A 14-year-old boy has opened up about how he’s been fending for himself after the death of his mother forced him out of school and into the streets to earn a living selling coconuts.
Standing beside a wheelbarrow piled high with fresh coconuts, cutlass in hand, he explained his situation plainly to a passerby holding out a phone to record him.
With his mother gone, continuing his education simply wasn’t an option, and rather than being left with nothing, he chose to pick up the coconut trade to survive on his own.
According to him, business isn’t always steady, but on a good day he can pull in as much as GH₵1,000, while slower days bring in closer to GH₵500. For a teenager his age, the numbers represent far more than pocket money; they’re what stands between him and having nothing at all.
Dressed simply in a grey shirt and red shorts, he answered questions with a composure that belied his age, his wheelbarrow of coconuts serving as both his livelihood and, for now, his classroom.
Where many boys his age are still in uniform heading to school each morning, he wakes up each day to push his cart out and start selling, carrying responsibilities most adults would find heavy enough on their own.
Watch the video HERE.
