I realized I haven't written much about the school and the kids. The orphanage, Sankofa Children's Home (you can google that for the web page) is home to about 18 kids, most of them adolescents. The youngest is probably 8. They range from a few kids whose parents or relatives can't afford to care for them, some children who were street hustlers and have been brought to live in Eguafo, and a few whose parents didn't want them, for whatever reason. Hard to imagine, I know. Because the kids are older, our duties at the orphanage are pretty minimal - we work mostly at Sankofa school, which serves teh village children ranging in age from 2 years to 20 years (preK through grade 9). We do spend time with the children at the orphanage - which we call the Center - watching them have their traditional African dance and drumming lessons and tutoring them, and just generally speaking English with them. One of our group volunteer goals before we leave is to make sure all the kids get mosquito nets. Right now, i believe only 3 have nets.
Days at school are pretty chaotic. Besides the obvious physical differences between a rural African school and a US school, i've also found that teachers sometimes just choose to not show up, to leave, or to go to the break area and nap. And you can probably guess there's no such thing as substitute teachers here. As volunteers, we try to cobble together a lesson whenever possible, but discipline is pretty much out the window because the students know that we won't cane them - unlike their teachers. You end up just trying to find small ways to feel like you're doing anything, such as taking one student aside and explaining addition for the umpteenth time with your fingers. Or holding the little ones, because they just want to be picked up.
The kids are also tough. An American child wouldn't last 5 minutes. Not only do kids regularly get caned for bad behavior or bad grades, but they also wale on each other constantly. I've had to pull 8-year-olds apart more than once. It's so amazing - they beat on each other, scream and cry, and get over it. Tough cookies. I guess when you're hauling 3 gallon buckets of water on your head from the age of 6, you're no pansy. They also sharpen their pencils with razor blades. Now there's a surprise - you start to confiscate it but realize they're only trying to sharpen their pencil, and then they put it back in their pocket (or their mouth sometimes!). More than one fight has been nterrupted with half-sharpened pencil and razor blade in hand.
Of course, the students are also very sweet and generous. While they may ask for money or toffee (generic word for candy) without flinching, they will also offer me a bite of their rice-in-plastic-bag snack (no thank you) or help me with my laundry or sweep our front porch. Next week is the last week of exams (another study in lack of infrastructure and organized time) at the school, and then it's summer break for them for August. I think we'll be working more closely with the Center kids during August and helping construct the new house they are building.
One day here begins to drift into the next. They are all generally the same, but different in small ways. You start to wonder what it would be like if this was what your future held, and there wasn't an end date to your time here...I think there is just a whole different mindset. It's something we discuss a lot around the dinner table. Thanks to all of you that are reading and keeping up with me. I look forward to sharing my adventures with you in person in September!
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