Saturday, July 18, 2009

Madame Leah and Madame Julie would like to send a sincere thank you to all contributors; students, administrators, and community members of Demarest, NJ and surrounding towns, for your generosity in helping the children of need in Africa. Because of all of our hard work, dedication, and endless effort, we were able to donate approximately $2000.00 to the Naa Kordey Memorial Child Care Facility, where we have been doing volunteer work.
After spending some time at the facility, we purchased materials that we feel will be most beneficial to the education and child care of these wonderful children. For example, a stereo system, CD’s with songs from around the world, and a large supply of batteries was given to the younger children. One thing these children appeared to enjoy greatly was the sound of music and the art of dance. The CD’s we purchased will also assist the children in the pronunciation of English words, which is something they stress greatly at the facility. In addition, we purchased several classroom materials for the students such as pencils, pens, paper, motivational stickers, notebooks, homework books, highlighters, blackboard erasers, sticky pads, plastic containers for storage, story books, educational workbooks, etc. The remainder of the money was given to Raymond Ablorh, the facilities founder and manager, to spend on food and water for the children.


We would like to especially thank the member’s of Demarest Middle School’s Student Council, run by African volunteer Leah Rinaldi and Allison Feifer, for their heartfelt decision in choosing to donate their monies made over the 2008/2009 school year to these children. Because of us all, we have truly made a difference in each and every one of their lives and will continue to after our personal journey comes to an end. We are so lucky to be surrounded by such wonderful colleagues, students, and citizens on a daily basis and look forward to our future with you all. Thank you!

Please visit Mr. Raymond Ablorh's blog for pictures and thank you's from the children at Naa Kordey! http://raymondablorh.blogspot.com/

Obama's Visit

If you have not already heard, Barack Obama was in Accra, Ghana on July 10th and 11th. This is the city in which we are staying, as well as the capital of Ghana. Since our arrival, there has been much chatter about Obama and of his visit. As it is obvious that we are both Americans, most Ghanaians’ first words to us have been, “Obama! We love Obama,” or something similar in nature. The love and support of our American President appears to be the general opinion of all Ghanaians. Therefore, another major difference we are presented with between Ghana and America is the unity and patriotism towards our leader. There does not appear to be a separation in political parties or politicians in general, which is quite refreshing to say the least.

Each day leading to his arrival, we noticed more and more billboards and paraphernalia welcoming our President. We had very mixed feelings on this. Although it is nice to see the efforts put towards a warm welcome and the patriotism of these Africans, it is disappointing to know that the money spent could have been put to much better use to create a better environment with more opportunities for everyone. For example, millions of dollars must have been spent on billboards, American flags with Obama’s picture, tee-shirts, umbrellas, toys, etc. You name it, and they put Obama’s face on it to sell or decorate their city! The money spent to make these products could have been used to educate the children of our future or even to pave a road so transportation can be less of a hassle. This is of course just our opinion based on what we have seen, experienced, and been presented with here in Africa. Anyone have any thoughts on this?

Thursday, July 9, 2009


Teaching Experiences

Teaching at Naa Kordey Memorial Child Care Facility has been a very challenging, yet rewarding experience. We have learned that we can benefit these children most, not by teaching them educational concepts, but simply by showing them attention, playing with them, and speaking the English language with them. Teaching these children daily life skills has become more of our focus. We have realized quickly that what these children need most are survival, social, and life skills in order to attempt to live happy and hopefully successful lives. For example, one of the lessons we taught was the importance of following directions. In addition, we have taught them when and how to introduce themselves to a new acquaintance or friend. We will also be focusing on how to write a friendly letter and its purposes in life. This lesson will include learning how to write the appropriate date, address, format, and content itself.

This year in our fifth grade Language Arts class, we taught our Demarest Middle School students how to write a narrative. The students then turned the narratives into story books that included hand drawn illustrations and laminated covers. After spending several days on their books, the majority of the students decided they wanted to donate them to the children in this facility. Today, we presented the children with the books and began by choosing one in particular, Petunia the Pig, to read aloud to the students. Though they did not fully comprehend the story, it was clear by the expressions on their faces that they were completely engulfed in the story and thoroughly enjoyed being read to. We suspect that most of them have never had a story read aloud to them by either a parent or a teacher.

Next, we distributed all of the story books to the children. We then stood by and watched their eyes light up while they flipped through the colorful pages. Although it was difficult for them to read the words of the stories, they were able to point out several objects that were illustrated by our wonderful fifth graders. We plan on reading more stories to them, while also using them as teaching tools. Soon, they will be using what they have learned about writing a friendly letter, to express their thanks to the authors of Demarest.

