I want to share a story with you—true, but I’ve changed the names. Let’s call them Kwame and Efua. They’re from Ghana, and they moved to the UK three years ago, full of hope, grit, and big dreams. Like most of us, they didn't come here just to survive—they came to build, not just here in the UK, but back home too.

Almost immediately after arriving, they got to work. Kwame landed a job in construction, and Efua started doing healthcare shifts. Every pound they earned was carefully planned. They lived frugally, sending money home to support their business while building a new warehouse at near Central Business District of Accra. Also, they demolished their modest two-bedroom family house near Airport Residential Area, and began the construction of their dream home—a beautiful mansion. To augument their domestic expenses they used credit cards, overdrafts from Monzo, and a personal loan from NatWest. Everything was going well. Or so it seemed.

But late last year, tragedy struck. Efuasuffered a mild stroke. Thankfully, she survived, but everything changed. Her ability to work was reduced, and with it, a big part of their household income vanished. Suddenly, the dream began to crack. The business back in Ghana started bleeding—sales slowed, overheads ballooned, and the economy back home offered no mercy. Meanwhile, Kwame was now forced to abandon the projects back home and support the family here in London on one income.

He turned to his business in Ghana for support but the exchange rate did not help matters. What seemed like huge withdrawals from their business account amount to a few pounds and barely covered their costs. Two months back, he showed me letters from creditors that will make your heart skip a beat. To make things more complicated, the stress of it all began to strain their marriage. Kwame and Efua’s once tightly knit family is now teetering on the edge.

What went wrong?