This story is part of a series of child worker voices that Beyond Trafficking and Slavery gathered in the Lake Volta and Brong Ahafo regions of Ghana, areas frequently targeted for intervention by people seeking to end child labour. The children were asked to describe their work, why they do it, and how the country's decision-makers could help them. Their answers were translated out of the local Twi language and edited for clarity.
I am 15 years old. I carry loads at the market for shoppers, run errands, and do other jobs. I came to the city of Kumasi to find money to support myself. My parents died when I was two and I have lived with my late mother’s sister ever since. She treats me like one of her six children. Her husband also passed away and she takes care of all of us.
Her own job is as a pito (local beer) maker. She doesn’t earn much, so all of us used to sell bottled water on the streets to support the home. Things became even harder with the COVID lockdown. My auntie was not able to work for more than a month and she lost all she had saved up. Some days we didn’t even have food to eat!
