Blogs from Ghana, Africa - page 6

November 19, 2014 To everyone who has been reading this blog for the past 6 months: You have heard my stories and seen my pictures. I love each and every child at the Lord Arm’s Christian Foster Home. The orphanage needs your help. The lease on the property is running out and the owner wants to sell rather than sign another lease. Dream Africa Care Foundation is trying to raise $65,000 to buy this property. This property is important because it provides the space for many things, including a school, the chance for expansion to the house, areas to help the orphanage become self-sufficient, and most importantly a chance to keep this family together. It may not be the kind of family we’re all used to, but they are brothers and sisters nonetheless. A child like ... read more

November 10, 2014 Back from Larabanga. The traffic was terrible when I took Laura to the airport. It’s nice to have a cool taxi driver as a neighbor. Phil took me to the bus on my way up north, and he gave me a good price going to and from the airport. It was so great to see the children at the orphanage, especially to see how excited they were to see me again. Ema of course was glued to me, and I was so happy to hold my baby boy again. Erica was all smiles. Hiswell read a book, which he did very well, and after I told him I missed my Mr. Dimples he looked at me and said he missed Mrs. Dimples. Children kept climbing all over me, and Grandma and Andrews were ... read more

International Airports are so comfortingly alike in their customs and procedures, always, reassuringly, involving a passport, a queue and, invariably, a bit of a panic and, with all these elements in place, I was welcomed into Accra. Readying myself for the ‘wave of heat’ that I had been assured would hit me once I exited the terminal, I was surprised and, admittedly, a little disappointed by the muggy, sticky drizzle that darkened the unfamiliar sky; the pacifying sound of rain jarringly juxtaposed with unknown surroundings and the hum of an unfamiliar tongue. “Madam Olivia!” I heard my name called from deep within the crowd. “Madam Olivia!” I heard again, the voice full of warmth and kindness. After having met just once before in the UK, Seth had become a true friend; a fellow teacher, in the ... read more

September 29, 2014 A typical day with me leaving for the orphanage around 8:00 A.M. I go to the orphanage to teach pretty much every day now. Before school went on vacation I was the only one going to Faith Academy, but now a lot of people are going there in the mornings. The orphanage is where I’m needed and I prefer to be. I don’t always teach the same class. In fact tomorrow I want to teach the oldest class science, which might surprise some people. A volunteer who just left gave a good science book to one of the girls, and while I was reading the first part of it with her I realized that the scientific method was something that would be good to teach to her whole class. However, I do prefer ... read more

September 3, 2014 I have met so many people from all over the world. Currently there are people from Austria to Australia in the house. We even have a volunteer from Israel. Every one of us falls in love with the children at the orphanage. Many of them go back and fundraise for Dream Africa. Right now I’ve been staying in touch with Maria Ennamorati (a fellow American from Maine) who immediately started collecting donations from friends and family. She has been posting her progress on Facebook and has filled 10 boxes of things to send over as well as almost $300. Yesterday I picked up the first box, which had clothes (mostly underwear, which is essential), a few school supplies, bandages, sanitary pads, and most exciting of all was the special gift from Maria. She ... read more