Well, sadly, we're almost done with our time in Ghana this trip. We leave tomorrow (Thursday) evening at about 11:30pm. The airline we are taking are talking about beginning a strike tomorrow, so we'll have to see what happens. We might be here longer!
Christmas was wonderful here. There are not really presents given, mainly lots of food shared with family and friends. It's a time of true celebration of our Lord's birth.
The 26th of Dec. is a national holiday - Boxing Day. So, we spent most of it at the beach. It was another great, peaceful time enjoying family. The kids had a blast with their cousin who's 2 years old. It was the first time many who came with us (most over 30 years old) had ever been to the beach and it's only 1/2 hour away. The people in Ghana work so hard, they barely ever are able to take a break to enjoy the natural resources around them, such as the beach. In fact, Christmas Day was a little sad, driving around after church, because many roadside vendors, including children, were still selling their food items or other items. They just can't afford to take even 1 day off or they won't be able to adequatley provide for their family. It's very sobering.
Tomorrow we head to the Community Computer Lab we helped set up a few years ago to see how it is running and then to pick up a few souveneirs. We look forward to posting our last day and more pictures when we get home this weekend. Thanks for keeping up with us and for all the comments!
Wednesday, December 26, 2007
Sunday, December 23, 2007
Finally - Pictures!
We have over 500 pictures we can't wait to show you. Here's a few until we get back!
Kids excited for Christmas vacation at one of the schools.
The girls handing out candy canes to neighboring children.
The Ghana version of Albertson's Foods :-)
The Ghana version of Target :-)
The "kitchen" where the school where we fundschool lunches cooks. It's just a fire and a pot!
A child we met on a walk.
Meeting with the Chief of a village where we are
Kids doing their daily work.
Our kids at El Mina Slave Castle
Students at Faith CommunityBaptist Schools
The students performed 3 cultural dances for us.
Destiny Foundation handing out donated pencils, candy canes
A child we met on a walk.
Meeting with the Chief of a village where we arepartnering with a friend to build a vocational school.
It is a VERY impoverished community.
Kids doing their daily work.
Our kids at El Mina Slave Castle
Students at Faith CommunityBaptist Schools
The students performed 3 cultural dances for us.
Destiny Foundation handing out donated pencils, candy canes
Thursday, December 20, 2007
Hurry to Wait...
Wow! What an event filled few days. We've been so crazy we even forgot to mention the best part of yesterday - the partners who met with us handed out holiday pencils, gift packages of crayons (donated by a precious friend) and candy canes (donated by a volunteer who came). The kids were so excited to get an early Christmas gift. For most, it is all the tangible items they will receive. Most children exchange food for Christmas, no gifts.
Today we spent most of the day in the car! We rush to get somewhere, only to have to wait. Waiting is much of what Ghanaians seem to do. Things are quite inefficient in comparison to what we're used to. We spent a few hours at the West African Exam Council, the company that does our version of the "exit" exam for junior high and high school, waiting for Kern's sister, Ama, who is also currently heading up one of the schools we work with. There had been problems with one of the schools that we work with's registration as well as the test scores from spring term had not yet been released. Graduated students were trying to figure out what to "do with their lives" based on how well they tested, and yet did not have the results yet. It took about 2 hours sitting in an administrator's office, refusing to leave before they worked everything out.
Then, we had to go to the bank for a version of our money order (you can't get the money order w/out the Exam Council's stamp on the paperwork. Getting the money order only took 1.5 hours! While waiting, it was crazy to see a Jaguar, MANY new VWs, Mercedes, BMWs and brand new trucks driving in. Ghanaians have to pay cash for cars, so it's difficult to comprehend how some have enough money to buy such nice cars outright (and they cost more in their currency than they do in the US!) and yet most people have nothing. Then we went back to the Council to drop it all off. This time, only 1/2 hour. Phew - that's done. The results from spring term were released and the students did very well and improved from last year.
We then headed back to the car for another 1.5 hour drive (only about 20 miles, tho), where we headed to another school where we fund school lunches. This school is in a very impoverished and somewhat remote area. They have about 250 students. It was great to take a tour of the school and meet the wonderfulheadmaster and his wife. The headmaster asked for any guidance we could help him out with educationally, as the school is struggling because the students do not have the school fees to pay. This school only costs $40 per term or $120 the entire school year. Only $10 per month! We are going to look at what else AEI can do for this school.
We were priviliged while at the school to learn of a young man in the junior high (about 8th grade), who is a student and a boxer. His name is Jugunda. He actually gets paid to box. He then takes his earnings home to his grandma (with whom he lives). Grandma uses the money for food and things she needs and does not leave him any for school. Jugunda even missed the term's exams (which puts him behind) because he was boxing for money to live. Please pray with us for this young man who has the potential to continue on into high school, if given adequate resources.
I can't express to you how awesomely overwhelmed we are with the needs of the people here. Although we "know" it and have seen it before, it's always so stark when it's right in front of you. We have been coming up with all sorts of ideas for AEI to work on to help the education struggles here. We are so excited for the future!
Still working on pics...hopefully soon!
Today we spent most of the day in the car! We rush to get somewhere, only to have to wait. Waiting is much of what Ghanaians seem to do. Things are quite inefficient in comparison to what we're used to. We spent a few hours at the West African Exam Council, the company that does our version of the "exit" exam for junior high and high school, waiting for Kern's sister, Ama, who is also currently heading up one of the schools we work with. There had been problems with one of the schools that we work with's registration as well as the test scores from spring term had not yet been released. Graduated students were trying to figure out what to "do with their lives" based on how well they tested, and yet did not have the results yet. It took about 2 hours sitting in an administrator's office, refusing to leave before they worked everything out.
