Ghana

Hello everyone!

English version below!

En Octobre 2019, nous sommes partis avec Pénélope, June, Alistair et maman passer une semaine au Ghana🇬🇭 , à Akropong, au nord d’Accra. Ce fut le plus incroyable cadeau d’anniversaire pour mes 40 ans de la part de mes proches !

Nous avons donné un petit coup de main dans une crèche, l’Adom Day Care avec des enfants tellement mignons et attachants. Il fallait changer les enfants et les mettre en uniforme, leur lire des histoires, leur apprendre les lettres et les chiffres, passer du temps avec eux, jouer, chanter, aider pour les déjeuners, la vaisselle, le rangement etc).

Nous étions hébergés localement par Grace, qui vit avec deux de ses enfants et sa petite fille, Abriana, du même âge que June, tellement vive et ouverte sur le monde !🤩

Nous avons passé une semaine extraordinaire et surtout nous avons tissé des liens incroyables avec les enfants, le personnel de l’école, sa directrice Tina mais également avec notre famille d’accueil et nous nous étions promis d’y retourner ! Covid nous en a empêché ! Mais maintenant que Covid semble être derrière nous, le projet est d’y retourner quelques semaines en juin peut être avec Manu qui n’avait malheureusement pas pu se joindre à nous la première fois.

Le bonheur se décuple lorsque l’on associe ceux que l’on aime à un projet qui nous tient à cœur ♥️

Alors, je vous propose un petit jeu!!!! Vous êtes prêts et partants ?🍀

Nous avons l’immense chance avec Manu de courir le marathon de NYC le 6 novembre prochain 🏃‍♀️ 🏃‍♂️ ! Trust me, on s’entraîne dur, c’est grisant, ça arrive si vite ! (Merci les Flamingos, 🦩 !!! notre club de course pour ces dossards ! You ’re the best!)

Nous avons donc créé cette cagnotte Leetchi dédiée au Ghana, principalement pour l’Adom Day Care mais tant d’autres écoles et enfants étant également dans le besoin que nous allouerons bien sûr au mieux cette précieuse somme en fonction des besoins des écoles que nous rencontrerons et des projets dans lesquels nous travaillerons. A titre d’exemple, à l’Adom Day Care, c’est assez rudimentaire ! Ils ont besoin de lits, de fournitures, de jeux, de livres, de coussins et matelas pour les temps calmes, de tables, de chaises, de vaisselle ......la seule chose dont ils ne manquent pas, c’est de joie de vivre et gentillesse !

Si vous êtes partants, je vous propose de faire une première contribution (n’importe quelle somme, à partir de 1 £, $, ou €)

Ensuite, 3 possibilités :

*Si Manu et moi arrivons tous les deux à franchir la ligne d’arrivée du marathon en moins de 4 heures, vous doublerez votre somme de départ....

*Si seul l’un d’entre nous deux réussit le challenge de le faire en moins de 4 heures, vous ajouterez seulement 50 % de votre somme de départ et nous ajouterons les 50% restant...

*Si nous le terminons tous les deux en plus de 4 heures, nous doublerons la somme totale...

Nous vous remercions infiniment !🙏

C’est chouette de savoir pourquoi nous allons courir ces sacrés 42 kilomètres !😊

Ps 1: pour en savoir sur l’asso avec laquelle on va partir

https://www.projects-abroad.org/volunteer-ghana/

Ps2 : pour en savoir plus sur l’histoire de l’Adom Day Care et leurs challenges, regardez ci dessous ces quelques lignes pleines d'espoir que Tina, la directrice nous a envoyées.

Prudence et Manu

Back in October 2019, I spent a week in Ghana🇬🇭 , in Akropong, north from Accra with Penelope, June, Alistair and my mum. That was actually the most amazing gift I’ve ever had for my 40th birthday.

Our mission was to help in any ways in a nursery, the Adom Day Care filled with lively and amazing babies and kids up to 5/6 years old. We helped with getting them dressed in their uniforms in the morning, reading stories, teaching them letters and numbers, playing, singing, having fun with them, helping with break times and lunches, dishwashing, tidying up...

