THE BOY WHO BECAME A HERDSBOY, FARMER, AND FISHERMAN:
After the death of my father, childhood became a luxury I could no longer afford. While many children spent their days playing and learning, my days became filled with responsibilities that were far beyond my age. I was sent to Dambai, hoping that life would improve. Instead, I was introduced to a new reality—one defined by hard work, survival, and sacrifice.
One of my earliest responsibilities was herding cattle-every morning, I followed the animals across long distances under the scorching sun. The work was exhausting. Some days, I walked for hours with little or no food. The heat was intense, and the journey was often lonely, but I had no choice. This had become my life.
As if tending to the wellbeing of cattle was not enough, I also got myself involved in fishing and farming. Before I was old enough to understand the meaning of responsibility, life had already placed it upon my shoulders.
Fishing was not the peaceful activity many people imagined. It required patience, endurance, and physical strength. Sometimes we spent long hours near the water, hoping for a good catch. On some days, our efforts produced little reward, yet we returned again the next day because survival depended on it.
Farm work was equally demanding. I cleared bushes, planted crops, weeded fields, and carried heavy loads under the hot sun. By the end of each day, my body ached with exhaustion. Yet there was always more work waiting for me the next morning.
Looking back now, I realize that those experiences stole parts of my childhood. While other children were creating memories through games and classroom lessons, I was learning lessons through hardship and labor.
Still, those years taught me something valuable. They taught me discipline. They taught me resilience. Most importantly, they taught me that difficult circumstances can either break a person or build one. Though I did not know it at the time, those struggles were slowly preparing me for greater challenges ahead.
To be continued…
Credit: Nyamekye Evans