Tribe Ghana 2017

Today was our sports day and our second day of camp! The day began normally with a ruach session where all the kids got excited and split into their teams. Each group made a flag and a chant for their team – encouraging them to work together as a group and raise their competitive spirit. It was really important for us to make activities that were not only fun but also sustainable, in the sense that the Ghanaians would be able to replicate the activities once the camp ended. The first station was the relay races. Here, we used empty water sachets, which would usually have just been thrown on the floor. However, the aim of our camp was to have a sustainable impact that would remain prevalent in the future. Thus, we have been encouraging the children to put their water sachets in the bin, rather than throw them on the floor and the relay races showed that waste could be used to have fun. We were also taught a game by the Ghanaian leaders, called Ampe - a traditional game which ...

Today…oh what a day! We met the Ghanaian Madrichim and were introduced to our  campers…     We were over the moon to see the children getting involved with all of our games we prepared and we have already struck up a fantastic relationship with them. The ruach was magical!!! The first task was coming up with team names and chants for the activity. As the day went on, our bonds with the Ghanaian Madrichim and the happy campers continued to grow, with each activity becoming more and more exciting. Their gleaming smiles were seen from a mile away and provided us with the energy needed to run the programmes. The closing ceremony tied the day together perfectly, with the children discussing what they learnt, and reminiscing about all the songs and chants that were created. It saddened us to say goodbye, but now we just cannot wait to see what tomorrow holds! By Nicky Wojakovski and Sam Land é r

Today we woke up all in good spirits!  We then accumulated in unison for breakfast where we were greeted by some soggy corn flakes. We had some scrumptious pineapple which we all enjoyed thoroughly. We then packed our lunches for ourselves and the Ghanaian youth leaders. We then boarded the coach and went to the town where we are running the camp.  Upon our arrival we were greeted by warm, friendly faces running towards us.  Interacting with the local children was an amazing experience.  We met the youth leaders from Ghana.  Even though there was a clear language barrier we made the most of getting to know one another.  We learnt their names, ages and managed to ask them questions about themselves, their traditions and their customs. We learnt that in one month, the festival of fire is coming up (bamboosh- which is fire in Dagbani).  This festival is about a former chief of Ghana who lost his son and all the sub chiefs and people of the tribe...

Shabbat in Ghana has been fantastic – it was a low key yet really spiritual experience where we all had an opportunity to get to know each other and bond, and are looking forward to working together as a team at the day camp. We had a chance to pray and reflect together, we discussed issues pertaining to social responsibly both at home and very far away from it. We ate Shabbat meals and had a chance to play board games and play with the children of our Ghanaian neighbours. As Shabbat went out tonight we did havdallah as a group and then we were treated to Ghanaian drumming and dancing and we all had a chance to get involved. This evening we are busily preparing for pre-camp tomorrow, and we look forward to a busy day tomorrow with our Ghanian Madrichim. Your wonderful children have shared their thoughts below, Wishing you a wonderful week ahead, Ilana 1.        It was a beautiful Shabbat where everyone got to know each other bette...

We are finally settled into our house in Tamale, Ghana after a full day of travelling. Yesterday morning we met at Heathrow airport with everyone in high spirits. We were introduced to our Madrichim Jono and Gemma and waved goodbye to our Tzedek leader Ben before running off to find a much needed caffeine boost. We were ready to go! After seven months of planning we were excited to see what this adventure would bring. The flight was tiring but failed to dampen our mood. We found a spot at the back of the plane where we chatted endlessly and got to know each other even better. As the plane landed in Accra (the capital of Ghana) we walked off the plane and were hit by the humidity. We arrived to an unfamiliar airport that had queues which felt like forever. However, we were entertained by the live African music (including a pianist playing two keyboards) whilst waiting for our bags. When we walked out the airport we experienced our first true taste of Ghana. Cars hooting hor...