"I never knew of a morning in Africa when I woke up that I was not happy" -Ernest Hemmingway

This quote reminds me of my first time in Ghana.  It was so exciting, eye-opening, and surreal to go to Africa.  I can still remember the smell that instantly makes me happy every time I step off of the plane in Accra.  I think it's a combination of the humidity, the food, the wildlife and nature...and I still miss it to this day!  For this post, I'm going to highlight my first trip to Ghana and why I fell in love with this land and it's people.

This was one of my first days at United Hearts.  The kids were SO excited to see us, and even more pumped about the licorice I brought! (The kids call candy "toffee"...it's so cute)

One day we bought the kids each a frozen yogurt (a treat they rarely got at this time) and Kwashi offered to share his with me!  One thing that still gets me to this day is that even though these children don't have a lot, they will always offer to share with you what they have.

Here is an excerpt from my first "journal entry" in Ghana:

"We arrived at Bawjiase (pronouced bo-gee-aw-say) on Wednesday night and let me tell you I did not know what I was in for. First of all I am constantly sweating. Also the water that is used for everything except drinking is from a well...little girls about 9 and up fetch the water and put HUGE heavy buckets of water on their heads. I filled one bucket yesterday and my arms are sore today...bc you have to lower this container about 25 feet down and then pull it back up and it takes about 4 of these before you fill one bucket. 

The Orphanage has apparently gotten a lot better since they started bringing volunteers there 3 months ago. The volunteers so far have gotten the children beds and "mattresses" (2-inch foam pads,. which is also what i have been sleeping on...) and everyone has at least 3 outfits and sandals. Most of the clothes are stained and have holes in them and one child was wearing a long sleeve fleece yesterday.... There are still many improvements that need to be made-school is taught under a wooden hut which is also where they eat all their meals. (Poorige for breakfast every morning...sick) Oh also most of the children speak no English. Some know their names and how to say a few phrases, and others that had been in public school before know more English, but basically they just talk to you in TWI and you have no idea what they are saying. They are SO cute and just love to be held and cuddled and played with. 

I have a secret huge crush on the one of the guys who runs the Volunteer Corps here in Ghana. He is from Ghana but speaks English really well and lives in the first volunteer house that I stayed at.

I had my first trip to the "market" right before this, and it is basically the scariest place I've ever been. Every tuesday and friday all the people come and set up "shops" and sell whatever (kind of like a craft fair but waaaaaaay bigger and there is everything)  Before they brought volunteers to this orphanage, most people in this town had never seen a white person before. Some of the very small children still cry when they see a white person, but most loooooove us." 

More pics from my first trip:

The Bawjiase Market (not so scary anymore!)

Josephine showing me up with her water-balancing skills. That thing is FULL of water AND she can carry it with no hands!

Kwashi being silly! (One of my favorite pics)

Beautiful Sisters Raheal and Barbara!








Keep in mind, I wrote that entry 4 years ago (July of 2009), so some things have remained the same but others have certainly changed! To start with, I still constantly sweat all the time, I still make some children cry at the market by saying hi to them, and the kids at United Hearts are still as adorable as ever (but I am now a water-fetching PRO). More importantly, the kids now have adequate clothing and shoes, each child has their own bed, the older children attend school in town, and most if not all of the children speak English :) Oh and that guy that I had a big crush on is now my husband <3.

One BIG change is that the kids now have running water thanks the fundraising efforts of volunteers and Mama Hope, and donations from YOU :) So THANK YOU to everyone who has continued to support United Hearts, as well as those of you who are learning about United Hearts for the first time. But UHCC still needs our help! I've visited a number of orphanages around Ghana, and one thing I've realized is that food security is a problem for many of them and this includes United Hearts...having so many mouths to feed really adds up without support from the government. The goat and sheep farm will help solve this problem by providing meat and a reliable source of monthly income for UHCC.

Spending a month with these children in 2009 changed my life.  They didn't have much, and most had been through some tough stuff, but they were always so full of love and life!  These kids deserve to have a secure home where they can continue to develop into fully functioning adults.  Please help UHCC provide adequate nutrition and a secure, loving home to these beautiful children, by making a tax deductible donation here!