up on my progress at University, I& #39;m in my 2nd year.