Ghana Trip 2024
July 2
I just arrived in Ghana today. We went straight to Sogakope from the airport. I was excited to see The Campus we are building with support from The Redwood Foundation. It’s very gratifying to see Joshua, Jonathan and the others who we rescued our 2010-2011 all the way up to 2017 become the electricians, masons, tilers, welders etc. They are showing their gratitude by working on our Campus, with pay, or course.
**need two videos from the day
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July 3
What a day. I was with over 20 beneficiaries. I was able to see Rejoice and her new baby. Bernice and her beauty shop. We provided her with an apprenticeship and helped her set up a business and I’m so impressed with what she’s done with it. Spent a lot of time at our Campus with so many of our young men. Then went to visit a few schools to see more of our beneficiaries.
First visit was to see Mighty who is a first years student at a technical secondary school working on building and construction. We had conversations with the school about allowing their students to have practical experience working on our Campus. It is a conversation we will continue. He is 18 and has been with us since 2015. He seemed good and may come to help us when he is on school break.
Next we went to see rejoice. She seems really good and has come so far from 2021 when she was so unhappy. In 2022 she started catering school and has transformed into a young into a lovely young lady. Rejoice has has a successful catering business. Her problem is that it is difficult to find good help. She just had a baby about one month ago. They yet have the ceremony so the name is still baby.
Next stop was to see Bernice who came to us in 2011. Bernice has created a successful beauty salon. She has an apprentice and they give manicures, pedicures, massages and facials. She has been saving money and running a successful business. Amazing
I spent a some time hanging out at the Campus with our boys. Let me take you through their stories.
Solomon Amedior: Solomon has been with us since 2012. At that time he wanted to be a preacher. Now he would like to go to Ho Technical University and study Electrical. He is hopeful to enter next year.
Richard Segbenya, age 22 and another one on our original boys. He finished a short apprenticeship in graphic design. But is having difficulty finding work. He wants to go back to school to improve his skills. He will help us to paint the campus.
Harrison Tulasi was rescued by International Needs and came under our care in 2017. He’s in an A level senior high school but is helping us out during school break. He’s very smart and would like to be a University Professor in Math. Works really hard to help the masons. He’s the best non trade worker and a pleasure to be with.
David Dowokpor age 24 was rescued by International Needs in 2016. Joined BTCTE in 2018. Parents are dead and the grandmother was unable to care for him. He was concerned because he has no home to go back to. I assured him that he can stay in our housing till he is independent. He is doing so much better than last year.
Robert Dekutse is 26 years old. Rescued in 2015. Robert’s hometown is a point of dispute between two tribes. They actually have a tank in the village to keep the peace. Robert is now in his third year of a welding apprenticeship. He installed all of the bars on the windows. **can we elaborate about the hometown or is that even relevant and i should take out
Laweh Setiamah age 24. International Justice Mission (IJM) rescued him in 2016. Joined BTCTE 2019 He has one more year of tailoring apprenticeship. Seems good but very difficulty to get to know. He’s quiet. He had a motor bike accident earlier this year and his knee is still messed up from it. Motor bike taxis are the way around Sogakope.
Andrew’s Kweitsu age 26. Rescued 2007. Joined BTCTE 2012. Andrew had an injured back from being on the lake that required two surgeries. I used to visit him and whine that he won’t talk to me. That is no longer a problem. Lol. He is now quite comfortable having conversations. He has one more year of apprenticeship and then he wants to start his own business **what kind in his hometown.
Ernest Paa Kweitsu Teffet age 20. Rescued in 2011 by BTCTE and has been with us ever since. Ernest is the first child we ever placed in boarding school. At the time, he was living with his father’s ex girlfriend who was pregnant by a different man. He didn’t do great on his entrance exams and is attending a C level Senior High School in visual Arts. He would like to be a printer.
Wisdom Bokor age 24. Rescued 2010. He’s now in his second year apprenticeship in electrical. I showed Wisdom and Joshua the video we made in 2012 that shows them being rescued. I’m sure I have the only videos of them that they have ever seen. Joshua is in the front, Ernest in white shirt and Wisdom in red. Joshua has been doing a lot of work at the campus. He has both a residetial and Commerical license but has been having trouble finding steady work. Having them have skills and find work is not the same thing. Trying to figure this out with the staff.
