You Can Promote Literacy in Africa-- AND Win Prizes!

Over at Reach for the Stars, we're holding a raffle to raise money for 5 kids from New Life to go to high school! For as little as $5 bucks and spreading the word, you can get up to five entries for some amazing handmade Ghanaian prizes. So what's the story?

When I was 20, I ditched college and took off for Africa. I thought it would be the adventure of a lifetime, and it was. But it ended up being so much more than that. For four months, I taught the children at New Life International Orphanage and learned more about patience and love than I had in the last twenty years of my life combined. I made friends and learned to live in a different world. Most importantly, I realized that it was real life for the people in Ghana-- not the amazing adventure I'd come for.When I was 20, I ditched college and took off for Africa.

One particular boy I got close to was Michael. On my last day in Ghana, he quietly asked me as we walked down the dusty road if I would remember him. I have never forgotten him; I have prayed for him, sent letters to him, and visited him again in 2008. And now I have the chance to do more-- help him continue his education. In Ghana, high school isn't compulsory, and it isn't free. Michael and four of his friends have passed their exams to go, they just don't have the money to get there.

Here's the cool thing: you can help-- and you can have a chance to get some really cool Ghanaian stuff in the process.

Please help Michael and these other kids that I know and love raise the money they need to break out of their poverty!

New Life and Sankofa Updates!

Here are some updates from Amanda, who's doing some work with both Sankofa and New Life! (She previously volunteered at New Life.)

"I've talked to David and he sounds like such an amazing person. I'm so excited to be able to help out with the things he wants because he has such distinct plans for what he wants the school to become and how he is going to do it, he just needs the means. To begin he says he wants to do a full-scale farm with chickens, goats, cows, really randomly ducks, and all sorts of veggies to help pay the teachers salaries and feed the kids so we're gonna finance that. People in the village have also offered there land because they're so grateful for everything he's done. Sarah [Frank] says shes working with BlueKitabu to set up an internet cafe as well but I'm very removed from that so don't have any other deets on it.

"For New Life Derrick says he wants a technology center so we applied to Computer Aid for 10 computers. I actually think we have a really good shot of getting them and then we can add all sorts of educational games for them that I really hope they actually use. Do you remember John and Nicholas? They want to put him into an apprenticeship so he can learn a trade and then there are 5 children going into high school who will need help funding and lots of others in the coming years going so we'll help fund that too. I'm positive we'll have enough money for that and then depending on how much the farm costs (David hasn't gotten back with an estimate yet) I'm pretty sure we'll have enough money to sponsor Gloria to go to university or whatever education she would like after high school. Depending on how much we can save in the future I'm hoping we can sponsor other kids for university too.

"I am so excited for the opportunity to be able to work with David. His ability to make something from absolutely nothing is awe inspiring and I feel like with just a little bit of help he can do so much for the kids."

Impressions of Ghana #3: Cities, Structures, and Villages

Again, it's been a while! I'm so busy right now I'm afraid blogging just doesn't happen much. I don't have many new updates, just that things are going well at New Life, and Sankofa is still in need of help and donations. Hopefully, a former New Life volunteer who is doing an internship in Senegal will be able to help a bit at Sankofa soon! I'll post details when I know more. So in the meantime, how about an "Impressions of Ghana" post!

When I first went to Ghana, I had a friend ask if I had thought they all lived in trees. I hadn't, but I also hadn't pictured the things I saw. Like most Westerners, I saw Ghana as rural villages with grass-leaf huts. While there are places that look like that, there's a lot more to Ghana!

This is the Independence Arch in Accra. It's a symbol of their independence, with the country's motto "Freedom and Justice" and the year "AD 1957" emblazoned on it. The black star is a symbol of African freedom (even their soccer team is called the Black Stars).
Traffic in Accra is comparable to traffic in any big city. It's loud, noisy, and crowded! Accra is a big city in every sense of the word.

This is a main intersection in Cape Coast, with the crab monument in the center (the crab is a symbol for Cape Coast's booming fishing trade). Lined with houses, shops, and small stands, it is often crowded with cars and pedestrians fighting for space, as there are few, if any, sidewalks in Ghana. Cape Coast has the feel of a still large but more urban city.

Not all streets in Ghana's cities are paved-- many side streets, even in larger cities like Cape Coast, are packed dirt. In smaller cities, there may not be any paved streets at all.

