As Black History Month draws to a close Staff Nurse, Yaw Afrifa, has shared his personal story.

"The Afrifa family are delighted to share our journey with you as we sail through this year's Black History Month.

"My journey started In Ghana, Ashanti region, in a town called Mampong. I was raised together with five other siblings. I spent most of my formative years in a suburb of Mampong named Atonsuagya. Just as most of the Ghanaian culture in those years, every child in the community was raised by all the members without discrimination. Societal values were inherent from the adults. Culture and values demanded respect and obedience to the instructions of the elders.

"After primary school, I continued my education in Amaniampong Senior High School, Mampong from 2004 to 2007 where I studied General Science. My vision was to be a health worker, a job which I have desired due to the poor healthcare in my community. I enrolled into Agogo Presbyterian Nursing and Midwifery Training College between 2009 and 2012. I completed with a Diploma in Registered General Nursing with outstanding performance.

"The Ghana Health Service posted me to Juaben Government Hospital and I worked as a Qualified Nurse between 2014 and 2020. I got married in August 2019. In July 2020, I left Ghana to go to Barbados to practise as a nurse on 2-year contract due to covid. This was a tough decision for me as my wife was pregnant when I was leaving. The thirst to look for a new environment and to harness new skills and knowledge in my profession became a pivot for this journey. I studied BSC in Nursing at the University of Derby, England while working in Barbados.

"At the end of my contract in Barbados, I looked for other job opportunities especially in England. I attended some interviews and had offers, however my heart was not satisfied. Finally, I saw the advert at CHFT and applied. I was thrilled with their interview and recruitment process. The smiles on their faces during the interview made me felt at home and this resulted in a decision to come to CHFT. I arrived in England in July 2022 without my family, however I enjoyed the warmth received from the CHFT family. Finally, I was reunited with my family in June 2023.

"I was initially attached to CRH theatres and later redeployed to endoscopy where I currently work in a Band 6 Development Role. The major challenges which I encountered was living away from my family and getting used to the weather in England. Also, how to interact with different nationals especially in communication. My wife and our children are thrilled to be here as we live together as family. We are proud of ourselves. We hope our story will inspire others."