Fluffy the whale

Before I left on this last trip to Ghana, my friend (who also happens to be my hairstylist) started talking to me about this project her friend's kid was doing at school. I was sitting relaxed in her chair, while she clipped and explained.
Stuffed animals were being sent out around the country and expected to be taken on adventures with strangers. Like the whole "flat stanley thing". Somehow she ended up with 2. I offered to take Fluffy the whale to Ghana- write about what happened- and return him safely to a fresh pair of hands.
I didn't pack much this last trip. In fact, my backpack was pretty small. But I did manage to get Fluffy in there and he had a great time. Below is the entry I typed into Fluffy's journal. There is a lot more to be said however writing it in 5-year old language sums it up pretty nicely. I am curious to see if there is any progression of ideas generated by the youngsters or if this idea fades away and gets blown out like a flame. I carry with me a small burden to help this man and his school... but because my primary focus when I am in Ghana is typically on the Health Center I am opening this up God's leading.

Hello!

I brought your little whale friend on an adventure to a tiny village in Ghana, West Africa. I am a nurse and the whale came with me to work in a health clinic in the middle of the tropical forest. In the tropical forest there is a village with a very long name. It is called Boamadumase.

Our whale friend had a lot of fun in Boamadumase. He spent time at a clinic where he got to say hello to sick children. They liked seeing him. It made them feel happier.

One day a man walked from 10 miles away to see me at the clinic. He said he wasn’t sick. But he said he really needed to talk to me. So, I sat down and talked with him.

The man told me he was a teacher and he had just opened a new school in a village that was very far. He said the children in his village had to walk over 5 miles to get to the closest school, and they had to do this every day. Many of the children are very young (like you) and walking 5 miles is too hard for them. So because the school was too far, and they were too tired, they had to stop going.

The man did not like that the children in his village were no longer going to school. He decided to open his own school. He asked me to come and visit. I said I would love to.

Do you remember how I told you these villages are in the middle of the tropical forest? That means the school looks very different than how your school looks. First of all, there are over 60 children but they all share the same classroom. Their school is just one big structure in the middle of a piece of farmland. It has no walls! It is pretty neat, because the man grows corn on this farmland and the children eat the corn for lunch. When you are inside of class you can look all around you and see the corn growing.

The children sit on benches made from wood from the local trees. There aren’t many benches so they have to sit close to each other and share. These children are very good at sharing because they don’t have a lot of money so they have to borrow a lot of things from one another. A lot of times they even share their pencils by writing their name on their paper and passing their pencil down the row of benches. This means that they also are good at waiting for their turn. They are very patient children.

When I saw the school I was very happy that these children did not have to walk so far. I stood in front of the class and told them I was from America. I brought our whale friend and told them the whale had traveled from America too. Everyone loved the whale. A 3-year old boy asked if he could hold it. I don’t think he had ever seen a stuffed animal quite like it! He hugged it and I could tell he wanted to keep it forever. I was afraid to take it back from him because I thought he might cry. But like I said earlier they are good at sharing so he gave it back and said “thank you very much”.

Before I left the school the class sang me a song. They wanted me to say hello to all my friends in America also. They also wanted me to say hello to all of the whale’s friends. So “hello” to everyone in Mrs. Boring’s class!

Lastly, the teacher told me some sad news. He said the school did not have any desks or books. I think it would be very hard to get a good education without any desks or books. He also said the people in the village did not have any money to pay him for teaching. He had invited me to the school to show me how the school is helping all the children but he asked me one question before I left.

“Is there any way you can help us here? We want to make this a great school that can stay here forever but we have a long way to go.”

Like I mentioned earlier, the people in this village are very patient. I told them they may have to wait for a solution to their problem but to keep doing their best in the meantime. I also let them know I would pass along their special request to all my friends in America and maybe someone would have a great idea or have a bunch of great ideas about how to make their school great. I have been going to Boamadumase every year for a long time now. When I left I said “I am going for now, but you will see me again, and next time I will bring more hope!”

And with big smiles, they all said goodbye to me and goodbye to our whale friend.

If any of you want to know more about the school or if you have anything you would like to tell me my name is Kacie and my email is newkacie@gmail.com