Ghanaian humanitarian and child advocate RitaBella Esionam has shared how the challenges she experienced growing up influenced her decision to dedicate her life to helping vulnerable children and communities.
Esionam, who is also a philanthropist and event coordinator, said the values of kindness, discipline and selflessness instilled in her by her parents have remained central to her work.
Born on February 15, 1989, Esionam spent part of her childhood in Aflao before moving to James Town.
She said her father, a customs officer, and her mother, a trader, played important roles in shaping her character.
According to Esionam, her father was particularly generous towards people in need and often supported struggling families, helped children with their education and provided assistance to vulnerable people.
She said witnessing his acts of kindness inspired her from an early age and contributed to her desire to establish an orphanage for street-connected children.
However, her circumstances changed following the death of her father on December 28, 2004.
Esionam said her mother subsequently lost her business capital, forcing the family to start over and confront financial difficulties.
She recalled that she had to sell pure water and bread to support her family and pay her school fees as well as those of her younger sister.
Despite the challenges, Esionam said the experience strengthened her determination and developed her compassion for people facing similar difficulties.
Her commitment to helping vulnerable people eventually led to the establishment of No Limits Charity Organization in 2011.
Esionam said the organisation initially faced difficulties, particularly with funding and resources, but she continued working to support vulnerable children and teenagers in James Town.
She volunteered with other organisations to raise funds and also sought assistance from friends and philanthropists.
Her efforts eventually helped the organisation expand its programmes to include education, healthcare, vocational training and feeding initiatives.
Through its education programmes, No Limits Charity provides school uniforms, educational materials and other support to children in deprived communities.
The organisation has also established a learning centre in James Town with a library and ICT centre.
It has further supported young people with vocational training in areas including hairdressing, tailoring, barbering, makeup and shoemaking.
Feeding programmes are another major component of Esionam’s humanitarian activities.
The organisation fed about 200 children during its first Christmas feeding programme in 2012, with the number increasing to 1,000 children from 2015 onwards.
Between 2020 and 2022, the organisation provided food support to about 200 widows and elderly people in James Town.
In 2023, it extended its feeding programme to the Domangberi community in the Savannah Region.
In 2024, the organisation also donated food items to 200 widows in Gomoa.
Beyond feeding programmes, No Limits Charity has provided National Health Insurance Scheme cards to hundreds of children and elderly people and organised health screening exercises.
The organisation has also provided startup capital to some mothers of beneficiaries to help them establish businesses and support their families.
Esionam said her commitment to humanitarian work is rooted in the example set by her parents and her own childhood experiences.
“Service is sacred to me,” she said, explaining that she sees her younger self in the children she supports.
She said her experiences have motivated her to advocate for vulnerable children and help them gain access to education, healthcare and other opportunities.
Esionam also encouraged young women facing difficult circumstances not to allow their challenges to prevent them from pursuing their goals.
“Your pain is not your prison. It is your platform,” she said.
She urged young women to remain focused on their dreams, maintain their faith and use their experiences as motivation to create positive change.
For Esionam, her journey from selling bread and pure water to support her family to leading humanitarian initiatives demonstrates how difficult experiences can inspire a lifelong commitment to serving others.
