Ghana - Edo: story of a teenager who was able to find his way

22 November 2017

(ANS - Sunyani) - Edo is 18 years old and, like other children, teenagers and young people in Ghana, his story was marked by family disintegration, reliance on grandparents for raising him, child exploitation, and migration. Thanks to the Salesians, he now has a new life and new prospects for the future.

Edo's parents died when he was small and this, in Ghana in particular, has a profound influence on the social situation. Though he was sent along with his brothers to the Lake Volta region, his poor and elderly grandmother could not take care of him; she accepted the offer of a fisherman to have him start working. Since, Edo had stopped going to school and only several years later was he rescued by an NGO that deals with exploited children. He was then entrusted to the Salesians.

Since his arrival at Sunyani's "Don Bosco Boys Home", it was clear that he did not like school, but he was willing and happy to learn a trade. For three years, he remained in the school program, living together with the other children and adolescents. Only after he had learned to read and write well did the Salesians give him the opportunity to enroll and attend the carpentry and blacksmith courses in a workshop.

Edo's goal is to return to his village and start a business there. He visits his grandmother and his brothers three times a year to avoid losing contact with his family. Today, Edo has found a way to live in a dignified fashion and his tutor is happy with him, gives him breakfast every day and a weekly pay for the work he does.

With a smile on his lips, Edo is grateful to Don Bosco and the Salesians because, thanks to them, he is aware that when he returns to his village he will work at a job he likes and be his own boss. And his dream is to help other young people who did not have the same opportunities.

As in the time of Don Bosco, the Salesians stipulate small contracts with technical workshops in various sectors and develop three-year formation programs thanks to which students can learn a trade through daily practice.

InfoANS

ANS - “Agenzia iNfo Salesiana” is a on-line almost daily publication, the communication agency of the Salesian Congregation enrolled in the Press Register of the Tibunal of Rome as n 153/2007.

This site also uses third-party cookies to improve user experience and for statistical purposes. By scrolling through this page or by clicking on any of its elements, you consent to the use of cookies. To learn more or to opt out, click "Further Information".