In March, eight Lower Sixth pupils flew to Ghana, accompanied by Miss Hughes, Miss Walsh and Mr Wilson. Here are some of their reflections following two weeks of working alongside the local volunteers who maintain the Reading Spots libraries.
“One of the best parts of the trip was seeing young children enjoy the books they had and to see the pure excitement on their faces when we arrived at their schools. They were incredibly nice and extremely welcoming. However, it was quite upsetting to see how badly the children wanted to further their education but could not due to many limitations, and even though we have hardly any limitations, we don’t spend enough time being grateful and taking full advantage of what we have in life.” - Avyay
“It was wonderful to see all that Reading Spots are doing to help children and adults further their education and improve their educational and career opportunities, as well as helping to shape their understanding of the wider world. The people we met along the way who were helping these libraries were truly inspirational individuals who were giving their time and effort to create positive change.” - Amy
“While I was reading one of the stories, a Ghanaian boy who looked around seven came and stood next to me and read everything in speech marks in the story in perfect sync with me. He read the next book to me and the other children. He had a love for reading that was evident and I just remember thinking how amazing it was that I got to be part of a charity that cultivated and inspired that. This was such an important moment for me and I think it set the tone for the rest of the trip which I believe was really successful.” - Olivia
“What surprised me was how much I loved the Ghana way of life - how they loved to be sociable and everyone was a friend. I was also surprised by how quickly I grew to love the country... In Ghana, it's so easy to talk to anybody without hesitation about them judging you. You can be the worst dancer and they'd love you to dance because it would mean you're really taking in their culture.” - Katrina
“I think the thing which struck me the most and the main thing which I will take away from this experience is the attitude of the children there. Looking past many of their difficult beginnings, they manage to thrive and enjoy life to the fullest extent. So I ask how and why do many of these children seem happier than us with more privileged upbringings. I am sure there are a multitude of reasons behind this, but the one that I picked up on the most, as well as the one which I will try and implement into my own life, is the children’s ability to truly live in the moment.” - Joe
