Growing up in a family of eight, my elderly sister Maame Afia who is the second born of my parents was indirectly performing some motherly roles to us her siblings. Auntie Akosua my mother, was a trader and a waakye seller. Dada Amoako my father, was also a head teacher who was into farming as well. My parents were mostly busy with their work so Maame Afia literally became our mother at an early stage of her life.

At the age of ten, she was performing duties like preparing food for the whole household, bathing the younger siblings and taking us to school and washing of dirty clothes. At her teenage stage, her motherhood duties became more visible. On Saturdays, my sister will wash all the dirty clothes of eight people within the week, prepare breakfast, lunch and dinner and do some cleaning around the house. I clearly remember one time the dirty clothes were many because we were on vacation so the washing took a longer time. In the process of her washing all by herself, she was preparing meals and feeding myself and my younger sister as well. My mother returned from her food selling and saw my sister still washing the dirty clothes around 4:00pm. My mother scolded her that she was playing around that’s why she was still washing at that time. My sister angrily called myself and my younger sister and said “you guys are bathing me tonight, you will undress me, take me to the bathroom, bath me, bring me back and dress me up.” It was funny to us at the beginning until we realized she was serious with her words. That was the difficult task ever faced in my childhood days.

Maame Afia’s motherly duties never stopped even though we had another elder sister who could have helped but Mensima our third born was always with her books or at my mother’s shop. Maame Afia’s duties in the house affected her Basic Education Certificate Examination(BECE) because she never had time to learn, she is either at the kitchen helping mum in preparing food to be sold, washing dirty clothes, preparing food for the family or feeding us. My mother was always waking her up early and she was always sleeping late because of house chores. It got to a time where she has to go and sell mummy’s food in her uniform for mummy to come and prepare and wait until mummy returns to the selling place before she will go to school.

After marriage Maame Afia’s motherly role in the life of her siblings never ceased. At the end of every month she will send us( from the third born to the last born making four people) pocket money for school. She was always ready to listen to our problems and she never stopped encouraging us, being there for us and checking up on us. It got to a point where our parents were calling her our mother. For some moment I thought my sister will stop all the love and sacrifice when she gives birth but she never did.

At the university, I was staying with my sister and I realized that all that my sister was doing was not just because it was her duty but it was out of love. My sister after marriage was a house wife who was receiving monthly salary from her husband, after my sister has received her salary she will send some to all of us including my parents, one day I saw that my sister sad and it was unusual of her because she is a happy person. I approached her and asked her why she was too quiet and she said she doesn’t have money and her son’s baby food and diaper is finished, I asked her why she shared majority of her money to us her siblings for her to lack when she could have kept all her money and decide not to give everyone. She said “ you are my responsibility also and I have promised myself to support you people until everyone gets job.” I was surprised and from her statement I learnt that love is about sacrifice and selflessness. Maame Afia sacrifice although unnoticed was immeasurable. She never stopped sacrificing for us and she still does.