Bernice; “This care centre is my calling from God. When I was 17 years old I lived with my grandmother. I hear someone calling me ‘Mawuse, Mawuse.’ This continues for some time. One faithful Saturday, I am watching tv with my grandmother and cousins. Suddenly, I saw myself on an antelope hill and before me were many people, from the infants to the aged. They were begging me to help them. I showed them my empty hand. I didn’t know what I could do for them. Then I returned to myself and realized it was a vision. My grandmother could not explain it to me, but we went to church and they prayed for me. I kept seeing the vision regularly until I was 18.
I had wanted to be a good journalist, but after my middle-school I could not continue schooling. So I tried other jobs like tailoring, hair dressing and many other occupations. Nothing was successful and so I decided to get married to my Dutch fiancé. Not much changed and I couldn’t sleep. Every time I closed my eyes, children were chasing me. A pastor told me that I will find peace when I answer to the calling. In 2006 I was ready to do the work of God, together with a female hospital-preacher from Accra. Later I moved to Asutsuare. When I went to visit Akuse Government Hospital I finally understood the calling. My late husband Arno Bos was in full support and we started Mawuse Care Centre with 5 children. Some children were introduced by the hospital and some were neglected children from nearby communities. My regular work was still a struggle, so I began to pray for direction from God. He showed me a vast land, filled with corn. Three days after this vision I met a young man in town and told him I am looking for a vast piece of land for farming. I described the land to him. He told me he would look into it and I met him again three days later. He took me to a landlord and I told him my story and how God had called me to this. He ordered his brother and his son to show me the land, it was very fertile. When I came back, the landlord told me to use the land and we would discuss payment later. I told my husband about it and we began to plant 10 acres of crops on the land. The harvest was abundant. My husband planned to go to the Netherlands for a loan so that we could invest into farming part of the land. He received a big loan from Rabobank but his friends persuaded him to invest into Credit Union, to generate even more income, in order to invest an even bigger amount into farming. I tried to warn my husband, but he had much love for his friends and thought they would give him the best advice. Things went south and the investment didn’t return itself. We had to pay back the loan struggling. In 2010 we moved to Natriku in a rented apartment with 15 children. My husband travelled to Accra to generate a higher income, because we were in hardships. He continued to support the calling and me.
In 2012 we vacated from the rented apartment. With no money to rent something else, we decided to move to the farmland that was ongoing, together with 27 children. This land is far from the town, so we started up a school on the compound. My husband helped me to pay the teachers, nanny and cook, we did not charge tuition fees. We received many more neglected and orphaned children.
In 2014 my husband wanted to travel to Wenchi before going to Accra, to collect a 20 foot container, it was filled with supplies for practical studies for the school, supplies for the office and things for the orphanage. During this time one of our daughters, Patience Bos, was seriously ill with a brain tumour. I told him the place was too far, but he decided to go. In the mean time I went to the social welfare to receive a tax exemption for the container, to no avail. I visited Tema harbour and other agents to explain the challenges I was having. We had many challenges that year, while we were also trying to save Patience’s life. In 2016 my husband died in Wenchi. After his death I checked with the Tema harbour and social welfare to check on the container, where I was informed that it was missing at Tema harbour. Without my husband I could no longer pay my staff so the school closed down and now I manage it by myself and by the help of God.
The Care Centre started in the year 2007 at Asutsuare in the Sha-Osudoku District in the Greater Accra Region of Ghana with a total of 5 children. It came out of the desire to help the disadvantaged and marginalized people in the communities and the adjoining villages. The target group included school drop outs, teenage mothers, street children, orphans, children from broken homes, and abused and neglected aged people.
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