The others are ready with their bags on the porch. I do a
last minute tidy up as fussy old Mum and the kids roll their eyes. Then the
door closes on another chapter of my whirlwind Ghana adventure.
In the tro tro to Accra, Liz and I review the pressing needs
of poor communities I’ve visited and I write a Wish List.
1. A foreign investor for the cocoa factory project at Shia
2. A team of plumbers to fix the toilets at the schools at
Shia and to help with pit latrines and installing a water supply on Maranatha
3. A team of tradesmen to finish building the orphanage at
Ada-Daahey school and the new school at Maranatha
4. A team of qualified teachers to volunteer at Maranatha
5. A team of businesswomen to steer the Women’s Empowerment
project on Maranatha
6. A team of permaculture experts to teach Maranatha
villagers how to grow veggies in sandy soil
7. A team of doctors, nurses and dentists to run health
checks on the school children including checking for worms, eye infections,
wounds and illnesses.
Knowing the efficiency of English and Australian tradesmen
and tradeswomen, they could really get stuck in and bowl over these building
jobs in record time. I know many highly skilled tradies who would find immense
fulfilment in this life-changing volunteer work.
Travelling through the countryside in Ghana you see
countless half-finished, abandoned houses; whether the owners ran out of cash
or out of steam, it seems such a waste of potential. Madventurer is determined
to see their projects finished as they have with 300 other projects in
countries around the world.
Amongst my network there’s an abundance of business coaches
who could use their knowledge and skills to develop creative enterprises amongst
the womenfolk at Maranatha that will liberate them from abject poverty and
demoralising helplessness.
Likewise teams of medicos, teachers and farming experts
would work wonders in these deprived communities and most importantly the
impact would be sustainable, empowering locals with new skills, not fostering
dependency.
My mind is racing with ideas as we approach the big city yet
again. The MAD gang hops off at the Mall for a shopping fix and we hugs abd say
our farewells and I travel on to the chaotic marketplace where I cab it to the
tropical Paloma.
Arriving in reception dirty and bedraggled at precisely 12
noon, by 1 pm I’m as fresh as a daisy. Just one hour in an air-conditioned
hotel room is transformative. I am human again. I wash my icky hair under a hot
shower, shave my legs, scrub my feet, do assorted beauty treatments, slather on
skin cream and slip into comfy, loose clothes. Arrrrgh, a sigh of relief!
Now I’m clean I hit the keyboard but frustratingly, the
internet connection keeps dropping out as I attempt to upload instalments and
photos to my blog and post messages to long-lost friends on facebook and add
all my new young MAD chums!
By 3 pm I order room service for an in-between meal, lunch
and dinner combined; ‘Linner’ and I devour a plate of sauted green beans and
veggie spaghetti until I’m groaning!
Over a cup of tea I exchange facebook messages with my
London-Aussie mate Steph who has become my cheer squad leader following my
posts with empathy and enthusiasm and providing a boost of encouragement
whenever I feel flat.
My hubby Andrew and I have a latenight skype call and catch
up on each other’s news. It’s a bit sexy flirting long distance from a hotel
room in Africa! Across the miles, as I listen to his familiar voice and gaze at
his dark eyes, I realise he’s still the same handsome, cheeky guy I fell for in
1979. And I’m still his fiery, hippy girl embracing causes and chasing
front-page scoops.
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