Then, we had to go to the bank for a version of our money order (you can't get the money order w/out the Exam Council's stamp on the paperwork. Getting the money order only took 1.5 hours! While waiting, it was crazy to see a Jaguar, MANY new VWs, Mercedes, BMWs and brand new trucks driving in. Ghanaians have to pay cash for cars, so it's difficult to comprehend how some have enough money to buy such nice cars outright (and they cost more in their currency than they do in the US!) and yet most people have nothing. Then we went back to the Council to drop it all off. This time, only 1/2 hour. Phew - that's done. The results from spring term were released and the students did very well and improved from last year.
We then headed back to the car for another 1.5 hour drive (only about 20 miles, tho), where we headed to another school where we fund school lunches. This school is in a very impoverished and somewhat remote area. They have about 250 students. It was great to take a tour of the school and meet the wonderfulheadmaster and his wife. The headmaster asked for any guidance we could help him out with educationally, as the school is struggling because the students do not have the school fees to pay. This school only costs $40 per term or $120 the entire school year. Only $10 per month! We are going to look at what else AEI can do for this school.
We were priviliged while at the school to learn of a young man in the junior high (about 8th grade), who is a student and a boxer. His name is Jugunda. He actually gets paid to box. He then takes his earnings home to his grandma (with whom he lives). Grandma uses the money for food and things she needs and does not leave him any for school. Jugunda even missed the term's exams (which puts him behind) because he was boxing for money to live. Please pray with us for this young man who has the potential to continue on into high school, if given adequate resources.
I can't express to you how awesomely overwhelmed we are with the needs of the people here. Although we "know" it and have seen it before, it's always so stark when it's right in front of you. We have been coming up with all sorts of ideas for AEI to work on to help the education struggles here. We are so excited for the future!
Still working on pics...hopefully soon!
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Our First Few Days in Ghana
Sorry for the lack of updates so far. It has been quite difficult to get online. When we finally do, it's painfully slow. We have had a great first few days here. The plane flights went great and the kids were troopers! Thanks to those of you who prayed for easy traveling. We arrived at 11pm on Sunday night.
We got to work early Monday morning running through everything to make sure we had everything ready for the potential partners, Destiny Foundation, visit. It was so great to be back at the school and see all the family and friends we have missed.
Tuesday was our meeting day with Destiny Foundation and it went very smoothly. It was so awesome to meet people who had a similar heart, passion and vision regarding education and poverty. They are doing great things already with poverty and hunger in Florida and have a God-given desire to move their work into Africa. We were able to present Access to Empowerment's heart and vision, tour the school we were at, and follow a student home to see a "day in the life of" a student. Except for losing our camera bag with the USB cable, extra battery and 1 lens in it (we had the camera on us), everything was a huge success!
Today, Wednesday, is a national holiday, so we have laid low and spent precious time with family. Tomorrow we head to Golden Era International School in Accra, to meet the Director of the school. Access to Empowerment currently funds school lunches at that school. We are excited to meet him and tour the school.
We hope to add pictures soon. Would love to hear from you!
We got to work early Monday morning running through everything to make sure we had everything ready for the potential partners, Destiny Foundation, visit. It was so great to be back at the school and see all the family and friends we have missed.
Tuesday was our meeting day with Destiny Foundation and it went very smoothly. It was so awesome to meet people who had a similar heart, passion and vision regarding education and poverty. They are doing great things already with poverty and hunger in Florida and have a God-given desire to move their work into Africa. We were able to present Access to Empowerment's heart and vision, tour the school we were at, and follow a student home to see a "day in the life of" a student. Except for losing our camera bag with the USB cable, extra battery and 1 lens in it (we had the camera on us), everything was a huge success!
Today, Wednesday, is a national holiday, so we have laid low and spent precious time with family. Tomorrow we head to Golden Era International School in Accra, to meet the Director of the school. Access to Empowerment currently funds school lunches at that school. We are excited to meet him and tour the school.
We hope to add pictures soon. Would love to hear from you!
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
About Ghana
Ghana is in West Africa, located between Cote D'ivoire (Ivory Coast), Burkina Faso and Togo, in the Gulf of Guinea (part of the Atlantic Ocean.) It's a 10 hour flight to London and then about a 8 hour flight to Accra, the capital city of Ghana. As seen on the map of Ghana (below), Accra is located on the Southern coast. It's a bustling African town modern and prosperous by developing country standards. We then head about 15 miles (but could take 1 hour with traffic!) to a developing suburb called Madina.
We're on our way to Ghana!
Well, we're almost ready! The Oduro Family is headed, under our non-profit organization, Access to Empowerment International, to Ghana, West Africa this Saturday.
We are traveling there for meetings with potential funders and to view various projects we assist with. We will also get to spend our first Christmas in Ghana!
We are now busy packing children's books, crayons, markers, school supplies - oh and who can forget - clothes! We want to make the best use of our free luggage on the plane and are restricting our ENTIRE family to 2 suitcases so we can use the other 8 for educational supplies for the schools we work with.
And, we just got word that we are being given 100 computer hard drives from an online auction and we have to pick them up this week! Crazy times, but we are so grateful for the opportunity to help empower children through education. Continue to watch the blog to stay updated with our latest happenings while we're in Ghana!
We are traveling there for meetings with potential funders and to view various projects we assist with. We will also get to spend our first Christmas in Ghana!
We are now busy packing children's books, crayons, markers, school supplies - oh and who can forget - clothes! We want to make the best use of our free luggage on the plane and are restricting our ENTIRE family to 2 suitcases so we can use the other 8 for educational supplies for the schools we work with.
And, we just got word that we are being given 100 computer hard drives from an online auction and we have to pick them up this week! Crazy times, but we are so grateful for the opportunity to help empower children through education. Continue to watch the blog to stay updated with our latest happenings while we're in Ghana!
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