A Junior High School dropout, Niamah Kuorubinituo who works as a head potter (kayayei) at the Makola No. 2 Market (Gallaway Market) in Accra, is appealing for support to further her education.
According to her, after she completed her Basic Education in 2021, life has been difficult for her as she makes only One or Two Ghana cedis per load she carries for people.
The young girl made the appeal when she spoke to Crime Check Foundation’s (CCF) monitoring team on Tuesday, 7th December 2021.
Monitoring by CCF forms part of the implementation of the CCF’s “Decriminalizing Vagrancy Laws and Advocacy” project which is supported by the Open Society Initiative for West Africa (OSIWA).
Narrating her struggles Kuorubinituo said she sleeps in the market because she is unable to save from her meager daily earnings to rent a room.
Her economic woes, she said are compounded by the extortion from officials of the Ghana Railways Authority at the Accra Central Main Station (Head Office) as gate fees from persons who access the new Makola N0.2 Market, her place of business.
“I am unable to save because I buy food, clothing, and other items I need. The collection of the gate fees by the Railway Authorities also reduces my income,” she said.
However, she said she has not given up on life as she believes that support from organizations and individuals to further her education or learn a vocation will give her hope for a better future.
“With my current situation, it is practically impossible for me to save enough to fund my secondary education or take up a skill training. I want to appeal to individuals, NGOs, and government to come to my aid to further my education,” she appealed.
About OSIWA:
The main objective of the OSIWA-funded “Decriminalizing Vagrancy Laws and Advocacy” project is to create an enabling environment for vagrants to know, claim and exercise their rights to end criminalization of poverty and homelessness in Ghana.
Established in 2000, OSIWA is a grant-making and advocacy organization focused on equality, justice, democratic governance, human rights, and knowledge generation. It is part of the global network of Open Society Foundations spread across 37 countries around the world.
By Cosmos Akorli and Rudolph Nandi
