The Struggle 'Pure Water' Sellers Go Through In Ghana

An average pure water seller makes about Two Cedis Fifty Pesewas every six hours. Over seventy percent of these sellers are children.

This implies he/she earns in twenty-four hours six Ghana Cedis. Countries, where its citizens live on one dollar a day, are rated poor-countries. If many Ghana children live below one-dollar a day on money they struggled for, where does that rate our country?

Having faced so many challenges just to survive, a report by UNICEF on child labour has stated that over fifteen million children enter the labour market every day, working hard to feed their families at such a tender age; selling, hawking, trading, sweeping, etc.

I Interviewed 3 pure water sellers and according to them: sometimes, it takes about 6 hours to sell 30 sachets of water which amounts to a total of (GHC6) which is a little above a dollar in Ghana.

From the (GHC6), the profit they make is only about (GHC2.50p), of which they have to pay the wholesalers their money back as well as cover the price for ice block which was used to cool the water. It's so pathetic.

The long and short of it is that some of them make only (Ghc 2.50p) in 6 hours of hustling under the hot sun, risking their lives on express roads.

As if that isn't bad enough, when passengers and drivers reach the traffic stops, they prefer to dash (Ghc 2), (Ghc 5) or even (Ghc 10) to beggars and fake sufferers who sometimes make about (GHC150) a day doing nothing but begging, leaving them richer, luckier and safer than the pure water sellers who are young entrepreneurs serving the country with their trade, and trying to make ends meet.

So when next you are at a traffic stop, please:
#1 Giveaway to the pure water seller instead of giving it the fake sufferers. People with so little wares you can’t help but wonder how they live.

#2 Buy pure water to patronise them and if the change is GH10p, or even GH20p you can leave it with them.

#3 Don’t be rude. They are trying the best they can with the life their family has given them. Say something nice or don’t say anything at all. Be patient. Encourage.

#4 Slow down, don't knock them down while driving and they are trying to earn a quick keep. It might be the only trade they make all day.

#5 Their hustles begins every day. Do you really think they like their life? The least you can do to make it better is make them smile by saying ”Thank you” and feel worthy, rather than ignoring them as if they are not part of the human race.

I will also like to use this medium to advise the hawkers and some of these petty traders to take their health and safety and those of their customers into consideration while running their duties.

Let's support entrepreneurship.