Reflections from the Team...

Some of the forms used in batiking

From Kathy L...We have had the pleasure of partaking in our first cultural workshop!  Batik is a popular method of creating beautiful fabric designs.  We all had an opportunity to interact in the batiking process, actively learning a new skill.  The concept of service learning in the form of cultural workshops is a part of our journey with Street Girls Aid and was more fun than we imagined it could be! Kathy Lillis

Yes - we made these - many thanks to Vida our instructor today
for those of you who ordered sewn goods, she is the
fabric designer for all of the goodies we will  bring home

 

From Margie...

Building the libraries with the staff was a great experience. It was the first time they had worked with power tools.  The smiles on their faces when the screws went in said it all!  The directions went out the window and they were implementing their own building methods.  It was so fun to see the pride they took in the completed libraries. Margie Horning

     

From Barb... 

Let me tell you about my Ghanaian sister, Evelyn.  We met while sharing a bench at the Accra airport, me awaiting our final teammate's arrival and Evelyn waiting for her husband who was returning from a business trip to Kenya.  She asked if we were enjoying Ghana (yes, very much!), and why we were visiting.  That led to a 45 minute conversation about the importance of literacy, early childhood education, and empowering young people so they know they are lovable, important, and have choices. Ah, what a joy to connect with Evelyn!  Her genuine warmth, compassion, and friendliness is typical of the people we have met in this gracious and lively country.  Barb Hanson

From Holly...

Accra is a constantly changing amalgam of sights, smells and sounds.  . . a kaleidoscope of color and motion.  The streets serve as the market place.  You can buy anything you need through the window of your car from vendors carrying heavy loads on their heads - from food and drink to clothing to windshield wipers to mosquito net playpens.  It's like driving through a Super Wal-Mart. Holly Callen

 

And here's more pictures from the Railway Creche:

It's been an amazing visit...to overuse a word and we are all well and looking forward to whatever tomorrow brings! (Which may not be electricity, so you may have some silence from us for a few days) We'll connect back in a few days.