COUNTRY: Ghana
PROGRAM: UniBreak
PROJECT: Teaching & Health
WRITTEN BY: Camille Gray
MONDAY.
Today Naomi and Sally joined Lucy, Jacquie and I to form an elite squad of paint-bearing art teachers, marching into Prince of Peace School with creative determination.
We cut out over sixty paper people and had each child decorate one with crayons, paints and additional pipe cleaners for little spirals of hair. Since the paediatric ward was in desperate need of decorations, we told the students that each figure would be put on the hospital walls, eventually joining the paper hands and writing messages of encouragement, "Get well soon!" "Be happy!" "Keep smiling!"
Katie, Kiah and Alice ventured out to Gomoa Takwa to visit the poorer orphanage, armed with loaves of bread, jam and juice. Since most of the children were attending the local schools, the girls played and fed the excited and squealing younger children. Introduced to three gorgeous German volunteers who resided at the orphanage, the girls were given a tour of another building project, which would eventually replace the current crumbling residence, they were told.
Nina and Hannah visited the maternity ward, helping a severely pregnant woman with preclampsia to her swollen feet for the doctor's inspection. The two witnessed multiple births, one of which saw the unexpected delivery of a second child, which unfortunately did not survive, and was crudely presented to the mother prior to being casually discarded right before her eyes.
TUESDAY.
Jacquie, Lucy, Naomi and I returned to Prince of Peace Primary school for an intense day of patience and progress. Jacquie was ecstatic upon discovering that one child, Earnest, was able to spell the word 'fingers' by slowly sounding out the letters which had been drilled over and over this week.
Katie, Alice, Nina, Hannah and Sally got to work decorating the paediatric ward. Transforming the sickly white walls with colourful letters spelling out "Akwaaba" ('welcome') and slinging a mammoth rainbow paper chain across the windows, final touches were made with rows and rows of paper people received from the school from the day before. A fully equipped bookshelf slotted between some beds, and new soap was inserted in the empty space at each sink.
Katie, Alice and Nina later witnessed a birth, helping the mother who tightly squeezed their hands, urging them to stay for moral support.
Kiah worked in the female ward, and upon discussion convinced some nurses to take a severely ill patient to casualty to receive immediate attention. Kiah continued to stay at the hospital well into the afternoon, working with another volunteer to treat the 13 year old girl who was struggling to breathe, ensuring that she was placed in a raised bed with her head up and an oxygen mask on her face.
Another afternoon visit to Gomoa Takwa brought copious slices of bread, butter, biscuits and juice poppers to the kids for lunch. Sally and Nina began labelling boxes and boxes of paracetamol, skin ointment, antispectics and bandages for the children, with particular instructions on each item. Lucy and Hannah blew bubbles for the kids were uncontrollably excited. We all witnessed a heart breaking sight as three siblings were dropped to the orphanage. With fresh haircuts, ironed shirts and nervously clutching suitcases, they were highly anxious and refused to eat or speak for some time. We can only hope that with the love and attention of the volunteers, staff and other gorgeous kids that they will find some sort of happiness at their new home.
WEDNESDAY.
One of our biggest days yet.
Nina, Kiah, Katie, Sally, Hannah and Alice started with a presentation of donated sheets, wheelchairs, medical supplies and equipment to Swedru Government Hospital.
Kiah then returned to the severely ill 13 year old patient, Rebecca, who she spent yesterday with, only to discover that she had been placed back flat on her back despite her obvious respiratory problems. The medication she was receiving was ill-suited, and she was showing signs of distressed kidneys, not to mention her extremely swollen stomach. Kiah stayed with this girl for the rest of the day, joined later by Sally and together they attempted to convince doctors that she was in need of transferral to a larger hospital in Accra.
Meanwhile, Jacquie, Lucy, Naomi and I were back at school teaching. Jacquie and Naomi attempted some basic maths with the children, while Lucy and I conducted a fiercely competitive times table tournament. The afternoon was spent playing yet another steaming hot game of soccer down the road, with rest dust circling around our feet as the children stormed after the ball as a pack, screaming each time someone kicked the ball. The older boys showed obvious skills,yet it was the 5 year old goal keeper who stole the show with his insanely swift reflexes and fearless dives into the gravel.
Katie headed off to Helping Hands Orphanage for the afternoon, receiving a colourful hand written love letter from an 11 year old named Samuel which read:
Hi Katie I love you very much
I hope that you love me too.
I will miss you when you go
I will never forget you
When you forget my name just say Samuel
Never forget my name, me too I never forget yours.
Please Katie when you come back again
you are my girlfriend.
Signed with a shaky drawn heart, Samuel had sheepishly slipped Katie the note just as she was leaving.
Nina, Hannah, Alice, Lucy, Jacquie, Naomi and I were collected by Seth at midday, with some of us sitting in the back of his bright blue ute. He drove us to the food markets where we proceeded to buy over 500kg of food including rice, beans, cassavas, palm oil, onions, milk and apples using money Alice had fundraised. Our collective donations were put together to pay for ten bunk beds and twenty mattresses for the orphanage, which were due to arrive in two weeks.
