September 2019 – February 2020
Ghana changed me
4:30 p.m. at the Baobab Center. I sit with a few schoolgirls in front of the girl‘s dorm and we chat, or they talk happily in Fante – I just sit next to them and listen with interest. I don‘t understand much. In between, we exchange a few words in English, so I can somehow still follow the whole conversation. Around us, life at the center is in full swing. From a distance I hear the boys playing on the football field. In the school kitchen, the pots rattle, dinner is cooked. Carrying water on their heads, two girls run to the shower, two older ones are still doing their laundry. Next to me, the bowls for dinner are quickly rinsed. The caretaker urges all younger students one last time to finally take their bath. Soon it´s time for supper.
It was clear to me that after graduating from high school, I had to get out into the world. When the opportunity arose to go to Ghana and participate in the Baobab Children Foundation, I was really happy. I packed my backpack and finally landed in Accra at the end of August. After ten days, in which I was able to gather some first impressions of my new home, I came to the center in Kissi. The first weeks there were quiet and empty, but when the holidays were over, there was a lot for me to do: I worked on the farm, among other things, initially also in the bicycle workshop. I helped the students in English and organized the center‘s sports and leisure program with the other two volunteers. In the Baobab House I helped to redesign the store, checked statistics and helped to calculate prices.
I quickly got to know all the students and spent time with them every day. Especially with some girls I developed a really close and cordial relationship. Now back in Germany I miss above all the ease of life of the people of Kissi and especially that of Baobab. It‘s crazy how time passed quickly. I am happy to stay in touch with the Baobab family.