How Ghanaian Village Boy Moved From Hawking To Helping The Needy Through Social Media

Nana Tea is a Ghanaian social media influencer whose name has become synonymous with helping the needy in society.

The kindhearted influencer helps students, persons living with disabilities, and widows to lessen their plights through his platforms.

In a recent interview with YEN.com.gh, he opened up about his family, childhood difficulties, education, and becoming a social media brand.

When Nana Tea relocated to Ghana’s capital Accra for a better life, he had no idea he would become a famous online personality synonymous with charity.

Due to his childhood challenges, he had a lifelong desire to assist people experiencing poverty, but he least expected fame.

The 35-year-old, who grew up in a rural area, now utilises his social media influence to address issues affecting the deprived, earning him a solid reputation among many people, including celebrities.

But despite what his cheery personality and endearing grin would have people believe, his route to becoming an online celebrity was not a cakewalk.

Nana Tea’s early childhood life

Born James Annor Tetteh, the native of Asesewa in Ghana’s Easter Region, is the second of six children. ”I initially attended Mensah Dawa Presby Primary and Junior High School (JHS). But I relocated to Odumase Krobo, where I attended Roy International School, beginning in class four and finished there,” he told YEN.com.gh. He remembers how his father begged the JHS principal to let him attend school for free due to financial constraints. “My father was unable to afford my education.

But due to his relationship with the proprietor, I attended the school for free.”

Nana Tea loses his mom and the impact on the family

He recalls growing up loving his parents and siblings, but his mother’s untimely death badly impacted their development as children. ”Before she passed away when I was just 14 years old, she had a distant relationship with my father.

My siblings and I had to relocate to Odumase Krobo, the capital of Lower Manya Krobo Municipal District, where we resided in our maternal uncle’s mansion. ”Her death affected us greatly because she was our pillar,” Nana Tea told YEN.com.gh.

He recounts that he and his siblings had to cater for themselves at some point. “Things were tough. We sometimes had to beg to feed ourselves. Some neighbours had to bring food to our home sometimes.” Nana Tea tells YEN.com.gh that he had to hawk ice water to support his education, combining his studies with selling after his mother passed.

”I hawked ice water, corn, and cassava dough to support the family. I, however, topped the entire class when I wrote his BECE in 2004,” says Nana Tea.

Life throws more challenges at Nana Tea After earning an aggregate of 10 in the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE), he gained acceptance into Manya Krobo Senior High (SHS). Still, his father, who worked as a peasant farmer, was not in a position to finance his education.

”He begged the headmaster of Manya Krobo Senior High for me to attend the school for free. I joined my mate three weeks to exams,” he recalled.

Life begins to smile on Nana Tea But life would finally smile on Nana Tea when he received two scholarships from the government and Plan International Ghana in his first year in SHS. ”I gained admission three weeks before the exams, but I performed and received a scholarship from the school and Planned Ghana International.”

When Nana Tea completed his studies at Manya Krobo SHS as a General Science student, his dream of further studies at the university hunged in the balance.

He tells YEN.com.gh that his senior brother took action to finance his education at Accra Technical Institute, present-day Accra Polytechnic renamed Accra Technical University, receiving a higher national diploma (HND) in Science Laboratory Technology between 2007/2010. ”I did my national service at the Ghana Health Service (GHS) after the HND programme. I got the opportunity to manage the Sege Health Centre with the help of the district director. ”I later got another job to work elsewhere in 2014,” he tells YEN.com.gh.

Nana Tea emerges into the limelight after turning life’s lemons into lemonade The social media influence tells YEN.com.gh that his quest to help the underprivileged in society stemmed from his childhood trauma. “Helping people had been my desire.

My grandmom also instilled it in me.” He emerged into the limelight after he helped a struggling boy carrying a log. He took a shot of the child and shared it on his platform, which went viral.

While others bashed him for posting the young boy, one woman outside the country donated GH¢200 to the child. ”That story was the first to gain me massive attention on social media. So, I gave the child the money and thanked the benefactor on Tell It All,” he recalled.

Nana Tea’s charity initiatives

The social media star has become renowned for his numerous charities for needy people, including persons with physical disabilities, struggling single mothers, and widows. He recently raised GH¢14,000 for a brilliant but needy girl who gained admission into St Roses Senior High School but could not afford basic educational supplies due to financial constraints. The girl received significant assistance following an appeal for help by the social media influencer.

Yet, Nana Tea considered that his blood donation drive and raising awareness of the condition of a physically challenged street hawker were his most notable acts of kindness toward society.

”The physically challenged woman received a $1,500 (GH¢16,350.00) scholarship with my help. Someone also flew her from Tema to Tamale, and she’s now helping other people.”

Nana Tea’s brand associations and awards The father of a set of twins who tied to knot with his wife, Babara Amoah, on February 15, 2020, after they met on Facebook, has won hearts due to his kind deeds. Hon Kwaku Agyemang-Manu, Ghana’s Minister of Health, invited him because of his campaign to encourage blood donations. Nana Tea has also met with Ghana’s Inspector-General of Police (IGP), George Akuffo Dampare. The social media influencer was most recently named in the list of Ghana’s top 100 most significant change makers for 2022. Nana Tea plans to reach and touch more people’s lives through his platforms to lessen their plights and bring them joy.

Source: yen.com.gh

Email: elora.akpotosevbe@yahoo.com