Schools and orphanages

Our time in Ghana was almost exclusively spent in schools and orphanages. We taught everything from preschool to junior high and every subject from English to Science.


Our first two weeks were spent in the Liberian Refugee Camp just outside of Accra. It was an interenting experience! Just before we arrived several of the teachers at the Emmanuel Lutheran School left due to the financial difficulties the school is having. Therefore, instead of arriving and helping out with English and Bible classes, we arrived and I was handed the entire courseload for the 5/6 class and Amanda was asked to take over Math and English (and temporarily Ghanian History!) for the 8/9 class. We were given less than 12 hours notice.


Exciting times!



Things went well, though. The kids were fun--though definitely ready to push boundaries. They wanted to know why we wouldn't cane them...and I admit to wanting to cane a few of them from time to time! :) Things are defintely at different standards there, though. The administration of the school was a bit chaotic, and just the fact that Amanda and I had university degrees made us w ell qualified to be teaching there. Many of the teachers had only about a week of actual teacher training. I'd love to see a training program for both the administration and the teachers put on there over a month or so.

After we left the Liberian Camp, we went west to the towm of Tarkwa. We only stayed there for about 5 days, but while we were there we helped out in a daycare and at an orphanage. We taught songs and stories to the daycare kids and played games and did origami with the orphanage kids. It was fun. Once again, it was sad to see the lack of training and education amongst the staff at the daycare. There were two little boys there--one definitely had Downs Syndrome and the other probably had Cerebral Palsy. Unfortunately, the staff treated them both quite harshly and basically said they are retarded and can't learn. When we talked to them about the boys they were stunned to find out that there are people with Downs and CP (though they didn't know those names--they just said they were retarded) in Canada. They thought it only happened in Africa when babies were born too early.


Our final stop was Asiama. Once again we helped out in a daycare, a school, and an orphanage. We especially enjoyed working at the daycare and school. Amanda once again dazzled the science students with practical hands-on lessons. I think the students in the other classes were really confused as to why their schoolmates were trying to push over a tree!! (They were talking about the importance of soil...) Another highlight in Asiama was meeting another missionary couple--Larry and Cheri--who have just moved there from the States and plan to stay between five months and five years! :)

And that was it! One month gone in a flash! On our drive back to Accra we also had the chance to stop off and be tourists with Frank--the president of the ALC in Ghana and our contact in the country. We dipped our feet into the Atlantic, visited Cape Coast Castle--the place where thousands of slaves were sent off into Europe and the Americas, and toured Accra.


It was a great trip and Ghana is definitely a country that I will be returning to some day (hopefully) soon!