Chapter 74...The Jana farewell (for 2011)

The taxi pulls up to the compound I now know so well in the little village of Jana, Tamale. As I look out of the window I notice there are no children around. They are not sitting by the sides of their mothers as they prepare food and order the children to run small errands. They are not playing and fighting with each other in the small space in front of the compound gate. They are not returning from one of their many roaming trips. They are simply nowhere to be seen. Then I remember it is Friday morning and they are in the school situated just behind the compound. My heart sinks a little, for as much as I enjoy the company of the adults in the compound, I much prefer that of the children, mainly because we find a way to communicate and have fun with each other despite the fact I speak very little (read as: no) Dagbani, the local language of Tamale.

We step out of the taxi as I beg for some last minute Dagbani revision and as if by magic, the children of Jana come running around the corner of one of the huts and flood the compound with noise, laughter and life. They are a swarm of bees darting in different directions, whirling around in a hurry, each with their own agenda for their short break from class, mainly chopping food.  After the usual ritual of greetings, we settle on a bench in the shade and I wait for the children to calm down and rid themselves of the initial nerves they feel whenever I visit. Soon we are back on familiar turf with me mesmerised by all of them, and them as equally mesmerised back. This time though there is a new area of fascination that we haven't experienced before - my hair. For some reason pulling my hair out and attempting to attach it to their soft bald heads is the entertainment for the morning. 

Break time is soon over and the compound clears to just Mustafa, Al Has, Amina and myself. These three are among the eldest children in the compound and should also be in school today, but are unable to attend because their father cannot afford their tuition fees. They spend the next hour explaining their situation to me and how it makes them feel, my heart bleeds. All three of them have passed their end of year exams and been accepted to Junior High or Senior Secondary schools, which started back in September, meaning they have missed two months of the school year already and are set to miss even more. Tuition fees are 300 GhC (£125) per child per year and currently there is not even enough money to send one child to school, let alone all three. I dare to ask the question "who would their father choose to send to school if he only managed to raise enough funds to send one child?" They answer in the most adult manner, with a thought-through analytical explanation that it would probably be Al Has. 

The rain was scarce this year in Tamale, it came late and left early. As I understand it, this left many farmers with very little to sell on, for example to market traders, meaning their income for the year is low. Mustafa, Al Has and Amina walk me through the process of harvesting and selling, telling me how much they are expected to make from the little they have managed to farm this year. As Amina turns the rice that has been laid on the ground to dry under the African sun I realise that this is their everything. They explain that once farming season is over their father will use the money to pay off some of his bank loans, then take out a further loan in order to subsidise their low income. My head is spinning with numbers of bags, costs to buy, costs of schooling, costs of living, but even my non-mathematical brain can figure out that the chances of these children attending school this academic year are extremely low. 

This gets me thinking...how many people back home could afford £125 or part of £125 to help one of these children further their education...plenty is the answer. If a school in the UK sponsors a child through a year of the Ghana education system, both parties would benefit. All those school children back home learning from text books could be given the opportunity for a more interactional learning experience by following the case study of a Ghanaian child. They could send letters to each other, photos, videos, they could Skype and form a friendship and relationship with someone living in extreme and often harsh conditions in West Africa. In return a Ghanaian child could be given the chance to do the only thing in the World they want to do, become educated. It is a fight here that plenty of children are willing to take on in order to save themselves and their families from further hard times. These three children tell me they do not want to be farmers like their father, but instead aspire to work hard to better their lives and those of others, and I totally believe them. I do however, question the sustainability of giving a helping hand, because the same farming and lack of money issues will no doubt arise again, and then what will they do? If only there was some work for Hussain during the dry season when farming stops, then there would be less dependency on the short rainy season to supply funds for the entire year. But, life is too short, and these childrens possible education is passing them by, which is a huge injustice, because they are all fabulously intelligent and brilliant human beings who deserve that chance. So when I return home I will be on a mission to raise as much money as possible for at least one of these future stars of Ghana to become the person I know they can be...

Our last Jana visit for 2011 is coming to an end and although I am hot, sweaty and covered in tiny, red dust footprints I am sad to say goodbye. Even though I will miss everyone, I will definitely miss my little buddy Aminatu the most. This one is fiesty, trouble-making and a little terror, but deep down she is unbelievably vulnerable and a softy at heart. She reminds me of someone I know...

Aminatu rocking out the shades!

So much will happen in my life over the next two months before I return to Ghana at the end of January - I will see friends and family again, I will spend two weeks in Canada, I will pack up my things to return and I will say the next round of goodbyes. I can't help but wonder how much will occur in Jana during that time, but I cross my fingers it will all be good!