Member of Parliament for Bosomtwe and former Minister for Education, Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum, has recounted how an unexpected act of kindness from a stranger helped his younger brother travel to Germany and eventually paved the way for his own journey to the United States.

Speaking on The Career Trail programme aired on Joy Learning TV and Joy News, Dr Adutwum said the story began when his younger brother expressed interest in studying abroad after hearing discussions about opportunities in Germany.

“One day, my brother said to me, I hear some people discussing travelling to Germany to go to school, why don’t you help me go to school in Germany too? '” he recalled.

Dr Adutwum explained that he initially doubted the possibility, given that his brother was only a middle school graduate at the time. However, he later decided to explore the option and applied for his brother to attend a German language school.

Although his brother secured admission, they encountered a major obstacle during the visa process.

“The big issue when I went to the German embassy with him was that we needed somebody with a foreign bank statement to sponsor him. And in my family, even a local bank statement was difficult to come by,” he explained.

According to Dr Adutwum, a breakthrough came unexpectedly while he was walking with a friend near Republic Hall at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST).

“We were entering Republic Hall at the Porter’s Lodge when a guy passed us, turned back and asked, ‘What do you want?’ I said I needed a foreign bank statement,” he recounted.

He said the stranger immediately offered assistance after explaining that his uncle had provided him with extra bank statements for his own travel arrangements to Germany.

“He said, ‘Yeah, my uncle has brought me two to travel to Germany. I can give you one,” he narrated.

The document enabled his brother’s visa application to succeed, allowing him to travel to Germany to pursue his studies. Dr Adutwum described the moment as the beginning of a life-changing journey for his family.

Years later, after completing national service and struggling to secure employment, Dr Adutwum said his brother, who was then settled abroad, decided to support him in pursuing opportunities in the United States.

“Some of my brother’s friends who had gone to America were doing very well, so he said he wanted to sponsor me,” he said.

Dr Adutwum explained that the decision eventually led to his relocation to the United States within six months.

He also shared a humorous account of his early cultural experiences after arriving in America, while travelling by Greyhound bus from New York to California.

“At every bus stop, the food I saw there was mainly hot dogs. I was starving. I didn’t know Americans eat dog meat. I had to be told it was beef before I could eat it,” he said.