Social Issues
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The Silent Teachers: Grandparents Raising the Next Generation
By Kuuku Tamale, Ghana — In a modest compound house near Kalpohin, 64-year-old Madam Akosua Yeboah is braiding her 10-year-old granddaughter’s hair while stirring a pot of light soup. It’s a rhythm she’s mastered — switching between grandmother and parent, caregiver and counselor, cook and companion. Her daughter left for Saudi Arabia in search of better pay as a domestic worker four years ago. Since then, Akosua has become more than just “Nana.” She is now the mother figure in her grandchild’s life. “I thought I was done raising children,” she laughs softly, “but God gave me another round.” A Growing but Quiet Trend Across Ghana, more and more grandparents…
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Living With Disability: The Untold Stories of Accessibility in Ghana
By Naa Lamptey Koforidua, Ghana — Every morning, 25-year-old Adjoa Koomson wheels herself down a dirt path riddled with stones, puddles, and sharp turns. It’s just 300 meters to the roadside — but it can take up to 20 minutes. Sometimes, the wheels get stuck. Sometimes, she tips over. “I’m always scared I’ll fall,” she says. “But I can’t just stay home.” Adjoa was born with spina bifida. She uses a wheelchair to move around, but Ghana’s cities, transport systems, and institutions remain largely inaccessible — making daily life a test of strength, patience, and endurance. Disability in Ghana: The Statistics and Reality According to the Ghana Statistical Service: Despite…
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Clean Slate: The Realities of Prison Reintegration
By Adoma Kumasi, Ghana — It’s a humid Tuesday afternoon, and 34-year-old Yaw Antwi is behind a sewing machine in a small roadside container shop. The rhythmic hum of the needle cutting fabric might seem ordinary — but for Yaw, it’s extraordinary. Just two years ago, he was serving a sentence at Nsawam Medium Security Prison for theft. Today, he’s trying to rebuild a life — thread by thread — in a society that doesn’t always welcome returnees. “I served my time,” he says, “but the punishment didn’t end at the prison gate.” Life After Prison: The Hidden Sentence In Ghana, over 90% of prisoners eventually return to society. But…
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Rent Woes: The Real Struggle of Urban Housing
Byline: By Jasmine Accra, Ghana — At 6:00 a.m., 29-year-old Richard Owusu begins his daily commute from Pokuase to Adabraka. He spends over two hours in traffic. But that’s not the hardest part of his day. “The toughest thing,” he says, “is knowing I pay ₵1,200 a month for a single room with shared bath — and I had to pay two years in advance.” Like thousands of other Ghanaians, Richard is caught in the brutal web of urban housing stress, where tenants often cough up two years’ rent upfront, negotiate with unlicensed agents, and fight off eviction notices — all for cramped, substandard living. Ghana’s Rent Landscape: A Crisis…
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The Secret Lives of Hawkers: A Day in the Life on the Streets
By Jerry Accra, Ghana — At 5:30 a.m., before the city stirs to life, 17-year-old Ama Sarpong is already on the road with a basin full of boiled eggs on her head. Balancing the load with practiced ease, she walks briskly along Ring Road Central, dodging early traffic, calling out: “Eggs, hot eggs, one cedi!” By midday, she’s drenched in sweat. By nightfall, her voice is hoarse. But on a good day, she takes home ₵60. On a bad one, she returns with aching legs — and unsold eggs. “I’m the breadwinner in my family,” she says softly. “My mother is sick. My father is gone.” The Unseen Backbone of…