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 13 years old. I live with my mother and father, four brothers, and two sisters. Our father is a security guard, and our mother sells porridge and bread at the market.
My two sisters and I help with our mother’s porridge business. Every day but Sunday we wake up at 4 am to help her prepare. My sisters and I fetch water and make the fire while our mother prepares the millet and other ingredients for cooking. The porridge is ready to be transported to the market by 6 am. I usually go with the van and start selling it while my mother prepares a second batch. When she arrives, I go back home and get ready for school.
