Yaw Osarfo Shares His Harrowing Journey From Ghana to Germany on SVTV Africa
Yaw Osarfo, a Ghanaian now based in Germany, appeared on SVTV Africa’s Daily Hustle Worldwide show with DJ Nyaami, where he shared his powerful and emotional journey of migration, survival, faith, and family.
Yaw revealed that he was an Agricultural Officer in Ghana. Despite being well-educated, he said farming in Ghana was not financially rewarding for many professionals due to systemic challenges, even though agriculture is vital and productive in other parts of the world.
In search of better opportunities, he decided to travel abroad. Through a connection, Yaw moved to Syria, initially as a student, hoping to further his education. However, upon arrival, he realized that lectures were conducted in Arabic, a language he did not understand, making studies extremely difficult. Not long after, war broke out in the region, forcing him to flee the country.
Yaw described Syria as a peaceful and promising place before the war, stating that if not for the conflict, life there would have been good. During his stay, he attended school in the mornings and worked at a restaurant in the evenings to survive. He spent about one year in Syria, where he met friends who later became crucial to his journey.
One of the people he met at the restaurant introduced him to a dangerous migration route to Europe. Around the same time, his current wife—who had also come to Syria through the same school connection—joined him there. Together with another friend, they paid about $60 and began a terrifying journey from Syria to Damascus by road, spending nights in the bush.
Their journey continued through forests into Turkey, alongside about 200 people, including pregnant women, breastfeeding mothers, and children. From Turkey, they were pushed into a small boat by smugglers to cross the sea into Greece—an experience Yaw said he would never wish on his worst enemy.
They were 41 people on the boat. One person was arrested by Turkish police and delayed their departure. When they finally set off, they were stranded at sea for hours. Luckily, one person had an SOS number, which they called repeatedly. An aircraft circled them several times before help finally arrived. Yaw recalled the fear, especially because of the women and babies on board. After intense prayers, they were eventually rescued and taken to Greece.
In Greece, life was still tough. Yaw searched for jobs around the shipyards and survived on occasional work. In 2015, he became jobless, but during this difficult time, God blessed him and his wife with a child. His wife became the main provider while he stayed home, and he credits her unwavering support for keeping the family together.
Yaw shared that during this period, he had a dream in which God told him he would move to Germany, but only after his child arrived safely. Though it sounded impossible at the time, the dream later came true. His wife worked tirelessly, even traveling to Ireland for four months to save money. With her support, their child was moved to Germany first, and later Yaw followed.
Today, Yaw Osarfo and his family are settled in Germany, owning a car and living comfortably. He emphasized the importance of unity between husband and wife, stating that when couples work as one, their goals come faster.
Yaw also revealed that he has four children in Ghana, including twins. He praised his wife for standing by him even when he was unemployed, supporting him financially, and helping him send money to his children back home.
He concluded by advising Africans abroad to ask questions, seek information, and support one another, noting that many Africans suffer simply because they are afraid to ask for help.
“Where we are coming from, we are not used to asking questions—but that mindset must change,” he said.
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