Charlotte's books

 Meet Charlotte from A.B Bookshop. 

I first met Charlotte at a book fair in Accra a couple of months ago and we have been in touch since.  She shared stories about her days teaching children whiles in the UK and we spoke about my idea to start a library which she sounded very excited about. She offered to donate books for the cause and she expressed interest in volunteering at the library when it opens.

Today I took a trip to her warehouse in Tema to pick up the books she donated. One of the best thing about this experience is the pleasure of meeting amazing people who share in the passion of making this world a better place. Its been great pleasure getting to know Charlotte and hopefully this is just the beginning of an amazing relationship.

Discovering a superpower

And Finally, shelves got fitted. Roger did a great job and I love how they turned out. I got so excited I moved furniture around by myself... by myself! I am actually just discovering I might have some sort of superhuman capabilities which I just need a little motivation to activate. 

I have been extremely anxious to put the whole setup together and I couldn't wait. After a broken toenail and a few bruises, I transformed my idea from concept to tangible...I didn't regret it.
   

Over my years of working with people with hearing impairment or other forms of learning disabilities, I have realized the essence of visual or auditory stimulation in the teaching and learning process. Even with most mainstream kids, the best methods of teaching and learning always involve application of visual aid to boost retention.


 
I put together a multipurpose area where kids can have lessons which involve their visual and auditory senses. This could also serve as a movie corner and a games center. It is an adjustable space which will have seating for about 15 children when adjusted. 
 The visual corner has a flat-screen tv, a laptop with some games and videos, a projector and a bluetooth connection device for sound.
 

I also created an area for a digital library. This will serve as a space for all learning from the vast learning resources on the internet. It will also be a good space to teach ict skills and safe internet usage to our kids.

This learning area will have 10 laptops connected to an internet source and shelves stocked with books in all areas for reading. Hopefully someone is moved by my constant appeal for donations so I can acquire books and laptops for this center. Fingers crossed.

The successful execution of  the next phase of this project solely depends on how well I am able to apply my elementary school lessons on agriculture in setting up a garden. I will be working on creating a reading area outside for the kids.  For that space, I imagine a comfortable little garden where these kids can sit and read with their friends. 
Wish me luck.

Roger's shelves

Managing space will always be very critical to making this  place work because of how very small this room is and we've had to be innovative to utilize the sort of space we have. My idea is to create an extremely comfortable space that is adjustable to our needs, and furnishing right always makes a huge difference. 


The thing is, I get really particular about the very little(but really obvious) details of everything so finding the right people to work with has always been a big deal. After days of trying really hard to find a carpenter who wont get pissed off by my obsession for perfection syndrome, I met Roger who has been really understanding about everything. At least he seemed interested and didn't give me the "bro, you are too fussy" look. 

I wanted shelves that can be put together and taken apart when we need more room for activities or even in situations where we might need extra chairs to sit on. We also discussed the idea of  chairs that can serve as shelves... things like that. And all these crazy ideas need to fit into my really tiny budget..



 
Shelves came in today and will be fitted tomorrow. I am so excited, I can't wait to see how this all turns out. 

Finally, It begins!!

 I found a great job working as an educator of children with special needs in an inclusive school which believes passionately that all children have the right to an excellent inclusive curriculum.

I teach children who are mainstream or may have a specific learning challenge like Dyslexia, Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder, Asperger's, Cerebral Palsy, Down Syndrome, Autistic Spectrum Disorder and Global Delay. This has been a really challenging experience for me but also very fun and educative. I am excited to be a part of this amazing team of passionate educators. 

 

 After getting a job, it became easier to finally decide to start the process of building the library. It was after the first sound of the sledge hammer breaking through the wall, that it dawned on me that this was really happening.

The process to transform my private space into a public library had began. I really do love my privacy, but somehow this felt good.
 I barely had enough money to carry out that phase of the project! darn I barely had enough money to take care of myself...and I still don't now, but somehow, I know this will work out fine. Call me crazy.

An awkward volunteer

Welcome to the Koforidua School for the Deaf.  Deciding to volunteer at this school had its huge risk factor. I had little savings, no plan, I wasn't sure what to expect, and all that made me very nervous.


