15/02/2026
Under the Mango Tree
My name is Achieng. I am 13 years old.
Most people think I am strong.
My teachers say, “She is focused.”
My friends say, “You are always smiling.”
My aunties say, “You are such a responsible girl.”
But nobody asks if I am tired.
Every morning I wake up before the sun. I sweep the compound, prepare my little brother for school, and make sure my homework is done. I walk to school like everything is okay.
But inside, my mind is noisy.
Sometimes my heart beats very fast for no reason.
Sometimes I feel like crying but I don’t know why.
Sometimes I feel angry — very angry — and I don’t even know at who.
At school, when the teacher asks a question, I know the answer. But my mind tells me, “Don’t raise your hand. What if you are wrong? What if they laugh?”
So I keep quiet.
One day during break time, I sat alone under the mango tree behind our classroom. That tree has always been my hiding place. I like it because it does not ask me questions. It just gives shade.
That day, I felt heavy. Like someone had put stones inside my chest.
Our school counselor found me there.
She didn’t say, “Why are you alone?”
She didn’t say, “Stop being dramatic.”
She just sat next to me.
After some minutes, she said softly, “You don’t have to carry everything alone.”
And I cried.
Not small tears. Big tears. The kind that make your shoulders shake.
That was the first time I heard the words mental health.
She explained that just like we get malaria or a cough, our minds can also get tired. Our thoughts can become too loud. Our hearts can feel overwhelmed.
She told me feeling anxious does not mean I am weak.
Feeling sad does not mean I am ungrateful.
Asking for help does not mean I am a burden.
Since that day, I started talking.
I started writing in a small blue notebook.
When my thoughts become noisy, I pour them on paper.
Sometimes I still feel overwhelmed.
Sometimes I still sit under the mango tree.
But now I know something important:
I am not crazy.
I am not weak.
I am not alone.
I am just a 13-year-old girl learning that taking care of my mind is just as important as taking care of my body.
And that is okay.
Story by SallybobsAchieng
STORY Makers Juniors
George Chunga WuodJomariek
Belinder Khama
