I'm once again "unemployed". I can't say retired any more because with 10 children to feed, I'll be working for quite a while. Luckily, I am out of work for my trip to Ghana. This time I will be there for 3.5 months. My plans are to live with the children and encourage them in their reading and writing. When I get everything together, I'll post a picture of all the books and school supplies I'll be bringing. Thanks to everyone who donated used books and an extra big thanks to Carolynn for donating all her teaching supplies!
I am the third NAFofA board member to go visit and inspect our orphanage, tiny (2.5 acre) farm and after school program in Ghana. Just like all the rest, I must pay for the trip myself. When people donate to NAFofA, all funds are spent for the Ghanaian programs. Hopefully, we'll get a grant from a larger organization and include the airline travel for inspections. Until then, we'll keep paying our own way. (If anybody out there knows of a grant giving organization that we should apply to, please let me know.) ( Also, if Oprah, Bill, Melinda, Warren, Jimmy, Sting or any of their close personal friends should happen to be reading, drop me a line. Have I got a great program for you!)
My plans for this trip are as follows:
- to inspect the Nyame Adom Foundation
- to meet with the teachers of our kids to see how their studies are progressing
- to talk with the school headmaster and the teachers in the after school program to see what else is needed
- to live with the children again!!!! (Note: I will call them "the children", "our children", "the kids", "our kids", "my kids" and "my children". In my heart they're MY children.)
- to spend some time at other orphanages I'd like to see how other programs are run to see what ideas we should incorporate.
- to find a way to help the orphanage become self-sustaining
- to determine what it would take to open a high school / vocational school and to see whether this is feasible
- to investigate what high schools / vocational schools are available for our kids to attend
- to meet the people of the community where our kids live
- to visit with old friends that I haven't seen in over a year
- to spend time staring at the ocean!
Thanks for reading this and if you have any questions, please drop me a line.
