Orphans

3

When asked what she wanted to be when she grew up, Elica would always answer; "the president of the Republic of Cabo Verde."

She had seen people starving. Homeless, jobless and from the young age of 6 years, she understood that being president meant power. And power was what made things happen.

She wanted to help people, to save them. She was a weird child. Never quite fitting in, especially because of her mind. She cried the first time she saw a skirt and was told she had to wear it to school.

Her grandmother went back to the school and asked for trousers for her. And so she came to school late on the first day, having had to wait for her granny to come pack with the trousers. At first, they thought she was a boy because she looked like one, not to mention she had come to school riding a bicycle.

It was only midweek that her teacher realized she was a girl. That was after another girl had raised her hand and asked why Elica was wearing pants like the boys when she was a girl. The teacher wrote a letter to her grandparents.

The following day, they came with her to school. They explained that Elica was only comfortable in trousers. The principal told her it was not allowed and they would not accept it.

Her grandfather asked for a refund, they had paid for the entire year, but if their grandchild was not accepted, they would put her in another school.

The principal calmed down and they reached an agreement. Eli went back to class and wrote the work on the board without being taught. She got everything correct and wrote more than necessary for a 6 year old.

Her teachers concluded she had an identity crisis when third grade came and she still refused to wear skirts. It was a strange case of an identity crisis because Elica still referred to herself as a girl. She didn't want to be called a boy because she wasn't.

She liked fishing. One time she caught a huge fish, the largest she had ever caught or seen anyone catch. She called all the kids so she could share with them after her grandmother had cooked it. She was only eight years.

Over twenty people followed her. Including adults who were starving and others just went with the hype.

Her grandparents were very proud of her. They knew she was a special child with a huge heart, but there was a problem here. The fish she had caught was large, but it wouldn't be enough to feed all the almost twenty people who had come.

That was Elica's first practical lesson and experience- you can't save everyone.

When she was ten years, she realized that she could not do all the things she wanted to do and so she decided that she would be a politician. Someone who had higher power and still able to connect with the ordinary people.

At fourteen, she made a fascinating discovering- Technology, computers. They could get you anywhere and so she took a keen interest in it. Before she turned fifteen, she could already hack into the school's system without being traced.

At sixteen she hacked her first banking account.

But the thing about power is that if you are not careful, it could drown you. End up controlling you. She needed balance. Technology on it's own would not work for her.

After studying advanced ICT dynamics and logistics for two years after high school, she went to the university of Zimbabwe and studied politics. After obtaining her degree, she came back home. But she still felt unbalanced, and so she applied at the university of Cabo Verde and studied electrical engineering.

A year later and she owned the electricity company in Cabo Verde. All the ten islands in the Republic of Cabo Verde have one Electricity company, and no one knows that the owner of the company is a thirty one year old woman- Elica De melo.