Conventional wisdom has it that every child whose parents are alive dreams of becoming responsible in future so they can take good care of their parents after they have invested in her or his education.
But in northern Ghana, many brilliant and determined children dreams are scuttled by poverty.
One such northern child is Ms. Nima Mohammed, who after the death of her father still wants to pursue her dream so she could support her siblings.
She says for one to earn a decent living; you must work. She is now a sandals marker, an unusual occupation for Ghanaian women.
The 2009 former Bolgatanga Senior School (BIGBOSS) student now a determined entrepreneur, said young ladies in the country need to pursue their dreams no matter what the situation is.
“It is not an embarrassment for me and my team as ladies making sandals; we are proud of it,” Nima said.
Ms. Mohammed, the third child in a family of 10, started her making sandals selling them on credit selling after the death of her father to support herself and her siblings. A pair is sold at forty Ghana cedis (GhC40).
She believes if her father were alive, she would have completed tertiary education because her father was keen in providing her education.
Her dream of becoming a physical education (P.E), teacher was shut down after her father died,, she said, adding that she got admission to the University for Development Studies to pursue a new course the university had introduced. However, her widow-mother couldn’t afford the admission fee.
“After the death of my father, things were not easy, my mother advised me to plan my life so I could help my siblings,” the determined Ms. Mohammed said.
According to her, she did not have a pesewa as start-up capital and had to resort to borrowing an amount of 3,000 Ghana cedis from an older siste.
“Off late, if a young lady is not engaged in any productive venture, you are likely to engage in acts that make your family disappointed in you,” the sandals marker cum footballer told Zaa News at her base situated along Aliu Mahama Road in Zogbeli in the Tamale metropolis.
“Aside struggling to earn a living, I am a footballer with the Lepo Ladies football club because the society perception about ladies in football is that they are bad.” Ms. Mohammed added.
“That perception was just people’s imagination because football ladies are the most hardworking.”
During the interaction, Ms. Mohammed pointed at a car washing bay and said: ”I have done this job before, I washed cars so there is nothing I can’t do to earn a living.”
Ms. Mohammed managed to convince her friend who called a team-mate and her sister to assist her produce sandals for clients who had placed orders. Interestingly, the two are all are also ballers
The young determined orphan say she needs support from any philanthropist, government and the nongovernmental organizations to provide financial aid to recruit skillful persons for her enterprise
Currently Ms. Mohammed and her team ply their trade in front of someone’s container shop and her fear is that they are likely to be kicked out.
