Eighteen years ago, little Andrews set off alone from his rural home in Wa, Ghana, for his first day of primary school. Andrews was excited that instead of caring for cattle alongside his family all day, that he would be attending classes, meetings new friends, and learning.
As he set off for school, his father stood in the doorway, crossing his arms disapprovingly. He didn’t want Andrews to attend school, as he was the first born boy in a family of sixteen children, and was needed to work on the farm. At the time, his family didn’t see the value in education.
Andrews desired to attend school so much that he went on his own without support. He had to combine his farming chores and schooling to be able to produce enough food to feed everyone in the family. He often went to school for the entire day and went straight to working on the farm without anything to eat. He attended class barefoot and couldn’t afford books, but stayed positive and focused despite his challenges.
In 2001, Andrews and his siblings were accepted into Chalice’s sponsorship program, and were each chosen by kind sponsors. Sponsorship was a great relief on the entire family, and eased the stress and burden on his parents. When Andrew was in grade three, he received his very first school uniform and sandals. Sponsorship also gave his family the support to receive healthy, daily meals. Andrews no longer had to work on the farm after school to produce enough food for the family.
Andrews felt more confident having the proper clothing, food, and materials to learn. His sponsor offered love and encouragement every step of the way, and urged him to pursue his dreams. In high school, he started to narrow his focus on general sciences in order to pursue a career in health care in the future.
When Andrews graduated, he was thrilled to be accepted into a nursing program at a nearby university in Ghana. Unfortunately, he was not able to afford tuition fees to attend. His sponsor, touched by Andrews’s ambition and drive, offered to cover his university tuition fees! In 2017, Andrews graduated with his Bachelor of Nursing degree.
Today, Andrews is working as a professional nurse, and is currently working at a local hospital doing his mandatory national service. He’s so thrilled to have realized his dream of working in health care, and incredibly grateful to his loving and generous sponsor for all of the support he received.
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