Charles Bonney age 24. Rescued by Challenging Heights 2017 and joined BTCTE 2018. Charles has impressed everyone with his skill and work ethic. He’s a plumber and tiler. He will be graduating next month and then will get a job working with is master. He’s been a critical part of the construction and his work is amazing. He’s also a pleasure to be with.
Ebenezer Larbi age 24. Just to show you how tragic these lives started off he was trafficked at 2 years of age. Rescued by Callenging Heights in 2016 and joined BTCTE in 2019. He got his girlfriend pregnant and felt pressure to get some more money. He robbed the school they were working on and was almost killed by the students at the school. We kicked him out of the program but brought him back to work on the Campus. He’s done such a great job that we have agreed to welcome him back. **I dont hink we want to keep this as is.
Last stop was the Total Child School. We have 5 students at the school.
Catherine D. 12 years old. IJM rescue 2021 and joined BTCTE in 2023. Catherine is smart and we were impressed by her last year. We had the belief that if she was placed in a better school she could be successful. She seems very happy in school. She is performing above average and I expect her to continue to improve as she becomes accustomed to the school. All the students at this school are boarding here.
If we look at the group picture. I’m going to go from left to right.
Ebenezer Agbedo age 16. Joined us in 2014. He’s an average student. He is in Junior High School (JHS) form 2 and would like to be a police officer. I was trying to convince him to join the military instead. We will see. I only see the police on the side of the road trying to get bribes.
Sterofia Dowokpor age 22. He’s form 3 JHS. Rescued at 13 by International Needs and joined BTCTE 2019. His brother is David so same story living with Grandmother who couldn’t care for them. They were actually making baskets to survive when I first met them. He would like to be a Soldier one day. He’s doing well.
Eliplim Agedebo age 19. Rescued with his brother in 2014 and joined us the same year. International Organization for Migration (IOM) rescue. He’s a more serious student than his brother and would like to be an Engineer. He’s taking his Form 3 exams and we will see what type of SHS he gets into.
James Tulasi age 18. Trafficked at 8 years of age and rescued in 2016 by International Needs and joined BTCTE in 2019. He’s the strongest student in the group and would like to be a customs officer. I’m not sure why he picked that profession. Odd choice. He’s part of the Tulasi brothers and like Harrison, just a pleasure. I will see the third Tulasi on Thursday. Henry.
July 4
Dealing with the impact of it raining all day yesterday. Part of what we do everyday in Sogakope is oversee construction. They were expressing they needed more food for the amount of work they were doing. The meals provided werent enough. We arranged for 50 coconuts and 20 loaves of bread to be delivered everyday to the work site. I’m really impressed by how quickly the work is taking place.
First stop was visiting Emmanuel Akpama. He is the young man who had his leg amputated. He is gong to need a new prosthetic leg. He has a lot of pressure on him to support his wife and child. He works after his apprenticeship ends. I need to speak to his wife about her working and helping out. He’s now 26 and sees to b?
Gabriel Teye age? btcte joined? He’s graduated as a car sprayer. We spoke to him and he also does house painting. He is now the painter of the Campus and having others assist him. He was so excited to come and help us. He’s proved himself to be very knowledgeable. So much fun watching these young men become masters.
Video ? on the bottom in my car drive that was over 2 hours each way on horrible roads. We met a potential new child Gabriel Hormeku 17. What a strange visit. We met him at this very poor and underfunded school. After going down a horrible road. I don’t get much from him. We are walking back through corn fields (which really are itchy) and I ask him to see where he is sleeping. It was his uncle’s home. We come upon a very nice house with a large screen tv. we are now looking into whether or not the uncle will support him. Mom is unable to.
Went to see Promise who is graduating SHS and taking his exams. He makes up crazy stories every time I see him. This time he told me that I promised to bring him to America to go to school. need another story
went to see Larwe and Andrew’s at their tailoring shop. Not a very busy shop. That was a bit of a concern. They are good and seem to be learning the trade. need another story - who are they?
