In many ways, it seems to be an important element of any school expedition to impose inhumane travel conditions on all of the students and teachers. This usually involves the strange professional decision to self-impose a ridiculously long coach journey to the Swiss Alps with the promise of the slopes awaiting. In our case, our tactics were more sinister, more subtle, and yet so effective. It was a journey of waiting, or patience. We began with 5 hours of Heathrow, and although outdoor Olympic table tennis provided some level of distraction, we were still desperate to get on the plane. Next up was 4 hours of midnight Casablanca Airport, and tiredness really set in – even Mr White’s jokes were beginning to sound funny. Then the second flight, through the night, contorted bodies longing for the horizontal, confused mouths receiving 2am dinner. Finally, a long bus journey from the capital to our final destination of Dutch Komenda. The sights and sounds of the bustling city at dawn were amazing, markets buzzing with activity, traffic chaos and incessant business at every turn. The heat was not yet too oppressive, but the group was so happy to have finally arrived and made to feel so welcome by the school.
For Mr Wolfe and Mr White, having visited in April it felt something of a homecoming – Mr Ebo Sekye and Mr Sarpong ready and waiting to receive us. For the others, the overflowing hospitality was such a blessing, and the opportunity to make camp, and rest. We were given single-man tents, with no fly sheet, so were able to look forward to sleeping under the stars. Wonderful food was prepared for us and we received an informative community tour, ending on the beach, only 50 metres away, with hundreds of children playing football and giving their own very special welcome. The evening activities were also a special treat as the village organised a bonfire, and a group of local dancers and drummers provided a fantastic end to our first day in Dutch Komenda.
Sunday gave us the chance to visit a number of local churches in the community, which were incredibly inspiring and uplifting. There is passion and integrity in worship and purpose and hope in prayer – all of which we need to grasp more of in our UK culture – how much more would we achieve with this level of faith? It was a true privilege and really set the context for the mission of this trip. This is an opportunity to serve, and to be the change we want to see in the world. We are just playing our small part in a remote village in Central Ghana, many miles from home, but play our part we will, and partner with our new friends here in moving things forward together. After another delicious meal, we had a real tour of the community with Seth, one of our host teachers, taking in the local history of the Dutch and British forts, and crossing between the two communities by river canoe, which was a fantastic experience for us all – although one or two students did feel like they rocked the boat a little too much for others’ liking! We were able to visit the British Komenda fort, and look across the bay which at one point would have been defended vigorously with the cannons which now lie strewn across the top of the fort. One of the highlights was observing the natural craftsmanship of the boat-makers, who work meticulously with the vast trunks of trees to create their vessels with extraordinary precision and class.
Following dinner, a huge crowd gathered outside the school for the performance organised this time by the senior students within the school community. They drummed with passion and danced with vigour. Then things got a little more interesting, as we were each one by one hauled up to dance in front of the crowds – trying our best to keep pace with the locals. There were plenty of impressive moves on display, and also plenty of video evidence to be used in blackmail on our return to the UK. It was another wonderful way to conclude the day and we are well and truly part of the community now. Before retiring, we had a team meeting to discuss the start of the project work tomorrow and all were in high spirits, really looking forward to getting stuck into the practical work in the school, and taking our turn to serve.
Monday – the first day of project work, and for the first time, the sun really comes out in earnest. The previous days have been hot, but cloudy, but today we find out what the sun is really made of near the equator. It certainly has qualities here that are not as obvious further North. Sun cream slapped on and fresh watermelon breakfast finished, we begin the work – some students are dispatched into the village to pick up supplies – nails, glue, paint etc., while others begin the work in hand. There is a fantastic team spirit and a real sense of togetherness as we move forward together. For the team sent on the errands, to arrive back 2 hours later in the blazing sun to find that your team-mates have nearly finished the project, is a great encouragement indeed. The partnership wall is making progress and the outdoor canteen is well underway. The school shop is a fantastic project too which is hopefully going to have a real impact on the school community and build a sustainable enterprise that should be able to benefit the school in the long term. It is designed by the team and then the painting begins to take shape.
This project work is not all our job though – the group of students allocated to us (the ‘buddies’), are really keen to get involved and are serving in fantastic ways – very humbling of course – but a genuine sense of working together is great and such an encouragement as we all work together for a common goal with one another. There is also a rather embarrassing imbalance of strength too, as our local partners show us how things are to be done, particularly when there is lifting to be done.
The project makes fantastic progress and the headteacher is absolutely glowing by the end of the day – utterly grateful and excited by the impact that we are already having here. I can’t disagree – we have achieved so much by working together – although it sounds a cliché, it is true. There has only been aim, and it has been common to all. We are all helping, we are all lifting and we are all pulling together. The thing of which we should be most proud though is the way students are seeing what needs to be done, and just doing it without being asked. For a member of staff, this is a wonderful privilege to see on the first day of the real work.
Although tired, the team closes the day with a very uplifting team meeting, praising each other for the way that we have approached things. The momentum is there now, and subsequent days will no doubt be just as transformative for all of us involved.