Now that we are down in Winneba we are working with Challenging Heights (CH), an organization that works to rescue enslaved children within the fishing industry and provide support and education to their local community members. One opportunity we have been afforded was a trip to Lake Volta to see the villages where children are enslaved. Janaan (Honors College staff), Eric and Kaleigh (students), and myself ventured off on this trip. Beth and Christine (another student) stayed behind to continue their work at the Challenging Heights School.
This trip to Lake Volta was very eye opening. We left early on Wednesday, July 14th and it took us over 10 hours to get to our location. We stayed in small town as it was too late to go to Lake Volta on Wednesday. We had to be ready at 5:30 a.m. to drive to Lake Volta (about 45 minutes away, as the hotel we stayed at was safer than the locations closer to the lake). Only to find that the van would not start, we had a slight delay but we finally made it to Lake Volta.
We had a 45 minute ride in the Challenging Heights wooden boat. Just to give you all a little taste of this, imagine two man navigating a large boat just by one handling the motor and the other giving directions from the front of the boat. Mind you, there are a ton of trees in Lake Volta that the men had to avoid!! Just a little history on Lake Volta. It was constructed during the years of 1961-1965 where the Akosombo Dam blocked Volta River to create Lake Volta.
While heading to one of the villages, William (an employee of Challenging Heights, who coordinates the rescues) showed us children on boats that are likely to be taken from their families. It was so hard to watch children working on the fishing boats, when they should be in school. This children work long days and are not being educated at all. What is even more sad is that the fishermen send their children away to go to school, but find it completely okay to take other children and make them work. At one point Janaan said to William, "Can't we just take the children and save them!" William replied, "What would we do with them?" Challenging Heights rescues children only after gaining permission from their parents. The parents will share any information about the fishermen that took the child and other knowledge that can be useful in the rescue. Challenging Heights then will try to work with the fishermen to educate them on why it is not okay to take the children. Once an agreement is settled, Challenging Heights takes the child to the rehabilitation center for treatment (around 50 days). These children are traumatized and are not in the best condition, but the staff work to help rehabilitate the child. Once the child completes their time at the center, they are immersed back into their parents or extended families home. There is no foster care system here. William's response was telling as it revealed how much more progress needs to be made here in Ghana.
We met with the chief of the village to ask questions about his thoughts about what is happening in his community. We found out that the chief even has children that have been enslaved working for him. James Annan (the founder of Challenging Heights) shared on our return that the chief supports this behavior as he makes money with using the children. James was enslaved into the fishing industry from the ages of 6-13, and was able to finally escape.
Before this trip I will admit, I was nervous to see the villages, the fishermen but most of all the enslaved children. We did not go too far on Lake Volta so we did not see the worst parts. While in the village we did see children that were working to untangle the fishing nets and working in the village, which we were informed that these children were most likely enslaved. Some of the children are taken at such a young age they do not even realize they have been taken from their parents (James shared this information with us). Can you imagine? These children are working so hard while other children are sitting next to them working on school work. These enslaved children are not even given the opportunity to receive and education, but rather to just work for the fishermen and his family. We spent about 2 1/2 to 3 hours at the village, but had to return as the weather did not look good. I am glad I went to see the village and get a better understanding of where the children (at Challenging Heights) are coming from. It was hard to take in, but most definitely worth it.
On our return, we were expecting to return to Winneba around 4-5 p.m. on July 15th, but that did not happen. Our van began to have problems, so we had to stop in Kumasi (a large city in Ghana) to switch vans. We drove for over 12 hours to get back to Winneba. There were moments where we were in isolated areas in the "bush" (in Ghana, known as the wilderness/jungle areas). We were told by the Challenging Heights coordinator that there are areas in Ghana that there are armed robberies and we would need to be careful! I will admit I was a little worried after that comment but we made it home safely a little after 1 a.m.