Dela Avutete Saviour 24. Rescued ? and joined BTCTE 2014
Graduated SHS but didn’t do well enough to attend University so switched to window installation. He put the windows in our new campus. He seems happy at his trade. Master said that he was learning quickly.
July 6th
We spent the morning in Sogakope. Went to Campus and looked at items they needed. We purchased more mattresses. We currently have 15 beneficiaries living at the site. Some are skilled and others are students on break. Everything takes so long to complete. Buying paint and no mixing of colors is done at the paint store. You get what they have. It took over two hours.
We then drove to Ho. And met with Daniel and Dickson. They are both doing well. Daniel and Dickson both have excellent grades and are such a pleasure to work with. Daniel is studying general contracting and Dickson is studying surveying. Dickson is on a work study program. Overseeing the construction of roads. Dickson in red shirt. Daniel in White, Never in middle and Soloman. Soloman got a ride with us and continued to his home.
July 7th.
After spending a couple of hours purchasing a motorcycle for ? we drove to Kpando.
First stop was to see Roberta. I don’t know if I ever shared her situation with you. Her Aunt was raising Roberta's daughter so she could go to school. She was afraid if she let her mother be the primary caregiver the father would come back and take Georgina who is 6. The Aunt is getting divorced and can no longer care for her. Her sister has agreed to stay near her and care for Georgina. So good to see them dong so well.
Net stop was Cornerstone school. Freedom is the only child attending this school. We used to have 5 but the others graduated. He is not a very strong student. He’s 17 and we started the conversation of shifting him to an apprenticeship. I believe that is the best path for him to take.
We then went to see Daniel. Daniel has graduated and is now a Mason. He went home to care for his grandmother who is in her late 70’s. He’s going to have someone else take care of her and he’s going to come back to work on the Campus. He seems very good. He has a bit of gray in his beard so the other beneficiaries call him grandpa.Daniel in front and Soloman behind.
Today was all about a ceremony that Lizzie and Peter threw for their second anniversary and to honor Breaking the Chain as it is know in Ghana.It was a beautiful ceremony. Shirt descript of lizzie Gifts and appreciation were show. Along with marital advice, and lots and lots of prayers. I was asked by the Pastor what Church I attend. He was familiar with me being Jewish but didn’t have much to say. I think he was disappointed. After the four hour event we continued on.
We met up with an old beneficiary, Freeman, that IOM had done a poor job with. We recently helped him to get a drivers license. We also gave a small amount of money to fix up a car but it needs more repair work. I don’t trust the local mechanic to be honest with him. We are going to have Kwesi travel to evaluate and fix the car. Kwesi is a former beneficiary who is a mechanic and recently married.
July 9th
We moved from Greater Accra to Accra today.
First stop was Emmanuel. He is a car straightener. Basically he does body work on cars. He’s doing well and likes his work and his master. He was trafficked at such a young age that he doesn’t even know how old he was. I was asking him if he ever went to school. His answer was that he hadn’t. I gave him a small reading and math test. He could do basic addition but not subtraction and can only write his name. We are going to arrange for a local teacher to tutor him. I explained that he won’t be able to run a business without those skills.
​Next was a visit to one of our graduates Nathan. He frustrates me. We put him through a training to be a music engineer. The start up cost is very high and I was worried about this front the beginning. We gave him some money and are requiring him to come up with the rest. He has not shown the level of dedication and entrepreneurship we were hoping for. need new descript
I actually had lunch for a change. May have been the first day with three meals.
We then went to see Sarah and Mary. They are half sisters. Same mom. Mary is doing well she is going to enter JHS form 3 next month. She’s an average student and would like to be a nurse. She is at a boarding school called Hariam International. We have 9 students at this school.
Sarah is frustration. She is the one we found unconscious with a knife behind her head. We then had to move her out of Winneba and back to Accra to live with her family. We set her up with a new apprenticeship in tailoring and after three months she became pregnant and stopped. Now she is saying she wants to switch her apprenticeship to become a beautician. I said we will not support her in another apprenticeship. She should have know if she liked tailoring after doing it for a year in Winneba. If she doesn’t continue we will stop our support. New Descript
July 10
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Yesterday was a day off. I needed to be in Accra to pick up my two travel companions from the airport today. That didn’t give me enough time to travel to another part of the country. My Former student and her father traveled to meet me to see first hand the work that we are doing. It is different to raise funds for an organization and to be able to see how the money helps in person.
