SUPPORTING AN AMBITIOUS FUTURE
BERNICE KRAKANI is raising two sons, working full-time and attending graduate school at the University of Oregon full-time.
It’s a heavy load, and one that is made more complicated by the fact that she came from Ghana, where it is traditional for women to forgo their own educational goals in order to stay home to raise children.
Bernice lived in Ghana, West Africa, until she was 24. In 2011, she moved to the United States and gave birth to both her children here.
“The burden to take care of family life falls on me because I am the mom,” she says. “And then for me to do all that I am doing and not be able to afford childcare is frustrating.”
The Y offers afterschool care at Buena Vista for her oldest and last year offered preschool care for her youngest.
“The Y works with me and listens when I need help,” she says. “The Y just offers support so that I don’t end up feeling guilty, which is a relief.”
The programs not only help her navigate her full schedule but also provide a nurturing environment for her boys. Both her boys play sports through the Y.
“I love the swimming embedded in the preschool program,” she says. “I see my son not being scared of the water. He learned real life skills from the Y.”
It’s important to Bernice that her children learn these essential life skills because she has big dreams for her family. She hopes to return to Ghana after she finishes her master’s degree in education and gains some experience in the United States. Her aspirations are ambitious: she wants to help preserve native languages and literacy through United Nations programs.
“Most of the countries in West Africa were colonized by the British and the native languages were not valued,” she says. “It’s a tragedy to lose this history. I encourage other parents from this region to teach their children the native language.”
Bernice and her sons speak Ewe at home. Ewe is the name of the language spoken in Ghana by approximately 4.5 million people as a first language. Like many African languages, Ewe is tonal.
Bernice shares an African proverb that speaks to her life’s quest: “If you educate a man, you educate one person. If you educate a woman, you educate a whole nation.”
The proverb stems from African families’ emphasis on education for boys and the reality that whole communities suffer when girls and women are denied educational opportunities.
Bernice’s community-minded focus is perfectly aligned with that of the Y. The Eugene Family YMCA promises to welcome and include everyone and not turn anyone away due to financial barriers.