While James works to rescue those children enslaved, he also provides a variety of opportunities for his local community both rescued and not rescued children and their families. One project that CH has created is the Survivor's Support Network. This program is for the child that has been rescued, but also for the mothers. CH provides the child with a desk and chair in their home as well as paying for school supplies. The mothers are also given a grant to help them create some sort of trade/business that can help them get on their feet and support their child. If the student does not go to school, the grant will turn into a loan with a 30% interest rate. This helps to ensure the family is supporting the child's education. Another program CH has created is Skills Training, this is where older kids are out of school, but are learning one of the trade/skill that they can use to support themselves (ex. seamstress, driving, carpentry, hair stylist, welding). In addition to learning the trade, the person will have a literacy course once a week and in the future the plan is to teach about business management.
These are just two of the many programs that Challenging Heights provides to the community of Winneba. Our group was able to spend an entire day with James as he shared the many opportunities for the local community members but also for future service learning opportunities GVSU students.
-Leena
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Sunday, July 11, 2010
July 6: Mole National Park & Larabunga
A consistent pattern emerging- early to bed, early to rise.
We started our morning at 5 a.m., after breakfast we headed northwest to Mole National Park. Bad decision #1: not bringing socks. We partook in a 2 hour hiking safari where we saw baboons, monkeys, warthogs, antelope, AND elephants! We had to wear knee high rubber boots to protect us from wildlife (we found out there are scorpions and black cobras). No really, we did see a three inch scorpion in the ditch by our guest house!!! After the hike, our feet were covered in blisters from the damn rental boots!! (Really, who doesn't bring socks to the safari!) We've learned a valuable lesson.
Out of all the animals, the elephants were definitely our favorite! To see elephants so close and in the wild was absolutely amazing. We look forward to sharing pictures in the future with everyone.
We stopped in the village of Larabunga to visit with Issak and Kosco, friends of Janaan's (she met them last year). We toured the village and met with some community members to learn about the water issues. Currently their problems are twofold. They have two dams that create holding ponds of water during the rainy season. However, the water is shared with people and animals which creates sanitary concerns. As a solution, three bore holes (basically wells) were installed. Two were set up as manual pumps and the other electric. Currently, only one of the manual bore holes is functioning. The village is looking for outside funding to fix the broken manual pump and connect the electricity for the third bore hole. The bore holes are not only important for clean water, but necessary to sustain the village during the dry season when the holding ponds dry up. During the village tour, we also saw how the community utilizes shea nuts to make shea butter products for profit.
-Recovering from blisters... Beth & Leena
We started our morning at 5 a.m., after breakfast we headed northwest to Mole National Park. Bad decision #1: not bringing socks. We partook in a 2 hour hiking safari where we saw baboons, monkeys, warthogs, antelope, AND elephants! We had to wear knee high rubber boots to protect us from wildlife (we found out there are scorpions and black cobras). No really, we did see a three inch scorpion in the ditch by our guest house!!! After the hike, our feet were covered in blisters from the damn rental boots!! (Really, who doesn't bring socks to the safari!) We've learned a valuable lesson.
Out of all the animals, the elephants were definitely our favorite! To see elephants so close and in the wild was absolutely amazing. We look forward to sharing pictures in the future with everyone.
We stopped in the village of Larabunga to visit with Issak and Kosco, friends of Janaan's (she met them last year). We toured the village and met with some community members to learn about the water issues. Currently their problems are twofold. They have two dams that create holding ponds of water during the rainy season. However, the water is shared with people and animals which creates sanitary concerns. As a solution, three bore holes (basically wells) were installed. Two were set up as manual pumps and the other electric. Currently, only one of the manual bore holes is functioning. The village is looking for outside funding to fix the broken manual pump and connect the electricity for the third bore hole. The bore holes are not only important for clean water, but necessary to sustain the village during the dry season when the holding ponds dry up. During the village tour, we also saw how the community utilizes shea nuts to make shea butter products for profit.
-Recovering from blisters... Beth & Leena
July 2nd - Chief, Hospital, and Track Meet
We had the opportunity to meet the Chief of Damango. He shared his concerns and visions for his people: the unpaved road that leaves Damango isolated from the developing Tamale, improve both academic and personal health education, and instill self responsibility. The Chief is actually Abraham's (our host) cousin. He is considered a prince to the people and is in line, should his brother decline the chief role.
Next, we went to the Damango High School track meet. Compared to American track meets, this was no ordinary track and field event. The track was all dirt with race lines carved into the ground. It was shocking to see the kids round the corner the last 50 meters, to see them racing without shoes. Some were wearing socks, sandals and others barefoot.