July 11​
First, I met Felix at the mall. Felix has a long backstory. When he was trafficked, his master was going to perform human sacrifice with him and Ebenezer. This led to the rescue but they were held at the rehabilitation center with Challenging Heights so they could wait for trial. Afterwards, they became under BTCTE's care. Felix went onto a secondary school where he was the student chaplain and the student at the school?. He went on to the university of Ghana, the top school in the country. He is majoring in political science and geography. His hope is to go to America or Canada and earn his masters and PhD. He is an incredible young man.
Next up is Sampson. Sampson was one of our children who was rescued when we built the school in exchange. His stepfather tried to drown him. We moved him to a community member who turned out to be abusive. We moved him to a boarding school. He kept getting in trouble and did not enjoy school. We moved him to a vocational school and eventually an apprenticeship. He became an electrician. Sampson then moved to Accra. He has gotten jobs on major construction projects. He takes over when his manager is not available. Sampson is saving up to open an electrical store in the Volta region. When we were doing the electrical work on our campus, he was the man in charge of all electrical work. I can’t tell you how proud and impressed I am by him. The picture is the building he’s working on.
July 13
Today’s themes were Isaacs and people with special needs.
The first stop was Isaac! Isaac is at the school for the deaf and blind. I found a way to communicate with him by typing yes or no questions on my phone that he could answer. It was the best visit we ever had at this school, because with this strategy, we didn’t have to rely on teachers who did not want to help us. This allowed us to talk to Isaac and a bunch of his friends directly. Their excitement towards outside visitors revealed how isolated the students at this school are.
​Next up was to visit a former beneficiary. Isaac (another Isaac) is a car sprayer, but has recently been earning a living by spraying containers and refrigerators. He and his girlfriend, Lizzy, are expecting a baby this month. I received a promise that I could meet Lizzy and the baby next year. Isaac’s father is mostly blind so Isaac takes care of him. He is a very solid and sweet young man.
Last stop was Michael. Michael is a young man who suffers from epilepsy and I was really excited to see him and his progress. He is one of the beneficiaries we took on last year, and at the time he was having four grand mal seizures a day. We took him to a neurologist in Accra and his seizures have since stopped. He has now started his tailoring apprenticeship and can already sew clothing for small children. He is very easy to like!
July 14
Today was Sunday and a really special day. We had a beach party with 25 beneficiaries.
​The day gave the beneficiaries an opportunity to play football, ampe and just have fun. We spent about 4-5 hours hanging out. I also had the opportunity to discuss issues that they are struggling with. I hope you will all get the opportunity to join our annual beach party. This was the third annual.
One graduate brought his wife and son. His name is Kwesi and he is an auto mechanic. We arranged for Kumah (one of our graduates) to undertake his apprenticeship with Kwesi. This was a long term goal to be able to place our own apprentices with our own master craftsman. Kwesi on right.
July 16
Today was a very emotional day. I’m not sure why but the poverty and family situations got to me today. Felt a bit sad. However, I’m very proud of the difference we are making in their lives.
First stop was to see Christiana and pick up clothing that she had made for Jules and myself. We were surprised to find out that her mom had come from Ivory Coast for the graduation. The mom has six children. Two are with her in Ivory Coast and four are in Ghana. Christiana is the oldest and she is finishing her apprenticeship the week. The other three are with the grandmother who did a poor job when Christiana was under her care and two other families who are not related. The mom broke down in tears and couldn’t get over the fact that I would go out of my way to help a stranger the way that I have. She was very appreciative of the support that we have given.
After graduation, the apprentice owes three more months, to the master craftsman. When that is complete, Christiana is going to join Essel’s (former beneficiary) shop and work with him. I’m very happy about that arrangement. She needs the support and can continue to learn from him. Christiana and her sister.
