ephraim

My father was a fisherman and my mother was a petty trader. They struggled to feed me and my five siblings. I can remember as a small boy having to miss school to work alongside my father on the lake to earn money for the family.

My parents divorced and abandoned me and my siblings. I guess they thought that extended family members would care for us. For a long time, we did not know where my mother lived and the social welfare officer told me it was believed that my father had gone to Ivory Coast. I was 12 years old when they left us.

My aunties, uncles, and grandmother live a very simple life in the village in a traditional home without electricity and water. They are subsistence farmers and struggle day-to-day to provide for their own families. When my parents left five children behind, they placed a burden on my extended family.

My brothers, sisters, and I were moved to different family members four times. Each family member tried to care for us the best they could but it was hard for them to keep all of us in school, fed, clothed, and cared for medically.

One of my brothers became a victim of human trafficking. He was kidnapped and taken to a big farm in Nigeria where hundreds of children were held at gunpoint and forced to work. Children were usually killed if they tried to escape, but my brother was lucky and escaped with his life. It took him nine months to walk home because he had to stop and work for food along the way.

When he returned to Ghana, my brother reported to the police and Department of Social Welfare that he had been kidnapped and was held captive as a slave. This initiated an investigation into our family and the social welfare officer realized that my siblings and I had been abandoned.

First, my brother was placed in protective custody with Dream On. Shortly after, Dream On provided protection and care for all six of us. I was 15 years-old when I was transferred into the care of Dream On.

My youngest two siblings were placed in a children’s home initially. After some time, it was determined that they could be returned to the village to live with family as long as financial support for their education was provided. Dream On provides a full educational scholarship to both of them and occasional assistance with food to help my family. My brother and sister are now in junior high school and receive very high grades on their report cards.

My brother who was trafficked had a difficult time in school once he returned to Ghana. He had been beaten very badly while in captivity and sustained injuries to his brain that affected his memory. Dream On helped him move as far along in his education as he could and then helped him acquire a skill. He graduated from AgyLe Safety Institute with a certificate in crane operation.

I live in the Dream On Home with two of my younger siblings. I am now 23 years-old and am one semester away from completing my Bachelor’s Degree in Petroleum Engineering. I will be the first of my siblings to graduate from college. My sister is attending a program at a culinary institute where she has learned to create a variety of pastries, sandwiches, and pizza. She hopes to open her own business. My younger brother in our home received high marks on his national exam and started high school. I am proud of all of my siblings for how hard they are working in school.

We all know that we would not be where we are today without Dream On and the kind people who have donated toward our care for many years. We feel blessed and have gratitude in our hearts for everyone who has believed in us and cared for us.