Orphans who live on the streets of Ghana are in a constant state of unease.
Every day, they run the risk of being kidnapped and forced to do grueling labor. They may have to do anything from being chained to one another while working in the fields to retrieving tangled fishing nets stuck in trees submersed in water.
Children can be as young as eight years old, and most of them don’t know how to swim.
Upon hearing of the troubles these young orphans are forced to endure, a group of Seaholm students and parents decided to get involved.
“Going there, we gave the kids an opportunity to be something more,” said senior Ben Eveslage.
Eight students, three parents, and Seaholm teacher Mrs. Doyle went to Kwantakese, Ghana through an organization named SPANCO (St. Paul Nonprofit Charitable Organization.) The trip began in early June and participants stayed for times varying between two weeks and two months.
“When you go there and see the children, you know you are helping them,” said Gisela Baker, founder and CEO of SPANCO.
The group worked to organize and complete a library that could be used by the children of Kwantakese.
An empty room connected to a new school built by SPANCO, was turned into a place where the kids could find a book and learn to read it.
They painted ceilings and walls, built shelves, and sorted and organized a pile of 10,000 books. By the time the group left, they had a created a fully operating library.
While in Ghana, the group was able to experience some of the local culture, like eating typical foods such as street donkey, pork, chicken, and crab.
The townspeople were excited to see the volunteers and were very supportive of the projects.
Eveslage noticed a closeness not commonly found back home.
“It’s very community-oriented there,” said Eveslage. “You don’t really feel that in Birmingham.”
Not everything about the trip went smoothly, however.
The car the group traveled in, for instance, broke down multiple times. By the time they left, it had completely died.
Eveslage also had his camera and video camera ruined after filming the waves at a Ghanaian beach.
“There were some bumps in the road,” said senior Jessica Forzano. “But they all got worked out.”
After returning, Eveslage and Forzano started a new group called Students for SPANCO.
They work to package books, clothes, medical and school supplies, toys, and computers for the children in Ghana.
Students for SPANCOs goal is to raise awareness and money for the people of Ghana. People there face challenges like extreme poverty, lack of medicine, and severe droughts.
Sophomore Natalie Wright is a member of Students for SPANCO, volunteering her time to help the orphans.
“It’s good knowing that I’m helping people who really need it.”