​We then went to a village where we had four beneficiaries. These are four that we started with last year. Three are from the same family. They all have the same mother and all have different fathers. Mary Etrue is 15 and in JHS Form 2. She is a very good student in a not very good school. She would like to be a nurse. The background information on these three is the same. The mom died and the father trafficked them in Ivory Coast. They were trafficked for three years. The grandmother found out about what had happened and went to social welfare. Social Welfare worked with the grandmother to bring the children back to her in Ghana. The next child is Theophillous Quansah 9 years old class 3. He is an average student. He was sick today and probably has malaria. Desmond Quaku is class 2 and 7 years old. The ages for these boys is guesswork as they don’t know their date of birth and neither did the grandmother. Desmond couldn’t spell his last name. We are going to get them some tutoring to see if we can improve their school performance.
Last was Hannah Quaison. 12 years old and class 3. Her story is very sad. Her mom was trafficked and had four children with a man who was owned by the same master. All of the children were then trafficked. Mom came back to Ghana with the children and they are living with the grandparents. The children are badly treated. The mom treats them the way that she was treated by her master. Hannah always seems sad and reserved. I continued probing and learned that Hannah goes to school because of our support and is a good student. Her siblings who don’t receive our support are not regular in school. We are going to send Hannah to a boarding school and we are taking on the three siblings. They are David 9, Joanna, 12, Kojo 6. We are also going to get them mosquito nets. The house had no windows that closed (just broken wood slots), no mattresses etc. Mom doesn’t look like she takes care of herself or the children.
Richard Mensah 25: We took Richard in 2019. He was trafficked at 8 years of age and worked for an uncle for 9 years. He was rescued by International Needs. We enrolled him in Hariam Boarding school. I went to visit him in 2021 and he was 21 doing poorly in school and only in Class 6. I told him that I couldn’t support him in school anymore and it was time to learn a trade. His mother insisted that he finish JHS before he goes to a trade. I told him fine but he has to live at home and be supported by his mother. He can call us when he completed school. He called us last year and we enrolled him in tailoring. He seems really happy.
July 17
Today I had a meeting with Emmanuel and Theresa to start the day. We discussed how things were going and my impressions about the children. They informed me that they get calls from Social Welfare all the time asking us take on additional children. I felt the need to raise more money and to help more of these children. Anyway, that’s a conversation for another day.
I went to my first graduation ceremony for a beneficiary graduating from a trade. This is a two part affair. The first part was today. This was for three apprentices in the same shop. As part of the ceremony they receive items that they need to practice tailoring. First item was a ruler, then child and finally scissors. Powder is dumped on them which is a symbol of power and going off on their own. I was asked to make a speech and give her advice. Christiana is such a special young lady that everyone I have introduced her to has fallen in love with her.
July 20​
The day began with a visit to Essel, who is a tailor making men’s clothes in Winneba. He successfully graduated about a year and a half ago and we’ve continued support since then. He agreed to mentor a new graduate, Christiana (see the powder ceremony from a few days ago) who just finished her apprenticeship for women’s tailoring. During the visit we became aware that the larger, nicer space next to his existing shop was available at a reasonable price. See a photo, the turquoise building will be the new space for them to share as Essel helps guide Christiana as she builds her business.
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The rest of the day was spent celebrating a ceremony for Christiana and three other graduates of the same class. Evan and I hit a new record with the program lasting 6 hours start to finish. I’ll try to do it justice in a much shorter reading time. This thing was longer and more involved than the Oscars — there were speeches, prayers, choreographed performances (several!), ceremonial rituals, fundraising exercises, costume changes, catwalks, and much, much more I don’t even know how to describe.
We arrived at 10:30 (we were told to be there at 10) to find a mostly empty space with the graduates, other students and master tailors warming up to blaring music with heart pumping bass. The MC was a lively character. By 11, the space was starting to fill up with spectators, many of whom were adorned in bright and colorful Ghanaian tailoring.
Then the MC announced the guests of honor to join at the high table, led by the Chairman who was no other than our very own Evan. I made the mistake of giggling until I was called up to join him and the BTCTE staff myself. The Chairman must preside over the event, so Evan had a few speeches to give, but more importantly we had to sit there for the duration of the event.
The four grads kicked off the dancing portion with a bunch of different group dances. Here’s a video of the full group performing a dance that began with demons killing one of the dancers and then being chased away by angels (who resurrected the dancer), and are now celebrating.