We ended our day visiting the Damango Hospital. We were able to see the reception area located outside on benches, the laboratory the size of a small bedroom, and the children's ward. While Damango is very lucky to have their own facility, it was hard to observe the differences compared to American facilities. Most impactful was the children's ward. It was two large open rooms with multiple occupied beds of sick children and attending mothers. It was stunning to see the equipment. The IV's were attached to wooden boards, beds were rusty with torn mattresses, a child had a leg cast made of two boards and binding, and overall avoid of sterileness. We learned that while doctors and nurses adminster the medicine to the children, parents (mostly mothers) are responsible to feed and take care of their children. We learned that Ghana has a universal health care system that individuals can purchase at an affordable cost (12-15 cedi). However, large operations or intensive medical care is not covered and has to be paid upfront out of pocket by individuals. While there is health coverage, this system leaves many people unable to afford care for their families as emergencies arise. Our group met a mother with her sick son who needed surgery on his stomach (he was unable to absorb nutrients into his body). The reality is she was watching her son die because she couldn't pay for the operation. This was definitely an eye opening and tough day.
Reality hitting home... Beth & Leena
Next, we went to the Damango High School track meet. Compared to American track meets, this was no ordinary track and field event. The track was all dirt with race lines carved into the ground. It was shocking to see the kids round the corner the last 50 meters, to see them racing without shoes. Some were wearing socks, sandals and others barefoot.
We ended our day visiting the Damango Hospital. We were able to see the reception area located outside on benches, the laboratory the size of a small bedroom, and the children's ward. While Damango is very lucky to have their own facility, it was hard to observe the differences compared to American facilities. Most impactful was the children's ward. It was two large open rooms with multiple occupied beds of sick children and attending mothers. It was stunning to see the equipment. The IV's were attached to wooden boards, beds were rusty with torn mattresses, a child had a leg cast made of two boards and binding, and overall avoid of sterileness. We learned that while doctors and nurses adminster the medicine to the children, parents (mostly mothers) are responsible to feed and take care of their children. We learned that Ghana has a universal health care system that individuals can purchase at an affordable cost (12-15 cedi). However, large operations or intensive medical care is not covered and has to be paid upfront out of pocket by individuals. While there is health coverage, this system leaves many people unable to afford care for their families as emergencies arise. Our group met a mother with her sick son who needed surgery on his stomach (he was unable to absorb nutrients into his body). The reality is she was watching her son die because she couldn't pay for the operation. This was definitely an eye opening and tough day.
Reality hitting home... Beth & Leena
June 30 - July 9: Exhausted childless women...
First off, we want to apologize for our delay in blogging. You will understand as you read about our journey up in the north.
Our early flight left from Accra to Tamale where we were picked up by Abraham, our host and founder of the Redemption Children's Home. Abraham founded the children's home six years ago. It is a private organization that operates on donations/volunteers.
Bumpity-bump-bump. That's all we can really say about the bus ride from Tamale to Damongo. It was a three hour drive on a dirt/gravel road (going 20-30 mph) from Tamale to the remote village of Damongo. Can you imagine having to make this journey multiple times in a week to go to the bank, access internet and get other essential items for your home! The village is a small community of 29,000 residents. The roads are filled with chickens, goats, sheep, mopeds, cars and people. There is about a half mile of shop stands in the city center and the rest is surrounding countryside. No alarm clock needed. Between the roosters, chickens, sheep, goats and call to prayer (There is a large muslim population where they pray five times a day--one is at 5 a.m.--that is in the morning people!).
We arrived to our Guest House located across the street from Abraham's home/guest house. To our surprise, when we opened the door to our room, we found ONE bed. ONE full size bed. Yes, we did share a bed for nine days. Let's just say staff bonding rose to the ultimate level! We were fortunate to have all our meals prepared by Abraham's staff for our 9 days in Damango. It was interesting to see how welcoming his home is to all his volunteers. We met many people from Holland who stay with Abraham for months on end helping with the children.
