Kumasi, Ghana
Posted by pertorkelson | Filed under Ghana
On Christmas Day the 25th of December SYDD celebrated together with the students at Edwenase Rehabilitation Centre. We had brought rice, chicken, oil, drinks and biscuits two days earlier and on the same day as the party took place we had made a provision for music (DJ), chairs and tents. We arrived around 11 am and some of the students were already dancing and enjoying the music. They were all served our drinks and biscuits after a couple of hours of dancing, when they started to sweat and became tired. Several of the students were very happy with our contributions and presence and they told me; “I’m very happy today! God bless you!”. After dancing together with the students, then we walked inside to have lunch together with everyone including the Regional Director of the Social Welfare Department. He was very happy that we had made this possible and we left the celebration party around 3 pm, when everybody was still enjoying.
On the same day, Christmas Day, Mumin turned 3 years old and because of that there was a birthday party held for him including music, dance and food. He only received a few couple of gifts, 2 or 3, so I’m very grateful and glad that my mother had sent him a book in English about Pippi Longstocking. I read it to him and he commented my reading and describing by agreeing “yes, yes, yes”. Mumin eats more than anyone I know, and I’m talking about all age groups. During his birthday party, wherever I saw him he was either having a drink or food in his mouth. Hehe. It was a nice birthday party with lots of chaos.
On Boxing Day, 26th of December, we received a call that GBC (Ghana Broadcasting Corporation) was going to talk about the NGO (Solidarity for Youth and Disabled Development) I’m working for in their 1 pm news (and at 8 pm). GBC covers the whole of Ghana (with a population of approximately 20 million people) and everyone throughout the nation can hear the same news. The news reporter talked about what we did at the Edwenase Rehabilitation Centre on Christmas Day and also the fields we are working in and the importance for other NGOs to focus on not just HIV, because there are other groups of people as well who are in great need of help and support. It was nice to hear my name on the radio too in the news; “Project Supervisor Mr Per Erik Torkelson”.
Today the Islamic holiday, Eid il Adel, has started and it will continue for 3-4 days. The Muslims celebrate it by sacrificing (killing) animals, e.g. cows and sheep, and then eating the meat.
Gott Nytt År!