We spent the first two days in Ghana at a Foster Home in Frafraha. Everyone welcomed us saying “Akwaaba” which means welcome. It was a school for around 220 children (a good mix between girls and boys) and 40 of them were foster children, so they also lived there. With another member of my team (Buki), we spent the two days with a specific class. The one we chose was the nursery (4-5 years old) and was composed of about 30-35 children. They were adorable; singing and jumping around. They were very excited about seeing us. We taught them some songs and poems and they also taught us some songs in twi (the Ghanaian dialect). Some of the children in the nursery were nearly 7 or 8 years old. The teacher explained to us that it was because they did not start going to school until a very old age; either because their parents didn’t care or they couldn’t afford all the school supplies and fees.
All the children seemed eager to learn! The teaching method used by our teacher was to make the children repeat after her in order for them to remember. Also, the focus was centred on the child, when he or she answered a question; everyone had to clap for them (a very specific clap that you catch on rapidly!). The children called me Aunty Sarah and were very endearing, always wanting to hold hands and go on my laps. During the class, I would sit with them on the tiny little chairs and would help them with their work or copying things from the board. The class taught was about ‘Creating a good learning environment’ – learning about cleaning the classroom so you don’t get sick, how to clean with a broom, what to do with the rubbish etc.
The next day when we came back to the Foster Home, we brought with us a lot of donations (clothes, shoes, school supplies) that we had collected before leaving England (we brought a total of 5 extra suitcases containing all the donation that we gave throughout the trip). The night before, we had prepared individual and personal packages for each teacher, and lots of clothes for different ranges of age, girls and boys (a lot of them we bought ourselves with the sponsored money from places like Primark and H&M). All the kids were so happy, jumping, laughing and they had lots of smiles on their faces. The teachers were very grateful that we had thought of them too. We also brought with us a financial donation (from the sponsored money again) for building a playground for the children (basketball hoops and soccer goals).
In the evening, we put together a party for the foster children only and the staff members of the Foster Home (a full on Ghanaian catered buffet, drinks for everyone, party music, party hats and our own performance of dances and poems that we had prepared before leaving). It was a bit heartbreaking when we had to say goodbye, all the kids running around the bus and waving at us is an unforgettable image.
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