We also spent some time with the teachers at Naa Kordey after school hours. Here we discussed and explained some general teaching techniques that are necessary so they can better fit the needs of their children. The language barrier made this a difficult task, but with an interpreter and modeling we feel as though they somewhat understood and were grateful for our efforts.

The conditions of the school and lack of materials and staffing make both teaching and child care a challenge. This also being Ghana’s rainy season, creates even more difficulty as Naa Kordey is primarily an outside facility. However, the children benefit by coming to school rather than staying at their village home with uneducated parents and the possibility of no supervision. We hope that in the short amount of time that we are able to work with these children, we have made an impact of each of their lives.

Wednesday, July 8, 2009

Osu Child Development Center

The last few days, we have been spending some time at the Osu Child Development Center. This is not the orphanage that we had originally planned on volunteering at; however it is where we ended up because we were told things “fell through” at the Teeshie Orphanage. It is the largest center of its type in the area and receives the most funding from donators. It is made up of approximately four or five classrooms, play areas, housing facilities, kitchens, administrator offices, etc., both in and outdoors. There we met two nice American girls from Oklahoma who are in Africa for the same reasons as us. They have been at the center for over three weeks now, and were able to show us around and share their classroom of children with us for a bit of time.


Apparently, our contact should have filled out paperwork and a letter of recommendation for us well before we had arrived, yet somehow did not know this. Things have changed quite a bit since he last worked with this center and did not know the new procedure. This again shows the differences in American and Ghanaian ways of life. We would have been in contact with the center prior to ones visit, known of the new procedures, and have had everything set before arrival. Because he did not, we were told that by the time we were cleared to volunteer, we would be leaving to come home. Fortunately, the two American girls helped us sneak into their classroom to help them for some time. With now four adults caring for over 15 children under the age of three, it is still difficult to share our love and attention with them all, as they all want and seek it so much. Here we basically play with and hold the children, simply to show them attention and love. They are more than appreciative.


A few of the children at this center are picked up by their parents at the day’s end; however the majority of them are orphans. Most of them are very ill, and unable to receive the appropriate medical attention they need. One girl in particular has been sick for over a week and it is questionable as to whether or not she will survive, especially not knowing what it she is ill with specifically. We suspect she has malaria or some sort of disease transmitted through a parasite.


All of the children are not yet potty trained, and unfortunately diapers are not available to them because of funding. Therefore, they relieve themselves as they please and wait for a volunteer or an Auntie (a female Ghanaian worker) to clean them. As you can imagine, this is both disturbing and heartbreaking.


Unfortunately, we are unable to take photographs at this center because they are strictly prohibited; however we snuck one of the sign outdoors (and got yelled at).

Monday, July 6, 2009

Madame Leah


Madame Julie


Fufu and Okro Stew - A Ghanaian Cuisine


Cultural Differences

After eight long days, we are still experiencing culture shock. The differences could not be any more different in absolutely every way. For example, Ghanaians lack the concept of personal space. In America, we give each other our personal space and do not touch strangers. If we do, we simply say excuse me or apologize. This does not exist here. Some people are extremely hospitable, although others appear as if they would like us to get on the next flight back to America, especially the women. They continually try to take advantage of the fact that we are white and American and assume that we are very wealthy. We have found that we simply cannot be nice. We must be very stern and what we consider to be rude, in order to get what we want and not get taken advantage of. The pace of daily life is also much slower than that of America. We are known for moving at a fast pace, with a purpose in mind. Here, everyone is extremely laid back, moves very slowly, and takes an incredibly long time to get things accomplished.


The food is a whole other story. WE CAN NOT EAT IT!!! This is how we became ill, and now know not to eat anything that was not made and packaged in America. Thank goodness we were prepared for this and brought a suitcase full of foods that are healthy and packed with nutrients needed to survive for a month. We also thank our doctors for forcing us to fill prescriptions for antibiotics to fight off the bacterial infections that we are experiencing. For anyone that has had food poisoning, it is not pleasant to say the least, especially when you are in a foreign country and do not have the comforts of your home. We hope however, we do not get sick again, because we have already used up all the medicine needed for food poisoning.


Several days ago, Raymond brought us to his friend’s house where they were incredibly hospitable and prepared us some local cuisine. Unfortunately, we were barely able to eat it and assume it is what brought us ill. We sat in a circle surrounding a small table where we were lead in a prayer, in which we could not understand. Before we were served by Raymond’s friend’s wife (men strongly dominate this culture), we were passed a small bowl of water where we were to wash our right hand, as that is the hand in which you are to eat with. Next, we were presented with two large communal bowls. One was filled to the top with what is called fufu, and the other with a stew-like concoction. Fufu is a starch-based staple of Ghana and made of cassava, plantain, or yam, and mashed until the starch breaks down and it becomes a gooey ball, then cooked with no water to form an even gooier one. It is dipped into okro stew. This stew included chicken, fish, beans, particularly hot spices, and some sort of substance which makes it extremely gooey. This was very hard on our stomachs, although it is said to be extremely healthy for the immune system. Our systems however, could only handle one small bite. We are thankful for this experience, however will not be trying any Ghanaian staples again. Protein bars until July 26th!


