We all live with the objective of being happy; our lives are all different and yet the same.

Who doesn't want to be happy? Every single person on this planet shares one aim in life. Of course it's the most important aim too as everything we do in our lives is done with the hope that it will make us happy. Some people (I wish it was more) are just happy. They are happy with how their life is... And how do you think this proportion of people live, the people I am talking about haven't got anything material wise. They hold on to what is truly important, meaning family, friends, laughing and loving the people around you.
Before I went back to Ghana in November, I went back to my Sixth Form College (KGV) and spoke to some of the students about Larabanga. Two of the students I had the pleasure of talking to were Jemi Moore and Chloe Fisk and since then they have both completed a 24 hour sponsored silence for Larabanga Life Project. I was over the moon when I found out as it really shows that the stories I am able to tell really are enabling me and others to make a difference to beautiful lives. This is what Jemi has wrote, telling you why she decided to help out.
“I decided to do a sponsored 24 hour silence to not just raise money for those who are suffering in Larabanga but to also raise awareness about the conditions which they are living in. Kelsey opened my eyes to what was happening in Larabanga and it made me want help and get involved as much as I could, that is why me and a friend did a sponsored silence. Once I read Kelsey’s Blog and discovered that 38p could buy a child a basic pair of shoes I was amazed at how much a little donation could help, because giving a child in such conditions a pair of shoes can work miracles, as it can help prevent them from stepping on sharp objects and injuring themselves as well as prevent them from getting infections.
I feel as though the sponsored silence went well but I feel as though I could do better. I aim to do more fundraising in the near future for Kelsey and her project (Larabanga Life Project) to help people realise that giving even just as little as 38p can help a child in so many ways, which we take for granted every day.”
Other fundraising recently... Nathalie held a quiz night and raised a fantastic £261. She is heading back to Larabanga at Easter time to take donations and see how the building is getting along. Of course also to see how much the children have progressed too.
I received a message from Larabanga recently too "Everyone in Larabanga is saying thank you for bringing the first medical supplies, they are proud of you, thank you Kelsey". I feel accomplished when I hear things like this as me teaching them how to use the medical supplies has meant that they can continue to keep cuts clean and treat themselves in the appropriate way. Of course now too, the children are going to the toilet in a clean environment and are able to wash their hands, keeping bacteria at bay! Small things like this are essential for a child to be healthy and all children have the right to be healthy.

"I don't think of all the misery but of the beauty that still remains." - For me this is huge, it's so easy to concentrate on all of the negative aspects of life and even easier to forget about how amazing life really can be if you let it be. There are so many obstacles in life, we all know that but it's how you overcome them that matters because at the end of the day, being angry at the world is not going to change the way it is, you are the only one that can make your life worth it. By making your life worth it, make someone elses life better and make them smile, even if its only for a second. If you find something that motivates and inspires you, that is what you have to hold on to all of the time and then you will succeed.

Long awaited... I'm hereeee

First things first, all 5 of the cases arrived in Ghana, I had a feeling that there was going to be at least one missing. The flight from Istanbul to Accra seemed so long, although it was only 7 hours, I slept, I watched a film and I read but the time didn’t seem to go any quicker. I arrived in Accra and met Ibrahim, we went to stay somewhere for the night. It was right next to the airport so I hardly slept and at about 2am, I started to hear arguing. It was so loud and seemed serious, it actually involved an “Obruni” (white) who had had a misunderstanding with a prostitute, it was horrific to hear the things that were being said and just the fact she was so desperate to get her money. I had problems with immigration because I didn’t know the address I was staying although in Ghana people don’t have street addresses. They have P.O BOX’s, people always use each other’s too so how are they to know the exact place I am staying? Then when I collected all of the luggage, I had to pass some guys that were checking luggage, he ordered me to open some of the cases and was asking me what was inside, I told him and then he said I had to pay tax for the football kits… Just a way of getting money out of me clearly but a guy came over and told me to leave.

I have been in Larabanga for a few days now after it took 3 days to get here. I am actually already missing home, it’s different this time because I am the only foreign person in the village, the other times I was here, I was with the other volunteers. I met with the chief when I got here, Ibrahim had to translate of course but he blessed the work that I we are doing in Larabanga.

