Phil’s trip to Ghana
03/11/2006
In November 2006, Phil Spencer of Channel 4’s ‘Location Location, Location’ travelled with his sister Helen to Ghana, where they saw and experienced SOS Children’s projects. Phil tells us all about his adventure
“My business and living are centred on finding people accommodation, so having heard about SOS Children’s work I was keen to learn more. I decided the best way to do this was to see it first hand.
So, in November last year, my sister Helen and I travelled to Ghana where we spent a few fantastic days as guests of SOS Children’s Villages.
My first impression of Ghana was a country where the people were probably some of the friendliest and welcoming people I’d ever met. During our first day, we went out into communities on the outskirts of the capital Accra to see some of SOS Children’s outreach work. We met with the chief of one of the villages and a number of people who were working with SOS Children. We were told about the problems the villagers faced and the difficulties that SOS faced in trying to overcome them.
I had never appreciated the complexities of tackling the problem of HIV/AIDS. Being able to offer support, advice and practical assistance is only possible once people have recognised HIV/AIDS as a problem. As we learnt from the elders of the village, the disease carries such stigma that many people simply don’t want to recognise it for fear of the repercussions, which in turn makes the epidemic extremely difficult to treat and prevent.
SOS Children supports these communities in all kinds of ways, but one of the most successful programmes was the micro-loan project. The charity lends money to members of the community, who have been identified as most in need of support by the village elders and SOS staff. This money can then be used to set up a small business that helps support them and their family and give them a hand out of the vicious circle of poverty.
One lady who’d received a loan from SOS Children used the money to set up a mini shop, and although it really was a tiny shop, the income she got from it helped her to care for 15 children. This support was obviously a godsend for her, because as soon as she saw the SOS team she was moved to tears.
Another lady had set up a small brewing company and had even won a prize for her industriousness. In fact, all but one of the beneficiaries of these loans were female. It seems to be a sad fact that it is the women in this society, and probably many others, who are left to after the children and in many cases, extended families.
The loans were only about $50, but each recipient had to produce weekly accounts to make sure they were using the money effectively. More loans were available to people who used the money well, although the idea of the project is that after 18 months, the beneficiaries would be self-sufficient and no longer need SOS’ support.
Seeing the problems people in Ghana faced on a daily basis was a real insight, but it was fantastic to see what a difference a little support can make.
Helen and I were equally impressed on our visits to the two SOS Children’s Villages in Tema, on the outskirts of Accra, and further inland at Asiakwa. The villages are run by such impressive and welcoming people, rightly proud of the amazing work they do.
We went into one of the family houses, where I asked the mother how many children she had, expecting to be told six or seven since I knew the house wasn’t quite full. I was dumbstruck when she answered “15”. And then I realised that she had cared for 15 children during her time as an SOS mother, all of whom are still part of her family and will continue to be. In one family, an older boy who had moved out to the nearby youth home was unwell, so, just as any other teenager would do, he’d gone home for some TLC from his mum. I realised then that these families are exactly the same as yours or mine.
There were so many heartbreaking stories about the children who lived in the village one little girl had been abandoned at birth by her family because they believed she was a bad spirit and caused her mother to die in childbirth. Fortunately, she was brought to the SOS Children’s Village is growing up in her loving SOS family.
Two other children, a little girl and boy, were abandoned when they were only two and three years old. Their parents had split up and simply moved out, leaving the children on their own to fend for themselves. They managed to find scraps in the street for a few months before someone informed SOS and they were brought to the village.
Yet despite these terrible stories, all the kids were so happy. It was an amazing sight. The schools were brilliantly run as well and because they were just next door to the family homes, even the little kids could walk home on their own. I remember seeing two little boys walking home together hand in hand. It was such a moving image, and one that will stay with me forever.
The village directors and the mothers were truly incredible people I couldn’t get over their dedication and commitment. Helen and I were both amazed by how well the charity was run and organised, especially Helen who as a qualified vet has worked with a number of organisations in Africa and never experienced anything quite like SOS. It was also interesting to see that all the staff on the ground were local people, rather than Westerners.
Coming from a big, extended and loving family and having two small children myself, I feel very fortunate and blessed, but I know that this is not the case for everyone. However, during my visits to the SOS Children’s Villages in Tema and Asiakwa, I saw a lot of very happy and very well cared for children who surely have been very fortunate in finding themselves there.
My visit to Ghana was an amazing experience and Helen and I can’t wait to go back again soon. "
Relevant Countries: Ghana.