Scorpion!
It’s a 5.30am
start, rising with the sun. Breakfast is
bread and eggs. We also have the
pleasure of a scorpion joining us this morning as it scuttles up the wall
beside us.
Pig!
Nipping out to use the “facilities” outside the compound where the animals roam freely, I find a spot out of view from the surrounding compound houses. This qualifies as an “out of my comfort zone” moment. After finding a suitable bush I’m traumatized by the unexpected sight and sound of a pig, covered head to toe in mud, hurtling rapidly towards me! It's a comical moment I won’t forget in a hurry!
Election of School Prefects
Today some of the pupils at Lorge JHS are working towards developing their leadership skills. Several students are up for election as a Class Prefect (representing Health, Culture, Compound, Agriculture, Boys and Girls). Each candidate, in turn, has to deliver an election speech to the whole school.
Election of School Prefects
Out of the 17 students supported by AfriKids in the school, 4 have made it through the selection process for election. This is encouraging to see. These children have been given a chance to return to education with the support of AfriKids’ Operation Sunlight project.
In brief, Operation Sunlight took over 120 of the most vulnerable children working in the local mining industry (one of the worst forms of child labour) and placed them into 16 different schools across the Talensi-Nabdam region by providing their families with the financial support they needed to get their children back into education. In addition, they also set up Child Rights Clubs to educate people on the risks associated with mining and to prevent other children entering into this hazardous form of child labour.
34% of children in
this region work in child labour full time.
Emmanuela
There is nothing
like a success story! Emmanuela is one
of the AfriKids Operation Sunlight beneficiaries. She passed the selection process enabling her
to stand as Class Prefect. Her election
speech identified the needs of the school and her class. She eloquently explained how her ideas for
working towards achieving her goals for the school and how they, as a team of
teachers and pupils, could make the necessary changes to improve the school for
everyone. I was delighted to see her
elected. In addition, Emmanuela was the only
pupil to receive 100% of the votes from her peers.
It is very rewarding
to see how small changes can have such a positive impact on a young person’s
life. Learn more about Operation Sunlight and the Talensi-Nabdam Area Programme.
The Boy with no shoes
However, not every child is lucky enough to attend school. As I continue to watch the election of School Prefects a little boy walks past rolling a car tyre. He is wearing torn, dirty, ill-fitting clothing and has no shoes. After staring at me (and my white skin!) for some time I beckon him over. Sitting beside me, we spend time drawing shapes and pictures. A bright little boy who quickly engages in copying the shapes and pictures I’m drawing. I give him some paper and the pencil we’re sharing. His face lights up with a big smile. Just a pencil and paper! It’s a poignant moment.
AfriKids Visit
At midday AfriKids
visit to see how I’m getting on. It’s
good to see the familiar faces of Katie from AfriKids UK, Ray from AfriKids
Ghana and our Experience Challenge Team doctor, Jane. I also have the pleasure of meeting one of
the Directors, Nich and AfriKids Representative, Isaac. I explain that today the whole school is
gathered together for the election of school prefects to promote leadership
skills.
Dr Jane checks I’m ok and, apart
from struggling with the searing heat at some 43˚C today, everything is pretty
good with me.
Catherine Visits
Back at the
compound house I’m starting to feel more at home. I even have some friends call by to see if I
want to go sightseeing! It’s good to see
Catherine who is living a short distance away and is also doing the Experience
Challenge (on the back of a gruelling Simien Mountrain Trek in Ethiopia, I might
add!). Catherine is the team’s top
fundraiser and much admired by all for her stamina on both trekking and
fundraising fronts.
Family members Cali
and Victor take us to visit the Ave Maria Shrine. This is a religious prayer area where it is said
prayers are answered and wishes granted. I consider praying to match Catherine’s
fundraising total… but on reflection that would probably count as a
miracle!
We meet Jane and
Madame Elizabeth (who Jane is staying with) and all walk up to the Statue of Jesus
Christ on the hill top. From here we can
see a spectacular view across the savannah and as the sun goes down over the dawadawa,
baobab and acacia trees I half expect David Attenborough to pop up any minute
with some commentary on the semi-arid African landscape.
Thunderstorms!
Back in time for
dinner we have a ground maize dish called Banku which is vaguely like mashed potato and is served with vegetable curry, cabbage salad and chicken. I’m finding the food a struggle, mostly
because I have lost my appetite due the overwhelming heat.
The weather breaks
with lightning, thunder and torrential rain.
It’s a remarkable sight with the whole sky backlit with lightning. The raindrops are the largest I’ve ever seen
(despite last year being the second wettest year on record in the UK!).
The compound is
drenched and tonight everyone sleeps indoors.
I wake in the night to the deafening sound of rain pelting down on the
corrugated metal roof above me. I’m
having flashbacks to the storm in October 1987!
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