Growing up, Vera often felt invisible to those around her, so she learned to fend for herself. Even though life on the street was tough, stressful, and exhausting, she never lost her determination.
Vera’s journey began in Tema, where she grew up under the care of her single mother. Her parents separated just before she was born, leaving her mother with the difficult task of raising two children on her own. By the time Vera was seven, she was already helping her mother make ends meet. After school, she would sell sachet water at the bus station, and on weekends, she stood by a busy roadside selling bread—a risky job as speeding cars passed by. Sometimes Vera traveled alone from Tema to Kumasi, a four hour journey each way, just to plead with her father for money to take back home.
Through these challenging years, Vera and her mother leaned on each other, doing everything side by side. But their lives changed dramatically when her mother remarried. Her new stepfather made it clear he did not want Vera around, calling her “extra baggage” and refusing to support her schooling. Within a year, Vera’s mother sent her to live with her grandmother, hoping it would stop her husband’s constant complaints.
Life at her grandmother’s wasn’t easy. Her grandmother’s bakery and catering work kept her busy, and Vera spent most days alone. Loneliness set in, and she began skipping school and losing interest in her classes.
One day, her teacher accused her of being disrespectful after she refused to be punished with her classmates for disrupting the class. Vera tried to explain her innocence, but the teacher didn’t listen. He threatened to cane her with a stick the next day, and out of fear, Vera stopped going to school altogether. Each morning, she would leave home pretending to go to school but instead roamed around the neighborhood until late. Eventually, her grandmother caught on and sent her back to her mother. A few months later, Vera’s mother decided she should go live with her father. However, on the day she was meant to travel, Vera fell ill and couldn’t go. In the days that followed, her mother grew increasingly frustrated, making Vera feel more and more unwanted.
One night, feeling rejected, Vera left home. She wandered the town until she found herself at the Asafo bus station, sleeping outdoors for the first time among children who were also homeless. Vera was just 13. When she didn’t return home for a week, her mother searched for her but couldn’t find her. Vera introduced herself to people by another name so even when her mother asked around, no one could identify her.
Vera soon befriended Esther and Aisha, two girls who had survived on the street for over a year. Together, they sold water and fruit during the day and helped people carry goods at the market. By night, they joined other children in a crowded slum in Adum. Life on the streets was much harsher than anything Vera had known. She often went hungry, bathed where anyone could see her, and faced constant harassment from men as she tried to sleep.
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One girl let me know my mother was looking for me but I didn’t want to go back to a home where I felt unloved
Aisha suggested they move to Accra for a better chance at earning money and Vera agreed. When they arrived, they settled in a slum community where many young boys and girls from the villages also lived, having nowhere else to call home in the city. Vera became part of this group and made more friends, including Mariam and Joyce. Both girls usually worked at Opeibia during the day, and on good days, they earned enough money from selling water or begging to save a little. Vera felt close to Mariam and trusted her, so she agreed to move to Opeibia with Esther and Aisha so they could all stay together.
At Opeibia, Vera and her friends heard about a man called Bruh TK who shared food on Saturday evenings, and she was keen to join. On the first day she joined, she was excited by the games and how friendly the volunteers from Ashesi University were. From then on, she always looked forward to Saturdays. She enjoyed talking with the volunteers about their week and the activities they were doing in school. Through these interactions, Vera began to feel hopeful and started imagining a better future. The volunteers constantly encouraged her, reminding her that she was intelligent and could be just like them one day.
Vera attended street outreach for several months, and after many heartfelt conversations with TK, it became clear that she was determined to leave the street. TK offered to send Vera and Mariam, and Vera eagerly accepted the opportunity. At that time, back in 2018, FOA didn’t yet have a community center, so TK opened his home to the children who wanted to leave the streets.
Before enrolling them in school, Nikki, TK’s wife, taught them basic English at home. ‘Living with Bruh TK and his wife made me feel loved and cared for. I had peace of mind and I felt more at home than I ever had. It felt like I had a real family.‘
TK also searched for Vera’s mother, and when they finally reunited, the two slowly began to rebuild their relationship. Soon after, Vera was enrolled at Hope Christian Academy — her first time back in school after four years on the street. Adjusting to school life was not easy for Vera because everything changed so quickly. At school, they were required to speak English all the time, and whenever she made mistakes, the other students laughed at her. This made her feel embarrassed and sad. She also struggled with the strict routines, like going to bed at 9 p.m. and waking up at 5 a.m. Life on the streets had been very different — she could sleep and wake up whenever she wanted. Because of this, she sometimes thought about running away. She missed the freedom she once had on the streets. But whenever she talked about it, her friends encouraged her to stay. On two occasions, she tried to leave but she found the school gates locked and guarded.
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Seeing how nice the volunteers were, I now wanted to stop living on the streets. I wanted to make something of myself too
On one of TK's visits to the school he showed Vera pictures and videos from her time on the street. She realised how much her life had changed for the better, and it motivated her to stay in school. “Bruh TK told me about how he struggled in his first year at university but eventually did well.” His story encouraged her to stay focused on her education. School activities like entertainment nights — where students bonded over movies and music — and the friendships she had built also kept her going.
Even though Vera chose to stay in school, she still struggled with discipline. Life on the streets had no rules, so adjusting to structure and responsibility was difficult for her. She got into trouble a few times, both at school and back at the community center. Eventually, she was transferred to another school in Lolito to live closer to TK’s grandparents, who could support her daily since it wasn’t a boarding school. That move changed everything — Vera began to focus more and soon started excelling in her studies.
In 2025, Vera wrote her Basic Education Certificate Exam and passed. That October, she gained admission to Sogakope Senior High School in the Volta Region of Ghana, where she is now studying General Arts with a focus on Economics and Mathematics. Vera is determined to become a banker and is already nurturing her love for business and entrepreneurship. During school vacations, she learns hairdressing and beadmaking, with hopes of starting a small business while she studies.
