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Developments:
Becky, a 20-year old waitress in a bustling streetside bar in downtown Accra, earns the equivalent of £1.20 a day , including tips, working from 7am to 5pm five days a week and from 7am to 4am (a 21-hour shift) on Fridays. 30p of this goes on transport to and from work. A further 40p goes on food. She lives with her aunt so she doesn't have to pay rent (she cleans the house and does a lot of the cooking instead). Every other Sunday she treats herself to a visit to the hairdresser, which costs £2. That leaves her with about £1.60 each week.
After leaving school a year ago, Becky couldn't afford to go to university, but now, after four months working, she has managed to save enough to attend three months of a computer course (cost: £15), starting in September. She's hoping to save a further £30 so she can attend the remaining two modules in the spring. Lessons are in the evening after work and they should make it easier to find a better job. Among Becky's other plans in the next year are to rent a room in town with her cousin and to buy a mobile phone (cost: £100). Even on a salary of £1.20 a day, she thinks her goals are achievable. So far, her calculations have been right.
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