Some villages in Ghana are very unique-- take Nzulezo stilt village, for example. The village is built over a lake in the Amansuri wetlands, and the only way to get there from the town of Beyin is by canoe. The town has it's own "main street" (a main wooden walkway through the town), and it's residents live quite normal lives, cooking, fishing, working, going to school, and going about their lives just as anyone else might.
There are many shops in Ghana lining the streets. This one, outside Kumasi in 2005, was one of my favorites. If you look closely, you will see that this artist/sign painter chose to depict Osama bin Laden, George Bush, and Sadaam Hussein. Look even closer, and you will see the two Middle Eastern dictators looking quite pleasant, while George Bush looks rather fierce. I found this incredibly amusing.
There are, of course, those mud huts featured so prominently in Western movies and television. In the north of Ghana, these homes often have flat roofs to allow for drying grains or other things on the roof in the hot sun. You may notice a wire leading from a stick through the home's wall-- it has electricity.
This village, near Nkoranza in more central Ghana, is also a common Westerner view of Ghana. Mud huts, again, but with thatched palm or corrugated tin roofs rather than flat ones.

Here is a view of a portion of Cape Coast. Here, houses are built primarily of concrete, which weathers the climate of Ghana quite well. Apartment buildings and individual homes may often be more similar to Western homes than many expect-- they have tile floors, televisions, and furniture often reminiscent of something in your own home.

Here is another example of Ghanaian culture-- Elmina Slave Fort. These "castles" dot the coastline of Ghana, and were used in older days as forts for the various colonizers and ports for shipping out slaves. Many are now museums dedicated to remembering this tragic past with a promise never to repeat it.
Religious buildings, such as this beautiful mosque, are common in Ghana. Christian churches and Muslim mosques often stand near each other, particularly in the south (the north is primarily Muslim). Religious tolerance in Ghana is quite high.

Here is an example of a Christian church in Accra. The temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is a beautiful representation of the strong Christian presence in the south of Ghana.

I'm Alive! And here are some updates...

Sorry for the long silence! What with the last trimester of pregnancy and being a new mom, I've had a lot on my plate! I'm enjoying being a mother, and now have a little time to do some updates, and maybe some more Issues and Impressions posts in the near future.

You'll notice that New Life has a new webpage! It's the same address, but the site has been completely revamped and looks great! Check it out if you get the chance. Also, two volunteers, Lanaya and Mason, traveled to Ghana last month! Mason has since returned home, but Lanaya is still volunteering. She spent some time at Sankofa, and is now enjoying working at New Life.

On the volunteer note, 15-year-old Emma and her mother are hoping to travel to Ghana this December! They are going to be working with David at Sankofa, and are trying hard to raise money for the trip and for the school. On the school note, David has managed to get some donations, and the school building has been started! We're so happy about this, and grateful to those who have helped in any way! Here are a few pictures!

David with one of the children.

The new school is finally going up!

Updates from the Orphanages

Boy. It's been a while. Here's a bit on the news front:

New Life
The kids at New Life are doing well. Currently, Zoe, a former volunteer, has returned and is enjoying her time with the children. We're hoping for more updates on her return!

Sankofa
Sankofa is not doing so well at the moment. David is struggling even to be able to pay the teachers, who have now gone on strike. Several of us are looking into strategies to help with management of the school and orphanage. In good news, David states that enough donations came through to put in a foundation for a permanent school building, and the parents in the village are eager to contribute to the labor. Of course, more funding is needed to finish buying the materials. If you would like to contribute to the building effort, or (more importantly at the moment) to the teacher's fund, please visit www.chworldwide.org.

Lucky Hill
On the adoption front at Lucky Hill, things are going very well! Many children have been able to join their families, including Comfort, a special young lady with heart problems. After successful surgery, she is now recovering in the arms of her family. We wish the best to all the children at Lucky Hill, and pray for those still waiting to join their families! See Lucky Hill's Yahoo group for more information.

Families for Children
Work on the school building and hostel for Families for Children is going slow. The hope is to get the hostel built first. Once completed, it will provide a place for volunteers to stay, as well as any travelers, local or foreign. It will also hopefully provide revenue for the school, as well as vocational training to the older students, making the program sustainable. If you would like to make a contribution to this effort please contact Shallee for information on making a tax-deductible donation.

On the Importance of Education in Rural Africa

I apologize for the lack of recent posts. I'm happy to say, it's due to good news on my part-- I'm pregnant! Now that I have crossed the second trimester threshold and have a little energy, I'll hopefully be a bit more diligent about posting.

