As an engineer I've always been jealous of my medical friends who go do volunteer work in third world countries. I was always asking if I could go carry supplies or do something but was always rejected. It kind of hurt my feelings. I've been looking for a long time to find something where I could volunteer and actually use some of my expertise. I finally found it in Empower Playgrounds Inc. (read more here:
http://www.empowerplaygrounds.org/). This is an extremely cool organization which improves educational opportunities through providing light and innovative learning for remote villages. For two weeks I looked at processes and hardware as well as trained teachers on the use of simple microscopes for their students. It was an AMAZING experience. Below shows some of the impact from EPI. (and another post will be coming just on Ghana itself so stay tuned!)
The schools lack facilities: From not enough desks or chairs to rudimentary buildings.
But, the students are resourceful and make do. With some small contributions a library and building are born:
The schools lack equipment: A stick is used for a pointer, for a measurement device, as a scale and I'm sure lots of other things.
But, the teachers figure out ways to teach as many of the principles as they can. And, with a little help they have been given the ability to look at things microscopically and start to introduce such concepts as the scientific method, observations, conclusions, comparisons and data gathering. My favorite was having teachers look at another teachers hair and then my hair. They thought my hair was so funny looking!
The schools lack water: When asking about how close water was they would routinely indicate that it was close. When you would pry it would come out that the closest water source was over a mile away! With little to no motorized transportation it is a significant chore to get water - especially clean water. When it would rain anything that could hold water was used to gather it - even plastic bags.
But, a borehole can provide clean water with just a pump of a handle and start the community towards better hygiene and health.
The schools lack toys: First world countries take for granted even something as simple as a ball or toy to play with. It was always heart warming to see how the kids shared everything and made due with what they had.
But, with a small donation a merry go round not only provides fun and enjoyment it also has the ability to generate power. Between the merry go round and a few solar panels lanterns are charged so that students can have light at night (it is typically dark between 6pm and 6am - and I mean pitch black dark) to read and do chores so that they may have time to go to school. The community is over joyed when these are put in and many times join in playing on them. Oh, wait, that's me!
The schools do NOT lack promise - we can make a difference!: Many of the teachers, although lacking in education themselves, strive to help their students and communities. The children are excited about learning and everyone has a smile on their face. It is amazing to see how such small items can make such a lasting impact on these children's future. I was blessed to be a part of it for a few weeks and will continue to be involved.
You can find these pictures and more from my trip posted in the
NEW gallery until my next post. After that, you can find them under their respective "location" or "type" gallery. You can view additional pictures in my
Public Gallery or by clicking on the Photo Gallery Tabs above. All pictures are available for purchase - a percentage of the proceeds will go to Empower Playgrounds for pictures from this trip.
To learn more about Empower Playgrounds or to donate please visit:
http://www.empowerplaygrounds.org/
