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General News of Monday, 13 July 2015

Source: Samuel Ablordeppey

Disappointed Kuwaiti lady says 'Alhaji Sinare saved my life'

Alhaji Said Sinare - Ghana Ambassador to Saudi ArabiaAlhaji Said Sinare - Ghana Ambassador to Saudi Arabia

A young lady who returned from Kuwait feeling disappointed, dejected and in a state of awe said her life was in absolute mess and all hope was lost thus she decided to end her life but for the timely intervention by the Ghana Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Alhaji Said Sinare.

Recounting her ordeal in Kuwait, Grace said it was hell on earth to work as a maidservant in Kuwait. "I was frustrated, abused and treated like an animal just because I wanted to make a decent living for myself."

"At a point I wanted to drink poison and die because I thought I was worthless and less of a human. Had it not been for the intervention by Ambassador Sinare I would have been dead by now," Grace said.

According to her, she wanted to further her education but due to financial constraints she decided to travel to Kuwait to seek for greener pastures so she could return to Ghana to continue with her education but she ended up coming home more frustrated.

Narrating how she got to Kuwait, Grace said she met a travel agent Mr. Derek Botchwey who told her to pay thousand dollars to facilitate her travel to Kuwait where she could earn thousand five hundred dollars a month under a program called visa 18 through the agency in Kuwait 'Al Habib recruitment agency.

She indicated that under the visa 18 program she could get a decent job and also explore more opportunities while in Kuwait, but to her dismay, she got to her destination just to be told her arrangement was under the visa 20 policy.

Under the visa 20, prospective workers are confined in the houses of their masters who abuse, assault and misuse them.

"I cook for eleven people including my boss, wife, seven kids and two other house-helps. I was not allowed to eat the food that I cook, the only meal I fed on was the remains of my boss and kids. I work eighteen hours a day from 6am-12 midnight."

She stated that when she fell sick nobody cared for her, the system went down into my psychological system. I felt worthless and I thought at a point I was actually worth nothing.

She noted that she was paid two hundred and fifty dollars instead of the expected thousand five hundred dollars she was promised by the agents under her two years contract.

"In Kuwait, when you are a maid, then it means that you had been sold to your master, even when I fell from a staircase and got my head and hands bruised, my master did not care but asked and pressurized me to still cook for the household.

"I got the telephone number to the embassy through a friend and when I contacted the ambassador and told him of my predicament he did not hesitate but came to my rescue as quickly as possible, though he had it tough with my boss who didn't want to release me.

"I am so grateful to Alhaji Sinare for buying my ticket and making it able for me to come back home. He is such a wonderful man. God bless him so much.

"What I will say is that my experiences in Kuwait have changed and shaped my perception of life. It has made me strong and wise. "

She advised all who seek to travel outside to seek greener pastures to take their time and do proper scrutiny and enquiries before they took a step.

This is about the fifth lady that Alhaji Sinare has rescued and brought home from Kuwait.