8th June: Ghana DAY THREE - The Lost Boys


DAY THREE: By the time we'd arrived in Akosombo late on Monday evening via a series of mountain-esque roads which we wondered were even safe to drive down (we were later informed that very few roads in Ghana are filled with cement, are instead made using cheaper materials such as clay and rocks, hence the bumpy feel), the children's school day was already over. But what greeted us on Tuesday was nothing short of remarkable. As we ventured out into the main school area, hundreds of children cheered and flocked over to us, stroking the skin on our arms in disbelief, faces full of wonder as they mouthed 'Obroni' to one another (translation: 'White Person'). The children literally followed us wherever we went, and flocked around us as if we were prophet-like figures, with 20/30 children gripping onto each of our arms and hands as we walked through the playground with them, forming a small sea of bodies like wasps, wherever we went. In the evening, we enjoyed some time with the 'residents', these are a group of 10-15 orphans who live here in the boarding facilities of the school full-time. Bishop Mercy explained that we call them 'residents' to not highlight their orphanage status, with varying reasons contributing to each story. Some had parents who had succumbed to illness (e.g. HIV/AIDS, or malnutrition), others were placed on the doorstep as babies via parents who couldn't cope due to alcoholism etc. The residents had a real 'lost boys' vibe from 'Peter Pan' about them, sticking together like a small family, with 'Mama J', a warm-hearted and typically African woman (full headscarf etc) playing the 'Rufio' role of caring for them. At first, the residents were (predictably) a little closed-off, and took time to open themselves up to us, but practising Ghanian dance routines with them to playlists of Afrobeats tracks soon warmed relations. By the end of the week, we had grown superbly fond of various members of a crew which included: Caleb, Balu, Junior, Sadiq, Saviour, Comfort, Blessing, Dorothy, Wilfred, Kobi, and Inshira. 




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