Today, I'd like to give you a message from Derrick Gaisie, director of New Life International Orphanage, on the importance of education. It's a little long, but an excellent look at rural education from an insiders point of view. If you would like to donate to help New Life continue to provide for students in rural areas, please go here!

Derrick (center in orange) with New Life's teachers: (L to R) unknown, Frank, Olivia, Elizabeth, Derrick, Theophilus, Evelyn, Aisha, Mr. Arthur, and Jackie

"Growing up poor in isolated rural areas and small towns is qualitatively different from growing up poor in the cities. Yet most of what experts know about the effects of poverty on children’s development comes from studies conducted in big cities. The development of every child in the early days of its childhood is understood to be foundational for later cognitive and social development and early success in school. However, knowledge of relations among cognitive and social-emotional aspects of self-development in childhood and the relation of child characteristics and early experience to developing self-regulation is quite limited.


Poverty is associated with stress and increased risk for poor child outcomes in the transition to school. Poverty is likely to disrupt family processes that are critical for establishing early childhood competencies associated both with cognitive and socio-emotional development and success in school. Children living in rural areas do not have access to quality educational structures like tables, chairs, or conducive classroom blocks for teaching and learning which in the long run affects how best a child grasps knowledge impacted to them by the rural teachers.


Particularly important in this project is the measurement of the quality of childcare/ Head Start experiences from birth through school age through actual observation of the care setting in the rural homes, the observation and transcription of book reading experiences in the home by both mothers and fathers, and the observation of the quality of instruction in the elementary school classroom as children make the transition to formal schooling. The above issues are very much critical to the children under review and under the care of New Life International [which is located in a rural area]. About 70 per cent of the poor live in rural areas.


Ghana is located on the west coast of Africa and the central region is a coastal stretch of land from the boarders of Accra being the capital to the demarcation separating central region from the western region. About 70 percent of people make a living from the primary industry, mainly agriculture; and education is an essential prerequisite for reducing poverty, improving agriculture and the living conditions of rural people and building a food-secure environment. Education is a basic right in itself. In spite of this, children's access to quality education in rural areas is still much lower than in urban areas, adult illiteracy is much higher and the quality of education is poorer. Expanding access to quality education for rural people is thus of crucial importance in the realization of human rights for all and in achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).


New Life International as a non-profit, non-sectarian and non-governmental but charitable organization has planted its self in the middle of a rural certain in Cape Coast, central region of Ghana to offer quality education to children who are orphans, vulnerable and needs protection/Training, and to serve as an educational hub in that location (Ansapatu Village near Cape Coast). It is an educational hub in the sense that children in that locality find it extremely difficult to read, understand and pass their exams and this has become a problem for all rural children. NLI has been able to build three classroom blocks which is currently serving as a school for primary education KG 1-2, Nursery and primary 1-6 for less fortunate children (orphans, vulnerable and needy children) in the community. There has been a lot of changes in Ghana’s educational policy and gradually improving. The facilities that we have now are not the best but needs immediate improvement.


The size of our 3 classroom blocks are becoming smaller and the number of children admitted into the school is growing everyday. At the moment we are running 3 class groups in one room. The congestion and the instance where one class group will have to read aloud whiles the other class needs concentration to learn and etc are our fundamental problem.This phenomenon has brought about the need to separate all classes from each other. Kindergarten 1, 2, nursery and class 1 are run in one classroom block. Classes 2, 3, 4 in another classroom and 5 and 6 are also in another room.


Again, Ghana Education Service, the oversight authority of Ghana’s education in the district has given some recommendations of change and as a result, New Life International should and must construct 9 classroom block so that we can separate the classes to enhance teaching and learning. Secondly, as part of the new educational policy in Ghana, every school must have what we call “ICT center” where some amount of computers are wired and functional for the children to use as part of their core subject(computer studies) when they write their ninth grade exams nationwide. (JHS EXAMS) These computers would help the children and the surrounding communities to learn computer studies and enhance their knowledge in computer technology as the world is now globalized. This is educational policy.


The statistics that is characterized by school drop out in the area between the ages of 13 and 17 are very much alarming and this happens before attaining the age of 20.They end up becoming “child farmer” and or “child labourer” on building construction sites in the community. This trend has been the case for years and new life international over the years (10yrs) has been the center trying to change this phenomenon. There are schools in the community but their outputs are nothing to write home about. Yes they exist. We want to establish our junior High School block so that we can give the children a proper education when it comes to teaching and learning. This will benefit the whole community.


