For One World helps those in need in Techiman, Ghana through our scholarship program
Fuseina and Asana Issaka are two of several “School Orphans” who’s parents dropped them off and never picked them up again. The school orphans live in the same housing as the volunteer quarters adjacent to the original school site (currently both the original school site and the new schools site are being used to conduct class sessions). If you volunteer at the school you will meet Fuseina, Asana Issaka and others like them helping out at the school and spending time with the volunteers. Fuseina and Asana Issaka are among those who’s school fees are paid for by donations from For One World via our scholarship program at Ayi International School. Below is an interview with Ayi Owen co founder of Ayi International School.
Interview with Ayisatu Owen, 12 March, 2007, concerning the twins: Fuseina and Asana Issaka, grade 3.,
Father: Issaka, a Sisala from the North
Town: born in Droman Kese, pop. 4,000, Nkoranza in 1998
Mother: whereabouts unknown, Brong
Father is makes charcoal and farms in a remote village near Wenchi on the road to Ivory Coast. At times he has given money for the upkeep of his twins. He is close to the twins, while the mother is never seen. The mother came to the house once to take the children away. I sent her away. The mother has no money or education and therefore cannot care for the children. Her profession now is chasing men.
One day I was here and the father showed up with two children. There were really small, about two years old. The father came over to greet me. I asked him about why he is traveling today with his children. He said that the mother threw the children on him and ran away. Too bad I replied. Yes, and I am bringing the children to you. He said he could not care for the twins. He said he was too old. I am a man and I cannot take care of children.
After what seems to have been a long time, Ayisatu got up to go inside. When she came back, the father was gone. But the children were there with their black polyethene bags (no suitcases).
The father had told the twins that he was going out and he would be back soon. “Grandmother” will be out shortly. Ayisatu asked, where is your Dad? The twins and Ayi waited and waited. But the father never came back. He was gone.
After 3 months the father showed up at the house. I asked why did he do that to me. What can I do, he said?
When the children came to me here in the homestead, I put them in the school. They did not like to go to the day nursery. They could not do their ABC’s correctly. Everyone laughed at them. Rather they said O B C. Mansuru to this day laughs at them. Before the father had showed up again, I had already put them in school.
In the polyethelene bags the twins had dirty and torn clothes. I had to throw them away. I went to the market and got new clothes. That is all I know. So now the twins are here.
The twins would go and hide in the metal container behind Fred’s house because they did not want to go to day nursery. They ran away whenever Ayisatu saw them. So Ayi explained that there was a big, big snake in the container and they should stay out. They no longer had a hiding place so we got them to like school.
The twins would sleep in my same bed and would put their feet on me (Ayisatu) all the time. I would threaten them and put them on the floor to sleep on a mat. When I would fall asleep, they would get up and enter the bed again. Then the small feet would be pushing on me and I would know that they had come up from the floor.
When Mr. Owen returned from the US, the twins were afraid. They slept with Salah down in the hollow. Later they all slept on mats in Miriam’s room. I told them that if they came over to our room, then that white man would beat them. At that time they were not yet potty-trained. In fact, they would urinate on the floor, not even in their chamber pot! They could be a bother.
The father is broke now. The police have stopped the production of charcoal. So there is no work for the father. Recently he promised that he would bring money for a pair of shoes for each of the twins. Later he came by to say that he could not help these days because he has no work.
The twins are in 3rd grade now and they help me sell things in the store. These twins take care of me. They know the store items better than me. Then at night under the security lights, they run their own make-believe school. They take turns being the teacher.