For the 9 days in Damango, we spent our time helping Abraham's staff at the Redemption Children's Home. Our days were broken down in two parts, the morning consisted of breakfast at 8 a.m., and then we were off to work with the children. We were assigned to help the teacher in the school house with the children (ages 4-7). During the downtime we found ourselves helping the staff with the babies, cooking, and cleaning. After lunch and a short break, we headed back to play with the children for a few hours before dark. Sista Beth tricked Sista Leena to run races with the children on very hot Sunday afternoon. Picture skirts, sandals and dirt pathways as children ran circles around both of us. For all those that have children, take a moment to imagine what it would be like for five adults (that's all the staff he has) to take care of 50 children. There is no down time, with cooking for 50, babies crying, changing dirty diapers, and cleaning up after the kids only to get back up and start all over again. Exhausting... Even our short interactions each day had us in bed by 9 p.m. each night.
***Future staff retreat ideas: sharing beds, hand washing each other's clothes (that includes underwear), strut around in our towels, etc.
-Exhausted childless women...a shout out to all parents! - Beth & Leena
Our early flight left from Accra to Tamale where we were picked up by Abraham, our host and founder of the Redemption Children's Home. Abraham founded the children's home six years ago. It is a private organization that operates on donations/volunteers.
Bumpity-bump-bump. That's all we can really say about the bus ride from Tamale to Damongo. It was a three hour drive on a dirt/gravel road (going 20-30 mph) from Tamale to the remote village of Damongo. Can you imagine having to make this journey multiple times in a week to go to the bank, access internet and get other essential items for your home! The village is a small community of 29,000 residents. The roads are filled with chickens, goats, sheep, mopeds, cars and people. There is about a half mile of shop stands in the city center and the rest is surrounding countryside. No alarm clock needed. Between the roosters, chickens, sheep, goats and call to prayer (There is a large muslim population where they pray five times a day--one is at 5 a.m.--that is in the morning people!).
We arrived to our Guest House located across the street from Abraham's home/guest house. To our surprise, when we opened the door to our room, we found ONE bed. ONE full size bed. Yes, we did share a bed for nine days. Let's just say staff bonding rose to the ultimate level! We were fortunate to have all our meals prepared by Abraham's staff for our 9 days in Damango. It was interesting to see how welcoming his home is to all his volunteers. We met many people from Holland who stay with Abraham for months on end helping with the children.
For the 9 days in Damango, we spent our time helping Abraham's staff at the Redemption Children's Home. Our days were broken down in two parts, the morning consisted of breakfast at 8 a.m., and then we were off to work with the children. We were assigned to help the teacher in the school house with the children (ages 4-7). During the downtime we found ourselves helping the staff with the babies, cooking, and cleaning. After lunch and a short break, we headed back to play with the children for a few hours before dark. Sista Beth tricked Sista Leena to run races with the children on very hot Sunday afternoon. Picture skirts, sandals and dirt pathways as children ran circles around both of us. For all those that have children, take a moment to imagine what it would be like for five adults (that's all the staff he has) to take care of 50 children. There is no down time, with cooking for 50, babies crying, changing dirty diapers, and cleaning up after the kids only to get back up and start all over again. Exhausting... Even our short interactions each day had us in bed by 9 p.m. each night.
***Future staff retreat ideas: sharing beds, hand washing each other's clothes (that includes underwear), strut around in our towels, etc.
-Exhausted childless women...a shout out to all parents! - Beth & Leena
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
June 29-30 Exploring Accra
After getting some much needed rest we had a day to explore Accra before heading to the north. The city was pure chaos! It was fast pass, with the hussling and bussling of people and traffic. We were able to experience the markets and last America food. Along the way we stopped at Annie Hakim's relatives jewelry store. All the metal work was handmade and intricate. Absolutely beautiful!! We went back to the hotel as we all knew we had an early start the next morning.
We were ready tuck in for the night, when madness broke out. As Leena laid in bed, she noticed moved that involved a small tail. She leaped into Beth's bed (luckily she was not tucked in) pointing and screaming "There is something up there!" (on the curtain rod). With a puzzled face, Beth questioned Leena ability to see without her glasses (Leena had contacts in!). After finding a poking device, Leena looked like a courageous knight going into battle. After a big poke a lizard crawled out and was chillin' on our curtains. Not so courageous after all, there was a lot of screaming, jumping and fear before we could compose ourselves to make a plan.
