DAY 2

DAY 2  Monday 1^st April, 2013

Travelling: Accra – Tamale – Bolgatanga

After the breakfast briefing at 8am we leave for Accra airport to catch a flight to Tamale.  Ray from AfriKids Ghana along with his “award winning smile” collects us all from Tamale airport.  We travel approximately 2hrs by car to Bolgatanga in the Upper East Region of Ghana. 

It’s hot and dusty and the temperature is up to 40˚C.  The main roads are better than expected though there are many potholes and motorcyclists interspersed with the occasional donkey pulling a cart and various pigs and goats which roam freely!  Off the main road it’s another story.  The smaller roads make for a bumpy ride and, shaking around in the back of the car, this is referred to as a “Ghanaian massage”!
 

  

Raymond, AfriKids Team (Ghana) with his Award Winning Smile  - Transfer from Tamale to Bolga

 Next Generation Home

Arriving at The Next Generation Home (NGH) in Bolgatanga we are met by drumming, dancing and handwritten welcome signs made by the children.  It is a wonderfully loud and energetic reception.

 

Drumming and Dancing at the Next Generation Home, Bolgatanga

We're introduced to Felix Fred who runs NGH and Operation Bolgatanga, a programme which aims to improve the lives of local street children by giving them the care required to create a new start in life.  The home serves as a transitional centre which intercepts children living on the streets or being trafficked, provides them with a safe place to stay and the support they need to get them back into a sustainable living situation back with their families or independently.

The local pub!

Our first trip out from the NGH is to a local bar or “spot” as it’s called here. The local lager in Bolga is STAR and Nigerian Guinness is also popular.   We opt for an Alvaro, a non-alcoholic malt based soft drink which comes in pear or passion fruit.  We sit under the shade of a Mango tree adjusting to the heat.  At around 39˚C it’s extremely hot and humid.  I can see why the prevention of heatstroke and dehydration are serious considerations when travelling in Ghana.

Mama Laadi's Foster Home

Next we meet Mama Laadi, a trained community nurse, who runs the local foster home for some 35 children.  The aim of Operation MangoTree is to provide a secure environment for the most disadvantaged and vulnerable children in the area who may have been orphaned, abandoned due to poor health or outcast believed to be a “spirit child”.  The foster home uses a buddy system to care for each other and has a real fun family feel to it.  

   

    

The children are eager to give us a tour of the home and show us their work.  It’s impossible to move without giving someone a hug or a carry along the way – as a mum, this is just lovely.

  

I meet Ester who is looking after Divine.  Ester is keen to be a journalist, is studying hard and hopes to live an independent life through the Young Entrepreneurs Programme.  Baby Divine is, as her name suggests, absolutely divine!  I can’t help wondering what the future holds for her but at the same time, am reassured that she will receive a good start to life here at Mama Laadi's foster home.

  

 

Meet the children at Mama Laadi's as they host their "Alternative London Fashion Show"
Learn more about the “spirit child” phenomenon on BBC Radio 4 Woman's Hour (28 mins in)
 

Dinner - Ghanaian Style!

Our first taste of proper Ghanaian food is cooked by Mama Laadi.  I’m feeling slightly apprehensive at the menu, Groundnut Soup with Goat served with Rice Balls.   
 

The dining etiquette in Ghana is to eat with your right hand by using your first two fingers and thumb in a scooping action (even for soup!).  Using the left hand to eat food or pass anything is considered very rude. 

The Experience Challenge Team sit down with hands washed and antibacterial gel generously applied!  Tonight’s “ice-breaker” is more a “rice breaker” as we discover the gargantuan size of the rice balls which are like huge boulders and unexpectedly make us all laugh.  The groundnut soup is warm and spicy and the goat isn’t too bad, only kidding... it’s delicious!  It tastes something between lamb and beef and, surprisingly, is lower in saturated fats than chicken!

  

It’s 9pm and the NGH children are off to bed in their dormitories.  They have thoughtfully sorted out our sleeping arrangements for tonight by constructing the metal frames for the mosquito nets and placing our mattresses out in the open courtyard.  The beds are lined up next to each other under the stars and actually look quite cosy!  Sleeping under the night sky is the cooler option – though a first time for me.  How exciting, an outdoor sleepover for grownups!