A day in the life of ....
GHANA | Saturday, 12 December 2009 | Views [578] | Comments [10]
Friday 11th December, Swedru and Akwaakwaa, Ghana
Woken up as usual by the several cockerels that seem to know how much I love being woken up at 5 a.m. At just after 6, get up for my bucket shower and then venture outside to do some washing - two buckets, one for washing, the other for rinsing.
Breakfast of oats and pineapple prepared by Claudia, one of the daughters at my host family. I'm not allowed to help, owing to my age, so getting older does have some compensations!
Kirsten, the German volunteer who joined me on Weds, and I leave at about 7.30 to walk the half mile or so to the tro-tro bus stop at Texaco, even though it's a Shell garage (don't ask!). We buy some sweets for the kids at the orphanage en route.
At Texaco we are met with a flurry of activity and calls of Accra, Accra or Wineba, Wineba spoken very loudly to attract customers. We however are headed for Akwaakwaa where the orphanage is situated. Our tro-tro duly arrives and we get on, squeezing between several locals, some with produce that they intend to sell, others with babes. After several pot-holes and heads banging against the side of the bus, we arrive at the orphanage, having paid a huge sum of 80 peshwars.
We are greeted by several of the toddlers who seem genuinely pleased to see us and we them. They are generally smiling and start to climb on us, so we have to pick them up. Often more than one at a time. I now know that this is why I've had to go to the gym to strengthen my back all these months. I have Pamela strapped to my back, Africa-style, and I carry Lena in my arms. All the while, several of the other under 2s want to play so we sing "If you're happy and you know it ..." and they all gather round and laugh. That's why I'm here, I guess.
After some time of playing, it's time to work so Madame gives me a brush made out of twigs and I sweep the dining room floor to clear up the breakfast mess. The dining room is rather drab and dreary and could do with some splashes of colour - something to think about for a future project.
Back to the babes and time to feed Pamela. As she's 6 months old, she can take a drink from a cup which is just as well, as there doesn't seem to be any bottles - and even if there were, they wouldn't have a clue about sterilising. Cups, food, toys and clothes are all handed from one to the other so I start to question our WEstern obsession with cleanliness and hygiene. But not for long - every day at least 2 or 3 children have to be taken to the clinic up the road as they are sick, the most common ailments being malaria and worms. (Thank goodness for all the vaccinations I had before I left ...) As long as the children have insurance cards, they can get treated. If not, then either they are sent away or the volunteers - who Madame has cleverly asked to take them - have to pay out of their own money.
Next, I have to sort out the huge pile of donated clothes and decide to sort them into boys and girls clothes. This may sound obvious but the permanent workers put them in anything that's to hand (these are the toddlers, not those old enough to attend school).I also put them into piles depending on size - again, the tiny babies have been put in clothes ridiculously too big for them.
That done, more cuddles and play-time till it's time to walk up to the local village shops to buy some washing powder for the washing machine we discover. When we return with the powder, we're told by Madame that they can't use the machine as they haven't paid their electricity bill - and they hand me the last two months bills, probably expecting/hoping me to pay. I don't!
By this time, it's time to leave so we say our fond farewell to our "babes" and flag down a tro-tro heading back to Swedru and relative normality. I can't wait for the bucket shower and to change out of the clothes that Pamela and her chums have sat on, wee-ed on ...
