For many who have written the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) before, the script is almost similar. After the last paper, whether it went well or not, there is the joy of finally completing the exams. You rush home to meet your folks, who congratulate you, wish you well, and the little enjoyment proceeds.
But in the just-ended BECE, the story was different for Alice Esenam, a 16-year-old in Boadi in Kumasi. After her last paper on Friday, Alice had other plans, and it appeared nothing was going to stop her from fulfilling this plan.
Instead of resting after the emotional exhaustion of days of examination pressure, the young JHS student chose to fight through heavy rain, flooded roads, and thick traffic with one aim.
The aim was to help her mother’s struggling catering business survive through the McDan Youth Connect, an initiative which, among other things, offers opportunities for the youth to pitch business ideas for funding from the chairman of the McDan Group, Dr. Daniel McKorley.
It was a rainy day in Kumasi with huge traffic on the road, coupled with flood, Alice and her still mother made the journey from Boadi to the Adventist Senior High School, Bantama, where the event was being held.
Alice, still in her school uniform from the examination center, arrived at the auditorium drenched from the rain with her mother in tow.
By the time they finally made it to the venue, the pitching session had already ended. For many people, that would have been the end of the road. But not for Alice.
The organizers and those who witnessed the moment testify that there was something impossible to ignore about the determination on the teenager’s face. This is someone who had just finished writing one of the most important examinations of her young life, yet she stood there dripping from the rain, still holding onto hope that somebody would listen.
Moved by her persistence, the organizers decided to bend the rules and give her a final opportunity to pitch. Then came the moment that silenced the auditorium.
With determination and resilience, arguably far beyond her age, Alice explained that her mother had spent more than ten years building a small catering business, but despite the hard work, the family continued to struggle.
With clarity, she said they needed just GH¢13,000 to help stabilize and expand the business.
For many in the auditorium, this was not merely a business pitch. It was the story of a daughter trying to change the story of her mother.
For over a decade, Alice had watched her mother fight to keep the business alive. She had likely seen the sacrifices, the disappointments, the uncertainty, and the silent burdens many struggling parents carry daily while trying to provide for their children.
And on that rainy day, after walking out of an examination hall, she decided to fight for her mother too. Her resilience touched everyone in the room. But perhaps the most emotional moment came afterward.
Deeply moved by Alice’s determination and love for her mother, Nii McKorley, son of renowned Ghanaian businessman Dr. Daniel McKorley, stepped forward with support beyond what the family had requested.
Instead of the GH¢13,000 Alice appealed for, he offered GH¢15,000 to support the business. It was a gesture that instantly transformed the atmosphere in the auditorium from admiration to emotion.
For Dr. Daniel McKorley, popularly known as McDan, the moment was about more than money.
Reflecting on the incident, the business mogul said what touched him most was not only Alice’s resilience but also seeing his own son respond with empathy, responsibility, and compassion.
As a parent, he noted, success is important for one’s children, but even more meaningful is raising children who genuinely care about lifting others from difficult circumstances.
In many ways, the encounter between Alice and the McDan family became more than just another Youth Connect event. It became a powerful reminder of what resilience looks like in ordinary Ghanaian homes.
A teenage girl just finishing her BECE exams.
A mother battling for survival through a small catering business.
Flooded roads and heavy rain.
A soaked school uniform.
What looked like a mission impossible and an almost missed opportunity became a life-changing moment because someone refused to give up.
