Yesterday we visited the Anani Memorial International School (AMIS) in the Nima area of Accra. Nima is one of the economically deprived communities of Accra. It was clear that there is almost no sanitation infrastructure. The markets that lined the streets were notably different from what you find in upscale neighborhoods like East Legon where we live, consisting primarily of street food kiosks, soaps, clothing and other household goods.
We pulled up in the bus and were immediately met by staff from AMIS – and for good reason. Immediately after exiting the bus we were led through a series of passageways between buildings and huts. Some of these walkways were no more than three or four feet wide, and many were lined with small shops and street food vendors. After 5 minutes or so of walking through what can only really be described as a maze, we reached an imposing metal door. One of our guides knocked on it and it was cautiously opened by another staff member, who looked us over before opening it up for us to enter.
Just walking in brought on the first wave of emotions and analyzing the environment. When you stop to think about the way the area is organized you realize that people who live and work here don’t have the luxury of being able to call emergency services. If there is a fire, not only can fire trucks not reach it, but the flammable homes and shops would fuel the spread at a breakneck pace.
As soon as we entered the school dozens and dozens of smiling young faces came running to great us. The school itself is nothing like what we consider to be a school in developed western nations – it is a fairly small open courtyard bordered on two sides by open cement buildings with nothing to cool down the classrooms save for two fans in each large covered area.
The kids at AMIS were elated at our arrival. Many ran around hugging us, grabbing our hands and trying their hardest not to let go. Younger children asked to be picked up, and many were fascinated – and constantly playing with – our electronics like Apple Watches and cameras. After a few minutes of greetings we were quickly ushered into one of the classrooms for a performance by many of the school’s students.
Once we were seated, they opened by singing the Ghanaian national anthem in not one, but two languages – English and French. Next they performed vary musical acts, showed off some of their dance moves and recited some poems – again in both English and French. Then the students grabbed all of us and dragged us into a circle where they made us dance with them! Finally, we tried – and paled in comparison – to give an impromptu performance of our own – the Hokey Pokey!
The performances were moving and inspiring. To think that kids in an area facing countless challenges – many of which would be unthinkable to us in America – are learning as much as these kids is stunning. Many of the children speak three or more languages, almost all speak both English and Twi – an indigenous language common in the Accra area of Ghana. The chalkboards surrounding the classrooms and courtyards were covered with grammatical prompts and mathematical lessons very similar to those I learned in primary school back home. It really is impressive what these educators have and continue to accomplish given the limited resources available and challenges facing them.
After the performances, we went back to the courtyard – in the most blistering heat I’ve felt so far in Ghana – to spend more time visiting with the kids. We took many pictures, gave many hugs, had many arm wrestling matches and taught several kids how to take pictures with DSLRs – something they enjoyed so much you had to nearly pry them apart from the camera once they got started!
Without question, the hardest part of my visit to AMIS was watching the crowd of – predominantly young – faces build up in the metal-bar lined windows of the school as the performances went on. These are the faces of the children that are not in school – mostly due to a lack of financial resources or because their families are too dependent on them for survival. They made me really think about how much we take for granted at home – free public education, welfare and support for those in need. It is hard to process how much we take for granted when these kids are not even able to attend primary school…
