My Afronation Dreams - A Promise to My Mother

Lesego Carroll Start Date: Jun 15, 2025 - End Date: Jul 5, 2025
  • Faro, Portugal

My Travel Story

by: Lesego Carroll Start Date: Jun 15, 2025 - End Date: Jul 5, 2025
In just a few days, my two sisters and I — triplets — are turning 25. We always talked about doing something big to celebrate this milestone, and Afro Nation was that dream. It wasn’t just a festival to us. It was something my late mother and I spoke about before she passed away from pancreatic cancer in 2022. We promised each other that when I turned 25, I’d celebrate in a way that honored my growth, my joy, and my resilience — something she always encouraged in me.

My sisters were able to find jobs and secure their spots on this trip, but I’ve been struggling. Despite my best efforts, I haven’t been able to find stable work. The job hunt has been long, draining, and honestly — heartbreaking. Watching the days tick down while I’m stuck in a place of financial uncertainty has made me feel like I’ve failed, not just myself, but that promise I made to her.

This trip would be the first time we’ve ever traveled out of the country without our parents — as adult women, as sisters, and as a unit learning to navigate life without her. I want to be there, standing next to my sisters, celebrating not just our birthday, but our bond, our survival, and the memory of the woman who raised us.

I’m trying my hardest to find a way to make this happen. Not for a vacation, but for healing. For closure. For joy. For the version of me my mother believed in. And for the girl in me who just wants to feel like she made it.

If you’ve ever struggled. If you’ve ever had a dream that felt just out of reach. If you’ve ever loved someone so deeply that their absence feels like a quiet echo in everything you do — then you know why this means the world to me.
  • Faro, Portugal