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.
You are both awesome!
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