Beginning of a phase

After months of pushing the opening of the library forward,  We finally decided to do this at the beginning of the month of June (mostly because we had run out of excuses to push the date forward again) 

We found a facilitator who has a lot of experience in the deaf community and is also an interpreter in a local Deaf church.  We welcome Jude to the family.

We only had a couple of days to plan an opening but we really wanted to have everybody who helped make this happen get together so we tell them how grateful we are. 

On 3rd May, 2017, Accra Deaf Library opened to the public with a small get together of people from the Deaf community, friends,  family, well wishers and pretty much anybody who was curious about what was happening.

We played games,  watched movies  and made new friends. Was really a fun experience. 

Can't wait for the sort of adventure this experience brings!! Cheers to the Accra Deaf Library.

End of a phase

Today,  we decided to stop adding those daily "final" touches to the library and finally declared it finished. We made a deliberate decision to leave the walls blank which leaves good amount of space for kids to get creative with the walls when the library opens. 

This library has four laptops, a multipurpose photocopier, internet connection, a good collection of books, some really great video games, some board games and puzzles, a good collection of fun learning videos and online resources and most importantly, lots of love and support to give. 

Can't wait for the next chapter!

Going Green

And finally, work has started on planting the garden in the sitting area after putting it off for so long. We cleared the land, filled it up with soil and then planted the grass and trees. With only a couple of weeks left to open the library, I desperately pray our grass  grows well before we open up :) 

Transforming the yard

The process of converting the sitting area outside has officially started. The plan is to create a garden-like experience by planting lawns and flowers to give the place a natural feel. One thing I have always wanted, is to see Accra go green and I intend to make this small area a good example of  how greenery is able to transform a neighborhood.

 A metallic container that sat on the plot was taken out to be recycled and work has began on setting up the canopy that will shade the place from Accra's scotching sun.

Facebook smiles

I woke up to this flooding my Facebook timeline. Thought I should share. Been smiling all day.

Volunteers meetup

I hosted friends and volunteers over at the library today. The plan was to clean up, arrange and shelve books. It went great.

It is always an amazing experience meeting and having deep convos with like-minded young people and this was just one of those rear moments. 

I met Daniel for the first time and he had an amazing story to tell. He is a Hungarian student studying in Norway. Daniel is making a road trip across West Africa to do voluntary service in Guinea for 6 months. I am totally inspired by his courage and passion. Adwoa also came over to help out. It was our second meetup and I was super excited to see her again. Her support for the library has been incredible and I am glad she is a part of this.

Gifts from Switzerland

I get the greatest responses from the most unusual places. One of the major things this experience has thought me is that the best surprises come from the most unexpected places.

Today, my friend, Luca started a crowdfunding for the library. His target is to make an amount of chf4800 and I am totally wowed my this amazing gesture. With help from his roommate Celia , they took on the initiative of making a facebook page for the library to spread the word across.  

I have known Luca since 2016. I met him when he came to Ghana to shoot a documentary on the  handling of e-waste in the Accra. I mentioned the project briefly in one of our convos and he instantly offered to help. I am very grateful to him and all  who have contributed in different ways towards making his library a success.

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.