Abena's Story
Age 13 · Accra
“My mother cried when they said I would get a scholarship. I had never seen her cry happy tears before.”
— Abena, age 13
Abena was thirteen and in her second year of junior high school when her mother came to tell her that she would not be returning after the holidays. The fees had become impossible. Her mother had tried everything — borrowing from family, selling extra produce, working extra hours. It was not enough.
A neighbour who had heard about Hopefront Foundation passed on our contact to the family. Within a week, a member of our team had visited, assessed the situation, and confirmed that Abena qualified for a full scholarship.
At the scholarship ceremony, Abena's mother wept. Abena told our team later that she had never seen her mother cry happy tears before. That moment has stayed with our team ever since.
Abena returned to school the following term. She is now in her final year of junior high school and has already begun preparing for her BECE examinations. She speaks with quiet confidence about continuing to senior secondary school.
Behind every scholarship is a family that was about to give up — and chose not to, because someone showed up and made it possible. That is what Hopefront Foundation is here to do.
This story was shared with the full and informed consent ofAbena and their guardian. First names only are used to protect identity and privacy.