The Green, Hacketstown, Ireland Registered Charity CHY 14776
HCC
The Green
Hacketstown
Ireland
Tel: (00353)
059 64 71577
e-mail: hccireland@eircom.net
The Green
Hacketstown
Ireland
Tel: (00353)
059 64 71577
e-
The latest team (11 in total) from Hacketstown Christian Centre went out to Accra at the end of July to view first-hand the continuation of the work there. Much work has already been funded through the 'Villages In Progress' (VIP) Aid Fund.
This was the first time a team of mainly young people went - all of the youth on the trip were either ex students of Tullow Community School or are currently students at Colaiste Eoin in Hacketstown.
They were all greatly impacted by their trip, where they made several visits to three schools, and an orphanage in the city. The majority of the childen are doing very well, especially in the areas where regular sponsorship is paid, as this makes such a difference for all the school-children.
At Rathuil International School in Opekiuma, a party was arranged to celebrate the end of term on 31/07; it was great to see the children, from the smallest one upwards, enjoying their special meal and afterwards joining in the fun and dancing with the visiting team.
However, one the schools where the team spent some time is in a very poor and deprived area. This school caters for hundreds of children in cramped conditions, and while the teachers are doing the best job they can possibly do, the situation there falls far short of what would be desired. Some of the worst slum areas in the city are right on the doorstep of this school and the team had the opportunity to walk through those areas and get the feeling of what life is like for those poor people living there, many of whom would never have known or seen any other quality of life.
In contrast, they also travelled to some very remote African villages in the general area of Krokerwhe; a couple of those were very small communities of people, many of whom would not have encountered white people before. The sense of peace and calm in the countryside being the exact opposite to the busy, hectic and very noisy street life in the city. Although the remote areas appeared serene, they were not without the hazards of poverty, with the only drinking water available being collected from a steam. Many of the children in the villages are sick and undernourished.
During a visit to one village, the team was advised that a child was gravely ill and had been sent to a hospital in Accra. The next morning the word came that this little boy had died. When the visiting team discovered that the boy's body would not be released from the Morgue to the parents because they had no money to pay the fee necessary, they decided to go to the Hospital and sort out the matter.
At the hospital, the Irish team were also allowed to visit the Childrens' Wards. This was particularly distressing for the young people, as they could never have imagined a sight like this. Still worse was to come, when they realised that there were mothers in the ward, whose children were ready for discharge, but were already detained there for days because they could not pay the fees. Again, the team was able to assist, with the youth digging deep in their pockets to help the plight of those poor women.
All the young people agree that the trip was an 'eye-opener' and they hope to return to Ghana next year.
This was the first time a team of mainly young people went -
They were all greatly impacted by their trip, where they made several visits to three schools, and an orphanage in the city. The majority of the childen are doing very well, especially in the areas where regular sponsorship is paid, as this makes such a difference for all the school-
At Rathuil International School in Opekiuma, a party was arranged to celebrate the end of term on 31/07; it was great to see the children, from the smallest one upwards, enjoying their special meal and afterwards joining in the fun and dancing with the visiting team.
However, one the schools where the team spent some time is in a very poor and deprived area. This school caters for hundreds of children in cramped conditions, and while the teachers are doing the best job they can possibly do, the situation there falls far short of what would be desired. Some of the worst slum areas in the city are right on the doorstep of this school and the team had the opportunity to walk through those areas and get the feeling of what life is like for those poor people living there, many of whom would never have known or seen any other quality of life.
In contrast, they also travelled to some very remote African villages in the general area of Krokerwhe; a couple of those were very small communities of people, many of whom would not have encountered white people before. The sense of peace and calm in the countryside being the exact opposite to the busy, hectic and very noisy street life in the city. Although the remote areas appeared serene, they were not without the hazards of poverty, with the only drinking water available being collected from a steam. Many of the children in the villages are sick and undernourished.
During a visit to one village, the team was advised that a child was gravely ill and had been sent to a hospital in Accra. The next morning the word came that this little boy had died. When the visiting team discovered that the boy's body would not be released from the Morgue to the parents because they had no money to pay the fee necessary, they decided to go to the Hospital and sort out the matter.
At the hospital, the Irish team were also allowed to visit the Childrens' Wards. This was particularly distressing for the young people, as they could never have imagined a sight like this. Still worse was to come, when they realised that there were mothers in the ward, whose children were ready for discharge, but were already detained there for days because they could not pay the fees. Again, the team was able to assist, with the youth digging deep in their pockets to help the plight of those poor women.
All the young people agree that the trip was an 'eye-
