From refugee child to scholar – Andrews’ remarkable journey over last 30 years
A University of Bradford student has recalled being a child refugee sleeping next to dead bodies on board a ship while fleeing a war 30 years ago.
Andrews Adjei became a refugee in his native Ghana aged six in 1996 after leaving Liberia during the First Liberian Civil War, which ran between 1989 and 1997.
Alongside two of his sisters and one of his brothers, Andrews was on board The Bulk Challenge, a ship with thousands of passengers which left Monrovia, Liberia, on 5 May 1996 and docked in Takoradi, Ghana, nine days later, while the refugees then settled at a camp. His parents, who were missionaries in Liberia, stayed behind while some of their eight children fled the war.
Thirty years on, Andrews is studying MSc Sustainable Development at the University of Bradford as part of the Chevening Scholarship, the UK government’s global scholarship programme which brings young professionals who have already displayed leadership talents to study in the UK, but he recalls being on board Bulk Challenge.
Andrews, front row right, aged seven in 1997, with his family in Ghana. Image Credits: Andrews Adjei
‘A whole new world for me’
Andrews, 35, said: “The experience really shaped me. It was very, very traumatising. I saw dead bodies, you would sleep by them, walk by them and pass them. You would see it. You would experience it.
“Thousands of people were sharing the space. The ship was swinging from left to right. We were on the boat for more than a week.
“At six years old, it was a whole new world for me, running from a war situation and going into the sea. I became a refugee in my own country. It brings back memories and a big sense of responsibility.
“As a child, I did not understand life at that time. When the ship got to Ghana, the government had a Liberian camp. Organisations like Unicef and the United Nations would bring us aid and support. I have lived it and seen it. I was among the thousands of people getting food aid.
“I remember the sacrifices my parents made. Education became very challenging. I had to move from school-to-school. As a teenager, I had to carry my own table and chair on my head from my school to the examination hall, which was a 30 to 45-minute walk.”
Andrews, second row left, pictured with his family in Ghana aged seven in 1997. Image Credits: Andrews Adjei
University life
Andrews, a married father of two daughters who live in Ghana, took study leave from his role with Cocoa360, a non-profit organisation’s programme giving access to quality healthcare and education in rural cocoa-farming communities in Ghana, in September 2025 to start his one-year Master’s studies at the University of Bradford.
He is President of the students’ Sustainability Society, also volunteering as a student representative and ambassador.
He said: “The University has been a professional and practical space for my growth and development. It’s been able to free me to understand what I went through and turn it into analysis and policy making in the future.
“Bradford is my second home. It is diverse and affordable for students.”
Andrews Adjei is studying MSc Sustainable Development at the University of Bradford as part of the Chevening Scholarship. Image Credits: University of Bradford
What next?
Andrews will return to his job at Cocoa360 in Ghana after completing his studies this September, to expand community based healthcare and education schemes, advocate for equal access to schooling in underserved and conflict affected areas, and mentor emerging young leaders to ensure no child’s life is limited by war or poverty.
He plans to return to Bradford in two years’ time to study for a PhD in International Development and wants to become an MP in Ghana.
Andrews said: “I want to go back home after my studies to impact my community.
“You don’t know people’s stories, where they are from and what they have been through. You never know who you will meet tomorrow.”