Hope Blooms...Ghana Edition?

So, here’s a random burst of excitement to share with you all:

Over the last few weeks, we have been delivering several workshops to twelve junior high schools in Koforidua. The subject of this series of workshops is two-fold. 1) We tackle the basics of land, air, and water pollution, with a brief introduction to plastic waste. 2) With the hopes that the first section might spark some interest in the students, we moved on to discuss club formation. Later, we have and are continuing to return to these same schools to do a schoolyard clean up with them. For me, this is pretty much my element. Well, the club formation part is a bit dry, and means I have to talk finances, but the first section is pretty much catered to my personal interests.

Today we visited a particular school, were the class I was presenting to was filled with enthusiasm. I felt so energized by these kids – it was awesome! After the workshop (which ran a few minutes into their break), a few of the students chatted with me. One mentioned a garden they have been working on, and I, being a fan of growing what I eat, promptly requested to see it. And what they showed me was amazing!

Amongst the rows was a smattering of tomatoes, green peppers, carrots, onions, okra, garden eggs (what we would refer to as eggplant back home!), and a few other veggies! Perhaps what made this experience even more exciting was the fact that the few students who took me to see it, were absolutely thrilled to be showing off their hard work! Seriously, it was impressive to see what they were growing, and refreshing to be witnessing the pride and dedication they showed towards maintaining the plot.

When we returned later in the day to assist in the school clean-up, I claimed the rights to bring my group to the garden area (which unfortunately was covered in plastic bags and other garbage). Thinking it was a competition, my group (the same students form the morning), filled up our bag in no time! Seriously, I think they filled it in 10 or 15 minutes. To reward their efforts, we planted a tree (part of the clean-up exercise) near the garden, which was no waste-free. This, my friends, is why I came here. I am inspired. I have hope. I can’t wait to see what these kids do in the future!