I had been asked to run a session
for an NGO (non government organisation) based in another district to that I
live in. The session was to form part of
a STIME (Science, Technology, Innovation and Maths Education) residential camp
with a 3:4 ratio of girls: boys, promoting Science Technology Innovation and
Maths alongside ‘the girl child’ (it’s one of those Ghanaian English
terms).There were to be forty children in total to attend. I set a simple task for children with a
skills focus on team work, they were to design and make a bridge out of
newspaper. This particular NGO who had
requested support has the words ‘education’ and ‘inclusion’ in its name in some
way. This is an important fact; keep it
in mind as you read on... I sent an e
mail request for the ‘small small’ (Ghanaian English) requirements for the
session a couple of weeks in advance of it due to happen. The day before the boundaries
set were changed, ten more children were to be included; five students from the
deaf school (but only because it was being held there) and five disabled
students from mainstream school…(great idea, all about inclusion…but why wasn’t
it thought about before?) He suggested I
group all the disabled children together… I suggested that in promoting
‘inclusion’, If he was happy, I would in fact have one boy and disabled child
in a group with 3 girl children
..…’yes, yes, yes!’ he
said ‘great idea we must include… but how will they talk to each other we only
have one interpreter?’…’they can use their hands to gesture and write down
things…’ I said flummoxed ‘it will all help to promote them working as a team
on the problem set’. In order for the
deaf children's experience to be as good as the others I needed
to amend things, write teaching and learning resources for the
session etc as now my voice would not be enough and, not for the first time in
my life, I regretted once more never learning sign. Plan B commenced. On the day I had a
lot to do. The session wasn’t to start
until 2.30 pm but I needed to get to Navrongo to pick up some photocopying I
had done for a session I am to run next year (a 60km round trip and apparently
cheaper than Bolga). Around 10.15am I received a text from a VSO colleague
who was also supporting the camp: 'utter mayhem here. Not enough
children. We are basically out in the car trying to grab children off the
street to make up numbers! No electricity in the dining room either! Already
sat around since 7.30am. Matthew* just arrived.'
That text arrived at 10.16 am. Mathew is the 'organiser'. It
would seem that my session was unlikely to be at 2.30 . The need for
electricity was stipulated in an email 2 weeks ago along with my other list of
requirements but it wasn’t necessary and, following the reply from my
colleague, clearly not available... 'plan B' scrapped.... better get Plan C
into action.... I did wonder why I was
bothering to get Plan C into action for my 90 minute session when the
‘organiser’ barely appeared to be using his own Plan A for the two days worth
of activities and a residential stay. In
fact plan A for Matthew appeared to be simply following a set of words in order
on a page but ignoring any reference to timings. I discovered this when I eventually caught up
with him about 3.30pm. He appeared to
want to just plough through every item on the itinerary for the day come what
may, no matter how long it was going to take.
We had to leave at 5/5.30pm at the latest as we had a 40 minute ride home
on some dodgy roads and we didn't fancy doing it in the dark. The judges who had arrived at about 1.30 to
do the judging of the Science projects were understandably cheesed off at the
disorganisation (as too was I and I am still unsure as to how I didn't crack).
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| Cow dung project |
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| Something to do with rice project - I can't remember |
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| Motion project |
I suggested that he keep The ‘Judging Science projects’ session as the children
had done the work for it and the judges where there and scrap mine and move the
final session to the following day… he made some noises about me doing mine the
next day (Saturday) too but I had made it clear previously I was travelling to
Tamale so would be unable to help on the second day. Ali and I had spent the afternoon making
teaching and learning materials from the power point that was unable to be
shown so it was slightly irritating it didn't happen but I can use it all again
in a different way.
On the plus side, we did spend time
with the children from the deaf school – the venue for the camp, observing,
communicating of sorts and generally getting a feel for the school which we
probably wouldn’t have done had we had just gone in for what we were supposed
to do.
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| My deaf child friend |
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| Trying to get this child to smile was amazingly funny! |
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| Can you see me at the back? We were swarmed when the camera came out... they all wanted to be in the 'snap'! |
The site was eerily quiet, even
at dinner time in the huge hall.
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| A very quiet lunchtime |
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| A lunch table |
It was a strange feeling to have what appeared to be a successful school with out the hustle and bustle of a mainstream school. From
afar the institution looks like a prison, solid green and white walls surround
the massive site. Buildings are spread
haphazardly across the site making it a mammoth journey to get from the main
entrance to the dining hall. The
toilets….I’ll leave it there for fear of vomiting…suffice to say my bladder was
full.
Two things shocked me that
day. One when I was beckoning (the
Ghanaian way) some deaf children to help move some furniture, a District
Assembly (equivalent of our local council) worker said ‘they cannot, they are
deaf and dumb you know’. This shocked me
as it implied you cannot attempt to converse with deaf people if you cannot
sign (something Ali and I had been doing quite well all afternoon) and two; the
use of the word ‘dumb’. In this context
the double meaning of not just unable to talk but unable to do as she seemed to
be implying… which from my 5 hours in the school was not the case at all; very
observant and hard working and helpful kids I would say. Far from ‘dumb’. I ignored her and
successfully communicated what was needed and the 4 children understood
perfectly. The second shocker involved
the member of staff involved with the camp there to sign for the 5 children who
were on it. I was very aware we had a
lot of deaf children hanging around desperate to see what was going on in their
school that they were not invited to. I
was also aware it was 4pm and school was out, they were just hanging, waiting
for food and bed (it was a boarding school).
I suggested to Matthew that the children could sit at the back and watch
the science projects get judged and the interpreter could sign for all so they
could see and understand what was going on.
Matthew agreed and I went to fill in the interpreter who said, and I quote,
‘Fine, but I hope I’m going to get paid for this’… How I didn’t punch her lights out I don’t
know…
*Name changed
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