After the dancing, there were a number of ceremonies designed to raise money for the new grads and get them set up for their new professions. One notable example of this was the fabric ceremony. The graduates came into the space carrying plastic chairs over their heads and had over a hundred pieces of fabric tied around their arms, their heads and tucked into a loop around their waists. First, each graduate identified a friend or family member to donate to allow her to put the chair down. Next, in order to remove a piece of fabric, spectators had to put money in a bowl. The goal is to have no fabric remaining.
​The ceremony concluded with Evan giving advice to the new graduates as the Chairman and finally presenting their certificates. It was a really special (albeit long) event and Christiana was beaming at the end. We’re so proud of her and excited for this next chapter in her life!
July 21
Today’s first visit was to Joanna, an SHS form one (first year) student about an hour from Swedru. She was originally rescued by Challenging Heights and has been with us for nearly 7 years. Over the years Joanna has been very shy with me and BTCTE staff and rarely shares anything about herself. The secondary school she attends is low level and was her only option with her test scores in JHS. She told us today she wants to be a nurse, but we have concerns with her continued poor performance in school and debilitating shyness. She also has a history of lying to the staff. It was a difficult visit and we made a determination that we need to see drastic improvement over the next three months or we cannot continue her support. It’s hard to see with current circumstances how she would be successful in nursing (extremely unlikely with her academics) or any other trade. Her family has a large business smoking fish and it seems more realistic that she will end up returning to work with her family. do we have a pic? should this be enven an entry
We continued on to visit Victoria who we took on last year. She greeted us along with her older sister and we sat with the family. They were warm and welcoming. The older sister was preparing a traditional dish over the fire (and taking intermittent opportunities to jump rope) while we chatted with Victoria about her progress and goals. The family owns a farm that grows corn, cassava and plantains. She was trafficked at age 6 when a stranger came to her family looking for a helper and promised schooling and proper care in exchange, but as we know this is not how things went in reality. She farmed and fished for 6 years before and after school, some days not being allowed to attend. Despite this, she has strong academic performance and is currently 16 and waiting to get her test results to decide which SHS she can attend. We believe she is intelligent and hardworking and should get into a good school. She would like to become a bank manager. if her family owns a farm, why would be be supporting her
We then drove to Accra, where we met Felix (for the second time this trip) and Mike for dinner. Felix, to jog your memory, is the university student who wants to be an academic and continue onto a Masters and Ph.D. In the US or Canada. He kindly served as our translator for Mike, who is a tailor. Mike was with us from 2019 to 2022 when he graduated in tailoring. After graduating, he found a master tailor online who was looking for employees so he could save up extra money to begin his own shop. He moved to Accra and has been working there since. Earlier this year he reached out asking for our support as he had some of the funds he needed to get going, but not enough. We were so impressed by the initiative he took to start his own business and learn new skills under the tailor in Accra, that we gave him 2000 cedi (~$130) to cover the lease for the building.
From there we drove to Sogakope to stop by the new campus. It looks great in the dark and I’m sure even better in the daylight! The team has made so much progress since the update from earlier in the trip and we are very excited for the big event on Tuesday. vidoes?
July 22
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Our first stop was to visit Emmanuel Akpama to speak to Emmanuel’s wife about working to relieve some of the burden from him. Emmanuel is the beneficiary who had his leg amputated due to elephantiasis. Currently each day after his tailoring apprenticeship, he walks on crutches to a bread factory to knead dough for extra income, while she is not working. We agreed to give her $75 to start a women’s clothing business. Here’s a photo of Emmanuel, his wife and their daughter Grace.
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After this visit, we visited 9 new beneficiaries with International Needs. A summary is below:
The first stop was positive. We met three beneficiaries that live in the same community - Mary (18), Herbert (13) and Theo (15).
Mary is currently in JHS 2 and is performing above average. She was trafficked at age 8 and returned home to live with her grandmother when her mother passed away when she was 10. Her grandmother supports her as best she can but no longer has a farming income due to her age, so Mary helps on the farm after school and on weekends. She is a bright young woman and very friendly. She wants to be a fashion designer/tailor.