Unfortunately the internet situation means I cannot post as often as I wanted to but I will try my best. I think I forgot how hot it gets here, my skin is so sore because I have burnt and I have a blister on my finger from sharpening pencils, teacher problems haha! They couldn’t believe it when they saw how many suitcases I had bought, they have been so so so grateful to you all, and want everyone to come to Larabanga to see them. I think it has hit me again, if not harder... How hard it is to function here, for me anyway. I am constantly dripping with sweat from head to toe, I have two bucket showers a day but still it doesn’t feel enough. Even now, I am sitting inside to write this but I am sooo hot.

I have given out the clothes to the children who they fit and they all look so smart in them, they were incredibly happy! I took two football kits to the team Larabanga Shooting Stars. They were all trying to be the first to get one of the tops haha and I gave the captain the picture and letter from Camille and the team, they loved it. It baffles me how they train so hard in this weather, I move my leg an inch and I’m sweating and they’re running around pushing their bodies to the limit. Although, everyone in the village works hard physically, fetching water from the dam several times a day (mainly the girls). I guess they are used to it like everyone says but still when you’re here and you see them doing it, I just think, don’t you get fed up and just want to go and lay in the shade. Saying that the shade doesn’t even help sometimes because it is still hot. The lowest it gets is 25 0c and that’s at around 4 am. I have so much respect for them and what they do in their daily lives because at the end of this trip, I can go home and enjoy a comfortable life.

On Monday I took some of the medical supplies to the CHPS facility here, I knew what I was giving them was going to help but I didn’t realise how much. I was so shocked when I was told by a member of staff that they didn’t have ANY gloves at all. That is terrible at the best of times but with this Ebola outbreak looming that could have been catastrophic. So all of the gloves everyone donated and of course other things have been gratefully received. I have been quite impressed to see that there are posters around about how to prevent Ebola, that was something I was wondering about, but they are in perfect English which the majority of people don’t speak so that is quite an issue. I hope there is no need for anyone here to have to know about the symptoms but the risk is there so we have to act.

We had to take one of the little girls Rafatu to the chps because she wasn’t eating and had a high temperature. She has malaria. I was horrified when I was told but it doesn’t seem to be that much of a big deal, it’s just normal to everyone here. I have mentioned on my blog about a young girl named Yakutu who has a problem with her legs, donated was a pair of ankle supports which I fitted for her and she said that they relieved a lot of pressure from her legs which is fantastic!! One life changed.

MARSHMALLOWS- A lovely lady Tracy gave me some marshmallows to bring with me for the children, we toasted them by the open stove, and they were all amazed by them. Some of them ended up in the stove and some were charcoaled but they enjoyed it.

I have mentioned this on Facebook briefly but I want to tell you more, we are in the process of building a hand washing facility, toilet and place were the children can wash. We decided that this is top priority right now because of the risks of Ebola. This is going to be accessible to the children and young people that are under our care, this means that they will be able to go to the toilet in a clean environment and be able to wash their hands straight away. This is were the Poly Tank comes in, because in Larabanga there is no running water, this is the only way to enable the facility to work. It is a huge black container basically and you fill it with water. We will pay someone to come and fill it with clean water and then again after each time it runs out. I have worked out that the Tank holds 10 drums of water which costs 50Ghc and will last around 2 months so approx. £12 every two months means they can keep washing their hands. Even though I have been here before and experienced what it’s like, I guess when I go home I do kind of forget and get used to home comforts again. Like having a clean toilet/bathroom in your house, running water… the list goes on.

I have been asking Ibrahim questions about the children here, about their stories. So last night he said he would gather some of the older girls so they could tell me themselves. Two of the girls were happy for me to record them so I did although it’s not great quality you can hear them telling their story. This is a huge deal for them as they are not used to talking to people about their problems. I will be writing their stories on the page “Stories behind faces”. By June 2015 I want to have found someone who will sponsor the Secondary education of a 16 year old girl called Mumuna. What she goes through on a day to day basis is astounding, I don’t know how she does it. Look out for her full story.

On behalf of the community I say a huge thank you to each and every one of you who has supported the work I am doing here, they are all so grateful. I wish you all could have the privilege of seeing their faces light up.