Plan of attack...dadatada!! Ross to the rescue! We quickly called Ross who saved the lizard and returned him to his natural environment - the crazy city of Accra??
Did we really sleep? Our day started at 2:45AM to catch a flight to Tamale. We have a long bus ride ahead of us to Damango, our next home for 10 days.
Courageous lizard hunters....Beth & Leena
We were ready tuck in for the night, when madness broke out. As Leena laid in bed, she noticed moved that involved a small tail. She leaped into Beth's bed (luckily she was not tucked in) pointing and screaming "There is something up there!" (on the curtain rod). With a puzzled face, Beth questioned Leena ability to see without her glasses (Leena had contacts in!). After finding a poking device, Leena looked like a courageous knight going into battle. After a big poke a lizard crawled out and was chillin' on our curtains. Not so courageous after all, there was a lot of screaming, jumping and fear before we could compose ourselves to make a plan.
Plan of attack...dadatada!! Ross to the rescue! We quickly called Ross who saved the lizard and returned him to his natural environment - the crazy city of Accra??
Did we really sleep? Our day started at 2:45AM to catch a flight to Tamale. We have a long bus ride ahead of us to Damango, our next home for 10 days.
Courageous lizard hunters....Beth & Leena
Monday, June 28th: TRAVELING TO ACCRA, GHANA
After an exhausting four days in London, we were finally heading to Ghana. We had to be on the road at 7:30AM (that is 2:30AM Michigan time!!!) to make our 12:30PM flight. The Gatwick, England airport is a zoo. There is a holding area prior to gate assignment. Gates are not posting until boarding time. Once posted, it is off to the races to get to your gate and board! Our first leg of the trip was Tripoli where we had a 2.5 hour layover. Though we have to stop there on the way back, it will be the last time Leena and Beth willingly stop in Libya. It was an interesting experience. The country is Arabic speaking with minimal English translations. The Tripoli airport was a culture shock in itself. We found that the majority of the workers and travelers were men and found it difficult as two traveling women to find assistance. It was challenging to maneuver through the airport as security was strict and multiple stations along the way. The flight to Accra was delayed but finally we arrived at 12:00AM Ghana time (that is 8:00PM Michigan time). We were ready for the challenge to collect our baggage, exchange money, and hale a taxi to the hotel. We were surprised and relieved to see Janaan and Ross there to pick us up and already have a taxi waiting. Once at the hotel, we settled into our room and quickly fell asleep.
THREE CHEERS - we made it!!!! Leena and Beth
THREE CHEERS - we made it!!!! Leena and Beth
Sunday, June 27, 2010
After 22 hours of car rides, airports, and layovers we finally made it to the UK! We spent 4 amazing days with Leena's crazy family.
We landed Thursday, June 24th at 11:30 a.m. - three hours later than anticipated. There was no rest for the world travelers! We immediately went home, freshened up, and went to Windsor Castle. It was quite remarkable to see St. George's Cathedral, the Royal Doll House and some of the Royal Apartments. While there, we saw staff prepping the gardens for the Queen's visit the next day. We know so because one of the security guards told us so! After a few hours of exploring we headed home. Leena's family all came over to her aunt's house to see us and we were up past ten. We finally crashed and had to be up by 9 a.m. to go to the city the next day.
We spent Friday in London checking out the sites. We started at Green Park and made our way to Buckingham Palace where we observed the changing of guards and the Guard's Museum. Then we were on our way to Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament but Leena's aunt was starving so we had to stop for lunch at Ask (Italian Restaurant). After lunch, we DID make it to Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament and wrapped up by riding on the London Eye where we saw the entire arial view of the city. Tower Bridge was our next stop. We walked across and headed down the path to take photos of the beautiful structure. We soon found ourselves in a Starbucks (something we NEVER see in the States!) since we had been walking all day. We felt like crazy tourist (even Leena's family) as we chased the bus down to St. Pauls Cathedral. Beth and Leena went in and took a glance of the the gorgeous building. Did y'all know that Princess Diana got married in this Cathedral? We went to Trafalgar Square, there used to be tons of pigeons but now they are not allowed in the area. So now it's kind of boring. We ended our day by catching multiple buses and trains to get back to my aunt and uncle's house. Where Beth and Leena were forced to karoake to ABBA - Mama Mia. Let's just say Beth squashed Leena. She is a ROCK STAR in disguise! Before bed, we had a proper English dinner with chips, mushy peas and baked beans. DELICIOUS! Steve and Jarod....dinners to look forward too!
