At the age of 15, Rijayatu Razaak has already endured many hardships working on a cocoa farm in Ghana. Last week she visited a school in Golders Green to tell her story, writes HUGH CHRISTOPHER
Growing up, Rijayatu Razaak used to carry a chair on her head for four miles just so she would have somewhere to sit at school.
When her family needed water she would take a long trek along the scorched red roads that led to the river. She would struggle back home carrying a heavy pail, minding out for the scorpions and snakes lurking in the undergrowth.
And when night fell, she would sleep on the floor in a room that also housed her mother, grandmother and two sisters.
Now 15, Rijayatu's life is still far from easy. But a brighter future hopefully lies in store thanks to a chocolate bar.
Rijayatu was at King Alfred's School, North End Road, Golders Green, last week to talk about her life in the small village of Effiduase in Ghana.
But more importantly she was there to inform the audience of middle class, suburban folk how they can help people on the other side of the world by slightly altering their dietary habits.
When not at school, Rijayatu works on her family's cocoa farm. She helps to gather pods, carry water, and plant seedlings.
"In the cocoa season we have to wake up very early, around 5am the time of the cockerel to do the planting.
"It is not very enjoyable, it is very dark but in a few hours time the sun rises," said Rijayatu. "It is a very hard job to do."
The average cocoa farmer earns less than ?150 a year and has never tasted chocolate a figure all the more shocking when you consider that British people spend ?3.6billion a year on chocolate alone.
One of the reasons for their low earnings is that a share of their profits go to the government and the major confectionery corporations. Which is where Fair Trade comes in. Fair Trade, quite simply, means the money earned goes back to the people who earned it. Although Fair Trade products are relatively obscure you might have seen Dubble and Divine brands in your local supermarket they could provide the hope that Rijayatu needs.
Since the introduction of Fair Trade in Effiduase, the charity's money has helped to build a well so Rijayatu no longer has to walk to the river for water. With continued funding, the money earned can not only help the village and its people but guide Rijayatu through school.
"My worry is that I will not make it through school. I want to get a good education, and go to university. When I am older I would like to be a scientist. I would like to find a cure for Aids. I have seen many, many people die from this disease. I would like to help," she said.
