Highlights & Reflections

In brief, my highlights…

·    All five of the Experience Challenge team survived the primitive living conditions of a mud hut compound despite soaring temperatures of up to 43˚C (109˚F) and heavy thunderstorms.

·    It was a real privilege to be invited into someone’s home and to be treated as part of their family.  Living and working alongside our hosts gave us a real insight into everyday life in Ghana and this experience was tremendously humbling. 

·    Teaching in school and sharing in the success of those children who had been supported back into education through AfriKids’ Operation Sunlight.  Hearing the stories of how these children had previously been working full time in the local gold mines - one of the worse forms of child labour.

·    Visiting some of the 17 AfriKids operations such as the Next Generation Home (which provides children living on the streets or being trafficked with a safe place to stay); Mama Laadi’s (which homes orphans); and the AfriKids Medical Centre (an operation which funds other child rights projects in the region) and learning more about this amazing child rights organisation.

·    Dancing to local music with my host family, their friends and neighbours – even though my African dance moves made me look somewhat like a crippled chicken!

·    Being interviewed on GBC Radio’s Women in Development programme with my fellow Experience Challenge team members from Hong Kong & Thailand.

·    The friendship that comes from shared moments throughout the challenge, the laughs when it got tough and the joy of learning about a different way of life.

In brief, my reflections… 

·    Team Work - a common goal combined with shared experiences and real achievement makes for a great team spirit.

·    Family Values – the importance of family really struck me when I was away.  Family values are so significant, whether this is an orphanage, a children’s home, my host’s family or my own – it’s the sense of being close, sharing experiences, having fun and looking out for each other that really counts.

·    Small Changes – we might not be able to fix the world but a few small steps towards a goal can really improve and turn lives around for the better.  It’s a good feeling when we help others.

·    Embracing Change - it’s good to challenge the way we think and respond to situations.  Opening our minds to how things look and feel from several different viewpoints. How change can make a real difference.  That’s what I admire about AfriKids – their inspiration and innovation for working towards groundbreaking initiatives which are paving the way for AfriKids Ghana to become sustainable and free of Western aid by 2018.

·    Having Fun – laughing in the face of adversity can have a positive impact on those around us far more so than a display of negative emotions.  Even in the direst of circumstances a good sense of humour will always pull you through!

·    Trying Something New – it’s a great way to grow as a person.  Fear holds us back.  Trying my hand at teaching, tasting new foods like goat and groundnuts and talking on the radio for the first time were just a few of my new experiences.  Sometimes spontaneity is more fun than contemplation.

 

·    Friends & Family – spending time with the people you really care about is important.  Material possessions don’t really count for much when you have the support and kindness of friends and family. 

One big family at the Next Generation Home