Our hectic schedule included visiting an orphanage, a school, a market and a beach. Driven by Royalhouse Chapel's drive of 17 years, Harrison, we spent what felt like most of our day listening to the honking horns of Ghanaian traffic. But the long drives from place to place gave me lots of time to think and reflect.
Our first stop was to see Miss Beckylynn runs Pathfinders, a home for children who have been orphaned as a result of either (or both) of their parents dying from HIV/AIDS. The children are aware that their parents have died, but not the reason why. This is for two reasons:
1. So they are not stigmatized by their school mates or those in the community around the orphanage
2. They do not stigmatize themselves (thus leading to self-fulfilling prophecy – where you believe bad myths about your race/gender/situation, and through your own fault, live up to the low expectations set by these folklores)
Twenty children, ranging in ages 2 to 17, gathered anxiously on wooden benches, excited that the number of guests exceeded them.
For once they wouldn’t have to share, but have one-on-one time with an adult.
Steve and I quickly became engaged in conversation with Selestina, a 15 year old with aspirations of being a civil engineer. Her father, only the day before, had dropped her off to be placed in the capable hands of Pathfinders, seemingly in the aftermath of her mother to that life-taking illness. For an unknown/unexplained reason, her siblings remained with her dad. Her manner was warm and educated. She was planning on setting up a Christian Club at her school as she wanted to see people genuinely living out their faith and encouraging one another.
Mavis, aged 17, was single, abandoned and pregnant. She only spoke Tre (one of the many regional languages of Ghana) which was a sign of her lack of education (Ghanaian students in good schools, are taught in English) so translation was difficult. As Selestina told me she was 7 months pregnant, all my questions seemed pointless and silly. I felt like I had no words of encouragement to this young troubled woman, who was painfully shy and embarrassed to be asked questions, embarrassed to be the center of attention when she had previously been ostracized by her previous community. She felt it was shame that had resulted in her arrival at Pathfinders.
We ran relay races played games, and sang songs. One girl's request of both ‘The First Noel’ and ‘Hark the Herald Angels sing’ was met with stifled laughter, but as we sang and saw a smile rise, we realized that somehow these festive songs brought a joy to her spirit.
When so much had been taken away from her, who could we not happily meet her simple request.
Before we left, we handed out school supplies to each student. They lined up excitedly, as each apprentice passed over a coloured notebook and a decorated bright blue paper sack containing coloured crayons, pencils, erasers and a glue stick. Esther (Pais:Ghana apprentice from Germany) was firm in her ask for a yellow notebook stating “It’s that girl’s favourite colour.”
We somberly got back onto the bus; the scorching sun smudging make up, and sweat falling down our foreheads as we grabbed and shared the few water bottles we had between us. Carmen (Pais:Ghana apprentice from Mexico; was on Steve’s team Jan-June 2009) and I looked around the neighbourhood as we continued our journey. How different would our lives have been had this been our home? How much does the environment a person is brought up in shape the adult they become?
How easy it was to bring a smile to their faces with a fun action song, and a nicely decorated gift bag.
How easy it was to meet their maybe strange, but very obtainable, desires.
How easy it is to take for granted all that you have, then visit a place where others are in need, or see a sad story on the news, or read a harrowing tale of poverty in the paper…
…and have your heart moved, your gut wrenched, your tears fall…
…and tomorrow be no more changed than you were before you had even seen or heard.
My friend Anna, a self-confessed hater of all Physical Education in school, and all organized sport, ran in the Great North Run on Sunday.
13 miles, on a cold and rainy northern England morning, in a time of 3 hours 30 minutes.
She describes her idea of exercise as dancing at clubs on Saturday nights and walking to the fridge for a bar of chocolate. She lost toenails, bled through her shoes and has two almighty blisters but was led to put her “squidgy around the edges” body through it for a reason:
“I am running this to raise lots of money to help people with visual impairments like my Pa. Losing his sight affected his life in more ways than you could imagine and I hope that the money I raise will help support those who have lost their sight and also help in the research and treatment of diseases that cause blindness.“Father God, would you make me a person, who doesn't forget, cannot forget, and is changed beyond words...
...and into action.
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