Bofrot
The subject for today's 'Street Hustle Accra', a Bofrot seller, Selina Abrokwah tells us about how she survives in life with her field of work.
Selina is a mother-of-three and she is doing this business to support her husband and her household.
Morning
I wake up at 4am and then I mix my ingredients. Then I match straight to the floor milling place. I have to go this early because if I delay. I would go to meet a long queue and my flour is like to spoil because of the yeast in it.
Usually, I am either the third or fourth person in the queue.
We till wait till probably 30 to 40 minutes before the flour Miller arrives and then he starts work.
So by 5:30am, I should have returned home.
When I return, I pick my table and then I would my mixed floor the way I want it. This should take me about 2 to 3 hours.
So by 8am, I should be done moulding my mixed floor. Then I leave it in the sun for about an hour for it to rise a little.
During this hour, I check on my children and prepare breakfast for them and because they are not attending school, I have found a teacher who teaches them at home.
So after breakfast, they take their bath and then go straight to the teacher's house for studies.
I also take my bath and then look pleasant for the market.
By 9:30am, I begin to fry my bofrot. This takes me about 2hours.
At 11:30, I carry my bofrot and then head to town to go and sell them.
Afternoon
My afternoon is usually for sales, the bofrot is mostly bought in the afternoon. I have some customers I go to during this time. They usually like the food served hot, so when I leave the house, I go straight to all my customers.
After selling to my customers, then I head into places where there are traffic lights.
Most passengers also like the food in the afternoon.
So I sell till about 3pm. By that time the bofrot should have finished. When I am closer to the house, I walk back home but when I am not, I pick a vehicle and then go home. But before I do, I make sure I pass by the market to buy the ingredients I will need for the bofrot the next day.
So by 4 to 4:30pm, I should have been home.
My children come home at 5 so when I get home, I take a nap for about an hour before they get home if not I won't be able to.
Evening
By 5:30pm, I wake up and then prepare dinner. This should take me like an hour so when I am done, I serve my children. While they eat, I pick the utensils I used in preparing the bofrot and I wash them neatly for the next day.
When I am done, I bath my children, and then I initiate them to do their assignment. Then I put them to sleep. Then I also go to take my bath.
My husband hardly comes home early and his workplace is close to the house to after bathing, I wear my attire and then I go to wait for him till he closes. This should be around 9pm.
When we return home, I serve him and then when he is done, I wash the utensils. After this, I should be ready for bed.
I checked on my children again to see if they are all asleep, and then I go to bed too.
So basically, this is how I spend my day.
Best moments
My bofrot is delicious so I don't strive too hard to sell them. My customers are always ready to buy from me.
They give me some tips so I get more than the amount I sell virtually every day.
This means I get enough money for myself and then enough to support my family too.
Challenges
Waking up that early is really tiring and especially if I no time to even rest is quite frustrating.
Although walking is an exercise, it's really tiring.
Most of the times, I have to resort to painkillers to ease my body pains.
My children aren't grown too so I do everything in the house, which is another moment of tiredness.
The mere fact that I have to go to wait for my husband till he closes is another but if I wait at home, I will sleep and he will wake me up when he comes so would have to wait. Then I can serve him.
Aside these, the work is interesting and I am hoping to expand it where people can come and even pick some from me to go and sell.