Many children come to school as composites of the broken pieces in their lives: divorce, homelessness, learning disabilities, and from homes in which they must become self-sufficient at an early age. Some must deal with crime, suffer abuse and neglect from adults; or become parents while still children themselves. These problems must be addressed comprehensively to deliver needed services. As the founder of NLI has said, "We cannot take just one fragment of a child's life and make a difference.We have to look at the whole of a child's life." When all necessary systems work together, change can happen. Our services has always to give children under care the needed support in the area of education (school), shelter, food, healthcare, social and moral discipline for them to able to face the challenges our times and to contribute their quota the development of Ghana.The government has done its best to give free education by introducing what we call “capitation grant” and school feeding programmes for some selected schools in the country but large numbers of the rural schools are facing problem of “access to quality education.”


NLI has been the bridge to close the “educational gap” between the rural and urban schools specifically Ansapatu village, Cape Coast and its surrounding villages and towns in central region of Ghana. NLI admits needy, vulnerable and orphan children into our “children center” give them everything that a child would need. NLI currently cares for two categories of children namely: resident and non-resident. There are kids who reside in the children’s center and virtually live completely in the “home” ages between 11 months to 18 yrs while other children come from within the communities, attend free school and leave. Residents in the children center numbers up 45. Total children under review are 198. We will want to build 9 classroom blocks which would be used for teaching and learning. Two of the classrooms would be used for computer center and library and the rest for academic work (JHS or junior High School) inclusive). New Life Preparatory School is serving the children of the community who have been identified or brought to the center for support, but the larger picture is to ensure that the whole area benefits from the quality of education we offer. We need your support!"

-Derrick Fletcher Gaisie
Director, New Life International Orphanage and
New Life Preparatory School
Ghana

Classroom Chaos-- A Day in the Life of an Orphanage Volunteer Teacher in Ghana

I walked into the classroom at New Life with great trepidation. A tremendous noise was coming from that room, and I dreaded what I would see.

I saw children, children everywhere. Classes 1, KG1, KG2, and Nursery were all held in this room. That meant 50 children ages 2 to 7 in one room. If you've never seen that many kids of that age together, you wouldn't believe the noise that can be made.

I wanted my verandah back.

Some of the Nursery class eating lunch, 2008

In 2005, I had taught the nursery class at the orphanage on a verandah because there were no classrooms. Back then, Nursery had consisted of ten kids between 2 and 7 years old. Though it wasn't a real classroom, it was at least our very own. I didn't know how I was possibly going to teach the fifteen or so children that now made up nursery in a room this noisy. Not to mention the fact that nursery now really meant nursery-- none of the kids in the class were older than 4.

Shallee on the verandah with the nursery class, 2005

Catherine waved me over to the bouncing, chatting nursery corner. We would be teaching together, which I was happy for. Not only would we be able to help each other, but I was happy to have finally met Catherine, whom I'd only had email contact with previously. The teaching began. It consisted of us shouting out colors, numbers, and stories, trading places when our voices got tired. Coloring was my favorite part of the day because it didn't require me to yell, but I did eventually lose my voice for about a week.

Alice, left, and her friends color in nursery, 2008

And yet, hard as it was, I was happy to be back at New Life teaching. Though I was only there every other day because of my responsibilities at Sankofa, I loved being back in this familiar place. I loved looking across the room and seeing Benjie and Adjoa, who had been in my original nursery class, busily writing in their books in class 1, knowing I had had at least a small hand in helping them get there. I loved talking with the kids in my new class in Fante, trying to help them understand the very basics of education. I loved playing with the children at breaktime, and watching them on the new playground equipment. I loved getting to know Catherine, my fellow teacher.

Shallee on the playground with some of New Life's children, 2008

But I definitely did not love that classroom. It severely limited the learning potential of all the children-- there were just too many of them in one room. New Life is now trying to build an additional classroom onto the school building, hoping to separate the classes so they can actually hear their teachers speak. If you would like to donate to this project, please head over to Catherine's website, Children's Helpers Worldwide, and make a donation to New Life's classroom fund!

Shallee and Catherine outside the classroom with some of the children, 2008

Elizabeth- A Virtuoso Pianist in the Making

One of the things I wanted to do on this most recent trip to Ghana was to teach the children to use the keyboard I knew another volunteer had left. I spoke with my old piano teacher, bought the beginner books she recommended, and had high hopes of eager and proficient students. I'm always an idealist.

