Day 31: Eggs--Asenemaso

After a week of frustration, setbacks, and disappointments, I can confidently say that today was a productive day. Teaching went well. We read through three chapters and played a game that they really loved. Plus, they're still learning (that's always good). After lunch, Amanda and I went to Nkawsi with a local pastor to meet some homeless girls from the north. It's such a terribly sad situation. Young girls from the area around Tamale live in horrendous poverty, much worse than the poverty here. To make more money, they travel down here to Kumasi where there are more jobs. But they have run away from their families and their husbands, so no one knows where they are. They don't tell them where they're going because they don't want to be stopped. In a struggle to feed their families, they flee their homes and travel here. The work they do does not give them much money: they carry large bundles from one place to another, wash clothes, and sell water. The most money they receive from a single job is 20 pesweas, but they usually only get ten pesweas. Because of the low pay, most of them never return back home. So they are stuck here. They stay in an unfinished building with each other and their young children. Because of their tribal markings and different language, they are ostracized, marginalized, and ignored. They told us life is a struggle, but they also said we are a gift from God and they know they are important because we came to see them. They even gave us three eggs as a gift and asked us to come back. It was a very humbling experience to have them invite us with open arms, but I still want to do more than just talk with them.

In addition to the homeless girls, I started my girls group today! We didn't do anything official, but I established with them that a group would be starting. I really stressed that I was their friend, so we played games after the movie at the library. Towards evening, many of them took me to visit their houses. It was good insight to see where my students live and what their living conditions are. Esther, the best student in the class, lives half an hour away. It's quite a long walk! And what's even more disheartening is that her house is just concrete walls and dirt floors. There's no electricity and no doors. I am worried for her.