Nigerian content creator Jarvis opened up about her difficult childhood, growing up without her father, her mother’s mental health struggles, hunger, and how TikTok livestreaming helped change her life during a meeting with Spark Nation founder, Pastor Tobi.
Jarvis revealed that growing up with her mother was challenging, saying: “My grandpa was sick, and I came into a family where my mother has bipolar disorder. Growing up with her has been very stressful and depressing because sometimes the disorder is crazy. Today she is nice and good, and the next minute she is violent, insulting us.”
She also spoke about growing up without her father: “I didn’t grow up with my father because my mother travelled out of the country and came back pregnant and gave birth to me. Growing up without a dad has not been good because my mum is not mentally okay.”
According to Jarvis, her grandparents played a major role in raising her. “I grew up with my grandma and grandpa. They did their best to raise me, and they are very learned and strict. All their strictness made me who I am today.”
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She recalled the family’s financial struggles, including times when there was no food or money for school fees. “When everything was going down, and there were no school fees, I didn’t want to drop out of school or go through the wrong way to make money.”
She said she and her sister eventually discovered TikTok livestreaming. “Someone messaged me on TikTok and told me if I know that by just going live on the app, I can make money. So I started with my sister, and we made $5 at first, and we were very happy because it was crazy.”
Jarvis added: “I and my sister used to watch cooking videos on TikTok just to salivate, and at the end of the day we cry and sleep because there is hunger.”
She said the opportunity gave her hope and a way to support herself and her sister.