Of course, things never work out the way you think they well-- especially in Ghana. It wasn't until my last day at New Life I actually managed to find time to pull out the books, bring in the batteries, and dig up the keyboard. I knew there wasn't much time, but maybe, I thought, I can at least teach them enough that they can use the books to teach themselves.

Most of the kids were either too busy or not interested to sit in on the lessons. Belinda, Elizabeth, and Ophelia were the most interested. I taught them about the different beats each note gets. We clapped through several sections, trying to get the timing right. To my surprise, Elizabeth could clap out each pattern almost flawlessly.

And that wasn't all. As I began to teach them which keys were which note, she began to zip through the songs that labeled each note. She wasn't actually reading the music, but she was able to read the labeled notes and remember exactly which ones were which on the keyboard. And she kept perfect time. Belinda and Ophelia did pretty good too, but whenever they got the timing or note wrong, Elizabeth immediately corrected them. I was astounded. She was a natural.

Belinda, Elizabeth, and Ophelia check out the next song in the book.

We played through some more songs, and I let them look at the part that began to explain the actual reading of music. Elizabeth was fascinated, and delighted with herself for being good at something naturally. We weren't able to get far, but far enough that Elizabeth at least would be able to follow the simple instructions in the book to continue learning. I don't know if she will, or if the others will either. There are many things they need to do with their time, but I hope Elizabeth and any others who desire are able to keep learning. If any volunteers go back who know how to play, see if you can pull out that keyboard, pull up the piano books I left, and give it a go!

New Video-- The Return to New Life

There is a new video from this June's trip to Ghana! This one focuses on New Life; I'll be posting another in a few months on Sankofa. There were many wonderful things happening at New Life.

Worship and Assembly in Ghanaian Schools

One reason most schools in Ghana are very different from schools in the United States is that they are usually very focused on religion. Religious and Moral Education (RME) is a required subject in the Ghanaian school system, where children learn about belief systems of all types-- at least those that are common in Ghana. Both Christian and Muslim schools exist, and students who may be of another religious belief (such as my host siblings, who are Buddhist) still attend a religiously oriented school. No one seems to mind, so long as their children are in a good school.

Saying the Lord's Prayer at Sankofa

In addition to RME, the students start and end each day with Assembly. They line up in their classes, say the Lord's Prayer, sing a song that is usually religious in nature, say the Pledge, and then march while singing to their classes. Closing assembly is much the same.

Children at New Life pray during assembly

In many schools, a certain period one day a week is set aside for Worship. At New Life, this consists of singing, dancing, praying, reading from the Bible, and sometimes a competition to see who can best answer religious trivia. At Sankofa, the children gathered into the bamboo school house for a similar ceremony-- singing, praying, and telling of Bible stories.

A child shushes someone during worship at Sankofa

While some people find these enterprises a waste of time, I think it is a beautiful thing that they try so hard to keep their strong feelings of religion in all the aspects of their lives. To hear the children singing songs about Jesus can't help but make you smile.

Danny and Patrick join the kids at Sankofa for Worship.

Impressions of Ghana #1: Sons and Daughters of Africa

I will be posting more updates from our trip througout the coming weeks; however, today's post is the beginning of a new series: Impressions of Ghana. These are pictures from my 2005 and 2008 trips that I have collected into photo essays. Enjoy!

Sons of Drumming

Music, especially drumming, is an important part of Ghanaian culture. Djembe drums (as you see on the left) are one popular type of drum. The children at New Life have learned this part of their culture well. 2005.

Son of Football

Proudly sporting a Fifa World Cup 2006 baseball cap, Agekow is hard at work. Football is not just a popular sport in Ghana. Since their participation in the 2006 World Cup and the hosting of the 2008 Cup of African Nations in Ghana, football has become a great unifier for people all around the country. New Life International Orphanage, 2005.

Son of Poverty

I have no words for this picture; it speaks on its own. Larabanga, 2005.

Son of Hawkers

This young man is emblematic of the throngs of people hawking their goods on the streets of Ghana. They are at the tro tro stations; the toll booths; the bus stops; they are everywhere they can possibly make a profit. Some are mere children, desperate to take home a few pesewas (pennies) for school fees, clothing, and food. Cape Coast, 2005.

Son of Weavers

Kente cloth is the beautiful, hand-woven fabric made throughout Ghana. Traditionally worn by chiefs, the fabric is woven in scarf-like strips that are then sewn together to make clothing. The weaving of the cloth is an intricate and complicated process. 2005.

