Tuesday, January 29, 2008

The Power of A Dream


My African adventure began in the spring of 2007. I was in the midst of a huge life transition. I homeschooled my children from kindergarten through 8th grade. My youngest had just started public high school and I was left with a huge void in my life. My passion for teaching was still alive in my heart, but I needed somewhere to channel it. About this same time I saw a special on T.V about the huge reading famine that exists in Africa. Something in my heart stirred, and even though I could not explain why, I knew I needed to go to Africa.I had heard about Global Volunteers from a friend. I did some research and made my decision. Ghana was my destination.

My mission: To teach English to the children, or so I thought. I traveled to the small village of Senchi Ferry in Western Ghana. It was there that I not only had the privilege of teaching the beautiful children of the village, but had the opportunity to meet the most welcoming, kind hearted, spirited community of people I have ever met in my life. My life has forever been changed from my experinces in this village. One day I talked with the children about their dreams for the future. I was surprised to find that in the midst of their underprivileged lives, and the absence of books, they too have dreams of becoming doctors, pilots, scientists and teachers. They have dreams of changing Africa through their education. Education is the key to a different life for them, yet resources are not available. I met Emmanuel, a bright 12 year old who wants to be a doctor, yet has never seen a picture of the human anatomy. Rosina dreams of becoming a pilot, yet she has never seen a map of her own country. It was through listening to the children's dreams that a dream of my own formed in my heart - to build a library for the children of this village. I have just returned from my second trip to the beautiful village of Senchi Ferry, Ghana. This time I brought with me a suitcase filled with children's picture books. I had the amazing experience of introducing picture books to children of all ages for the very first time in their lives. I cannot begin to describe the magic of witnessing the absolute joy and delight that emanated from their faces as colorful pictures helped to tell the stories that were read to them.

The chiefs, elders, teachers and children have all embraced the idea of buiding a library in Senchi Ferry. The location has been chosen, the blueprint drawn. Prayers have been offered for the success of our vision. I have committed to help build this village a library through Global Volunteers and fill it with books. For more information on how to help end the reading famine in Senchi Ferry, please go to my website: http://www.senchiferrylibrary.com/

-Deb McNally, Ghana Volunteer

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