Growing up, there was a woman in my neighborhood who was deeply determined to push her children further than she ever could, and she did.
She didn’t mind getting her hands stained with charcoal because it was the very work that fed her and her four children: Mark, Asibi, Ruth, and Daniel.
Many people knew her simply as “Asibi Maame”—meaning Asibi’s mother. But her real name is Mrs. Dorcas Gariba.
She had been selling charcoal long before her husband passed, and she continued even after his death. It has now been over twenty years since she lost him. Yet somehow, despite everything, her children have grown into more than she ever imagined.
Surviving on Almost Nothing
Mrs. Gariba sold charcoal in small 10-pesewa plastic bags for just GHS 1. On a good day, her total sales came up to only GHS 15.
To avoid spending what little she earned, she created a small farm behind her house. That farm became their lifeline, feeding her family when money couldn’t.
They lived in a single room, a structure she and her husband had built before he died. The room had no electricity, no furniture, and they slept on a mat.
Every pesewa she made mattered.
That GHS 15 wasn’t just money, it was school fees. It was hope.
Even though she could provide food, life remained painfully hard. Buying new clothes was a luxury she simply couldn’t afford. Her children wore the same clothes for long periods, often becoming targets of ridicule from other children in the neighborhood.
The Cost of Education and Sacrifice
The real test came when all her children reached secondary school and university level. She couldn’t afford to educate all of them at once.
So she made a painful decision to send them to school one at a time. Her firstborn, Daniel, had to put his own education on hold. Instead, he worked to support his siblings through school.
But the determination in that household was unmatched. Her children sold kerosene in bottles just to save enough money to further their education.
Mrs. Gariba herself worked beyond her limits. She carried heavy bags of charcoal on foot to chop bars, wash dishes, and return home exhausted.
In her own words:
“My back hurts from carrying the bags, and I can’t stand properly. But I thank God for giving me obedient and hardworking children, and for blessing the little money I had. I had no education, and all I wanted was a better future for my children. I didn’t want them to end up like me.”
From Struggle to Success
Today, her sacrifices have borne fruit.
All four of her children have completed university and are doing well in their respective careers. Her firstborn is now a banker. The second is a doctor. The third and fourth are both teachers.
What once looked impossible became their reality.
A House She Refused to Leave
Her children, in gratitude, built her a new house. But she refused to move in. To many, that decision might seem surprising, but to her, it made perfect sense.
The old house carries memories of her husband. Leaving it, she says, would make her feel disconnected from him. So she stays.
Still Selling Charcoal: By Choice
Even though her children now take care of her financially, Mrs. Gariba continues to sell charcoal.
Not because she has to, but because she wants to.
“This is the only business I have known. I can’t stop. It keeps me busy and reminds me of the sacrifices I made for my children. They give me money, but I always tell them to keep it. I don’t need it. I need my charcoal. It is enough for me,” she said.
The Quiet Strength of a Mother
It’s easy to overlook stories like this: quiet, ordinary, unseen. But this is what motherhood often looks like. Sacrifice without applause. Strength without recognition. Love without conditions.
Motherhood isn’t easy. But stories like Mrs. Gariba’s remind us that it’s worth every single struggle.
