Inside an uncompleted building at Ashaiman near Tema, a young man stands akimbo in a makeshift kitchen with his hands across his chest. He wonders what life would have been like if all his parents were alive.
Maybe he would have had support for his education, get a better job, and wouldn’t have to worry about what he would eat with his two siblings at a time coronavirus is running riot across the country.
But all that is wishful thinking now. Ever since his parents died, he inherited their responsibilities, which includes feeding, clothing and medical care for himself and his siblings. He survived, but his plan to support the family as an Uber driver is no longer possible.
This is the story of 32-year-old Confidence Dzuke. As the coronavirus pandemic bite hard on livelihoods, Confidence is struggling to survive and take care of his siblings.
Talk about somebody with many regrets and direly looking for a second chance, you may have to consider Confidence first.
At a very young age, Confidence lost his mother, the family’s only breadwinner. His father disappeared when they were very young.
Confidence became a mother, father, brother and friend to his siblings, two girls; now 18 and 22 years, respectively. The option of growing up as a normal teenager was not something he had a say in.
He spent most of his childhood at Maafi Adidome in the North Tongue District with his blind grandmother.
He had his primary school education at the Zenu primary school in Ashaiman Lebanon, and went on to Deks International Institute.
After secondary education, he engaged in all manner of trade just so his siblings could live a comfortable life. A life that will not remind them of a vacuum that needed to be filled. A vacuum caused by the loss of their Mom. Their father had disappeared when he was very young.
Around 2010, he was diagnosed with typhoid fever and had to be operated on, but unfortunately lost his kidney in the process.
After he was discharged, he moved to the country’s capital, Accra to stay with his uncle, leaving behind his younger siblings.
He worked with his uncle, who owned a printing company as a shop attendant, running all kinds of errands for his uncle.
Unfortunately, his uncle and his wife released him of his duties because some issues came up, he said.
“He sacked me for no reason and since my SHS results were not too good, I had to struggle for a job. I didn’t have time to study since I was combining school and work at that time,” he indicated.
The struggle continued for Confidence and his siblings, as their woes were far from over.
At 27, luck smiled at him and he got employment in a car rental company at East Legon.
He worked as an Uber driver. The conditions were that he brings GH₵ 400.00 at the end of every week.
“I barely make the GH₵ 400.00 at the end of the week, so I had to take on other jobs that does not require much time. I really had to struggle because I want to have a better life for myself and siblings,” he said.
“I don’t want them to go through the same things I did. I want them to have a better future,” he said, almost in tears.
He also noted that at some point, he had contemplated giving up.
Currently, Confidence stays in an uncompleted house with his little sister at Ashaiman Santoe in the Greater Accra Region.
He hopes for one thing, “to get a place to stay, good food and a good job.”
“I am praying to God to touch somebody’s heart so he or she help us,” he said.
He said the worse part of his struggle was the recent lockdown when he could not provide for his siblings and the family had to sleep on empty stomach on most days.
Although the government announced food packages for some vulnerable communities, his family was not among the 400,000 people who benefited from the government’s freebies.
400,000 individuals in lockdown areas to receive food packages and hot meals – Akufo-Addo