Herbert is in JHS 1 and is 2nd in his class of 25. He is charismatic, speaks English very well, and has a good attitude. He lives with a large extended family that often doesn’t have enough food to feed everyone. He fished on Lake Volta for 2 years when he was 7. He likes to play football in his free time and wants to be a soldier.
Theo arrived a bit later than the other two, so Herbert and Mary quickly caught him up. It was really special to see them taking charge, Herbert especially, to explain why we were there and what BTCTE does. Herbert also added that Evan would ask him things in American English and then Never would repeat them so he could understand in Regular English. Theo is in JHS 1 and is an average student. He was trafficked at age 5 for 2 years. When he was 7, he told his mother he wanted to come back and go to school. We were impressed by his self advocacy. He has asthma, but no inhaler and needs some assistance with school uniform and textbooks. He wishes to be a police officer.
​Photo: Mary, Theo, Herbert
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New Notes from Evan - need to compare
--Mary Nyatuor
From Madi Dovev 18 years old, 26/08/2005
Form 1 JHS is going to Form 2 next month.
Lives with grandma, just the two of them.
Mother passed away when she was 10; father is fishing on Lake Volta
She lived with a stranger from age 8, mom gave her to a stranger, lived there from 8-9
Once her mother died, her father asked the stranger to allow her to move back to grandma.
Selling kenkey and did not go to school
She moved back after her mom died, and international needs helped her move home and go to school.
Grandma was a farmer - maiz and pepper; Mary now helps on the farm as Grandma has aged
She only has cassava at home.
There is somewhere to buy lunch, but she doesn’t have money.
Needs books and school fees
There is no mattress at home, she sleeps on a mat and has a mosquito net
She has national health card, but it’s expired.
Gets headaches
Needs sanitary pads
9 out of 42 in class
Plays ampy for fun. Wants to be a fashion designer/tailor
--Herbert Amlelo
13 years old, 16 November 2011
Class 6, going to form 1
Lives with mom, close to 10 people living there - extended family
Fathers at Yegi
Fished on the lake at age 7 for 2 years
Mother asked for him to come home.
He didn't attend school while fishing
2nd out of 25 in class 6
Sometimes three meals a day, skips when there’s not enough, ‘sleeps with an empty stomach.’
Mom bought books and paid PTO fees
Has health card
For fun, he plays football
Wants to be a soldier
--Theophilus Agbi (Theo)
15 years old, 14 December 2009
He finished class 6 and is going to form 1
Lives with mom and 18 younger brother
Went to work on the lake at age 5 with friend's father
Ages 5-7 on lake
He told his mother he wanted to go home, and he was allowed
He went to school while working on the lake.
12 out of 25
Police officer
Three meals a day
Mom farms peppers and maiz
Pays for books and PTO fees
He has a health card, healthy but has asthma and needs an inhaler
Our next visit was to Irene who is 12. She lives with her grandmother and two siblings. She’s in JHS 1 and wants to be a doctor. She is well cared for by her grandmother and parents who send money back to cover her school and make sure she gets 3 meals a day. She doesn’t seem to need our financial support at this time but we will monitor the situation.
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New notes from evan-need to compare
Irene Apenu
12 years old, 1 July 2012
Lives with grandmother, younger brother (7) and sister (5)
Class 6, going to JHS 1
3rd of 7
Private school, knows Catherine, who used to attend the same school
Wants to be a doctor
Smoking fish when she was very young, can’t remember age. Didn’t go to school while there
Skipped class 4
Mother and father still on lake
Grandma cuts firewood and a pepper farm
Eats three meals a day, grandma covers school fees and uniform
Stomach issues
She lives with her maternal grandma and uncle. There was another girl here with her, but she’s back working on the lake. I met with them, and they were happy to receive support.
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Bethan was a very sad meeting. We were greeted by her maternal grandmother and great uncle. She is in JHS 2 and is 15 years old. The family has trafficked her and her siblings repeatedly. When we were able to speak to her alone, it was clear that she barely gets any food or support for school. She only eats when she is able to sell candy to raise money to buy food for herself. We gave the village elder money to cover her for a few weeks while we try to sort out a boarding school for her. She was emotional at the end but hopefully once she is out of the situation she will improve. She would like to be a nurse.
new note from evan - need to compare
Bethan Boatey
15 years old, 10 February 2008
Form 1 JHS, entering form 2
26 students in class, below average, attend school every day. She would like to attend boarding school.
