The Connections

As a child, my parents had this family tradition of visiting orphanages at least once or twice a year. It was one of those visits that kept me sober, long after the trip or ride was over. I found myself thinking about all the children, sometimes newborns that have been given up for adoption by families who could not take care of them. :(

I guess my parents wanted my siblings and me to learn gratitude from this tradition. Did this coconut head :) learn anything? Well, you tell me after you have read this piece.

Four years ago, my boss stumbled on a post on Facebook. By the way, this boss is British; his voice rings in my head now as I pen this down, because every time I mimic him, even I crack myself up :)

‘Hi Maureen, I saw this non-profit organization in Tamale called The Kings Village, I think they are doing fantastic work, let’s check them out, get a sense of what they do and maybe the company can support as its cooperate social responsibility – CSR. What do you think?

(I sense you read that in the most British accent you could come up with, it’s ok. I gotcha :) ).

We planned that trip! Getting on a plane for this one hour, ten minutes flight with great anticipation, finally I get to do some community work; I was still living in my head when the pilot decided it was time for a reality check.

Ladies and gentlemen, we have started our descent into Tamale, we should touch ground at exactly 9:35 am. A peek through the window, I see patches, like freshly roasted cocoa powder tea on a windy morning that even the alarm cannot wake me up, because I just want to curl under the duvet and be transported to fairyland.

I didn’t expect what happened next, one foot after the other and I was descending the stairs, greeted by this cold harmattan breeze, it reminded me so much of my birthplace, the place that has my placenta buried – Jos Plateau State (Jtown…yea yea). Greeted by our host, I felt like a tourist taking pictures and being very awkward (tourist we understand ourselves…taking pictures of everything and never putting them to use :) ).

Say what???

Just when I thought the traveling was over, our host said our final destination is forty-five minutes away. I wasn’t sure how to react, can we start already so that all these emotions and anxiety I feel can be over, I should have voiced this out maybe they would have understood. Do you think that would have been too much for a ‘first-time impression’? Ah! I still have some home training, so I was mum for the duration of that trip, moving from left to right in my chair as if to find the perfect position to stay comfortable, but still amazed at all the connections I made from the environment. Certain streets looked like a place called ‘Terminus’ in Jos.

Over the years, I visited Tamale frequently, this place that looked like my birthplace and in so many ways than one, similarities that reminded me of my family tradition. After wrestling with myself on the issue of nationality and beneficiaries, I launched my baby – Stimulate Africa Youth Development Initiative in June of 2018.

Just like Northern Nigeria – Plateau State I see the same geographical isolation in this Northern region of Ghana.

• Low literacy level
• Exposure deficiency
• Cultural & Religions differences
• Low literacy level

In a class of seventeen school children with only five female students, and when I engaged them on plans for the future, they all said home economics and probing further what their why is, they say ‘because I am at peace when I cook’. This is great; however, is the girl child taught to limit herself even before she can fly?

• Exposure deficiency

Three words only – male dominance & timidity. (Just think about it :) )

• Cultural & Religions differences

Issues on early child marriage and sometimes children given as gifts to repay debts and some African magic story on malnutrition which keeps my jaw hanging all time (I should learn to control my facial expressions).

Stimulate Africa Youth Development Initiative has since been on a campaign from inception on a ‘kick malnutrition’ and ‘back-to-school’ intervention to shine light on communities that are never thought of by intentionally bridging this gap of geographic isolation that exist in all the ways we can, because truly when we say leave no one behind we must ensure that the farthest in some way catch up.

Again, I ask you, did this coconut head learn anything?

Thank you! You, my dear, are the best, take it or take it :)

XOXO