experiences: lotus

by Veronica Formosa, March 2003

I decided I wanted to be involved in some form of voluntary work abroad in 2001. It took some months that followed to establish exactly what that could consist of. As the months went on and my plans came to fruition I was full of excitement and anticipation at the prospect.

Whilst living in London, I became aware of Ananda Marga / Lotus Childrens Centre through an agency that specialises in NGO's. I was invited to come to work with them in Ghana in January 2003, not really knowing what lay ahead, but thinking that I was reasonably prepared for the challenges. By this time I had been working full-time for 8+ years, but hadn't found real fulfilment or satisfaction in what I was doing. I had hoped that my time with Ananda Marga might assist me to clearly define what direction I wanted to follow as respects my future working life. Very wise friends told me that what I expected to get out of my experiences, and what I would actually derive from them may in fact be quite different. Having come to the end of my time here, I acknowledge that statement in my case couldn't have been truer.

My first few days in Ghana were an intense culture shock for me. I knew making the transition from London to Ghana would be difficult, but I couldn't possibly have perceived to what extent. The simplistic and difficult way of life for the majority of people was quite traumatising at first. I felt there could be no correlation between their world and mine. After some days I noticed that despite what I perceived to be people living day- by-day marginally above poverty, there was also behind it a great amount of happiness and genuine laughter. Despite the hardship of the people to make enough money to cover the basic necessities, their lives don't appear to be overcrowded and complicated by excess. I also perceived a far greater emphasis on family, friendship and hospitality.

In Ghana you will see everywhere many children lining the streets. Some are in uniform attending the schools, of which are many. Some are not, but rather are in the tro-tro (public transport) stations selling, or labouring in their families' businesses. And still a large number have no families at all, and are etching out an existence the best way they know how. Seeing these things first hand, and working with the children in both the Lotus Children's Home and in the Nursery School, and visiting the health clinics, has highlighted the need for me to bring perspective back into my life. Most of all it has brought my attention back to focusing on the 'more important things'.

I have very much enjoyed living in the Children's Home, and befriending the girls. I have grown extremely fond of them, and recognise more fully, as any parent would know, just how much unconditional love, support and understanding these children need. The children were in desperate need of love, attention and guidance, and it could be draining to make yourself always on hand to give it. But despite this getting to understand them intimately and developing a special bond with them is truly a most rewarding feeling. I have experienced a culture where people derive peace and joy from being surrounded by others, rather than seeking that ever illusive and deceptive solitude we seem to desire in the west. I have also come to realise that only small things can be affected in the short time I have been able to spend with them. It is with this knowledge that I realise in the end that this time has done more for me than I could have possibly done for others.

Veronica in the volunteers quarters One of my first introductions to the Ghanaian way of life was fetching water in buckets to take a shower, to flush the toilet and to wash clothes. This was quite unique to me and was a real novelty. To be honest it felt good to be doing things for myself that all my life had been done without a thought by reliable plumbing and washing machines. I derived an extreme sense of self-sufficiency. Soon followed times when there would be a water shortage for days at a time. Which required the girls to fetch buckets of water from some distance to be carried back on their heads. Being the middle of the dry season also, and relying on hydroelectric power, there were ever more frequent black outs, or "lights out" as they say in Ghana. There were times when the water tank was high enough for the water to flow into the plumbing and a normal shower could be taken. I was strangely almost disappointed by this, as aside from the feeling of self-sufficiency, there was the sense of being significantly more conscious of not wasting precious water. I guess in all, my new living environment helped me to appreciate the benefits of simplicity, the rewards of self-sufficiency, and to be conscious of conserving natural resources.

My first day teaching in the Nursery School was without a doubt a significant hurdle to overcome. After day one, I didn't think I could possibly subject myself to another day in the 'lion's den'! If it weren't for the relaxed encouragement of the other teachers I don't think I would have. As they say here "small small". I learnt to take one day at a time, and gradually things became easier. The school is without a doubt over-populated, and under-resourced. I now have a heightened appreciation for teachers and what it takes to be a successful one. All my ideals of what I thought I would teach, and how I thought I could teach it, came unravelled in the first few days. It took time to adapt to the new environment, culture and language and to develop effective teaching methods in this very different environment.

The most difficult part of teaching the children was the language barrier (my Australian accent and the minimal comprehension of English by the young children). After this was the lack of curriculum and conformity, followed by the mainly ineffective discipline techniques used by the other teachers. I learnt how vital it was to captivate the young childrens' attention, and just how short their attention spans really are. Despite this though, the children have shown me such great love and affection. They climb you like a tree, chant your name, hug you and hold your hands everywhere you go, and they show genuine gratitude for your small efforts. One of my pupils in group A, Florence, who is 6 years old, after a morning's lesson, stayed behind after class and grabbed my arm and looked up to me. She said with such feeling "Thankyou, Teacher Veronica, thankyou"; I'll never forget it.

Children playing at beach One of the lessons that I prepared that I did find to be a success, was an interactive session between the children and firemen whom we invited to give a talk on fire safety. Another succes was a theme day where we drew our hands, and sung songs about them. Copying pictures off the board into the correct numbered box, and then using them in a story picture, also proved to be a great hit. I will not deny that there were possibly more lessons that proved relatively unsuccessful as compared to those that went off well. During my time at the school, I learnt to be resourceful, patient, appreciative and experienced just how heart-warming the innocence and love from children can be.

I read once that volunteering can often be thankless work, for me personally in Ghana not for a moment did I find this to be so. There were even times, much to my embarrassment, when people of whom I wasn't even working with, would thank me for my meagre contributions. The children at the school and in the home have shown me a tremendous amount of love and appreciation. The people too of Ananda Marga were very supportive, appreciative and conscious of my needs since the day of my arrival. It has been personally very rewarding, and my privilege. It is my opinion that I could not have possibly lived up to the superfluous amount of gratitude I have been shown. As mentioned earlier, I, without question, have derived more from my experiences here than I could have possibly given. Although I acknowledge that one has to be realistic, my sadness now is that whatever small efforts I was able to extend could never be enough.

In summary, I would say this to anyone considering taking up the challenge of working with Ananda Marga in Ghana: even though Ghana stands out as the most peaceful and progressive African country in terms of overcoming poverty, and healthcare, there is still a real and legitimate need here. Ghana was a good introduction to the third world for me, and the African way of life. What I have seen and experienced here has brought a deeper sense of awareness of the problems faced by Ghanaians. I've made a number of very good friends in Ghana, this combined with seeing the children's faces, and experiencing their challenges first hand, has done much to personalise these issues for me.

Veronica Formosa - 23 years old
Volunteer January - March 2003