Sons of the Sea

Along the coast of Ghana, fishing is an enormous part of the economy. Everyday, fisherman go out in their small boats, often using only sails, oars, and teamwork to cast their nets. These young men are hauling in a net full of fish. If only the still image could capture the harmony of the rhythmic chanting that helps them stay in sync. Cape Coast 2005

Daughter of Dance

Traditional dance is yet another important part of Ghanaian heritage. Belinda at New Life is only one of the many children taught this beautiful part of their culture. 2005.

Daughter of Education

For many in Ghana, an education is something of which they can only dream. Madam Grace, former caregiver and headmistress of New Life, gave every part of herself to teach and care for the children there. 2005.

Daughters of the Market

The markets in Ghana are throbbing centers of commerce. It is primarily women who work here, selling everything from fish to snails to fabric. These women work hard to provide for themselves and their families. Kejetia Market, Kumasi, 2005.

Daughters of Royalty

In Ghana, villages and cities are still headed in part by chiefs. However, the chief has a counterpart in Ghana that many don't know about-- the Queen Mother. She is not always the chief's mother, or even a relative, but she is there to help provide council and direction along with the chief. These women are dressed as a Queen Mother would be at a festival or celebration. Shama 2005.

Daughter of God

Religion is an incredible force in Ghana. Whether Christian, Muslim, Traditionalist, or other, Ghanaians are devout in their faith. At Christian schools, such as Sankofa, the children say the Lord's Prayer each morning and afternoon. Eguafo 2008.

The Return to New Life International Orphanage

New Life International Orphanage is where I spent my first four months in Ghana. In early 2005, it consisted of one and a half buildings-- a half-finished school and one building containing one classroom, two bedrooms (one for girls, one for boys), two rooms for the caretakers, and a storage area. Almost 50 children were housed there, and 5 school classes. My own nursery classroom was held on the veranda. There was no place to eat, they cooked outside, and there were no toilets.

New Life in 2005. The brown building to the left is the unfinished school.

Three years, later, I was astounded as I walked down the hill to see the changes that had taken place. I had seen pictures since I left, but nothing can change your own mental image of a place except seeing it again in person. The school building is now complete, meaning there's more sleeping room in the home, there are mosquito nets for all the children, a store to earn money, an enormous farm, a playground, a dining area, a kitchen, toilets, and a new home being built so the children have more room to live and play. The buildings were painted pink and brown, and flowers housed in pots made of tires decorated the land in front of the home.

View from the playground-- the school building. To the right is the dining area and home.

Of course, it was the children I really wanted to see. Danny and I had come late into the afternoon, and for a moment it seemed no one was around. Then Emmanuel came out of the house. My throat tightened as I hugged him for the first time in three years, and we both laughed. He told me all the older ones were working on the farm, behind the new house, and he would take me there. Then Ophelia came dashing out, her beautiful face glowing with a smile I remembered well. More laughing, hugging, crying, talking. She was taller.

The little ones came around as we headed to the farm, swarming me. With a start, I recognized one of the taller, chatty boys. "Benjie!" I cried. He grinned up at me, but I knew he didn't remember me. Though I taught him for four months, he had been only two and a half at the time. I hugged him anyway. There were many clustered around him that I didn't recognize-- new faces since three years ago. One girl, seven years old and small for her age, like they all were, giggled as the little ones started chanting my name: "Shallee, Shallee..." They pronounced it "Shelly," like always, and I had to smile as they dragged her over. "Shallee, Shallee!" they cried, pointing at her. Her name was Shallee, or "Shelly" too. Still giggly, but shy, she pulled away to the back of the crowd.

As we walked, I picked up little Domenic, also named for a previous volunteer, and carried him Ghana-style on my back. More faces that I knew, more joyful hugs: Frank, Angelina, Comfort, Dorcas, Mary...some shy, some not, some that probably didn't remember me well. I talked with them out in the field, and they sang me a song they remembered that I taught them: La Bamba. They still pronounced the Spanish words perfectly.

Drumming Time!

That day remains now in my memory as very sweet-- yet also a little bitter. For three years, I had held these children in my heart and called them mine. I held fiercely to the idea that they were my children. Coming back, I realized the truth. I love them, as many volunteers since my time have loved them. They have grown, and changed, and though I still love them and some of them still remember and perhaps love me, they are not mine. They belong not to me, but to each other and to their full-time caregivers. That is their family. That is their life. I came for a short time only, and though I have shared my heart and my hands, that did not make them as wholly mine as I had so long thought. My heart had to break a little that day in order to open up and let "my children" go. That was the bitterness. The sweetness was feeling the love I still hold for them, and being able to physically hold them in my arms again.

