Four Years Until They Want Me Married

Kusma was thirteen when she spoke openly about the future she wanted. She wanted to become a doctor. She wanted education. She wanted the freedom to decide what her life could become. But there was another future already being discussed around her. Marriage. In her community, people reminded her that girls were often expected to marry young. Kusma understood what that could mean. A few years could determine whether she continued learning or whether her education ended. But she had already imagined herself differently. Not simply as someone's future wife. As a doctor. A professional. A woman making her own decisions. Her dream was not dramatic. Millions of children say they want to become doctors. What made Kusma's dream powerful was the fact that she understood something could stop her. And she said it anyway. Sometimes dreaming is not about imagining something impossible. Sometimes it is insisting that you should be allowed to choose your own future. Has someone else ever tried to decide your future before you had the chance to decide it yourself? This is an editorial retelling of a documented account. Original storyteller: Kusma Kumari. Country: India. Source: UNICEF India.