Akpene Mordzifa, Ghana

Voice of Care Leavers

Hello Akpene, I am very grateful that you agreed to talk to me. Tell me something about yourself if you like.

My name is Akpene. I am 35 years old. I live in Accra, Ghana with my husband and our two kids, a girl aged 8 and a boy aged 4. I work as an Alumni coordinator for OAfrica, an NGO. I find my work very useful and rewarding because I am helping care leavers who completed studying to stay in touch and connected.

Could you tell me something about your childhood?

When I was growing up, at first, I had a good childhood. My father passed away when I was eight years old, and this life event changed everything. My siblings and I had to live with my grandmother from the father’s side of the family. I was out of school for many years. My younger brother and I had to do mini jobs to survive as no family member showed any concern. At some point, we were able to save enough to start school. I was older than all the other pupils at school and always eager and motivated to learn. But we were often sent out of school due to late fee submissions. Because of these challenges, the Headmistress introduced us to OAfrica, which had community support services but also a small orphanage back in 2004.

But again, worse happened to us: my grandmother got sick and left the world and us. We ended up in OAfrica.

In OAfrica, I had all the opportunities I never dreamt of as a child. I was admitted to one of the best schools in the region. At age 18, I was in primary 6 and admitted to Junior High School which changed my life completely since I had to compete with children from high-class society. What really helped me at that time was the home teacher who usually supervised our take-home assignment.

In the home, all my sorrows were taken away by love, protection and reassurance that life is better than what I knew. After my Junior High school, I got admission into one of the best Senior High schools in the country. Four years in senior High school were smooth and not once was I sacked from school for not paying tuition fees or did I ever go hungry. That alone motivated me to learn very hard and compete with distinction in 2011. Earning good grades helped me get into one of the best universities in the country, where I studied psychology and graduated successfully with a second-class upper.

After school, I did my National Services and started working. In 2014, I met my husband and got married. For the first time in a long time, I felt like my life was on track.

So wonderful, you got a degree, you married and got your first child, how about your work?

After my National Service, I worked with Lancaster University for five years. Currently, I am working with OAfrica as the Head of their Alumni Programme. We aim to reconnect with each other or share our experiences, achievements, and happiness. And to build the family that some of us never had.

You talked a lot about OAfrica, I would say that this organization played a big part in your life and the lives of your siblings. Is this where your passion/connection with the topic of leaving care is coming from?

I got inspiration from my own challenges. Through OAfrica, I also got in touch with the Global Care leavers community. During one of the cafés, I got in touch with Judith the Secretary fothe Global Care Leavers Community in India. We talked about challenges surrounding the Care Leavers and how it is in Ghana.

I am passionate about this community because I realized that when you live in an orphanage, you have no dependable family. The staff are not always there, they leave and others come. There is no real bond between caregivers and the children. The only real bond is among us, the children. Hence this community is very important to some of us.

That is so beautiful and insightful. Don’t cry because you don’t have something, get up and make it yourself, that is your strong message. Listening to you made me realize how lots of young people who are growing up with the support of their families, take this for granted and do not see that it is a privilege!

What are the main challenges related to care leaving in your country?

Once we are out of care, it is a challenge to fit into society because of inferiority complex and low self-esteem. We often lack exposure and do not fight for the best even when the opportunity is right before us. Most of us come out of care with behavioral issues, affecting our opportunity of getting a job.

I feel that orphanages only provide physical care but can not fix the emotional damage that has happened to us and we grow up with all this emotional damage.

After the convention, the international Care Leavers connected and formed the online Careleavers community? What are your thoughts about such a global platform?

I believe GCLC can make real changes. The community can give voice to all care leavers all over the world because the care leavers must be facing the same challenges globally

What do you wish for the care leavers community in the coming period?

I want us to grow in our numbers so that our voices can be heard.

Why did you agree to have this interview with me?

I want all care leavers to know that they are not alone, let us be proud of what we have and who we are and make the best out of any situation

If you can teach fellow care leavers one thing, what would that be?

What I will say is that it is not our fault that we ended up in care. Let us stay positive and believe in our capabilities so the next generation will not end up in an orphanage.