Return from Ghana-- Photos of New Life and Sankofa

Our second team of volunteers has returned from Ghana! We had an incredible time, and were able to do a lot. Stories and information will be forthcoming; in the meantime, here are a few pictures! For even more pictures, see http://s280.photobucket.com/albums/kk162/Obruni/

Shallee teaching piano at New Life to Belinda and Elizabeth.

Abigail, Monica, and Philomena at Sankofa.

Katie, a volunteer, learning to play Ampe at Sankofa.

Painting the orphanage at Sankofa.

Shallee playing on the new playground with the kids at New Life.

Updates from Sankofa and New Life

Things have been wonderfully busy here in Ghana! The work at Sankofa is going well. Each day, we take the slower children from each English class to work on catching them up with their peers. Each volunteer takes 2 to 4 children, so they can get more specialized attention. The hope is that they will be able to grasp concepts like phonics while we're here, so that their English reading skills will be closer to where the rest of the class is when we leave. So far, the children have shown amazing progress. Some just needed a little bit more understanding of basic concepts and have really taken off. Others are still a little slower, but hopefully after we leave other volunteers will be able to do the same with the things we're leaving behind.

The teachers at Sankofa are truly wonderful. They give up so much of their own time for very little pay to help these children who would otherwise have no education at all. Though they learn under a bamboo roof with a dirt floor, the key is that they are learning.

New Life has grown in leaps and bounds since my last trip three years ago! The new building is nearly complete, and a new classroom is being built for the nursery children. At the moment, nursery, KG (kindergarten) 1, and KG 2, and class 1 are all in the same classroom-- this is obviously chaotic. There is not enough room for the children to properly learn, and there is far too much noise. The new classroom is going up quickly, however! It's a joy to watch the children play on the playground and to see the progression of those who are now three years ahead of when I last taught them.

We will be coming home in a week, and what a trip it has been! Pictures and video will be up when I get some time after coming home, and I'll post snippets and stories about the children and volunteers as well!

Good things Happening at Sankofa

Our volunteers in Ghana have had a great time! This is their last week, so here are some updates that have come through:

Most of the girls are at Sankofa. They have been helping build an addition to the bamboo school house, as well as helping teach the children. There have done rotations with the 80 children in the nursery class, as well as doing arts and crafts and some PE games with the older children. Classes 1, 2, and 3 had no books, and so were difficult to teach. After the volunteers provided them with books, they were able to do a great deal more teaching with the older kids!

Some of the children at Sankofa

Not much news from New Life yet, though word is they have gotten two new children in the last week.

We are so grateful for these volunteers and all they are doing! We wish them a safe journey home, and wish our June group a safe and successful trip as they prepare to leave!

They Have Arrived!

Our first group of volunteers has begun their three-and-a-half-week journey in Ghana! The group of eight volunteers arrived earlier this week, and have been getting oriented to Ghana, visiting a few sites, and dropping off several suitcases worth of donations to Lucky Hill Orphanage on their way out of Accra! Jessica, our group coordinator, has been in the country for an extra week preparing for their arrival.

The girls will be at Sankofa on Monday to begin teaching. Jessica will be at New Life, teaching and giving the square foot gardening a boost! More information will be coming soon as the girls begin their volunteering. We wish them all the best of luck!

Cape Coast-- A Small Sampling

Our first group to Ghana leaves a week from tomorrow! We are excited to hear how their trip will go. In the meantime, I'll post an exerpt from the book I'm writing. Perhaps our volunteers will become a part of this very scene.

"I close my eyes, sometimes, when I’m alone, and call up pictures in my mind of my favorite places in Ghana. Kotokuraba market. I see a flurry of color and motion, of heat and noise. Set in the center triangle created by three crossing streets, it is a place of commerce, confusion, and commotion. Taxis, tro tros, and a few private cars crowd the streets around it. Both taxis and tro tros, or small vans, function as mini buses, with people crammed in with their goods and the occasional goat. Across from the market is the “station,” where I would take a tro tro every day to the orphanage. Dozens of little VW vans crowded the area, all painted to proclaim the driver’s belief in Jesus. “The Lord will provide,” or “Gye Nyame”—except for God. Apparently, this proclaimed belief precluded a need for seatbelts. The drivers stood near their tros, calling out their destination. “Takoradi, Takoradi,” and “Jukwa Jukwa Jukwa Jukwa Jukwa!” Women and children wandered around, adding their own voices, like that of so many birds, proclaiming the wares atop their heads—water, bread, cookies. “Aeeees water,” “paaaanoo,” and “beeescuits!” One man marched through the area daily, holding an umbrella over his head that dangled with handkerchiefs of numerous colors and designs. Set in a large circle, surrounded by shops and flocking with hawkers, and only one way in or out, the station became a joyful place for me.

