A mother of three slid into the inbox of Mani Bella, a renowned Cameroonian celebrity, asking her to search for a family that can adopt her close to two-year-old daughter.
The mother, whose identity was hidden, told Mani Bella that she and her partner had decided to give up their third child for adoption so that the rest of the family “can survive.”
She further explained that conceiving the toddler was a mistake and that “we tried to abort the baby to no avail, since we were not financially stable.”
“I have two boys and a girl. My first son is 7, the second is aged 4 and my last daughter is nearly two. My fiancé and I have decided to adopt the third child, because we do not have the means. This was an unwanted pregnancy. All attempts to abort this baby were fruitless,” the mother of three told Mani Bella.
She went on to add that they have not been able to get a job to sustain their family.
Life has been difficult, she added.
“My partner is a trained welder and he has a degree in business management. I received partial training in event decor,” she said.
“Please find a family that can adopt our third and last daughter, or help us get a job so that we can sustain our family,” she concluded.
“Shame on you”
Angered by her request, Mani Bella released her private chats with the unidentified lady and asked to know why she decided to pick two of her kids, her partner and reject the last one.
“Shame on you. You conceived, birthed a child and saw her grow till she is two, then you decided to give her up for adoption under the pretext of financial difficulties?” Mani questioned.
“May God bless this little angel that you want to sacrifice for the ‘good’ of your family”
Diverse reactions
On Facebook, reactions have been diverse.
“How can a mother choose some of her kids over others, unbelievable!” Doriane Pie said.
Sa Daronne, who shared a similar view, said: “How could you carry a child for nine months and not desire them at two? So you can keep and carter for the first two kids, but not the last?”
But some Facebook users think otherwise.
In fact, they scolded Mani Bella for over reacting instead of assisting the desperate mother of three.
“It’s indeed disappointing to see you react this way. You should have simply advised her or helped her understand that there could be other solutions to her problem. You can clearly see she is psychologically unstable, and she has a lot of respect for you,” Paul Richard Benoh told Mani Bella.
“She needs to be oriented and not to be scolded. You cannot publicly condemn her for asking for help,” Ngatsi Galbert wrote.
Child care, a major challenge in Cameroon
This is not the first time a mother is opting to give up her baby for adoption over financial constraints.
A few days ago, a breastfeeding mother abandoned her three-week-old baby infront of a private home in Bamenda because she could barely take care of the child.
Parents in Cameroon go through thick and thin to raise kids, as the over 40-year-old Paul Biya regime has been unable to support financially challenged families.
The cost of living has witnessed a drastic increase amid price hikes of basic commodities in the market.
Parents who are struggling to feed and send kids to school are not assisted by the government.
Rights activists have urged authorities to put mechanisms in place to support underprivileged children and families.
Mimi Mefo Info
