Traveling through Ghana, West Africa in 2011, I witnessed scores of girls and young women as young as 5 years old working and living on the streets. Extreme hunger and poverty in the rural areas, especially in the Northern region, compels girls and young women to drift to Accra and other large cities, hiring themselves out as “carrier girls” or Kaya Ye. They live in varying degrees of homelessness: sleeping in kiosks, in front of closed shops and trotro (trolley cab) stations, or on the streets. They are often victims of sexual and economic exploitation and abuse, working under brutal conditions for pennies a day. Profoundly moved by their stories, I traveled to the Northern region of Ghana again in February 2012 as a volunteer for WWW.SISTAWORKS.ORG
Purchased school supplies headed to Bolgatonga Girls Secondary School
Prospective SISTA Scholars waiting for their interview
I traveled to Bolgatanga Girls Secondary School in the Northern Region and interviewed girls who were currently enrolled in school, but were in need of financial assistance for school fees and supplies in order to remain in school. I heard the stories of these girls in their own words. I learned about their families, about the struggles to survive after both parents had died, about cultural and economic motivators to marry girls off at a very young age. And I learned how important education is to these girls; what they are willing to sacrifice to get even a secondary school education.
The Chosen 15 new Scholarss for the 2012 - 2013 year Program
When I returned home from the second trip I made a commitment
to use my photography to tell the stories of these beautiful young women. I
conceived of the Kaya Yo Project (Carrier Girl Project) to document in words
and images the stories of these young girls and women. This country and the
people, especially the girls, have become a very important part of my journey
as a photographer and as a woman.
I have just returned to Ghana again as a volunteer
for SISTAWorks.org. I will travel to the Northern Region, to meet with girls
and their families and guardians. We will choose 35 new SISTA Scholars for the
2014 school year. While here, I plan to lay some groundwork for a return trip to commence the Carrier Girl Project.
