Jonathan seeks help from NI dairy experts for his return to Ghana

Jonathan Kweku Amoah hasn't been home in four and a half years, after he was effectively abandoned in Northern Ireland after injuring his hand and was left to apply for asylum status.

He has now obtained compensation for his accident and is preparing to return home to his wife and two children next month.

Jonathan plans to use the money to buy a farm, establish a dairy herd and use the proceeds to support his work in his community as a methodist minister.

However, he is hoping that people with expertise within the local dairy industry will help him with advice as he begins to make plans for his new life back home.

It has been four and a half years since Jonathan left Ghana and he describes the intervening period as 'difficult'.

During the past few years he has become like a son to Ballyhalbert couple Terry and Mary Morrison after a chance encounter. Terry first met Jonathan on a bus while he was travelling for a medical appointment.

Jonathan explained: "After my injury I was brought to an Air B&B at Ballywalter so from there I was going to the hospital for dressings so I met Terry on the bus one morning. He was working at the Ulster Hospital. He was sitting behind me and I was talking to one lady who was on the bus and encouraging her to talk to people about Christ and invited her to church. I don't know what he overheard us talking about, but it was the things of God."

Jonathan had been involved in the fishing industry in Ghana but had left for a few years, before renewing his documents. He then had the opportunity of working in Wales, Dublin and Northern Ireland, but ended up working out of Portavogie.

Jonathan arrived in Portavogie on 7 May 2029 but sustained his injury just a short time later on 31st July.

He explained: "In the process of tailing prawns I felt a sting on my little finger. I took my gloves off to see, but there was nothing. After three hours I saw that it had swelling. I showed it to my skipper and he said it was a point jab and that it was normal and I should take pain killers and continue working and it would be fine."

Jonathan's hand continued to swell and when he went back to the skipper his colleagues tried to remove the piece of the prawn from his hand.

His hand continued to swell, and Jonathan worked for another three days.

"We were out for three days and it was so sore I couldn't do anything with it. We were away out in the Scottish waters," he continued.

"I went back to him and I said 'no I can't work with it any more'. So I went from the Scottish waters back to Portavogie."

The following day Jonathan contacted the skipper again and stressed that he needed medical attention for his hand. His skipper told him to continue to take the pain killers and steep his hand in warm water.

By the time Jonathan eventually was taken to hospital late on the Saturday night, the hand was badly infected.

"At about 10pm they called me up and I gave the man the information and he took samples so I had to wait for the results. At 1am on Sunday morning he came for me and he took me to the ward and then a doctor came in to see my hand. She tried to squeeze some of the fluid out of my hand to see. In the morning the doctor came and said that they were going to take me to the theatre. Around 7pm on Sunday evening they took me to the theatre."

The medical staff told Jonathan that because it had taken so long to get to the hospital, the hand was infected so they were going to clean it and get everything out.

After the surgery, Jonathan's wound caught an infection of MRSA so he lost a lot of the flesh on his hand and at one point his tendons were exposed.

"I realised then it was not going well and they would have to go to a second surgery quickly before I would lose my hand," he said.

In early August he was back in theatre for a skin graft to cover up the wound and the recovery process took around six months. Physio and exercises followed to get movement but Jonathan still can't grip properly with his hand.

Describing his first meeting with Jonathan, Terry explained: "So I met him on the bus. He had basically been abandoned at the B&B so when I meet anyone on buses I invite them to dinner. Jonathan has become like a son."

Terry said that following the accident the Home Office had been keen to have Jonathan return home to Ghana, but if he had done so he would have ended up in a 'debtors prison' due to the money had had borrowed before leaving for his job in Northern Ireland

A lawyer was instructed, and they applied for asylum for Jonathan.

"So four years later Jonathan has got his compensation so at least something has been righted," said Terry.

"Jonathan is very entrepreunerial. He became a volunteer for our own charity 'Actively transforming youth and commmunity' and taking these children over to Capernwray and while he was there he was volunteering in the Lake District."

Through this connections were made with the Wilson family in Omagh who operate a large dairy farm and who have had him down for a visit.

"I think Jonathan is a classic example of Jonah," said Terry. "Jonah got caught by a whale, he got caught by a shrimp. So now he is going back to be a minister and have a business.

"I have no doubt that God is going to use Jonathan. But we need to meet the right people to support Jonathan - and I don't mean financially, I just mean advice wise."

Jonathan believes that dairy farming can be a niche market in Ghana, which mainly relies on milk powder.

He will be living in central Ghana where the climate is not too hot and could be termed as green and lush - well suited to dairying.

Irrigation systems are also possible for the growth of grass and crops and rotation grazing.

When Jonathan returns to Ghana in September he will be going to his village to see the 'King' or 'chief' who also happens to be a relation.

"That is where we come from - my mum's lineage - so I am going to speak to them. I have mentioned to my mum that I would like a farm. For land in our village you have to see the chief, tell them the purpose of acquiring the land. So they can lease it to you for 99 years and you have an agreement that you have to give them one third of whatever you get off the land. It's an agreement but it depends on what you are going to do on the land. So if I get ten bottles of cow's milk, I give them two bottles or one, or three - it depends on the agreement. But then you can also buy the land if you have the money but you buy it from the community.

"So I am going back to talk to them about this to see how I go."

Before Jonathan left Ghana he was involved in youth ministry with the Methodist church and was appointed to the lay ministry just a week before he left for Northern Ireland.

"I will go back to the ministry and be with the youth and then go to the bible college,"he explained.

While in Northern Ireland Jonathan has been with the African Charismatic church and has been training as a pastor.

"When I go back to Ghana I will be going to bible school and I am looking forward to becoming a pastor, but I want to be open and I want to be out there for everyone not like 'because you are in this denomination you can't have the opportunity to go to this denomination'. I want to be out there for everyone. Jesus was there for everyone, he wasn't there for a denomination."

Jonathan described the past four years away from his family as 'tough'.

"It has not been easy, but all glory to God, all things work together for good, so things have worked together for good. Going back home I believe I will do better."

As Jonathan prepares to return home, he is seeking some 'agricultural friends' from Northern Ireland - someone to give advice on the process of setting up his dairy business, from equipment, to cows to best practice.

Cows in Ghana are reared for beef, not milk, so Jonathan believes there is a good market for a new dairy business.

Anyone who feels able to support Jonathan with advice can contact Terry via email at [email protected]

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