Abena, Lebanon

Abena, a 25 year old, was deceived into fleeing her country in search of greener pastures in Lebanon and what awaits her is quite alarming.

Transcript

Note:  This transcript was produced with AI, and may contain errors

Real Life with Missi episode (2)

SUMMARY KEYWORDS

woman, ghana, pure water, lebanon, braiding, told, chores, working, mom, traveled, sister, life, streets, shop, sleep, years, migration, podcast, helped, house

SPEAKERS

Abena, Real life with Missi

Real life with Missi  00:00

Hello wonderful people. I go by the name Missi. Join me on the Real Life Missi podcasts. Let's get educated. Let's get informed on internal and external migration issues with inspiring stories from our amazing women, their life challenges, their life experience and in all how they overcame. Join me today as I interview one of our beloved sisters. She's amazing. And she's here today to share with us her migration experience. Hello, Madame. Thank you for joining me today on The Real Life missi podcast. Thank you for having me as well. I'm so glad to be here. As we go forward, I would like you to tell me a bit about yourself. Your name,  the country you went to, and your age.

Abena  00:44

Okay, my name is Abena from the Ashanti region. I went to Lebanon and I'm 25 years of age.

Real life with Missi  00:51

Okay, Abena can you please tell us your life in Ghana before you embarked on the journey traveling to Lebanon,

Abena  00:58

Okay, I was in the village with my senior sister and  my mother. We were only three in the family. But life was not that easy. We used to sell pure water (sachet water) on the streets to make a living. Because my mom was very old. My senior sister also got married with kids. And life wasn't easy for her as well. So I had to sell the pure water to be able to feed myself and my mother.

Real life with Missi  01:24

Wow. Wow. So how long were you selling this pure water  on the street?

Abena  01:29

I started selling pure water  at the age of 8 years old whilst  I was  schooling. So I manage it from school, I will go and sell the pure water.  So when I go to JHS( Junior High School), someone was supporting me aside. But it wasn't that easy. Because it got to a time the person stopped. And he traveled as well. I wasn't hearing from him. 

Real life with Missi  01:53

Which person stopped. 

Abena  01:55

The one helping me. So he  stopped and he traveled as well. So I wasn't hearing from him. And he was the only source and the only person who was helping me. So I had to continue selling the pure water to be able to continue with my education. I got to SHS (Senior High School). I dropped out because of school fees. I wasn't able to complete so there was this one time I went to get my mom some drugs. On my way back home, I met this woman, and she called me. She asked me of my name. I told her  she was like, Where do I come from? She likes me. She told me she didn't know what made her to call me. And I was like, wow. And she told me, "What do I do for a living?” I said, I don't do anything for now. And I've also dropped out from school. So she told me she wanted to help me. And she asked me what do I want to do? And I told her I wanted to go back to school. By that time. She told me she cannot help me to go back to school. So the only helps she can offer me is. She's a beautician by herself. So she will help me learn it as well.

Real life with Missi  02:59

So like you work for her, like as an apprenticeship. Yes. for how long?

Abena  03:04

For three years.

Real life with Missi  03:05

And did you go through with it? Yes, I did. Um, so how did your traveling to Lebanon came about at which point, did the traveling thing  came in

Abena  03:13

There was this day I was working in a shop, a woman came in to braid the hair. So after working for her, she asked me my name. I told her she told me I was doing well. The braiding was so nice. And she wanted to take me out of the country. So when do the hairdressing over there ? Because I'm going to make it over the they pay very well as well. Yes. So I told her I wasn't having anything on me. I've not I've never traveled before. I don't know how it looks like so I went home and told my mom about it. But earlier on she disagree with me, because I was the only one besides taking care of her. So I decided not to go. But a week later I call the woman because since we're getting worst in the house, no food, we're really suffering. Yeah. So I decided to go and make it. And I decided that when I get there and things are really working well for me every month I'll be sending my mom something

Real life with Missi  04:17

...for upkeep. Did you later agree? 

Abena  04:19

Yes, I did. 

Real life with Missi  04:19

Wow. And all was set for you to travel. 

Abena  04:22

Yes, please. 

Real life with Missi  04:23

And how long? How long did it take for your visa? Passport and everything to be ready? 

Abena  04:28

Two weeks. 

Real life with Missi  04:30

Interesting. So in just two weeks, you acquired a passport and you acquired the visa and your air tickets. 

Abena  04:37

Yes. 

Real life with Missi  04:38

Wow. So tell me um, when you when you got to Lebanon, what happened? Your migration experience take us through.

Abena  04:45

So when I arrived at the airport, two women came to pick me up. So they got and they were like, am I Abena? And I said yes. Show me your passport. I showed it to them. So they took me to a house where they said I should sleep. So in a week time, then they'll take me to a shop which I will start working. One week I was still in the house doing house chores. So the following week, I spoke to the woman about me working at the shop. And she told me I should just relax for a while, she will take me that the woman she wants me to work with traveled and we'll be back the following week.

Real life with Missi  05:22

Okay, so wereyou taken to the shop?

Abena  05:25

No. I stayed in the house for like, three weeks getting to one month, and I was still doing house chores without them taking me to the shop.

Real life with Missi  05:35

Unbelievable. Please tell us what happened next.

Abena  05:39

So I did house chores for like four months. And I was still not  taken to the shop to work wow. So I started giving out complaint to the woman. And it's got to a time. Anytime i will approach her about the shop, or me working at the shop, she gets annoyed. So I worked I did house chores for  almost like one year. Holy moly. Eventually I stopped complaining and decided to do the house chores.

