Memoache, (Good Morning)

I have some informational sites to share with you. The website for our nonprofit organization through whom we traveled is http://www.sabretrust.org/

When there click on volunteers, then photo library to see many of the things we see every day; i.e. children, Brenu Beach, hillside schools without electricity, painted walls of the beach classrooms fpr KG-2.

My colleague set up a blog at http://www.classroomghana.blogspot.com/
where she posts weekly new activities.

For those of you who have asked about the needs of the children, an address for the school is:

Brenu Akyinim D/A School
Via Elmina
Ghana, Africa

The greatest need for the children is used summer clothing of all sizes and flip flops or lightweight leather shoes. Again, used would be equally appreciated as new. Most children have one tattered outfit aside from their one issued school uniform. I am planning to return in about 1-1 1/2 years, so I will also carry my maximum allowance on the plane.

The school supplies that we brought in some cases have been greatly used, like the 60 soprano recorders and whiteboards. However, glue sticks and scissors have been of little use. The schools have NO supplies, not even textbooks for the children. The teachers teach verbatim from a syllabus using chalk on a crude chalkboard. We are gaining a much deeper appreciation for the teaching circumstances in America. The children of America would never believe how different life is for the students in third world Ghana. Begin to count your blessings, Walker Wolves.

Tiffany has asked me to talk a little about the houses in the village. They are made of a variety of earthen materials, non-mortared blocks, mud walls, woven palm fronds. Very few have doors or something over the windows. Most have an outdoor privy with an deep open pit dug for waste. These are share by several homes. The roofs leak and are in constant need of repair. The churches are probably the most permanent structures in the village with wooden windows and doors that are opened only on Sunday. Few homes have any electricity or running water, but there is a central well which the children use constantly to carry buckets to their homes.

Know that the Ghanaians are strong supporters of Barrack Obama, wearing buttons, stickers on the taxis, and even an occasional teeshirt. We are frequently asked about our gov't by the young adults who have mastered English. There will be an election here in December and there are many parties contesting.

In the 3 weeks we have been here, there have 3 deaths in our village of 1500 people. The customs are different than ours. Loud music emanates from the church for 24-36 hours straight, and family and friends of the decesed arrive from all over. Just this weekend we have an extra 4 people staying in our guesthouse sleeping on the couch and chairs in the living room. Plastic chairs are set up at the deceased person's house and people grieve and celebrate his/her life. We watched a carpenter construct a beautiful casket trimmed with metal. Everything becomes a community activity.

Last week we had a school holiday for Ramadan, so we went to the Elmina Castle. It is 526 years old and was built by the Portuguese for trading of gold, ivory and spices. Later taken by the Dutch and finally the Bristish. The Ghanaians reclaimed in during their independence in 1957. For hundrends of years it was used for slave trading and housed as many as 1,000 slaves. It was a haunting experience for us.

Much more to follow...love to all...really beginning to miss home and family.

Akua Linda