Connection counts

Today we trained the small staff of three at ICRI - Ghana headquarters. As we went and sat on the outdoor porch, hidden from the hot sun, we noticed children from a school next door peaking over the fence at us. As we sat in a circle we began our intimate training while the children at the ICRI preschool were napping.

Melanie opened the training with an introduction of Speak To Children and the program's purpose.  As we sat almost knee to knee with the teachers, there was something especially intimate about how we were able to connect with the teachers. As we went through the training we witnessed the teacher's understanding and excitement about the program. While Giulietta taught her portion of the program, they relaxed more and more as she shared her topics. Melanie talked about the importance of being connected to how it feels to incorporate these concepts in the teacher's lives. It felt as though a light switch had been turned on inside this hearts and minds of these teachers, their eyes seemed to glimmer with excitement.They were connecting the fact that not only could their students benefit from the program, but they themselves could as well. They were extremely welcoming of us and the program overall. We could also see their genuine love for teaching children as they talked about their preschoolers and their own children at home. 

As we wrapped up the training with the teachers, we got a chance to chat with one of the teachers who attended the two day training session privately as we hung out in the office. The amazing thing about this young woman was just how well and how quickly she got the essence of the program. We asked her if she enjoys teaching and whether there was some other job she would prefer. She explained that she does enjoy teaching, but she loves serving and helping others as much as she can. As she explained this it made total sense. Giulietta had noticed her in the training and how helpful she was with everything and anything, She was was always the first one to get up and help someone, even if she happened to be in the back of the room, or c on the other side of the classroom, she was the first to squeeze through to lend a helping hand. It stuck out to Giulietta and the conversation today helped explain why. How wonderful is that? 

She talked to us about the culture of the Ghanian people and the importance of faith for this community. We asked her to elaborate on this and her response was really inspiring. She explained that amongst all the chaos in the world, war, political unrest, people hurting others, believing in a supreme being brings hope and comfort to the Ghanian people. She explained that Ghana is a pretty peaceful country compared to the rest of the African countries, especially those bordering Ghana. So, many Ghanians pray that the unrest present in the neighboring countries does not enter Ghana so that this culture can be preserved.

In addition to sharing the faith present within the culture, she also shared some other cultural things. The one that made us reflect was that taking or giving something with your right hand was a sign of respect and that you should never take or give with your left hand. We had no idea. We began reflecting on our time spent with the Ghanians and teachers we trained, did we give anything or take something with our left hand? We hoped we didn't offend anyone. She also explained that Ghanians understand when whites do not uphold this cultural morae.

We then asked her what Ghanians thought about Americans. She explained that Ghanians thought of people in the U.S. as being loving and kind people. Phew. We also asked her about some of the reactions we have gotten from children over the last couple days. She explained that some of the children had never seen a white person before, so they look at us in either shock, awe, or some may be frightened all together. We had suspected as much and this suspicion came to life when one of the preschoolers who had just woken up from a nap came into the room we were in. His name is Gerald. He walked in and his eyes got quite big as he stared at Giulietta. As Giulietta tried talking to him he just stared back in total surprise. Melanie also tried just about everything to bring Gerald out of his shell to speak, but the most he would do was raise his eyebrows and nod. Although he never uttered a word, he did agree to have his photo taken.

Today ends our training, but we know that as long as we stay connected to ourselves, our learning will continue thoughtout our journey in Africa.

Melanie and Giulietta

Gerald posing for the photo.

Group photo with Gerald and his friend.