Rosina Okae Afful

“My name is Rosina Okae Afful. I hail from and grew up in Aburi in the eastern part of Ghana, where all the beauty of this world lies. I was born in April of 1975 to Mr. Jones Osai Afful, a teacher, and Miss Elizabeth Nelson, a trader. I am a hardworking, friendly and busy person. These are all traits that I inherited from my parents. Being a teacher, my dad taught all my six siblings and me to live with our neighbors in peace. I got my hardworking nature from my mom. She used to sell foodstuffs in the market and she still wakes up early in the morning to go about her daily activities.

“At a very young age, I saw my parents separate because of misunderstandings. It made life very difficult for my siblings and me, so I dropped out of junior high school. I started going to the market with my mom to help her sell her goods. A few years later, I started selling some foodstuffs by myself. My customers loved me because I am a happy person by nature. This made my business thrive. Through the trading business, I met my husband, with whom I had four children, three girls and a boy. Three of them are now senior high school graduates heading to the tertiary institution, and my last born is in junior high school. My husband later started womanizing, which led me to leave the marriage. I strive hard to fend for my children.

“One morning, very early, I woke up to go sell my wares, and on my way I had a motor accident and went into a coma. I was rushed to the hospital and later realized that I had lost all my funds that I was going to use for the day. What a loss! After I had fully recovered from the accident, I picked up the bits and pieces and enrolled into a jewelry school at the cultural center in Maamobi, Accra with over 30 other women.

“After six months, I graduated and started creating and selling jewelry items to friends and family. My primary aim has been to grow my jewelry business by teaching others. I am currently teaching my children how to make jewelry.

“I make use of materials like recycled glass beads, wood beads, nylon twine, plastic, and so on.My inspiration is solely derived from nature and other people’s works. In 2019, a female friend who is a NOVICA artisan introduced me to this company and I am happy that I joined. This will help me make more sales and care for my family.”