Armed with food, on a bumpy ute ride to the orphanage in Gomoa Tarkwa, our arrival was met with extreme excitement by children and adults alike. We were hugged over and over by a woman named Tracy who worked at the orphanage, and graciously thanked by John, the manager, who said, "Madasse, Madasse" ('Thankyou'), repeatedly as we offloaded the bags of food. Books, mosquito nets, clothes and toys were handed over in bags, with the freshly bathed children (many of whom had been using our recently donated soap!), hanging at our ankles.
When we finally hopped back into the ute, we witnessed an unforgettable sight. As we reversed out of the bumpy gravel driveway, twenty children emerged from the dust, running after the car, screaming and waving. We pulled away with their tiny bodies sprinting up the hill to follow us, stopping only when we reached the road, and continuing to wave goodbye until they became mere shapes in the distance.
THURSDAY.
Our final day of work in Swedru.
Alice and Hannah spent their morning waiting for certificates at Swedru Hospital, which arrived in 'Ghana time' (i.e. two hours later than scheduled).
Katie and Kiah visited their host mother's school, drawing with the children before splitting up, with Katie making her way to Prince of Peace to visit the teaching staff and kids.
Lucy, Jacquie, Naomi and I stepped up for our final morning lesson. Lucy and I gave the kids a 'reward' by writing up a ridiculous number of revision questions to complete at their own pace. The kids absolutely love learning and genuinely saw the workload as a treat, with one student, Evans, finishing over fifty maths questions within an hour and begging for more.
We were both shocked and touched to see that the older children had strung balloons across the room, and were each secretly writing letters to Madame Lucy and I. Handing out little Australia bracelets, coloured pencils and letters to the children, we were weary of the approaching afternoon, and inevitable goodbyes.
Some of the older children were crying and hugging us when we left while the younger simply waved good bye, expecting us to return tomorrow. Either way, after only a few weeks, each child had made an impact on us in one way or another. Clutching our hand written letters, and telling the kids to stop following us along the road and get back to school, we made took our final steps away from Prince of Peace.
Meanwhile, Nina and Kiah were involved in the dramatic ambulance transfer of 13 year old Rebecca to a bigger hospital in Accra. After requesting an ambulance at midday on Wednesday, she was finally on her way nearly 24 hours later. Swerving through lanes of traffic (or simply creating lanes of its own), the ghanaian ambulance driver reconstructed scenes from a The Fast and The Furious, honking and shouting as the vehicle wedged through tro tros and cars.
Rebecca was in a critical state when she arrived, going into hypovolemic shock due to a perforated bowel. With no pain relief, and overdosed on incorrect medication in Swedru, she had kidney failure and was struggling to breathe. The hospital in Accra was far more advanced than Swedru, with nurses and doctors examining her symptoms beyond the original claim that she was merely suffering from malaria. Put on life support after a series of tests, Kiah, Nina and Sally worked tirelessly to persuade doctors that they would fund her treatment. With payment received up front for medication, it is nearly impossible for poorer families to afford treatment, particularly if the patient is in Intensive Care. Literally handing over cash in one hand, to receive a syringe or bandage in the other hand, the girls are consistently learning about the a health system based on It is in this cause that the girls are channelling their energy, attempting to preserve a saveable life.
In the afternoon we made our way to Helping Hands Orphanage for our final goodbye. Suddenly the copious hugs became more precious, with little Obed (an incredibly chubby 2 year old) having to be practically peeled off Katie as she said left for South Africa. The older children grew quieter upon hearing that we were leaving, and not once were we left without at least one small hand gripping our own.
An aeroplane passed and many children began pointing in delight, urging us to look up at the sky to admire this mystical mechanical bird. We couldn't help but feel the incredible separation between our lives and theirs. The children at this home exist entirely within the confines of its basic facilities, while we go through each day in Swedru knowing that we will eventually get on a plane and return to a home of incomparable fortune. We could only leave these children with the comfort of knowing that despite having so little, the children have an immeasurable amount of love to give.
FRIDAY, SATURDAY, SUNDAY.
Accra, Accra, Accra!
Enjoying final meals at our host home, we hugged, laughed, and in some cases danced good bye with our families, before heading off to Accra to momentarily settle before the long haul back home.
With another two trips to the textile markets, and one completely bizarre trip to Accra shopping mall (resulting in food poisoning for almost the entire group), we completed our final days in Ghana, trying to savour our last Fan Milks and plantain chips. Good news arrived regarding Rebecca- whose condition has improved, and the hospital attempting to take her out of Intensive Care, all thanks to the donated funds of Kiah, Sally and Nina which essentially saved her life.
Ghana has been unbelievable, and we can all scarcely believe that it has so abruptly come to an end. In just four weeks we were completely immersed into one of the most vibrant and fascinating cultures in the world, gradually learning customs, attitudes and expectations from Ghana's greatest asset; its extraordinary people.
We will miss Swedru, the Tro Tro rides, the shouting on the streets, the cherubic babies, the spicy, carbohydrate-heavy food (perhaps excluding Fufu), and our friends here in Ghana including Ama, Seth, Felicia, Tina and all the people who have spent time getting to know. We will never forget the relationships we have formed with the children of Ghana, particularly the orphans, only strengthened by the amalgamated energy of a group of Aussie girls. This group, brought particularly close in the final week, has together experienced a series of inevitably life altering moments, accumulating into a powerfully fond memory of GHANA.
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