We hope you are all enjoying your summer and are finding our postings both informational and interesting. Happy Fourth of July!

Our Visit to Naa Kordey Memorial Child Care Facility

We apologize for not posting sooner, but we have been hit with an African bug – or what we call in America, food poisoning. Before we got sick however, we were able to visit one of the facilities where we will be volunteering two days a week. This was truly an experience of a lifetime that will never be forgotten. It is very difficult to explain, but we will try our best.


The facility is in the middle of a village, and took us over an hour to get to by cab, tro-tro (old, beat-up bus), and walking. This “village” is simply Ghanaians living in the poorest and worst conditions you can imagine. The facility is completely outdoors, with some areas covered. It consists of one classroom that is divided in half for children in different age groups, a room for children that are twelve months to three years old for child care, and an outdoor playground. Several children were in uniform; however their uniform was never quite the same. Others wore their tribal clothing such as a typical African style dress, earrings, make-up, and shaved heads. These were generally children who follow the Muslim religion. Others were simply wearing everyday clothes, however not in the condition of those living in America. We were happy to see that all of the children had shoes, whether they be sandals or sneakers. It is very important to keep your feet covered because parasites can easily enter through bare feet. The bathroom facilities were quiet disturbing. The children run to a bucket in the playground to urinate and visit a bucket in a different location to relieve themselves in other ways – no toilet paper and very unsanitary.


When we arrived, two classes were in progress. The children however had a difficult time focusing on their teachers, and instead wanted to stare and wave at the two “obruni cocoas” (white ladies). Being that we were there, the teachers took a break and allowed the children to meet and greet us. We immediately put a stop to them calling us “obrunis,” and let them know that they will refer to us as Madame Leah and Madame Julie. In the short time that we observed them learning, we were rather impressed by their discipline and level of reading. The typical four year old is reading at a much higher level than the typical American four year old would. We think that this is because they focus on the pure act of reading rather than a research based approach in which we follow. This we feel is sufficient for them now, however in the future we fear they will not be able to decode and encode words that are new to them and at a higher level.


In our short visit, we feel that we have already made an impact in the lives of these children and they have definitely impacted ours. They did not stop smiling the entire time we were there and could not stop hugging us. One girl even asked us both to take her to America. This was truly heartbreaking. Every time we took a photograph, the children jumped and cheered. They wanted nothing more than to sit with us and receive attention that we assume they do not receive on a daily basis. Some children however, just sat back and stared in what looked like amazement. After a few hours of an extremely overwhelming yet unbelievable time at the facility, we had to leave so they could return to their studies. As we left, some were in tears, as others tried reaching for us through the gates and yelled things such as, “Please come back,” “Be our teacher,” “When will you return?” Without them seeing, it all brought tears to our eyes.


On our own time and when we return to America, we plan on assisting to make their curriculum fit their needs as much as possible. We also already have plans on how we can continue to help with this project throughout the school year. What we saw was simply not something you can turn your back on and not be motivated to help improve.


Thank you again to our visitors and please be patient, as we are having difficulty posting pictures and getting Internet access on a daily basis.

Orientation at Naa Kordey


Wednesday, July 1, 2009

Akwaaba!!

Akwaabe (welcome)... After a long, 11 hour flight, we have finally arrived in Accra, the capital of Ghana, though three out of our four pieces of luggage were left in NYC. Needless to say, our first three days have already been an experience we will never forget, but would not like to experience again.
Accra could not be more different from the United States; from food and housing to culture and customs. We are slowly becoming accustomed to the culture, as it was quite a shock from day one. Raymond Ablorh, the founder of Naa Kordey Memorial Child Care Facility, and Selorm Kofi Dake, co-founder of Tomorrow Leaders Ghana (TLG), have gone above and beyond to make sure that we are safe and happy at all times. Raymond has been kind enough to escort us throughout the city, showing us things such as the President's Palace, local markets, village life for locals, and how to use local transportation.
Tomorrow we will be visiting the Naa Kordey Memorial Child Care Facility for an 'orientation' where we will meet the children and teachers that we will be working with, as well as getting acquainted with the facility itself. To find out more about this facility and the project mission, you can visit Raymond's blog at: http://www.raymondablorh.blogspot.com/ .
Feel free to ask us any questions about our experiences throughout the month!