Here I go...

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May 4th... seems like I should be boarding a plane today...

I've spent the last few days getting ready, and after buying 5 bottles of sunscreen and 3 bottles of Purell, I figure I'm ready for whatever Africa wants to throw at me!

My final Donation list is below, and it has filled two of the largest suitcases I could find... about 70lbs of donations coming with me, and another 40lbs coming with my mother in July. I have also raised $3735 for the school, which is over 8%!o(MISSING)f the cost of building the school.

For those of you who don't know anything about what I'm doing while I'm there, this seems like it might also be the place to let you know...

-taken from my sponsorship proposal
Future Island School was established in 2003 by a couple who aim to provide educational opportunities for the marginalized children of the Offinso region in Ghana. Of the people living in this region, 47%!a(MISSING)re under the age of 15 years, and only 20%!o(MISSING)f the children attend school. It is a very poor area, and many families cannot afford the transportation cost of sending their child to school, let alone the cost of an education. Some of these children resort to stealing, begging, and prostitution to help earn money for their families.
What attracts me to Future Island in particular is their mandate to teach any child that can get to the school, regardless of finances. As a result, many children attend the school for free and there are fewer paid staff than are needed. Volunteer teachers help to fill this gap.
Since 2004 the school has been running out of a privately donated unfinished home, but the Ghanaian Ministry of Education has said they will be shut down if they haven’t built a proper facility by September 2006. And so, with the help of some former volunteers and the Volunteer Abroad organization, they have raised sufficient funds to buy a plot of land upon which a school can be built. They are currently working to raise money for the construction of the new school, which will begin in May.
Future Island School is in desperate need of help both with funding for their new school, and with volunteers to assist in classrooms and teaching students. I plan to work for them this summer to perform both of those tasks, though my focus will be on teaching. As Dave Morrison, the director of volunteer services with Volunteer Abroad, explained to me, the entire community is so grateful to volunteers at the school that they welcome them with open arms and weep openly when they leave.
More information on the school and its founders can be found at www.futureislandschool.org.

While in Ghana, I am told that I will have a class of 40 4-6 year olds for my three month stay. I also hope to help a bit with the building project while I'm there. I'll be living with the school principal and his family for the three months, so I'm really looking forwards to the cultural shock, and I'm sure it will be substantial.

Donations:

• From Titles (campus bookstore) : 300 pencils
  
• From the McMaster Health Centre : 400 bandaids, 800 antiseptics
  
• From Fortinos : 10 dictionnaries, 120 big pieces of sidewalk chalk, 2 kids card games, 2 boxes of crayons, 2 packs of pencil crayons, 1 cribbage board
  
• From Grand and Toy : 72 pens, 1 box of chalk, a whole pile of post-it tabs
  
• From McMaster Physical Plant : 3 big boxes of chalk (400+ish pieces)
  
• From Europe Bound : 1 frisbee
  
• From the Engineering Society : 10 soft frisbees
  
• From the Eng 1 office : 20 pens and 11 big rulers
  
• From Louise Steiner: a bag of medical supplies including instruments like sutures
  
• From Rowntree Public School : about $500 worth of school supplies and teaching aids... truly incredible stuff that I'm so excited to get started with!
  

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Comments

[Justin E.]

Wow
Lindsey you never cease to amaze me, and here I am sitting in front of a computer all summer like a sucker. I hope you have an awesome time, I'm definitely subscribing to your blog.

[Dan]

All the best Linds!
Lindsey, all the best! Hope the trip over there is safe and somewhat relaxing...heck, you'll probably be so nervous! Hope to hear from you! Dan

[Danny]

Take care
Have a great time Linds. You are the most amazing person I know for doing something like this. Take care and have fun!