On Tuesday, we finished up our work at New Life Orphanage and headed over to Kumasi Children’s Home.
In a previous trip, the interns had visited the home and did all the necessary work for the profiling of all the children. However, this orphanage resides in the heart of the city and receives new cases frequently. 
Therefore, the Kaeme team was back to work on profiles for the recently admitted children. Upon arrival at the home, we set up our station and got right to work. With the help of the housemothers, we sifted through the files and separated the new cases from the old. Many were babies, but there were some older kids including transfers from other orphanages in the area. By now, our team is a well-oiled machine: fast and efficient. We
zipped through the files, which delighted the children, as they were eager to play. An intense soccer game quickly ensued. Everyone brought his or her A-game that day, and the match ended in a draw. Nevertheless, the hour game wasn’t enough for the children. The energetic kids took to the swings, seesaws, and slides. There was also Frisbee throwing, card playing, and more.
The fun was nonstop at the Kumasi Children’s Home!
Two interns made an adventurous trip to the Northern region to visit the Wechiau Community Hippo Sanctuary. They first traveled to Paga and visited Zanga River to interact with some crocodiles and then continued on to the hippos. A 9-hour bus ride, a night sleeping among hippos, an interesting canoe ride, and a host of new, unexpected friends, the trip is truly a story to hear. Look out for it in the upcoming blog post!
The rest of the group opted to explore the local sites, as it was our last weekend in Kumasi. Two interns took a tour of Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology. The public university was built by Ghana’s first president and enrolls over 40,000 students. The campus is large and beautiful with many faculties and recreation spots. Afterwards, the group headed to the Manhyia Palace, the home of the King of the Ashanti Region. The museum showed us a documentary highlighting the history of past kings and the importance of the king’s role in the region. We also took a tour where we saw many palace artifacts, wax figures of past kings, and historical pictures.
Sunday was a relaxing day as many went to church, visited family, and prepared for the next workday. We went back to the orphanage on Monday and Tuesday to finish our last interviews. We did our oral activity that stresses the importance of brushing and flossing our teeth with the kids, which is always a big hit.
Upon finishing at the Kumasi Children’s Home, we prepare for our journey to the Western Region to begin working on the orphanages in that area. Living and working in the Ashanti Region was an experience that we will never forget, and we say medaase from the bottom of our hearts.