About the Blog

United Hearts Children Center is located in Bawjiase, Ghana. It is currently home to 25 children, who are excited to move into their NEW home in the next few months. We are continuing fundraising to complete the project and have just started to fundraise for the United Hearts Community School. Check them out in my links!

Friday, December 31, 2010

Afishiapah! (Merry Christmas/Happy New Year)

Sorry to disappoint, but I have very little to entertain you with today. Exciting news of the week is that I am quite tan but have not been sunburned ONCE. Some of the tan is likely just dirt, but I won't know that for sure until I get home because that will be the next time I am clean. Sad news of the week is that the candy I brought is almost finished, which means we went through a 3.5 pound bag of Swedish Fish in two weeks. However, I still have enough Starbucks Via to last me at least through January.

Wednesday I went with "Doctor" Kwame, Kwashie, and Jonas to the hospital in Swedru, about 45 minutes from Bawjiase. Kwame came to the orphanage for prayer a few months ago and ended up staying, now working as an orphanage staff who is in charge of the children's basic medical needs. Kwashie had developed something that looked like a sty that was obviously infected, so we took him to the eye clinic. Jonas, Pastor's son, also came along, as they insisted he needed to be looked at as well. The thing is, the eye clinic nurses know Jonas because he is taken there so often for what Pastor and Marta claim is a Big Problem. The volunteers and the nurses at the eye clinic have identified this Big Problem as allergies. For those of you with allergies, you hopefully know that you do not need to go to the doctor every time they get worse, and now Kwame knows this too. Kwashie was given some medicine and his eye is already looking better.

Yesterday Kwame and I took nine children to the clinic near the orphanage for the rashes they are being treated for. It was the final injection for seven of them because Toffic was out of town at "soccer camp" last week and Agogo clenches his butt so that they can't get the medicine in. I go back and forth between thinking it's quite smart of him and thinking it is quite stupid of him, as it means he needs to continuously go back and get stabbed in the butt over and over again. The experience went from funny to slightly upsetting when I had to hold Agogo down with all of my strength, which I certainly am not looking forward to next Thursday. Ernestina, the youngest child receiving an injection (I think she is about 2 1/2) showed up everyone, even the older kids, barely crying or moving when it was her turn. Quite impressive!

By tomorrow Lauren, Vlad and I will be the only volunteers until the middle of February. We keep joking about how we will get nothing done, but Vlad and Lauren are the two biggest players in what is going on in the development of the orphanage. I have linked to Lauren's blog on the right side of my page and I hope that you will take time to read it. She writes much more about what is going on in terms of fundraising and progress on the building, and we think our blogs really compliment each other. So, go ahead and read!

Tonight is New Years and we are looking forward to being the only people in Bawjiase celebrating. Most people will be in church for varying amounts of time, like 8 pm to 5 am, which is happening at the orphanage. We will not be attending. After I am finished with this post I am venturing out into the maze of market to hopefully find the guy I bought sparklers from last week, as he had fireworks that we want to buy for tonight. It sounds more dangerous than it really is. I think.

I will hopefully post tomorrow or Sunday, as I want to write about the "party" that was hosted by a church at the orphanage for 100+ children. And to assure you that all my limbs are still intact after our fireworks display.

This is the staff picture from Christmas at the new building.
Back row, left to right: Sister Akua, Fifi (he will tell you he cooks for us but is not our cook but he does get paid), Jenna (she left a few days ago), Pastor Elisha, Vlad, Nana (orphanage secretary/Bawjiase gangsta'), Marta, Lauren
Front row, left to right: Yours truly, Sister Rejoice (came to the orphanage for prayer and is incredibly helpful but we just don't have the money to employ her), Doctor Kwame, Sister Mary, Stefani (leaving tomorrow), and Meshak (Pastor and Marta's youngest child)
Cynthia after finding her present

3 comments:

  1. Hi Becs- an early Happy and Healthy New Year to you, Lauren, Vlad and all in Bawjiase. Re:"We keep joking about how we will get nothing done" just your presence provides the kids with priceless adult attention and nuturance.Tan lines vs dirt lines...hmmmm

    We are heading to NH and will call you on your time for New Years greetings- Dad

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  2. Hope you had a great new year and all limbs survived!Great to have the names with the picture of the staff. Hope there are not too many more kids to hold down for medical treatment! Love seeing the pictures.Mom

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  3. Thank you for taking the kids to the clinic! I am very proud of Ernestina! last week she cried it up like the rest of them! Even better news about Kwashie's eye! (I told Kwame that Jonas was allergies....)

    Take care, have fun, and don't loose your damn limbs! Love to you all!

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