John Baptist Ayedze and his twin were forced into an early street life because nobody wanted them
To especially mothers, the gift of children is a precious thing; one that they do not allow even the most daunting circumstances to steal away from them, but in the case of John Baptist Ayedze (now a lawyer), and his twin brother, the broken pieces of his family launched them into early lives of the unknown.
And it all started when they were about nine (9) years old and their mother had to re-marry.
What was supposed to be an opportunity for them to be welcomed with open-arms under a new roof, was their first rejection – right in the face because, “the man she got married to said that he did not want have anything to do with this boy.”
It was a place between a rock and a hard place for their mother but she wanted to remain married and so, as John shared on Joy FM, they had to find their way out and begin their solo survival.
But their father was alive at the time so they turned to him, largely hopeful, even though, as he also shared, “I’ve never seen the two of them (parents) together since I grew up.”
Luck, once again, was not on their side when their father – who was never in the picture, because until then, they had only been living with their mother, equally rejected them.
“So, that’s how the troubles started. I was 9-10 years old. I tell people that since I was 9 years old, I’ve been taking care of myself to date… my mom agreed to this but now, I think she doesn’t agree that it was a good idea but that’s what happened.
“I have one brother – we are twins. So, we had to go to my dad and he said no and that is where the issues started. I left home with him but along the line, he travelled along the line but we went through the difficulties together before he finally went to the US,” he shared.
As to how they survived from such a young age, also after their final attempt with an uncle from their maternal side being disinterested in taking them in, he said the streets became their new home, while the dustbins were their wardrobes.
“I got my dressing from the dustbins. My shoes, I go to the dustbin. So, what I did was that during the day, I would go and do some surveillance work, check one or two things and place them at strategic points and during the night, I just go and pick them.
“And then eating, we go to the chop bars and all those places where people eat and then go for the leftovers. That was how I used to get my food. It was really difficult,” he explained.
Watch the snippet of his interview below:
He’s been fending for himself since age 9.
Abandoned, rejected by his mother’s husband, and left to survive the streets with his twin brother — John Baptist Ayedze, Esq. had no choice but to sleep rough and fight for a future. #DriveOnJoy pic.twitter.com/WTsgO0fSPQ— Joy 99.7 FM (@Joy997FM) July 24, 2025
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