I became a common fixture there as well, a part of the pulsing mobs. After taking a taxi from my house to town, I “dropped” at Kotokuraba and found whoever was proclaiming “Jukwa!” that day. I always took a moment to buy “pure water” from one of the ladies or girls. Though it came in a plastic sachet like “ice water,” pure water was purified, its bag carefully sealed in a bloated square, and stamped with blue ink. I stuffed a few in my dirtier-by-the-day backpack and climbed aboard the tro tro. Somewhere between two and thirty minutes later, the tro pulled out—they only left when they were full. The ride took me through Cape Coast and into the suburb of Adisadel, then past Pedu Junction and to Abura, the suburb where my host’s sister, Mama Joyce, lived. After Abura came scattered jungle, a secluded hotel on a small crocodile pond called Hans Cottage, past the barren earth where women crushed rocks under small thatched shelters, and on to the tiny hamlet of Ansapatu—just short of the larger village of Efutu.

I called to the mate, the young boy who took passenger’s money, and the tro tro stopped. People in the aisle seats stood to fold their seats up and step out so I could crouch past, then piled back in again and headed on up to the town of Jukwa. I turned to Ansapatu, which consisted of a few small houses, a tiny shop, a school, and New Life International Orphanage. Smiling and waving at the women who sat among the enormous pile of greenish-yellow oranges they were selling, I headed down the red dirt hill, anxious to get to my children.

The orphanage was across the little lane from the orange and brown government junior secondary school (JSS), set nearly at the edge of the rainforest. It was painted a bland white with blue trim, and an unfinished three-room schoolhouse hunched next to it. A small orange tree stood near the front gate to the left, a palm tree further down. The refuse pile and laundry lines sat away from the school, near the large, overgrown area referred to as the garden. The cement basins where the children bathed were farther away, near the bushes where the “bathroom” was—a large pit crossed with wooden beams. A rickety wooden fence made a pitiful attempt to keep the goats out of the garden, and a painted sign declared it to be “New Life International Orphanage Home/School for orphaned, abandoned, and needy children.”"

Copyright Shallee M. 2008

Issues Affecting African Children #5: In Ghana, Water is Life

It's been a while since the last IAAC post...the closer our teams get to leaving for Ghana, the more busy things become! We can't wait to get back to the children at New Life, and to help them and others!

Today's post is about something I take for granted more than anything else: water. It's so easy in the west to simply turn on a tap and drink straight from it. In Ghana, I had to get used to drinking only purified water-- not too much of a trial. When I was at New Life, they did not yet have running water, though it came while I was there. For the first few months, water was hauled every day from wells by the children. It was not entirely clean, and one of the children had an ulcer on his leg from it. That was the first time I really thought about water beyond something to drink, wash with, and play in. It was life.

Then I traveled to the hot, arid north. In the village of Larabanga, as I was being shown the village, I saw a deep wash-- completely dry-- covered in deep holes. We descended into it, and I discovered that in the rainy season, it was a large pond. Now, in the dry season, it was a dust bowl. Many of the men in the village went out every day to dig and dig until they managed to get a few feet of filthy water. Water was something I had never even thought of as a necessity-- it was just there. Suddenly, I was facing an entire village so desperate for every drop, they spent their days to gain such a meager bucket of muddy water. And they were grateful for it.

While I was there, I happened to see one of the sporadic arrivals of a government water truck. The village went mad. They brought barrels, buckets, anything that could hold water and formed a mob around the truck, desperate for the absolute necessity they were deprived of. A well was in the process of being built for the village, but for the moment, that water truck and the muddy water from the wash were all they had. Water was life-- and lack of it was death.

As the article linked above mentions, even in the metropolis of Accra, water is sometimes hard to come by. Damaged water works are a big problem, and many days, people went without running water. Lack of water for farmers means drought, and therefore less food. This increases prices of goods, upping inflation, a big problem in Ghana at the moment. Water is the absolute basis of life, it affects so many things, and yet so many people live without it. Here are a few places you can go to help: http://www.idrinkbecauseicare.blogspot.com/ and http://www.waterwellsforafrica.com/.