Ghana Team Journal

Quote of the day:

When children are provided sufficient food and nutrition, and protected from infectious disease, they can take advantage of their full intellectual capability through education. When all children are offered these essential services, the positive global consequences will be enormous.

-Global Volunteers Executive Summary

Journal by: Steve Ostrom

We gathered at 7:00 AM in the dining room, and many of us had some difficulty sleeping last night. The rooms were comfortable, but the sleeping issue might be a symptom of jet lag. Hopefully we will become accustomed to the time change soon!

Breakfast consisted of oatmeal, an egg omelet with veggies on top, juice, and toast. Tea, coffee, jam, and chocolate/hazelnut spread were also available. Margaret read the inspirational thought for the day, and her journal entry from Sunday, July 24^th.

Shortly after breakfast, we gathered in the courtyard, then hiked to the school. Esther introduced us to the headmaster, and the headmaster then introduced us to various faculty members. We then hiked down to Senchi Ferry and visited the new library. After waiting for the librarian to finish sweeping the entrance with a short hand broom, we removed our shoes prior to entering the library itself. We saw one room with reading books for beginning readers, one room with math and science type books for older children and adults, and one room with 10 or so laptop computers. Before these computers were donated to this community, all of the keyboarding was taught from a poster mounted on the wall.

After visiting the library, we walked back to the school where we split into groups. Some of us were teaching the younger students, other volunteers were assisting with grading exams for the older students, a few were working on the construction of the school’s new library and computer lab, and a couple of us went to the clinic to help copy papers and take blood pressures.

I had the privilege of watching the 3-5 year old children eat lunch at school. It was quite orderly with children called by name to get their food. A woman had carried the meal preparations in a large basket balanced on her head. It consisted of clean bowls for the kids, a pot of hot meat sauce, a bowl of grated cheese, and a very large pot of rice. Each child received a bowl containing about 1 cup of rice covered with about 1 ounce of grated cheese and a tablespoon or so of the meat sauce poured on top. The rice was hand measured by the woman who wore a disposable plastic glove. Each child ate the meal with his or her fingers, and when finished, returned the dirty bowl to the front and stacked them neatly. Every bowl of food was completely consumed.

Our Global Volunteer team then gathered and walked back to the St. James Guest House. Lunch consisted of rice and beans, watermelon, mango, and fried plantains. We pretty much cleaned up everything, except for Esther’s favorite, a few plantains. A one hour rest period available before the afternoon session started.

At 2:30, we met and walked to the Senchi Ferry library with Amo, where we met a room full of eager readers. Each volunteer grabbed a corner of the room or carpet with one or more students, and together (student and volunteer) we read well past the one hour time allotted to us. Our walk to and from the library was filled with sights, sounds, and aromas. Many goats and chickens were everywhere. A few dogs and at least one cat were observed. As we approached St. James Guest House, there was a slight sprinkle, which was an omen that foretold of no running water in our rooms.

We rested for about an hour, and then met for dinner of chicken and sauce, rice, salad, popcorn, and bananas. We asked Amo about some aspects of Ghanaian culture, such as uncommon delicacies, domestic animals, and the duties of the mayor. After dinner, we discussed our experiences of the day and tried to plan activities for the next few weeks. There are many great new experiences heading our way!

Getting back to our rooms at 8:10 pm, we found we had running water again. Yeah!