Real life with Missi  06:13

Were you being paid for it?

Abena  06:15

Yes, I was being paid and my first six months was given to the woman who helped me. 

Real life with Missi  06:21

So you mean your first six months salary was given back to the woman in Ghana? The one who assisted you. 

Abena  06:27

Yes, please. Interesting. Um Abena is getting a bit emotional here. So let's quickly take a short break. We'll be right back. 

Real life with Missi  06:38

[Jingle] 

Abena  07:15

So I worked for one and half year, and it got to a time these woman, both of them, were all lesbians. 

Real life with Missi  07:24

Are you kidding me? 

Abena  07:25

Yes. So it got to a time they involved me...

Real life with Missi  07:28

wait, wait a sec.  You mean the involved you like how ? 

Abena  07:32

They were sleeping with me? 

Real life with Missi  07:33

Holy molly!

Abena  07:35

Yes. Normally, is always three times a day. So this woman was sleeping with me for like six months. 

Real life with Missi  07:44

You mean, this continual they were sexually harassing you. 

Abena  07:49

Yes. 

Real life with Missi  07:50

For six good months. 

Abena  07:52

Yay. 

Real life with Missi  07:53

So how did you endure your ? Like, how did you endure through all this ? 

Abena  07:57

Actually, it was painful. And I cry most of the times. So there was this day they went out. They went out. Both of them went out. But normally one goes out and the other one remained. So that very day both of them went out. So I don't know what came into my mind though. I jumped one of the walls, and I escaped. So I was on the streets of Lebanon for like a week.

Real life with Missi  08:26

Did you  know where you were going? 

Abena  08:28

No. 

Real life with Missi  08:29

Did you have anyone that you could go to when you escaped?

Abena  08:32

 No, I didn't have any money. 

Real life with Missi  08:33

You were just on the street. 

Abena  08:35

Yes. 

Real life with Missi  08:35

How did you survive? In terms of food where you sleep?

Abena  08:41

Actually, I meet this one of our African sisters.

Real life with Missi  08:44

Okay, were they also on the streets? 

Abena  08:46

Yes, they were on the streets. But the very next day, that very night, we slept in front of a shop. So the next day we met one of our sisters again. But she had a place where she can lay her head down. She has some job. Like she was okay. She was okay. So she took us in and helped us just to come back to Ghana. So it was through.

Real life with Missi  09:14

The lady you met the second lady. Assisted you guys. Do you came? Did you come back to Ghana alone or you came back with other ladies.

Abena  09:23

I came with one of the ladies the one I made earlier on before

Real life with Missi  09:27

The previous one. Interesting. Interesting. So when hey you came back to Ghana, how did family and friends how did the society receive you?

Abena  09:36

When I came back to Ghana, my mom was in a very bad condition. And yes, which I was supposed to take her to the hospital by now. But when I came back, there was no money. I wasn't having any money on me. So friends were just making a mockery of me because they were like I've traveled outside and I came back with bare hands so, but right now my problem is my mother.

Real life with Missi  10:03

I'm just curious about something all these years that he spent in Lebanon the one and half years or so, who was taking care of your mom.

Abena  10:11

My sister when I left, she had no option than to come back. 

Real life with Missi  10:15

Okay, she came in to take care of my mother and now her situation is really really bad. Yes. Wow. Wow. And family friends you said friends were kinda of making mockery of you...

Abena  10:28

 Is very terrible. 

Real life with Missi  10:29

Are you working now?

Abena  10:30

I'm not working now. Any little money I make I take I use it for my mom's health.

Real life with Missi  10:37

So what do you do to get that money?

Abena  10:39

I do odd  jobs like cleaning, washing for people. Maybe in sometimes it's very hard for me to even get the work to do sometimes once in a week. It doesn't come doesn't come? Yes, it doesn't come often . So I really need help. Yes, things are really hard for me now. 

Real life with Missi  11:01

Um, what would be your advice to our fellow women who wants to embark on such journeys? 

Abena  11:06

See for me if this is, those so-called agents, they should run out. Because, yes, all those promises they make. It's all fake. They tell lies. Because I was supposed to go there. For braiding. I ended up doing house chores for almost two years, which wasn't easy at all. So my fellow women should be very careful. They should take good care of themselves. They shouldn't even trust anybody telling them, I'm taking you abroad. I want to help you. They are not going to help you. They're going to take you to hell

Real life with Missi  11:42

So you prefer them staying back in your country Ghana. Enjoying their gari as I always say.

Abena  11:48

Gari and shito.

Real life with Missi  11:51

Sorry, I burst out into laughter that she told made me laugh.um Abena now you're back. What do you intend doing? Like any plans? Any ideas?

Abena  11:59

Because for now, the only thing I think it can help me with my mom's condition and myself is to get maybe a small store or equipment to start working with it, because for now it’s only braiding that I know how to do and I want to work with  it. So I really need help.

Real life with Missi  12:19

Abena says it is only braiding that she knows how to do better. And if there is anybody out there who would give a Abena an assistance to make this dream of hers come through. Please kindly do, we will be so so so grateful. Before I end today's podcast I would also like to end it with a quote from Wiliam.L.Swing I also don’t know if I got the name right. But he says we cannot and should not stop people from migrating, we have to give them a better life at home, migration is a process and not a problem. Thank you for joining me today on the Real Life with Missi podcast. Until then. It's bye bye!