Growing up in Ghana wasn’t easy, Moses Ayirebi says.
“My parents struggled to provide for our family’s needs,” says Ayirebi, 29, who began an urban planning and policy graduate degree program at Northeastern University last month.
Ayirebi was the only boy among four children. Although he loved reading, he also spent a lot of time with his father, who had a passion for farming and wanted Ayirebi to learn to plant and grow food such as yam, maize and cassava.
“As a young man, you’re supposed to get the skill sets before you leave the home,” Ayirebi says.
Ayirebi’s father was a civil servant at the National Disaster Management Organisation, and his mother was a petty trader. They wanted their children to study and get a proper education to be able to improve their lives and the lives of the members of their community.
“My dad always checked my assignments and homework and made sure the work was done before the following day. I am sure I would be punished the following morning before going to school [if I hadn’t done my homework],” says Ayirebi, smiling.
