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In the heart of Umuahia village, Nigeria, there lived a young girl named Adanna, known for her gentle nature and curious mind. Her father, Papa Kalu, was a humble farmer, and her mother, Mama Kalu, wove baskets that were sold in the village market.
Every planting season, villagers would gather and prepare their farms. But this year was different—a long dry season had made the soil hard and dusty. Many gave up, saying it wasn’t worth the effort.
But not Adanna.
“Papa, let me try,” she pleaded.
Papa Kalu smiled. “Farming is not play, Adanna.”
“I know, Papa. But if I work hard and water it every morning, something might grow.”
Reluctantly, Papa gave her a small patch behind the house. While her friends played by the stream or danced in the evening moonlight, Adanna tilled the soil with a hoe twice her size. She planted okra, maize, and ugu (fluted pumpkin), and carried buckets of water from the stream every morning before school.
The village mocked her.
“Adanna the farmer girl!” they laughed. “You’ll grow dust and disappointment!”
But Adanna kept working. One day, clouds gathered, and rain finally fell. It rained for days, and the dry season slowly gave way to a green one. The villagers rushed back to their farms, but Adanna’s garden was already alive.
By the time the village’s crops sprouted, Adanna’s were ready to harvest.
Her okra was the tallest, her maize the fattest, and her ugu leaves the freshest. She shared her harvest with neighbors and even taught other children how to farm. The same people who laughed now came to learn.
During the village festival, the elders honored her with a “Seed of Wisdom” award, praising her patience, vision, and determination.