 

One month countdown

I only have a month now until I take the trip back to Ghana. Manchester to Istanbul then to Ghana, that leg of the journey is going to take 27 hours... Then once I arrive in Accra, Ghana. I have to take a 15 hour bus ride up to Tamale and then another 4 hours to Damongo. Finally I will be very close to Larabanga! It's definitely a good job that I enjoy travelling because its going to be one hell of a journey. One I am more than prepared to take to be able to help the community further. They've all taken me on the most precious journey of my life so far, and for that I will be eternally grateful.

The Kickstarter project is still active for another 20 days, this isn't going as well as I hoped but I am not giving up. I am contacting as many people as possible, radio stations, online magazines... the list goes on. I intend to still create a small film of life in Larabanga, even if it doesn't get funded. I believe that to fully appreciate what life is like and to be fully aware of what we aim to achieve you need to have an insight. An insight can be anything of course, from word of mouth or pictures but what does that truly mean to you?

I mean, a video is more, it shows life, the movement and the memories that create happiness. The film is not going to be a "production"- for one that would be completely out of my capacity as I have not done anythng like this before but most importantly, that wouldn't reveal the true nature. I am literally going to speak to members of the community about their life and capture raw, spontaneous moments on camera. The outcome is completely unknown to me, I will film the footage and put it together when I am home. Then it will be ready for the world to see.

Over the past few days I have been figuring out what I have to take to Larabanga and what I still need. The top of my list is First Aid supplies, so from gauzes to sudocream (the master of burns). There was a case whilst I was in Larabanga last time... A woman came to me with her daughter who was no more than 6, she had spilt a boiling pot of water over her back. Her skin was clearly burnt, but I have limited medical experience and knowledge so I was unable to give any help, except I advised her mother to keep her skin covered as of course you can work out that Ghana is a very hot country and heat and burns do not mix very well. If I had access to something like sudocream at that moment, I could have at least saved that childs pain. This is the beautiful little girl, she didn't even have a t-shirt on to cover her back.

When I am in Larabanga, I teach the children that are unable to attend school, mainly the orphaned children that Ibrahim takes care of. Also teach a wider group of children in the evening, this is extremely tricky because of the lack of lighting and space in general. Of course, teaching resources are limited to zero, so I have come up with a few ideas to help me when I go back.

1) White boards, I don't mean huge ones that you see in a classroom in the UK, but smaller ones. This way I can show the children whilst teaching and without having to take lots of paper which is of course heavier too. This will help them to become more involved in their own learning. There is nothing worse than being in a "lecture" type of lesson, especially for the younger students who are always in large groups.
2) I have found some educational English books, for varied ages. The type of books were the learner can write or "fill in" the book. Of course these are great when you are sat at home with one child but that is obviously not practical for my mission. So, I have photocopied several pages that I think are going to be the most useful and laminated them. Using drywipe pens, the children can write on them but then it will come off so another child can also benefit from it. Bringing fun to the lessons too!!

More support!!!

The gym that I go to is helping me to raise funds to take the supplies needed over to Larabanga. The gym is called Ainsdale Health and Fitness. It is terrific to know that local people are willing to help me.

The high school I attended, Meols Cop, Southport are giving me the opportunity to go back and speak to the students in assembly time about the project, my journey and what they can do to help. I hope to also inspire the students to jump at opportunities that are brought to their attention. I wouldn't be writing this blog now if I had organised a place to stay that night in Northern Ghana... I am so glad that I didn't and took a risk!

Now... Ebola.
This is a topic I can't ignore. Telling people that I am going to West Africa, I have had mixed responses, may people telling me I am completely stupid and deluded. My response to them is that they obviously haven't done their research, Ghana has no confirmed cases of Ebola. I'm not stupid, of course I know that I am putting myself at risk if there is to be an outbreak in Ghana but I believe that Ghana are looking on the horrific situations in other West African countries and are learning from their mistakes. Prevention is the best protection, no doubt. I spend time each day searching for news articles about the outbreak, to see if anything has happened in Ghana and up to now, it has been good news. I am hoping more than anything that it stays a safe place for me to travel to. I NEED to see these faces again...