We were hosted by an amazing family run by Grace, the grandmother, her kids and her grand-daughter, Abriana which was the same age as June and was so delighted to get the chance to play, spend time and speak English with us! We promised we would see her again and even take her one day to London or to France! 🤩

We had such an extraordinary week, and we are still in contact with the school head teacher, Tina and our host family. I knew we would come back at some point and visit them again.

Sadly, because of Covid, we have not been able to go back but now that Covid seems behind us, we target to go and spend some weeks there in June, perhaps with Manu who could not make it the first time.

Because there’s always more happiness when you share with your loved ones something that you strongly care about, I would like to offer you the opportunity to play a little game. Are you ready? 🍀

Manu and I are extremely grateful to run the NYC marathon on the 6th of November 🏃‍♀️ 🏃‍♂️. Trust us, we train super hard! I promise we do our best, that’s so exciting, the countdown has started! (big up for the bibs to our amazing running club, the Flamingos 🦩!)

We’ve created this Leetchi money pot dedicated to Ghana, mainly to the Adom Day Care but also to all of those that we’ll get the chance to meet or work with during our next trip and that will need specific stuffs. As an example, the Adom Day Care still needs so many stuffs such as cot beds, stationary, art and craft, books, games, mats, cushions, tables, chairs, tableware etc. The only thing they will never miss is joy and kindness!

Let’s get ready for the little game! 🍀

Here are the rules:

What about you starting with contibuting to the Leetchi Pot (any kind of contribution from 1£, $, or €)?

Then, 3 possibilities:

*Should both of us are smashing hit and run the marathon in less that 4 hours, you will double up your initial contribution...

*Should only one of us manage to hit the finish line in less than 4 hours, we’ll do fifty/fifty: you’ll add 50 % of your initial contribution and we’ll add 50 % of the total initial contribution.

*Should both of us make it in more than 4 hours, we’ll double up the final amount of your initial contributions.

Can we count on you?

Thank you all So Much!🙏!!!

Makes such a difference to know why we are running those flipping 26.2 miles!!!! 😊

Ps1 : check this out if you want to find out more about the Ghana Volunteers program

https://www.projects-abroad.org/volunteer-ghana/

Ps2 : check out below the shot presentation drafted by Tina the head teacher if you want to find out more about the Adom day Care

Prudence et Manu

Short presentation from Tina, head teacher at the Adom Day Care.

"Adom means Grace. Justina Karikari is the director of Adom Day Care in Ghana, which was established on the 3 rd of June 1992, with only one girl who is currently a professional teacher. Our vision is to see every child is well taken care off and given a solid quality educational foundation for their future endeavours. Our mission is to train little children from 6months to 4years in a Godly manner. Adom Day Care is located in Ghana at Akropong-Akuapim in the Eastern Region of Ghana (Akuapim - NorthDistrict). Adom Day Care operate from Monday to Friday with No vacations expect on festive seasons.

The school has seen significant increase in numerical strengths since its establishment. Currently the population is around 70 pupils, with six teachers. Our dedicated teachers follow a strict curriculum to ensure that every child receives strong quality educational foundation. Spending alot of time at the base or foundation will give you better start.

Adom Day Care currently have two classroom block, with one big classroom, where kids are separated in all the classes, with a teacher supervising each class.

Challenges confronting the Day Care includes: Transportational systems, getting the children to school and back home on a daily basis is a our biggest challenge. We have resorted to solve this challenge by hiring a bus to take the children. Most transport owners dont want to get involved with a small school like Adom Day Care because we cant afford their charges. Fortunately for us one man have accepted to help us but his bus is a rickety and an old bus, the kids find it difficulty when boarding the bus, at times these little kids get hurt in the bus which causes injuries to their body. Constantly the bus develops faults on a regular basis which disturbs smooth running of school. Either they are late at school due to faulty bus or late at home due to faulty bus, very frustrating.

Educational supplies like Books, printers, photocopy machines, chairs and tables (both for children andteachers), a television to watch cartoons, C.C.T.V cameras for the security of the kids, laptops for keeping data of the children, which will help us move always from the old system of keeping their data (manual way).

Adom Day Care is a great place for every child to start your dream and we pledge to do our best alway.

Our motor is “with God all things are possible”. We always say beyond the sky is our limit."