Cynthia Bommaham Nafu was the third born in a family of four. She is from Tongo in the Upper East Region of Ghana. Talensi is her native language and she also speaks English and Twi. Cynthia attended both primary and Junior High School in her hometown and then went on to Bolgatanga Senior High School from 2005 to 2008, where she read Agricultural Science. She furthered her education to the tertiary level at Kumasi Polytechnic in the Ashanti Region and attained an HND in Chemical Engineering in 2012.
Cynthia later travelled to Dome, a town in the Greater Accra Region in search for a job but all her efforts proved futile. Having no relatives around, no money and no one to rely on, she decided to sell food at a local market in the suburbs. But despite all her efforts, luck was not on her side and since she had no experience in sales and marketing, she ran into losses and debts. She then bought an aluminum pan (‘headpan’) and started carrying loads for people who came shopping in the market as a porter, known in Ghana as “Kayaye”. However she was often paid very little for her services or at times nothing at all. She did this job for about two years and six months.
She was then discovered by a Non-Governmental Organization called “Read and Write” who introduced her to ace Ghanaian broadcaster, Oheneyere Gifty Anti, the host of ‘Stand Point’, an educational television programme aimed at empowering women in society. Oheneyere became interested in her story and one day decided to feature her in an episode of Stand Point.
It was during this programme that our Foundation Manager and PRO, Alistair Djimatey, appeared in the studio and while ‘on air’ offered her the chance to attend an interview at Blue Skies. Cynthia was successful and on 1st October 2014, she started her first day in production as a Team Leader. Due to her hard work and commitment she was promoted after one year to the role of a Senior Team Leader, a position she currently holds.
Cynthia is now a happy person. She is always grateful to Blue Skies for giving her the opportunity to work here and also thankful to all those who have played part in her success story.
By Victoria Owusua Asante