Saturday we spent our day at Thorpe Park an amusement park with loads of water rides, roller coasters, food and games. We went through the Saw Maze (haunted house) let's just say screaming was abundant and holding on tight was a neccesity. After the park, we headed over to my cousin's for a BBQ (sweet potatoes, corn, a type of cottage cheese [charcoaled on the grill], green and red peppers, onions, mushrooms and fruit punch). The night ended on a sad note with the US losing to Ghana....but Ghana should be interesting with the big advance in the World Cup.
Sunday was our day to SLEEP IN. Well deserved we think! Once we got ready for the day, we went to Wembly Stadium and Market. Beth found a nice Ipod cover and the family found themselves spring rolls. One of Leena's aunts eats every hour and must have her sweets. We hung out with depressed uncles after the 4-1 England loss to Germany. We spent the rest of the evening with Leena's family enjoying our last dinner and evening in London.
Tomorrow bright and early, we head to Accra, Ghana. We promise our loyal blog followers to be better bloggers throughout our trip!
Already weary travelers ....Beth & Leena
We landed Thursday, June 24th at 11:30 a.m. - three hours later than anticipated. There was no rest for the world travelers! We immediately went home, freshened up, and went to Windsor Castle. It was quite remarkable to see St. George's Cathedral, the Royal Doll House and some of the Royal Apartments. While there, we saw staff prepping the gardens for the Queen's visit the next day. We know so because one of the security guards told us so! After a few hours of exploring we headed home. Leena's family all came over to her aunt's house to see us and we were up past ten. We finally crashed and had to be up by 9 a.m. to go to the city the next day.
We spent Friday in London checking out the sites. We started at Green Park and made our way to Buckingham Palace where we observed the changing of guards and the Guard's Museum. Then we were on our way to Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament but Leena's aunt was starving so we had to stop for lunch at Ask (Italian Restaurant). After lunch, we DID make it to Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament and wrapped up by riding on the London Eye where we saw the entire arial view of the city. Tower Bridge was our next stop. We walked across and headed down the path to take photos of the beautiful structure. We soon found ourselves in a Starbucks (something we NEVER see in the States!) since we had been walking all day. We felt like crazy tourist (even Leena's family) as we chased the bus down to St. Pauls Cathedral. Beth and Leena went in and took a glance of the the gorgeous building. Did y'all know that Princess Diana got married in this Cathedral? We went to Trafalgar Square, there used to be tons of pigeons but now they are not allowed in the area. So now it's kind of boring. We ended our day by catching multiple buses and trains to get back to my aunt and uncle's house. Where Beth and Leena were forced to karoake to ABBA - Mama Mia. Let's just say Beth squashed Leena. She is a ROCK STAR in disguise! Before bed, we had a proper English dinner with chips, mushy peas and baked beans. DELICIOUS! Steve and Jarod....dinners to look forward too!
Saturday we spent our day at Thorpe Park an amusement park with loads of water rides, roller coasters, food and games. We went through the Saw Maze (haunted house) let's just say screaming was abundant and holding on tight was a neccesity. After the park, we headed over to my cousin's for a BBQ (sweet potatoes, corn, a type of cottage cheese [charcoaled on the grill], green and red peppers, onions, mushrooms and fruit punch). The night ended on a sad note with the US losing to Ghana....but Ghana should be interesting with the big advance in the World Cup.
Sunday was our day to SLEEP IN. Well deserved we think! Once we got ready for the day, we went to Wembly Stadium and Market. Beth found a nice Ipod cover and the family found themselves spring rolls. One of Leena's aunts eats every hour and must have her sweets. We hung out with depressed uncles after the 4-1 England loss to Germany. We spent the rest of the evening with Leena's family enjoying our last dinner and evening in London.
Tomorrow bright and early, we head to Accra, Ghana. We promise our loyal blog followers to be better bloggers throughout our trip!
Already weary travelers ....Beth & Leena
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