A Family Across the World

Over the summer, I traveled to Ghana for a Medical Internship with hopes of gaining medical experience in a real-life setting. I stayed with the most supportive and loving host family ever, my host mother Anna and her grandson Joseph. The two of them not only made me feel at home, but they welcomed me into their culture, regardless of the fact that I was a complete foreigner. They were the ones who brought me around Dodowa, a very small and pleasant town north of Accra, where I stayed for the internship.

Anna brought me to the Rising Star Orphanage Home in Dodowa, one of the only two orphanages in the town. She told me she would bring all of the interns who stayed at her home to the orphanage to not only make the kids happy, but also to show what the standards of living were. As I walked in, I was immediately greeted with the faces of the most cutest, innocent-looking orphans. It hurt me to think that none of the kids standing in front of me ever experienced the love from a mother or a father, yet they were still so happy. Anna introduced me to the woman who ran the orphanage. She was a very nice lady, but I could tell that she was exhausted from taking care of the kids. After all, she was the only one looking after them. I looked around and couldn't help but notice the poor condition of the kids. Nearly all of the kids lacked proper clothing. For example, shoes that were broken, clothes that were worn down and dirty. Some kids had to walk around half-naked. I offered to donate some of my soccer shirts, and I found it very surprising how ecstatic both Anna and the woman were. I figured they were only shirts, but then I realized what may seem little to us, turns out to be large to them. After all, I remember back at house when I took out a roll of paper towels to use for myself, and Joseph literally shouted, "What is that?". I remember taking out a flashlight to use due to the constant power outages, and once again, Joseph shouted, "What is that?". At the hospital for the internship, I remember taking out my iPhone, and the nurses telling me I could buy land in Dodowa with the amount of money spent on the phone. Through all of these encounters with poverty, I realize that we are very fortunate to be living in one of the most developed countries in the world. We are very fortunate to have easy access to common amenities such as decent plumbing and air conditioning, compared to Dodowa which are sparse. We are lucky to enjoy many provisions, so I think we should spare a little to give back.

I understand that this is a very long campaign description, but I feel that everything I have said is truly necessary for you to see what I see, and for you to feel what I feel regarding this campaign. It isn't about the money. It's about helping those in need in whatever way we can, to show that we know and that we care about the well-being of the orphans. It is to show that even though we are across the world, we are still family.

Thank you so much for all of the donations. I can't tell you how much it means to me, to the orphanage, to Anna, and to Joseph.

1 USD = 4.8 GHS

1.5 GHS = One shared taxi ride