Accra’s ‘green pasture’ turns dull playground for 17-yr old Walewale head porter
Ikrima missed the last bus bound to Walewale in the North East region as a swathe of head porters jostled for an opportunity to flee a city under coronavirus lockdown.
It was the last bus.
“When we got to the circle station, we were told the bus was full, so we returned to the market,” she said.
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Never before had a bus to the North East region proved so crucial to the 17-year old teenager.
The plan had not been to come to Accra and leave in such a hurry. It was to make money. And make enough to go back to share tales of her hardwork to some measure of financial security.
But in the now popular equip – ‘these are not normal times.’
And so sitting infront of a closed shop at the Togo Lane stretch at Makola in Accra, Ikrima and a group of girls could only count passing cars – a few of them anyway.
In a pre-coronavirus day, she counted peoples wares and carried them in the afternoon, so she could count her own money she had made by evening.
With no work, no counting of anything that brings money, Ikrima sat around with her colleagues to keep company and find ways to keep less hungry.
“We will hang around the market and hope that wholesale shops will have their goods delivered so we help them pack for some money” she said
But on Wednesday, a different type of bus arrived – a government relief package to provide food, shelter and a stipend.
Gov’t to feed, house 15,000 head porters, homeless in coronavirus lockdown
According to the Gender and Social Protection Ministry, some 15, 000 head porters can expect these reliefs.
“We currently have 15,000 of them that we are going to cater for. And for those who already have apartments we will find ways of sending logistics to keep them from coming to town” Cynthia Mamle Morrison said.
And so as Ikrima sat under her friend who braided her hair, barely bothered about coronavirus finding her, she waits to find some of government’s benevolence.
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