I wish I had more time to think before writing something, but I guess there is no time like present. The past six weeks in Ghana have been an amazing period of my life. At the ripe old age of 35 (celebrated in Ghana!), I have been looking forward to traveling to West Africa since sometime in my early twenties. Although the plans for such a trip have been in my head for many years, I really tried to hard to go to Ghana with little preconceived notions.
It’s difficult to put my experience into words right now but, to summarize, I wish I had a lot more time in Ghana ahead of me instead of heading to the airport tomorrow (although of course I miss my family/friends/animals!)
I loved the vibe and the beauty of the Volta Region. With the exception of a few days visiting Cape Coast and Elmina, I spent my entire visit in the Volta Region. Initially, I planned to volunteer for 4-5 weeks and travel for 1-2 weeks at the end. After only a few days at the Ryvanz-Mia Orphanage with Mama Esi and the kids, I decided to volunteer for all six weeks. I am very sad right now about leaving the Ryvanz-Mia Orphanage Family so I’m not going to write too much.
Suffice it to say that all ten kids at the orphanage are amazing and wonderful little people. Mama is a strict and caring Mama who took very good care of me and my fellow volunteers. I will miss the delicious fresh meals prepared by Mama and Naomi too. Although I have no knowledge of sewing, I enjoyed the experience of seeing the Dzidefo Women’s Co-op in its early stages. I was also amazed by Mama’s skills as seamstress and pastry cook. I was fortunate to attend the graduation for her apprentices. I had wonderful fellow volunteers in the orphanage and the Kpando neighborhood as well and feel fortunate to have found so many new friends along the way here. Having very little experience with extended time with children, I was pleasantly surprised to find out how much I looked forward to spending time with the kids each day. They made me smile and laugh so much and surprised me again and again with their antics, strength and warmth. I am getting sad again so I will just end this part by saying I will miss each and every part of the Ryvanz-Mia Orphanage family.
I also “taught” lower primary classes at the Delta Prepatory School. I certainly learned a lot more from the kids and the experience than anyone learned from me! I would say I acted more as an entertaining (hopefully) teacher’s aide than a teacher. It was challenging to learn the rhythm of Delta’s schedule but eventually I got the hang of it and spent most of time with the P2 class. The class is large and energetic and both the kids and the teacher, Mr. Atsu, made me laugh a lot. I especially enjoyed P.E. I appreciate the gracious hospitality extended by the Director and Headmaster. I have no prior experience with teaching and thought I was going to be working on a Moringa farm so I was surprised to arrive in Ghana and find out that I was staying in an orphanage and teaching. The “teaching” and time with kids made me stretch outside of my comfort zone – always a healthy exercise!
I also enjoyed spending time at the Missahoe Charity Home. Baby and Mawusi are so welcoming and it is amazing to see the work they do with their large family of children at the Charity Home. I also had the opportunity to do a small amount of site planning for a new facility for Missahoe. As a landscape architect, I was excited that my training could be put to use in at least a small way here in Ghana. I thoroughly enjoyed learning about the plants and landscapes of the region and I’m quite sure my traveling companions and hosts are still laughing at me for my many, many plant questions and pictures of leaves and plant parts!
Overall, I found myself extremely relaxed during my stay. I have very happy memories of my excursions around the region, particularly, the beautiful hike to the upper part of the Wli Falls. I loved the Cape Coast/Elmina area and wish I had more time to spend there! I appreciate Mr. Kojo’s patience and assistance (especially the plant information!) Kpando is like a second home to me now. I met wonderful people with huge hearts and I feel like I am taking away so much more that I can put in words! I hope to return before too long. The landscapes I have seen and the people I have met here will always be in my thoughts.
Jennifer Ward Souder
NYC, New York – USA
Ryvanz-Mia Orphanage
April, 2008