Herbert Nyarko is a ten year old boy who lives in Kasoa, a town in Ghana. He lives with his mom, Felicia Adoba, and his two brothers. One of which is grown up and comes sometimes. The children don’t have a father who cares, so their mom takes care of everything by herself.
They all share one small room next to a church. Living there is hard because the church sometimes has very loud worship services that go on all night. The music and singing come right through the wall and make it difficult for the family to sleep. Felicia would love to move somewhere quieter, but she doesn’t have enough money.
Felicia works very hard. She sells traditional Ghanaian food by the side of a road in Kasoa, but she only earns a little money each day, just enough to try to take care of her children.
Herbert has also had trouble with his eyes since he was born. A few years ago, his eyesight got worse when another child got upset and threw a rock that hit Herbert in the eye. Herbert had an operation to help, but the doctors say he needs another surgery to see much better. That surgery would cost about fifteen thousand cedis, which is far more money than his mom can afford. Recently, though, Felicia was able to buy Herbert a pair of glasses to help him see a little better.
We want to show you a video clip where Felicia stays with her kids.