My first impression of Koforidua was how quiet and laid back the town felt. It was very different from the fast-paced, noisy Accra feel. I remember that anxious feeling as I approached my new school; what if the kids hate me or other teachers don't want me around,  maybe my sign language won't be good enough...and it wasn't, my signing was terrible!


But I approached the school and fell in love. From that welcome smile from the guys at the security post, and those random waves from the children in their classrooms as I walked past, for a moment I didn't care anymore, this just felt right.

I remember thinking out loud..."this is going to be my home for the next year, and it is going to be awesome."  
 









I taught English  at the junior high level to these amazing kids and helped out in most of the other classes and it was an amazing experience, I made really good friends and had the best moments. However, I could not help getting emotional about the sort of "existence" my students live in. I heard their stories and felt their sadness. Stories about how some parents felt ashamed of their existence was a common theme. One of my saddest moment was during circle time.  I had asked my kids about their dreams and aspirations in life and this was supposed to be a fun topic about choosing careers, but that night I couldn't sleep. My lovely kids had no drive. The thing is they have been brought up to believe they wont make it. Their deafness meant that life had nothing to offer them, and I don't blame them, my society is ruthless. Maybe that was why their education meant very little to them; my kids couldn't read and write and that really bothered me.

The love I have for these kids is beyond any emotion I have ever felt. I went to Koforidua with the idea of helping a group of deaf children get better, I ended up being the one that needed them. They showed me how to love without limits, how to give without expecting anything back and how to accept without boundary and these lessons will be with me forever.


Leaving my kids was really difficult but my voluntary period was over and I had run out of money. I needed to find a new job really quickly and I remember praying that I get offered my present job teaching my children. That never happened.

I however felt a huge responsibility to make a change and this is how I decided to start the project for the first social place for deaf children in Accra. This project will give these children a place to learn in a loving environment but most importantly, offer a place where these kids can dream, because really, nobody should ever be denied the ability to live.

How I introduce myself

I can't tell this story without taking you back..just a brief history into all of this.

My name is Nii, a young Ghanaian from the streets of the capital city, Accra. 

Usually, I will play it safe but this time I am leaving my comfort zone. My decision to volunteer at a School for the deaf in a small town outside Accra was a very difficult decision to make and probably the most spontaneous thing I have ever done. 

 After University, I got a great job working as an Office Manager for a really great company in Accra. Great pay, good benefits, really nice bathrooms, almost perfect but just didn't feel right.

After 3 years in this firm, I felt really scared settling into a job I had no passion for. Staying meant totally giving up on my dream of working in an area I felt so passionate about. I felt like I had this moment and I needed to take it. Mistake or no mistake, within a week I had made a decision to leave, packed my things and handed over my resignation letter. I was ready to go follow my dreams. My friends and family thought I was crazy.

The dream

This is the beginning of a fun story, a story about a "love affair" with an amazing group of kids, an effort to be part of a wonderful culture and a desire to create a change in my society. This story will never get boring... but even though I cannot totally assure that, I can definitely guarantee it is worth following this journey to build the first Deaf library in this amazing African country, Ghana. And this is how it goes...... 

This project started when it hit me how careless my society has been in regards to how we treat our children who have special needs. I had always wanted to be involved within the Deaf community in Ghana but it was after my voluntary service at the school for the Deaf that I realized I needed to do something urgently.

I have witnessed how cruel parents are to their own special needs children, how teachers refused to teach them and call them names and how society sees them as cursed and has placed a stigma on them. It feels horrible to see how my society is totally killing the spirits of these young lovely kids and I can’t stand it anymore, this is how I have decided to start a process of awareness. I am building a library for deaf children from my rented apartment. 

The Accra Deaf Library will be a social center where these children can be inspired to reach the highest. It will have a digital library with internet for children to access educational content from the web, a visual corner for educational videos (which is great for kids with special needs) or even for our movie periods and also some games and books in all areas. Also planning a curriculum which will suit the needs of our kids and help in achieving our overall goals.

I am totally excited about this...wish me well.


 Follow our story on linkedin https://www.linkedin.com/in/theaccradeaflibrary
You can also add  me on my personal linkedin https://www.linkedin.com/in/kniiodartey

Song ministration during assembly

Sports at the School for the Deaf

picture time during classes