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Teen who lost her mom to domestic violence gets scholarship to fulfill dream
Kezia King receiving her scholarship from Minister of Public Service, Sonia Parag.
Kaieteur News – A young woman who witnessed her mother being hacked to death by her dad was on Wednesday granted a full scholarship to fulfill her dream of helping victims of domestic violence.
The teen Kezia King, 18, of Bartica, Region Seven, was granted the scholarship by the Public Service Ministry to pursue a degree in Social Work at the University of Guyana (UG).
King and her little brother Oriel king are the survivors of a tragedy where they witnessed the brutal murder of their mother Natoya Speede, 37. Speede was chopped to death in March, 2020, by her husband Orin King, in a “bushy track” located at the Bartica Airstrip.
Some ten months later King did an exclusive interview with journalist, Lakhram Bhagirat, recollecting the years of domestic violence Speede endured.
King also spoke of the severe trauma she suffered and continues to endure of witnessing firsthand the chopping to death of her mother. She told the journalist that she had questioned her existence after the tragic experience. There were many times when she could not sleep. King had even lost her appetite, still struggling to cope with the loss of her mother.
She revealed during the interview that one of the ways she is coping is pursuing a career in Social Work.
King had said that she wanted to be able to use her experiences to change the world for the betterment of women, particularly in abusive relationships.
She told Bhagirat that she had enrolled in UG but was struggling to make ends meet and was unsure as to how she would obtain the finance to complete her studies.
King’s story touched many and one of those persons was the Minister of Public Service, Sonia Parag. According to a government release, yesterday, the minister stated, “After I learnt of this horrific tragedy, I decided to reach out to Kezia and speak with her with a view to granting a scholarship. I was moved by her determination to take such a traumatic experience and turn it into something constructive which would benefit others.”
King travelled with her aunt and uncle on Wednesday to meet with Minister Parag where she was given the full government scholarship to attend the university. Appreciative of the government’s move to assist in fulfilling her desire King said, “I appreciate the steps they have taken in trying to help me and my sibling. This is a big step for me because of what I’ve been through”.
The young woman is currently in her first year at UG and plans to work for government once she has completed her programme.
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