After my trip to Ghana in July and August of 2009, I have fallen in love. I travelled and lived in the village of Kpando, living and volunteering at Ryvanz-Mia Orphanage. I was also lucky enough to teach at two of the schools in the village: Delta school and Miracle Preparatory School. I brought YOM (Youth Outreach Mentors written by Devon De Leña) with me to teach and found the curriculum to be a success for the village.
At Ryvanz-Mia I was adored and cared for with the utmost respect. Every morning there wasa breakfast of eggs and bread or oats with tea or Milo. The kids and the volunteers would walk to school together; these walks were a joy in themselves. On one rainy morning in particular Iwalked outside to find all the kids dressed up in bright colorful ponchos. It was a silly memory.
I’d teach in the morning at Delta School. I was the teacher for P2 level. I tried to bring YOM to the school, but I was having difficulty making things happen with the headmaster. I instead taught math, French, English, geography, etc. Anything I could bring to the classroom was helpful.
At lunch time I traveled to my second school: Miracle Prep School, where I taught YOM. The headmaster at Miracle was a delight to work for. He was very enthusiastic about my curriculumand made everything work out that I wished. We ended up putting together a group of 17 students and 2 teachers that were open to learning about HIV/AIDS. My students all passed their tests, and I granted each with a button: “Ask me about HIV/AIDS.” They loved the buttons and I think this was a great gift to contribute to the students in the end of their studies.
At Ryvanz-Mia Orphanage, I helped out with cooking dinner for the volunteers and cleaning upafterwards. I mostly played with the kids when they returned from school every day. I brought Twister which was loved by all and was a fun afternoon game.
My trip to Ghana was an amazing success. I loved every day of it and was so thankful to have done all that I did. The children at Ryvanz-Mia and all my students have left an imprint on myheart forever. I plan to visit them again one day, as soon as I can.
Lastly, I wrote a poem while there, that I thought I’d share:
I love the SOUND of an African night. It’s loud enough to make music. Crickets are chirping,frogs are croaking, bats are screeching. Drums can be heard from afar. Families are quietbecause dinner has finally been prepared. It is just loud enough, to close your eyes, and becontent with what your ears bring to you.
I love the VIEW of an African night. A setting sun paints the sky with pinks, blues, and yellows.Stars appear quickly, twinkling ‘star light, star bright.’ Fireflies illuminate the bush and you canonly imagine what is roaming around in the dark. Palm trees are faint shadows. The red dirt ofthe day is now black and unpredictable. Children’s eyes become droopy, it is time for bed.
I love the FEEL of an African night. The warm winds are changing cooler to please a salty face.The sun ceases to burn into my fair and tan-lined skin. The balmy breeze is enough to rock meto sleep.
I love the SMELL of an African night. It is almost as if the sun has left her scent amongst theearth. Charcoal stoves are smoking from a long days work. Cassava leaves smashed intobanku and okra stew served for dinner. Soapy dishes for washing and soapy children cleanedfor sleep.
I love the TASTE of an African night. It is unknown to the world, yet home for its people. Fewstrangers can accept the beauty it holds. For these few hold an entirely new beat in their hearts,for Mother Africa has blessed another with her wise grace.
Jessica Warner
July 2009