The predicament of Monica Owusu Sekyere, a 16-year-old girl who is currently living on the streets in Kantamanto, Accra, and who claims that she ran away from her family at a young age in order to smoke, was highlighted by the YouTube channel SVTV Africa.
Monica disclosed that at the present time she is jobless and that the only thing she does is smoke. The young woman who had dropped out of school disclosed that she had run away from home when she was only 12 years old.
“I quit school in class six while in Koforidua. I met some girls who told me to come to Accra and that I would get free food and have the freedom to do anything I wanted.
“But when I got here, I had to sleep outside. I realised that I had the freedom to do what I wanted, so I decided to stay.”
The young woman had long wished to work in the field of journalism. However, circumstances eventually led her in a different direction.
“I am jobless; I smoke for Ghana. I wanted to become a journalist or a nurse, but I can’t do that now. I’m planning to learn how to braid. “
When Monica was 13 years old, she tried her first cigarette. She remarked that she would like to stop smoking because she has realized that it is not doing her any good to continue.
“It’s not easy here. It’s better to be jobless at home than on the streets. You can stay here all day without food. Many think those outside have a place to sleep, but we sleep in stalls here at the market.
“If you’re as young as me, don’t listen to friends and join them on the streets,” Monica advised.
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