Welcome Friends, Family and anyone who just stumbled onto this blog. I am using this blog to let everyone know about my trip to Ghana. Soooo, I'll start from the beginning. For many years now I have toyed with the idea of going to Africa to work with children in need. This has come up so often that Mark has told me to go if I need to go. That comment was made at least a year ago. I have had many mixed feelings about going. Will I be able to help? Will I be able to handle the poverty? the heartache of seeing children in need? What if a child should die? These were all reasons to not go but I keep coming back to the fact that I truly want to go to Africa and try to help. I want to hug and hold and love the children who need this. So, while talking to my friend Phyllis I heard about her friends Monica and Bosco who are in Kenya. Here is their blog http://livingourpurpose.blogspot.com/ I started looking at different organizations and finally decided on the same one used by Monica and Bosco, Experiential Learning International, ELI. For more info go to their website at http://www.eliabroad.com/index.html
I chose ELI because
1) Monica and Bosco had been happy with them.
2) They were the least expensive organization I found. Yes, you have to pay to volunteer. Why? If you had limited funds who would you choose to support A) a child in need or B) a volunteer from abroad? That's a no brainer.
3) They were a non-government organization. I don't want to be responsible for representing or defending my country.
4) They are not run or based upon a religion. I do not want to have to be part of a particular belief to be able to help. And I do not want the children to have to have a particular belief to receive help. (Rather ironic that the orphanage I was assigned is definitely a religious organization, but more on the orphanage later).
5) I got a very good feeling when talking to Kevin and Raissa from ELI.
6) I could choose the length of time of the program. I think Peace Corps is a wonderful organization but I wouldn't want to be away from Mark for that long.
After choosing ELI, I chose Ghana as the country for the following reasons:
1) Ghanaians are known as the nicest people in Africa just as the Canadians are known as the nicest people in North America.
2) Ghana is a very stable country with no violent coups or warfare.
3) The official language is English. Anyone who has heard my attempts at Spanish will attest to the fact that I am not a linguist! Since I will be in Africa for only 4 months I needed an English speaking country.
4) Everyone I spoke to said the Ghanaian people are wonderful and that Ghana is the country to visit.
I filled out the ELI application and the application from the Ghanaian organization, SYTO. While waiting for my assignment I went wild buying school supplies for the children (pens, pencils, books etc.) and clothes for myself. Mark has said that ebay will now go through a slump since I have stopped making purchases. I was also collecting used clothing to bring with me. Thanks to TES and everyone else who donated clothing items. Finally, the worst thing I did was I had all the recommended vaccinations and waited. I'm not sure which was worse the shots or the waiting.
Four weeks later, I heard that I will be going to Kumasi to the King Jesus Charity Home orphanage. There are 60 children from under a year up to age 20. Kumasi is the second largest city in Ghana so my accomodations will be much nicer than I had thought. I will be sharing a room in the house of the oldest students. There is electricity, running water and indoor plumbing. I could have been stationed in a remote village with none of these amenities. I have also learned that just about anything can be purchased in Kumasi and much of it at a far better price than in the states. All the things I have been acquiring can be purchased in Kumasi! Oh well, I plan on bringing the items I have. What exactly I will be doing I will find out when I arrive. I suspect I will be helping out in the classrooms, helping with homework, helping with meals, playing games etc.. When I am there I will give you an update along with pictures.
Many people have asked me how they can help. Thank you all so very much. After I am at the Home I will know how to answer that question. I am sure there are items that can be purchased in the states and shipped more economically than they can be purchased in Kumasi. Likewise, I'm sure there are items that are most economically purchased in Kumasi. Since I do not know what is needed and where to purchase I do not want to ask for donations yet.
I have my tickets in hand. I'm leaving on 12 January 2006 from Tucson through London arriving in Accra, Ghana on 13 January. I'll be in Accra (the capital of Ghana) for a week of orientation and then I'll be off to Kumasi. I'm returning on 9 May 2006. I'll try to update this blog weekly in one of the cyber cafes in Kumasi.
