Weekly Lunchtime Meeting

Evie is a pupil at Humberston Academy who made an educational trip to Ghana, formerly known as the Gold Coast, with a group organised through the African Adventures Foundation.

Local Tour

The trip started with a few days orientation which included history of the slave trade and a walk through the rainforest to experience wildlife both on the ground and up in the tree canopy.

School Life

The main part of Evie’s experience was to work with pupils and teachers at a  government sponscored school where facilities were considered to be basic when compared to the class rooms in the U.K. Evie explained how the lessons generally took the form of traditional ‘chalk and talk’ teaching mainly of local language and mathematics, although the older children had learned some English. The group had brought gifts of pens and exercise books to distribute to the pupils.  Evie sensed that the children enjoyed their interaction with the foreigners and understood how fortunate they were to be having an education.

Local Flavour

The local pupils showed their appreciation with a dance show and presented scarves and bracelets to the visitors.  Evie had the opportunity to sample local food which was mainly vegetarian and very flavoursome. She was also honoured to be invited to a local wedding.

Impressions

The trip left Evie feeling appreciative of the facilities and opportunities she has in the U.K. but she did feel that she had made some difference to the lives of the pupils she met. As a 13 years old, Evie impressed us with her insight and courage to undertake such an expedition and also to present her experience to the Rotary Club. 

After answering several questions, Rotarian Roger Cropp gave a vote of thanks on behalf of members.