H.E.L.P – Helping Other People Everywhere

       Ever since high school, I've always had a great passion for volunteering and helping others in help from the experiences of a number of mission trips, both in and outside of the US. Before coming to Ghana, I knew I was going to dedicate a part of my time to volunteer. The only real question was, where?
       I really love children and working with them, so my initial thoughts were to volunteer at a school, an orphanage, or with children of disabilities and/or sickness. Also, before I left I was fortunate to receive some financial assistance, a scholarship, presented to me by Ms. Sally A. Webb, to complete a service learning project while in Ghana. My initial proposal was to volunteer at an orphanage in Teshie, Ghana. However, upon visiting the Teshie Orphanage I found that they had a full staff of volunteers and would not need anymore at the time. I was a sad, but not discouraged because this gave me the opportunity to explore and search for more volunteer opportunities. This is when I found out about the Beacon House Orphanage, which I am currently volunteering at.

Smile! Let me snap your picture. Left to right: Quesy, Atulle, Godwin

      The Beacon House Orphanage is a registered NGO, and is a home for roughly 25 orphaned and ‘at risk’ children ranging from newborn babies to 13 years old. Their mission is to provide a family atmosphere that meets the needs of orphaned and vulnerable children who often have disabilities or life threatening illnesses and provide educational opportunities to 'at risk' children and work opportunities to single mothers and their families through special projects, scholarship sponsoring and trade training.
       

Josephine and Maxwell

I absolutely love what I have been doing at the Beacon House. I love volunteering there and am excited to go every week, Monday and Tuesday mornings, and occasionally some Friday’s. I love it. It’s a very nice orphanage, well managed, and well organized. Every day they abide by their schedules, typically involving school/class, snack, more school work, lunch, nap, then play/activities. And the kids, ohhhh the kids are remarkable! So much fun, filled with exuberant amounts of energy and joy almost all the time. They take to new volunteers so quickly and love our company, and I can say I greatly enjoy theirs just as much. I have done a countless number of different tasks and odd-and-end jobs since I began volunteering there; I'm don't know where to begin to tell you all about it!

Short break from their work books, and making a little time for some coloring and writing letters to families

       My first few visits, I got to enjoy helping out in the classroom with the older kids. Assisting them in learning basic phonics of the English language, reading, writing, math, etc. When it’s time for them to do their work books, I sit down with a group of about 2-3 kids at a time and help them through the necessary amount of pages they need to complete for that day. At times it’s difficult to explain certain concepts and reasoning’s due to small language/accent barriers. But this time has really allowed me to create a stronger relationship connection and trust with them. Other times when I'm not in the classroom, I would just spend time playing with the younger kids outside. Which I normally try to play games that involve teamwork, cooperation, or have an educational basis, whether reading books to them, counting things, learning colors, and so forth. And just last week they started a preschool for the younger children! Truthfully it’s kind of hectic and difficult to get them to listen or pay attention at this point in time, being this is the children's first time having to attend some kind of 'class' with with more structure. But, kids are kids, they're not going to always listen to everything you have to say. You just gotta role with the punches and manage with what you've got.

"Let me see what you've done so far."

       Also, having not much experience with caring for infants before, 4 new babies/infants, ranging from 2 months to 18 months, have become part of the orphanage and I have spent a few days with them, bottle feeding, burping, cleaning up after his spit-ups, and just holding them(fortunately, no diaper changing!). I have spent a little time with one of them which has a disability, so, I try to get him to be interactive and engaged in things such as feeling and touching different objects, reading or playing with him, or working on some fine motor skills such as clapping with him. Like I said, I have never really taken care of infants before. So bottle feeding, etc. while not foreign to me, it was definitely a new experience to just be handed a baby and told, “here’s the bottle please feed him.” The experience went surprisingly well.
      I've come to learn every one of the childrens names, which for me, is often a difficult task to do considering I am meeting new people all of the time and it's difficult to remember them all! In all I've grown exceedingly close with all of the kids at the orphanage. There's just something about holding them, playing with them, or watching them play, learn, laugh, smile, cry, and having fun that is so enjoyable to witness and be a part of. It just like as soon as I enter through the gate of the orphanage and am greeted by the smiling face of Gifty, it does nothing less than make my whole day worthwhile. 

Gifty, one of the cutest, most lovable kids

      I really look forward to spending the rest of the semester volunteering at the Beacon House Orphanage a few days a week, and also am excited to work on a few projects I have planned with the children.
      In conclusion, I could go on and on and on about the orphanage but I will save more of those stories for a new blog. 

      Please, also if you would like you can check out more about the Beacon House on their blog. We have a current student doing her internship there and as part has been updating the blog for the Beacon House Orphanage! Please check it out! The web address is:www.beaconhouseghana.blogspot.com .