It's on again....SFLIG's annual 'When You Eat, They Eat' Christmas Event!!

This week sees the launch of one of SFLIG’s biggest events – the ‘When You Eat, They Eat’ annual Christmas picnic. For the past two years, Solutions for Life Initiative – Ghana has provided over 1000 underprivileged children in Kumasi with a Boxing Day they won’t forget. Held at the luscious grounds of the Cultural Centre, this event has provided street children and orphans with more than just a meal at Christmas – it has provided them with a day where they can experience the joy and sense of belonging that Christmas is renowned for.

From the moment the first child arrives to the time that the last one departs, this day is full of activity. There is the jumping castle, which continually provides a ‘wow’ factor with the kids – the lines never seem to go down! Then there is the face painting tent, where kids have been transformed into butterflies, super heroes or something from their own imagination. The horseback riding, which is not for the faint hearted and of course, the classic dancing chairs – a game that never fails to provide spills and thrills. And this is just to name a few!! All this activity creates a healthy appetite and the food and drinks do not disappoint! However, lunch time is not just about feeding that appetite. One of the main objectives of the day is to ensure that these children are given the opportunity to share a meal and be merry with each other and with the larger community, particularly volunteers and sponsors. The title ‘When You Eat, They Eat’ is symbolic of this concept – those from the larger community sharing with children who they may have seen selling on the street corner earlier that week. It is one of the reasons that make this celebration so unique – children leave the day with a full belly, yes, but more than that, they leave feeling joy and love.

For volunteers of the event, this day begins early! Before the first child arrives there are chairs to set up, jumping castles to blow up, stalls to erect, beverages to be chilled, banners to be posted – the list goes on and continues to grow throughout the day. However, despite this long list, every year volunteers continually talk about the joy this day brings them. It is Saint Francis who stated ‘It is in giving that we receive’ – a fitting quote to detail what all volunteers experience at the ‘When You Eat, They Eat’ event.

In 2013 we are looking to make this day even bigger and better. There will be more activities, including arts and crafts, Christmas story telling and a souvenir picture with Santa himself, a wider range of games and even more variety in the food and drinks. But, we need your help! We at SFLIG are calling upon you good people to give a special gift this Christmas – it could be the gift of your time through volunteering; it could be a financial donation at our gofundme.org account                                      ( http://www.gofundme.com/4cbluc ) or it could be a donation in kind (please contact infor@sflig.org) – whatever you choose to do, please know that every little bit helps in making this day a success. Thank you in advance for your help, we’re looking forward to sharing the stories of the day with you all soon!

 

'Inspire to Aspire' Retreat Day 2013

On the 10^th of August, 62 teenage girls from around the Ashanti region participated in Solutions for Life Initiative – Ghana’s (SFLIG) first annual ‘Inspire to Aspire’ retreat day. Set amongst the luscious landscape of the KNUST Botanical Gardens, the program saw adolescents participate in a variety of activities aimed at challenging and inspiring them to ‘aspire’ to education.

The day began with sixty strong female voices yelling “Be the change you want to see in the world” – the catchphrase of SFLIG’s Change Makers Ambassadors clubs. Dedicated to educating and mentoring adolescent females in the Kumasi region, these clubs provide the girls with a safe and supportive environment to explore and discuss relevant issues and topics. As many of the Change Makers faces were new to each other, the first port of call was to ‘break the ice’ with a fun and engaging activity. A ‘cheerleaders’ interpretation of the classic ‘scissors, paper, rock’ did the trick as within minutes, each of the girls were shouting each other’s names. It was then time to focus on one of the key themes of the day – highlighting the strength and abilities of each individual girl. In Ghana, low self-esteem is a real barrier to education, many girls don’t believe they are worthy of gaining an education or that they have the ability to do so.  It was therefore SFLIG’s mission to incorporate this theme into each of the sessions so that the participants may understand and see the potential that lies within them.

Another key goal of the day was to challenge and inspire the girls to see the possibilities that await them if they invest in their education. To achieve this goal, SFLIG enlisted the help of several female professionals from a variety of different professions including a lawyer, dentist, teacher, entrepreneur, nurse, police and fire women and a biochemist. Speaking about their educational journeys and the challenges they faced whilst on them, each of the women discussed similar topics – each highlighted the need to be dedicated to and focussed on the goals the girls want to achieve; each spoke of the strength they had gained from God’s love; each spoke about the dangers of becoming involved with boys from a young age; each emphasised the role education has and is playing in making their dreams a reality and lastly, but maybe most importantly, each spoke of the hope that education provided for them.  These guest speakers were able to provide a message that resonated with many of the girls – anything is possible if you believe and invest in you.   

One particular story that emphasised the hope that education brings is that of Joyce Nartey – a young woman who is working hard to make a past mistake into a brighter future. Joyce was an adolescent when she engaged in unprotected sex with her boyfriend resulting in her contracting HIV and becoming pregnant. Whilst many would have let this mistake dictate the rest of their lives, Joyce saw it as an opportunity to educate other young girls about the dangers of engaging in sex from a young age. Having now completed fashion school as a designer, dancer and actress and welcomed two young children into the world, Joyce’s story speaks of the way the girls can overcome challenges through education.

The final activity of the day was one that required the girls to reflect on their own hopes and dreams for the future. In taking the time to contemplate the goals that they wished to achieve, these young women took positive steps towards making their dreams a reality. To symbolise these steps, each girl used their unique thumbprint to make a commitment to themselves and SFLIG that they will move forward from the day with the lessons they have learnt and their ambitions at the forefront of their minds (see pictures below). And as the last ‘Be the change you want to see in the world’ rang out, it was clear that each girl had been challenged and inspired to think about what their future could and should look like.