Busy, busy, busy!

So I said in my previous post that it had been 'go, go, go' since I got here and nothing's changed. I really have done so much and I haven't even been here a week yet! So get ready for PLENTY of 'gap yaaah' stories when I get back everyone :D

Leading off from my last post, I've been doing a whole range of things. On Sunday, I designed and made the library opening poster for Wisdom Academy. A previous volunteer had fundraised money to be able to buy a fair few books for the school and I was asked to assist in this occasion by making a poster that will go on the library (cupboard) door. So it was all very well, but then of course I forgot that on my laptop I don't have Microsoft Office, I only have Open Office and it would not open on another computer, so we would not be able to print it. I then had to hurriedly make a new one on Rev. Laud's computer...so much for patience and taking your time during creativity. I also have made more changes to the blog (adding a new 'page' which would consist only of each child's 'story'). The logic behind this was firstly that noone wants to keep scrolling down and I still have more children to add. Secondly, I felt there was not enough information behind the monthly sponsorship fund. I suggested that we break down the sum so people can see how much individual things cost, such as school books. That way, if someone cannot commit to making a monthly sponsorship, they can still make a one-off donation by providing the correct fee for a certain item.

As it has been sooo hot here, I do not have the same apetite as I do back home - I have some bread for breakfast and I eat a substantial lunch of rice and chicken, then in the evenings for the past couple of days we have been having some freshly grown fruit which is the nicest fruit I have ever eaten. We had pineapple one evening and another evening we had oranges and papaya. YUM.

Yesterday was my first proper day at school! I was due to be observing that day so I could get a feel for how they do things and the structure of the lesson. First I was in class 2 which is aged between 6-9 and was watching their maths lesson. They were practising counting from 0-100 and then had to write these numbers in their books (neatly of course!). The teacher asked me to mark their work, and only a couple of children had forgotten some numbers, i.e. missing out the 70s or 80s. At first I thought this was a starter activity...but it seemed to go on for the whole lesson (which was about 1 hr 15 mins)...The children were very sweet though and already I could see which ones were the cheeky ones who might try and give me a bit of trouble! I then went into class 3 which is aged between 8-11 to watch their English lesson. The teacher had written a passage on the blackboard about festivals in Ghana and the children copied it into their books (again, neatly!). The teacher found a stick and then did a 'call and response' where they read out sentences of the passage at a a time. This also went on for a very long time. They had a quick discussion about Easter and it was then requested that I read out the passage for them to copy. Awww! 

I think today had been the most successful day so far. TANF has been meaning to start collaborating with the health sector of the community, promoting free healthcare for all. So, as I volunteered to help out with Gloria and Matilda, the two health workers, this was the perfect opportunity for TANF to get more involved. So today was the first step! Today I weighed over 55 babies at a mother and baby clinic where babies and young children also come to receive their immunizations. I had to log it in the child's record book and plot it on a graph. I then had to fill in a sheet which records the data of everyone - so attendance of each child and their age, whether they had a vit. A droplet and whether there was any male attendance (of which there was only 1!!!). I imagined it to be like the scales we see in hospitals - sized to fit the baby and digital, but no, we hung a piece of rope over a beam with one of those scales that you use when you hang your suitcase on to check if you're within the baggage allowance. But instead of hanging a rucksack, I was hanging babies from as young as 2 weeks to 3 years old. It was so rewarding, but yet also exhausting. The women I was working with do this regularly along with everything else and I absolutely repsect them 100%. They really do deserve a gold medal! (read the blog for full story!)

And finally, after a busy morning at the clinic and some lovely chicken and rice with an amazing sauce, it was over to Wisdom Academy for the grand opening of the school library (cupboard). A previous volunteer had done some fundraising and was able to provide sponsors for 4 children and also bought lots of new books for every child in the school to use and borrow to practise their reading. This was where my poster came in! I was happy to participate as the children were so excited and I just hoped my rushed Microsoft Publisher poster would meet expectations! 

With his new Uniform! 

THE poster...