Week Six - Howard and Della's Story
23 – 31st May Our week in Ghana
It was with some trepidation that we boarded the plane after hearing stories about frequent power cuts and the need for wet wipes as showers were a luxury. Let’s get things cleared up, conditions were basic but the guest house and the people we met were so welcoming that it soon felt like home.
The work was hard; digging ditches and tamping the ground in the sun and humidity meant that water breaks were a necessity. We found that doing the twist down the slope was the most effective way of ensuring that the dumped earth didn’t form too steeply and cause a potential hazard in the expected rain. We were constantly amazed by the ingenuity of the village workers creating tools to solve problems they were faced with. A trip to collect bamboo to make an A frame for a donated tent revealed just how practiced James and Michael were at choosing just the right piece to match the required length with minimal waste. The tent was erected just in time before the rain came and will hopefully provide a shelter for working and storage.
We were advised that charity work like this worked best when both parties got something out of it. We got loads. We met some fantastic people and some wonderful children. The elders made us welcome and the workers on the site were always willing to help us out. We were humbled by the way that the whole community worked together and supported each other and by the enthusiasm for learning shown by the pupils in an environment that lacked all the facilities pupils in this country take for granted.
‘A life changing experience’ can be a bit of a cliché but for us it was. In addition to all we saw and did we got engaged in front of the elders who celebrated with us and bestowed on us a Fanti blessing. It was amazing and we would like to extend a big THANK YOU to all who made the whole thing possible.
It was with some trepidation that we boarded the plane after hearing stories about frequent power cuts and the need for wet wipes as showers were a luxury. Let’s get things cleared up, conditions were basic but the guest house and the people we met were so welcoming that it soon felt like home.
The work was hard; digging ditches and tamping the ground in the sun and humidity meant that water breaks were a necessity. We found that doing the twist down the slope was the most effective way of ensuring that the dumped earth didn’t form too steeply and cause a potential hazard in the expected rain. We were constantly amazed by the ingenuity of the village workers creating tools to solve problems they were faced with. A trip to collect bamboo to make an A frame for a donated tent revealed just how practiced James and Michael were at choosing just the right piece to match the required length with minimal waste. The tent was erected just in time before the rain came and will hopefully provide a shelter for working and storage.
We were advised that charity work like this worked best when both parties got something out of it. We got loads. We met some fantastic people and some wonderful children. The elders made us welcome and the workers on the site were always willing to help us out. We were humbled by the way that the whole community worked together and supported each other and by the enthusiasm for learning shown by the pupils in an environment that lacked all the facilities pupils in this country take for granted.
‘A life changing experience’ can be a bit of a cliché but for us it was. In addition to all we saw and did we got engaged in front of the elders who celebrated with us and bestowed on us a Fanti blessing. It was amazing and we would like to extend a big THANK YOU to all who made the whole thing possible.
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