Helping my brother Makafui

Back in 2013 I went to Ghana for the first time and there I met Makafui. In 2018 I went back to Ghana a second time and Makafui and I became close. He’s family and a little brother to me and it hurts to hear about the situation in Ghana currently.

The American dollar is very high and everyday it increases making it hard for Ghanaians to buy the things they need. Even people with storefronts save their goods for when the dollar is high and then sell it at a higher price. This makes it extremely difficult for the poor to survive. Like everywhere in the US, the rent fees and transportation costs have also doubled. Even after attending University in Ghana (different than college) he is still unable to find steady work. If he works for someone on their farm he may never recieve any money, you often only get paid if the crop does good.

I’ve only been to Ghana, but I fell in love with African culture, it’s so authentic and beautiful. It hurts to think about how many families must be struggling right now and how many bellies are empty. I even see it here in the US, similar struggles but different dynamic.

Last year I reached out to my community for help for myself and Henna and you all showed up more than I ever could have imagined. It taught me that you should always reach out when you feel a need and the genuine, good hearted people will always appear to lend a hand. I’m in such a beautiful place in my life currently and I have so much gratitude for those who helped get me here. So here I am reaching out to my community again but this time for my brother in Ghana. He didn’t ask me to do this but the thought sparked in my mind and I knew it was the right thing to do. Many of us are struggling financially in some way or have other hardships and now is the time we need to really be there for each other. The system can’t break us.

I paid for Makafui’s rent last year but it’s nearing the new year and he has very little saved from farm work he was helping with. The backbone of his family, his lovely grandparents have passed away within the last 5 or so years and there isn’t anywhere to go if he loses his place to live. His rent in Ghana is a whopping $200 US dollars a YEAR but it’s rising and paying more than a year advance is best. It makes it seem like pennies compared to rent in the US, but when work is hard to come by even with some education it makes it hard to save. All the money you do make will be going toward food.

I could probably go on and on and I’m not going to beg for money but if after reading this you think, “You know, I could donate $20 and not even notice it’s gone”…please do. I’m hoping to raise the goal amount of $500 as soon as possible so I can get the money to Makafui. All money will be used for rent and other necessities to easy some stress and worry. Thanks in advance because I know we can make this happen for him ❤️