NEWS LETTER  2010

THE VOLTA HOME FOR CHILDREN

   "How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world."    Anne Frank

Hello Everyone,

At last I bring you more news of our children from the Volta Home orphanage.  As you know, they depend on us (and the volunteers we send them via our web) for almost everything: clothes; food; education; medications and daily supplies.

We now have a steady stream of volunteers and our web site has been carefully designed by yours-truly to give them every possibility of arriving safely and well prepared. Some have stayed for months at a time. Volunteers are giving hope and self-confidence to these little people, along with many important skills which would not otherwise be offered at Volta Home. This year we gave $500 incentive to a volunteer from the UK who offered to stay longer than 3 months. Maria arrived in February and is still at Volta Home.  We are now working with these longer-term volunteers to implement new hygiene programs or to spend donations wisely on behalf of our generous helpers. It has the added bonus of giving more reliable feedback, and our donated funds are more likely to hit the spot!

Ozzie Volunteers:   

  Christie Britten

At last Mrs Annabi has found not one but three women helpers.  All fingers crossed that they are given enough encouragement to continue this important work.  We are not able to commit to paying these wages indefinitely ($30 each per month), but have added a note on the blog and hope it will become traditional for visitors to donate towards this expense.  Until  now Mrs Annabi (in her 70s) and her daughter Mabeena  - have been responsible for the cooking; cleaning; washing etc for these 40 children including the 4 who are under age six.  Some of the older children spend hours helping with “house” work during school time, so it will be great if all these chores can now be done by the new house mothers.

Our focus for 2011 is to inoculate all the Volta Home children and teachers against hepatitis B.  15-20% of school children in Ghana suffer from hepatitis. Most of them have no place to go and keep silent no matter how great the pain.  Sick children are often abused at school for not participating or for falling asleep yet, because they have not experienced empathy, they don’t bother to explain that they are ill.  Hepatitis will recur and eventually causes permanent damage, so please help us to take hepatitis B off the list of troubles for these children.

Check the website for the smiles on the faces of our lucky sponsored senior students.  With added help from the children from the Mosman Primary School and our Adelaide supporters we are educating nine clever students at senior boarding schools; 2 tertiary students at teachers college;  and 3 blind children at the Akropong School for the Blind.  There is another young blind child at Volta Home (Thywill) and we hope to give him this opportunity next year for an annual fee of $280

Nick Trumbull

Our Australian volunteers have written wonderful blogs of their experiences at the orphanage, adding great pictures which show more clearly than I can here, just what terrific work they are doing. 

Next year we continue the struggle to buy medications; bedding; clothes and school equipment, so we appreciate any help ( don’t forget your Christmas cards and Christmas goats !)

We now have PayPal here on the "Donations" page or you can send donations to the Volta Home Trust Fund:   Westpac   BSB  732097    account  584164

Thanks to all our sponsors and goat owners and to everyone who cares or shares our interest in the future of these motherless children.

Blessings from all at Voltahome,  Camilla 

September 2010

Chris Ching