A Cry for Help!

The International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF), defines disability as an umbrella term for impairments, activity limitations and participation restrictions. Disability is the interaction between individuals with a health condition (for example, cerebral palsy, down syndrome and depression) and personal and environmental factors such as negative attitudes, inaccessible transportation and public buildings and social supports.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that there are over one billion disabled people in the world. This corresponds to about 15 percent of the world’s population, which is estimated to number 7.132 billion by the United States Census Bureau (USCB). With a population of over 24 million, Ghana has a disability population of about 15-20 percent. The common disabilities are physical, visual, sensory and mental.

My quest to review the struggles average Ghanaians face in making a living in Accra reached the turn of Isaac Asante. He is disabled. According to him, he was not born disabled until age five, when he became crippled. He narrated that the cause of his disability is still unknown.

Isaac is 29 years old and comes from Akuapim Adukrom in the eastern region of Ghana. He has lived in Accra for nine years. According to him, he had been begging for alms for six years of which he saved money to start his business. He is a traffic hawker and has been selling for three years. He sells air fresher, hair and shoe brushes, and shaving sticks among others. All other things being equal, he makes sales between 20 and 30 cedis a day.

Isaac sleeps in front of a store at Makola, a commercial hub of Accra in the night. He told me that he pays 90 pesewas before he uses the lavatory. According to him, he came to Accra to make a living because poverty has engulfed his family. He is the fourth son of his parents’ 12 children.

He appealed that he would be very thankful if he is provided with accommodation and store, where he can sell his items. Isaac also confided in me that he would like to get married when his dream of getting house and store comes to reality. He is therefore calling on government, charitable organisations and philanthropists to come to his aid.

The Plight of a Teenager

                                                                                                              

        

 

One of the major problems that is affecting Ghana and the world today is child labour. Child labour can be seen as children below the working age being forced or compelled due to circumstances to work at the expense of enjoying basic privileges such as education, good health and other social amenities.

According to research, broken homes resulting in single parenthood is one of the contributing factors of child labour in Ghana of which my community is no exception. The single parent under such difficult situation may be financially handicapped to cater for her children. In view of this, a child who is determined to be in school is sent by his/her parent onto the street or elsewhere to work to make a living and to pay for his/her fees.

One fine afternoon after some Ghanaians had watched the partial eclipse of the sun in a fantastic and fanciest frenzy, I chanced on this sugarcane seller. He is called Joseph Boadi. Joseph is a thirteen year old boy, who is in class six. According to him, they are four in the family and his parents are not in a good job to provide for their basic needs. Because of this, he has been asked by his parents to sell sugarcane so as to earn a little amount of money to support him and the family. Joseph told me that poverty compelled his parents to settle in Accra to make a decent living for themselves. They come from a village in the Eastern Region of Ghana. But alas! Their expectation has been otherwise. He complained that the cost of living in the capital is very hard. Joseph narrated that he ought to sell from Monday to Sunday. Thus when he closes from school every week, he quickly goes out to do his business. He told me that selling under the scorching sun has been one of his challenges.

I inquisitively asked Joseph what he wants to become in future, he told me that he wants to become a Bank Manager. Hmm! What a great ambition to nurture. Can his dream become a reality in this struggle for survival to make a living and to cater for his education? It is only time that has the power to answer this question. May God see you through  this travailing time my good friend!

                                                         

                                                                                                                    

 video: Future Bank Manager, skillfully peeling a sugarcane for a customer.