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Hope for a young ‘Kayaye’ in northern Ghana
Hope for a young ‘Kayaye’ in northern Ghana
When young Muslims in northern Ghana come to faith, they are often cast out by their families. For this reason, Bro. Tiyumba*, who leads the work of the Carmel Mission here, set up a home for persecuted young converts in Tamale, the capital of the North, several years ago. He called it Tahimayili – the Home of Hope.
In recent years, Bro. Tiyumba has developed Tahimayili from a home for persecuted converts into a training centre for practical trades. Every year, dozens of young men and women now complete a one-year training course to become bricklayers, joiners or plumbers.
Many of the participants in the training programme come from precarious backgrounds. For them, being accepted at Tahimayili often literally means rescue from a life on the streets. Tahimayili gives them new prospects and a fresh start in life. And most importantly: here they hear about Jesus. Aiya*, one of the trainees, also came to know Jesus here. Bro. Tiyumba reports:
“I met Aiya one afternoon during her interview at our institute. There was an air of despair on the young woman’s face. Her clothes were threadbare and dirty – she probably hadn’t been able to have a proper bath for quite some time. With desperate determination, Aiya asked me to be accepted as a trainee. Then she told me her story.
Aiya comes from a typical Muslim small farmer family in the savannah region of northern Ghana. She was not yet ten years old when her father died. Her mother now had to work very hard to support her and her brother. The meagre income from farming was barely enough to cover bare essentials. One of Aiya’s uncles, who was a Christian, enabled her to go to school, thus she was able to complete even secondary school. But there were no prospects whatsoever for a career afterwards. Once again, she found herself stuck in the rat race of the daily struggle for survival. Eventually, she had had enough of life back home. Although she had no contacts down there, she set off for the south, to the capital Accra, to try her luck there
But her dreams of work, wealth and happiness vanished the moment she arrived. For the first couple of months, she had to sleep rough in Accra’s market square before she was finally able to rent a shabby room. She earned a living as a ‘kayaye’. In Ghana, a ‘kayaye’ (pl. ‘kayayei’) refers to a female porter. She stands at road junctions and in market squares, ready and waiting for customers. For a small fee, she then carries goods and market purchases to their destination in a large basket balanced on her head. The work is physically demanding and the living conditions of the kayayei are often precarious.
For a time, Aiya eked out a living in such degrading conditions. She endured hunger, exploitation and, sadly, terrible humiliation. When she could no longer afford the weekly rent for the room where she and other kayayei were housed, she finally returned, in despair, to northern Ghana. She did not want to go back to her home village. So, she ended up in Tamale, the capital of the North, and eventually came for an interview to me to be accepted at the Tahimayili Institute.
When I saw that she was completely serious about her desire to learn a trade and build a better future for herself, I agreed to take her on. She was to complete the one-year basic training course in carpentry. Aiya was accommodated in Tahimayili’s women’s hostel. For the first time in a very long time, she was now able to sleep in clean and safe conditions and could eat her fill.
She threw herself into her training with great diligence. She often stayed in the workshop even after lessons had finished – she wanted to learn and make progress. Because of her exceptional commitment, we kept her with us at Tahimayili beyond the basic training year and provided her with additional training in our institute’s own carpentry workshop. She was subsequently offered a job at a local construction firm. A wonderful turn of events for a young woman who, not long before, had been forced to live on the streets!
But Tahimayili also marked a turning point in Aiya’s life in other ways. She took part in the daily devotions in the workshop and the weekly Bible study sessions. She made contact with the local church. It was here, in the youth group, that she gave her life to Jesus Christ. Today she is firmly integrated into her local church. Recently, I stood witness as she encouraged a group of young women:
‘You may think your current situation is hopeless. But nothing has to stay the way it is. Never give up your trust in God. Entrust your life to Jesus Christ. With his help, you can overcome even the greatest difficulties in your life. I have experienced this myself. God is truly good – at all times.’”
Call to Action
Dear friends,
in our work amongst Muslims, it is always a priority for us to give the Gospel ‘hands’ and ‘feet’. These are the practical forms of assistance we provide on the ground, tailored to the needs and hardships of the people in each mission field where we are active. At the same time, our projects – such as our Tahimayili training centre – build solid bridges for the Gospel, through which many Muslims come to faith. Bro. Tiyumbu says: “In recent years, 26 young trainees from Muslim backgrounds have entrusted their lives to Jesus. Many graduates then return to their home towns, and so our school becomes a blessing for the whole region.” Thank you very much for your prayers and support for the work of Bro. Tiyumba in northern Ghana.
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