Mother and father are small-scale mining.
Grow maize and cassava, she helps.
She does not want to be a farmer; she wants to be a nurse
She needs books for school and food, only eats from selling toffees, and is very hungry.
Bethan only eats if she sells Candy.
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The next four are all related through their mothers. The moms have given them their maiden name, not their fathers’, as the men are unreliable. They were all very sweet and welcoming.
Ophelia is 19 in SHS 2. She is supposed to board at school but cannot afford the required provisions, so she stays with friends instead. She is the youngest of 10 children and stays with her mother when not at school. She told us her mom is 70, which seems highly unlikely if Ophelia is only 19. Age in Ghana is often more of a suggestion than a hard rule. She would like to be a nurse and we will support her to convert to full boarding at school.
Matthew is her cousin and he is 15 years old. He’s in JHS 2 and is an average student. He wants to be a footballer and plays right midfield. He needs school supplies and a uniform. He also said he never eats lunch.
evans new notes - need to compare and need pic
Ophelia Dzuazah
Ophelia 19, 7 March 2005
SHS 1 currently begins form 2 next year
General arts geographic part (the same school as Henry Tulasse)
Staying with friends because doesn’t have money to pay for things required to board, wants to board
She lives with her mom during breaks, her father is dead
Born by the lake, moved here when 9
Does not eat three meals at home, sometimes none.
Mother is not doing anything. She is old.
Below-average school scores
Wants to be a nurse
Expired health card, no health issues
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Matthew Dzuazah
15 years old, 29 May 2009
JHS form 2 next year, 27 in class, and he’s 14
He wants to be a footballer, plays position six right midfield
He doesn’t get three meals a day, no lunch
Needs uniform and books, PTO fee sometimes paid
Worked on a fishing boat with uncle
Also born on the lake, and came back when he was eight years old
Has an expired insurance card
Gets itchy eyes
Hannah (16) and Bernice (19) are Ophelia and Matthew’s cousins. Hannah lives in the same area as Ophelia and Matthew, while Bernice lives with a step-father because he is closer to her SHS. We met the two sisters there. The step-father is a mason and has hundreds of animals (turkeys, chickens, guinea hens, dogs, ducks, rabbits, cats, goats, etc) that he raises, but not for sale or slaughter - it was unusual! Hannah has below average school performance and is currently awaiting her BC exam results to dictate which SHS she can attend. She would like to be a nurse and needs help with school fees, textbooks and lunch money. Her older sister Bernice is 19 and in SHS 2. She also needs financial support for school and food. She has a scar on her forehead and arm from a motorcycle accident that happened in 2016. She still has residual health issues from this and has never had a full medical exam to identify what could be causing her problems. She has very strong academic performance and would like to be a journalist. Hannah left and Ophelia right
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Evans new notes - need to cpmpare
Hannah in orange and Bernice in Uniform.
Hannah Dzuazah
16, November 9, 2007
Completed JHS 3, awaiting BC exam results
Below average performance
Wants to be a midwife/nurse
Mother lives close by in David and Setsofia's hometown
Mother is not doing anything
Eats twice a day
Worked with father and mother on the lake, helping and preparing fish
She was there for eight years, sometimes went to school
Likes going to school
Needed textbooks and school fees
Kenke in the morning banku at night
She has a health card and no medical issues.
Bernice Dzuazah
19, November 12, 2004
Form 2 SHS next year, day school
3rd position of 52
She eats 2 or 3 times a day and gets 7 cedis for lunch.
Needs textbooks
Hasn’t paid PTO fees, and school is asking for them
Stays with stepfather bc SHS is closer
Father was in AG; father is nearby but doesn’t see her.
She went to school when on the lake, but not every day, and was fishing
Moto accident in 2016 still has headaches during heat, nosebleeds
Health card is active
Wants to be a journalist
Stepfather is a mason.