Giving to the Lords Arm Christian Home & Foster Care in Teshie, Accra
In December 2006, Ronke Ampiah, Farida Alabo, Felicia Hanson, and co started a project called Smiles For Christmas where they got friends to donate gifts, items, provisions and cash to kids in a Ghanaian orphanage. I joined them to Orphanage Africa in Dodowa. Later in 2008, I remixed their efforts to do Smiles For New Year where I joined others to donate similar items to kids at King Jesus Charity in Boadi. Today, I joined Nehemiah Attigah and a few others to do a similar deed at the Lords Arm Christian Home & Foster Care in Teshie. Today's episode touched me a whole lot more and I have been more driven to act around helping orphanages and foster care homes. I hope to be involved in more efforts like this in 2013.
At the Lords Arm Christian Home & Foster Care in #Teshie, #Accra with @attigs @ahiabor @eokyere @qwophicedi and others. #PalmSundayNehemiah created a Facebook event inviting us to this. He chose to celebrate his birthday by giving and spending time with others who were not as privileged. This was such a noble cause and a fulfilling one to be a part of. His workmate captured what was happening best in what inspired this tweet below.
— Ato Ulzen-Appiah (@Abocco) March 24, 2013
The kids are singing "Happy birthday" to @attigs. Instead of buying booze for his friends, he's bought provisions for Foster Care kids.The kids welcomed us.
— Ato Ulzen-Appiah (@Abocco) March 24, 2013
The Foster Care kids are singing Welcome by Alabaster Box. Great to see such a song become adapted n adopted. Commercial -> community music.Auntie Evelyn, the caretaker, gave us a tour. She showed us the classrooms for the kids - one for kindergarten & class 1, another for class 2 & 3, another for 4 & 5, another for class 6 & JHS 1, and another for JHS 2 & 3. She also showed new mattresses for the girls' room. The boys' room was nicer but the explanation I got was that there were many older boys. Many of whom had stopped school after class 5 or 6 and were being rejuvenated. Auntie Evelyn revealed their food preferences -->
— Ato Ulzen-Appiah (@Abocco) March 24, 2013
The kids eat a lot of Ghanaian food here. Kokonte & Banku are the favorites. I dunno if they shd eat indomie but I was surprised they dontAfter the tour, we were treated to various performances by the kids. I wouldn't have asked for it but it turns out it's common practice for orphanages and foster homes to put up a show when they are being supported publicly. A few of the kids performed to a number of songs, gospel, secular and even Francophone music.
— Ato Ulzen-Appiah (@Abocco) March 24, 2013
Oh... Here comes the #gospel music. Any given Sunday. Asafo Yehowa. And cue the #christozonto (#chrizonto) too! #azonto
— Ato Ulzen-Appiah (@Abocco) March 24, 2013
Choreography is next to same song. Let's see if some #azonto moves shall suffice. Not really. But. Boys are not smiling. Oh!
— Ato Ulzen-Appiah (@Abocco) March 24, 2013
Okay... Here comes the secular music. Ayeforo Dondoo. And cue the azonto. Kids just do #azonto better than us adults. #IdunnowhyEvery event like this where I had been with kids like this, I took the opportunity to share a few words to inspire them. After the kids had had their lunch, drinks and biscuits, I felt it was the right time. But...
— Ato Ulzen-Appiah (@Abocco) March 24, 2013
I want us here to talk to & motivate these kids. But we have to wait for the caretaker to dance to Sweet Mother. Ah ha... :-)Auntie Evelyn is such a Sweet Mother though. God really bless her for the work she is doing. The intros flowed later and after speaking in English, it became evident that the kids would love to hear us in Ga. So..... we introduced ourselves and Qwophi Opare and Seyram Ahiabor who understood Ga translated for us.
— Ato Ulzen-Appiah (@Abocco) March 24, 2013
We are introducing ourselves to the foster care kids. Am here with @attigs @ahiabor @qwophicedi @eokyere @katenkansa n others. #future
— Ato Ulzen-Appiah (@Abocco) March 24, 2013
It's been really cool to see @qwophicedi & @ahiabor speak in Ga to the kids. All I could say to the kids was Atsomi... & Te oyoo tEE.
— Ato Ulzen-Appiah (@Abocco) March 24, 2013
In my next life, I wanna speak like 23 languages. If I was a #Dagbani who grew up in #Ho & #Tema n traveled a lot, I'd have a headstart. :-)I left a message with the kids encouraging them to ask if they needed any information. "Ask your teachers, your friends, your mates". We have to spark curiosity and knowledge seeking in Ghanaian kids. We can't emphasize this enough.
— Ato Ulzen-Appiah (@Abocco) March 24, 2013
The kids r singing "Everywhere we go, people always ask us, who we are, n where we come from. So we tell them.. We are the 'Lords Arm...'."I first heard this song amongst friends of mine in MIT. To hear the kids replicate it for their foster home was tres cool. Yet another blog post posted at 23:33pm. I could get used to this. You could say along with Nehemiah, Priddy, Emmanuel, Seyram, Francis, Qwophi, Augusta, Mavis and Kate, we made Ghana better today.
— Ato Ulzen-Appiah (@Abocco) March 24, 2013
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