I went to the labor office to submit my maternity leave papers, "Two men there told me to wait outside while they handled it for me. - Chibesa Kankasa

"I waited for hours, sensing something was wrong. During my previous two pregnancies, my leave had been approved within minutes.

I consider this medal not as mine alone, but as an honor for the nation, for my late husband who played a vital role in the liberation struggle, and for my children who endured hardships alongside me.

I was pregnant during those protests, and when I sat on the box with the bullets, they didn’t dare touch me— even the colonial police had a certain respect for pregnant women.