By Monica Hobbs

At the beginning of our trip, we visited a small school: Anani Memorial International School (AMIS). AMIS was located in Nima, one of Accra’s most densely populated neighborhoods. Due to the Muslim holiday, the children had the week off. However, the principal gathered a few students to greet us for a visit.

The bus dropped us off in the late morning. After leaving the main street, a man guided us to the school. We walked on a narrow path throughout the neighborhood, with concrete walls on either side. Similar to a rat maze, it felt claustrophobic. We passed small shops and hidden homes. We hopped over streams of water and saw chickens running around. It took us about 10 minutes to
reach the school.

Once we arrived, the principal led us into a small room. We sat in chairs lining the walls, all facing an open space. Two men began playing the drums when eight children entered, singing and dancing. They carried out a whole performance in English, French and Twi. The energy heightened when we joined the children in dancing. Two young girls fought over who held my hand in the circle. They taught us numerous dances and calls.

One of the young girls stood out to me. She carried herself confidently and looked at me in awe. “I really like your hair,” she said. I followed her lead as we danced in the center of the circle.

After all the excitement, it was time for us to give back to the students. Everyone in the group brought items to donate to the school. I brought a bag full of goodies: stickers, notepads, pens and other school supplies. The instructors laid out all of the donations on a table which the children surrounded. Their eyes immediately lit up, mentally choosing which item was their favorite.

I felt choked up the entire visit. It’s emotional yet humbling to see the positive attitudes of all the students. Despite living in a poorer area of Accra, they still have the brightest smiles on their little faces. Education is a privilege and these kids were just ecstatic to be there. I realized we are much more similar than different, no matter what country you live in. Like any child, dancing, laughing and meeting new people are simple pleasures in life. And gifts of course