April 22, 2025
By Clara M.

I’m turning 19 in a couple of weeks. It’s supposed to be an exciting age, but for me, it feels more like the beginning of a nightmare.

I’m a university student, but I’m about to be a dropout. I’m also about to be homeless. I’ve been living in a small apartment I can barely afford, but I owe two months of rent, and I don’t know how much longer I can stay. The fear of getting evicted at any moment is eating me alive.

I come from a single mother household with four siblings. My mom worked as a chef in a restaurant my whole life, but when COVID-19 hit, the restaurant shut down, and she lost her job. It’s been years now, and she’s still struggling to find stable work. She takes odd jobs, does cooking gigs, whatever she can to support us. It’s never enough.

Things got even worse when my grandma fell ill and had to have surgery. That drained the last of what little we had, and now we’re buried in debt. My mom tries so hard, but we just keep sinking deeper.

I’m writing this in my apartment, wondering if I’ll still have a roof over my head tomorrow. My school fees haven’t been paid, which means I won’t be able to sit for my exams this semester. It feels like everything is slipping through my fingers, and no matter how hard I try, nothing changes.

I’m planning to leave soon. I don’t know where I’ll go or what I’ll do, but I know I can’t stay here. I’m scared, but I don’t know what else to do.