An experience of a lifetime!
30/09/2008
Field report from Ghana.
Regina was still a baby when she was admitted into SOS Children's Village Tema. She spent all of her time in education at the SOS Children's Village facilities in Tema. She has just successfully completed the International Baccalaureate course at SOS Hermann Gmeiner International College Tema, and has been accepted by the University of British Columbia in Canada to study for a degree in International Relations and Creative Writing. She hopes to be an international diplomat one day and to work for the United Nations. She left Ghana for Canada a few days ago.
Regina is a very talented girl, who loves writing poems and short stories. One of her stories has been published in a book entitled Tales from Home and Away, a book edited by Lynsey Hawkins and published by Young Writers. She also entered the story in a competition called 2005 Creative Writing Competition for Secondary Schools. Here is what she wrote about her life:
Childhood memories
When I was a year old, I was placed into the arms of SOS mother Francisca and was introduced to my future brothers and sisters, who were always hugging me. But most importantly I was welcomed into the big SOS family. I remember my 6th and 9th birthdays as being filled with food, fun, family and friends! I think those are the best birthdays I've ever had. I enjoyed playing football with my brothers which was why the other girls called me a tomboy. Cycling and watching films became my hobbies. I enjoyed the weekends most of all because they were packed with activities like dancing competitions and film shows. On Sundays I found myself teaching my siblings at the village church. I played for the SOS girls football team and I remember being nicknamed "Ronaldo", so it was no surprise that I got to be a sports prefect at the SOS International College.
The school period
Nelson Mandela once said, "Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world" and I have never agreed with a great saying more. Right from my childhood I knew I had to have the best education in the world to allow me to accomplish my dream of working for the United Nations to help bring peace to this world. I first fell in love with education at the SOS Nursery School. I learnt not only how to read, speak and write in English, but also to sing, dance, play sports and enjoy being a child. My SOS mother Francisca always reminded me that when I was at nursery school I wouldn't eat or play when I came home until I had finished my homework! That was because even at that young age my teachers, particularly in my final year, had instilled in me a sense of discipline and will to strive for excellence. I won a number of prizes at primary school and despite the fact that I was the one who was congratulated, I felt the need to dedicate them to my very first teachers.
At secondary school I was team captain and library perfect. I started to enjoy reading right back at nursery school. The SOS International College presented a great challenge, but I was determined to gain more success. I think Henry B. Adams was right when he said: "A teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence stops." Nursery school really gave me the chance to be a leader, primary school built my confidence, secondary school tested my leadership skills and the SOS International College made me the leader that I am today. I am now proud to have received the University of British Columbia's prestigious International Student Humanitarian Award, which has been given to me in recognition of my exceptional academic achievements under especially challenging circumstances. I think my dream is already coming true!
An unforgettable life
I believe it is a privilege to be at an SOS Children's Village and that the International College provides a golden opportunity, which every SOS child should reach out and make use of. Sponsors give every child the same opportunities, it is up to the individual to make use of them and benefit from them. I do miss my childhood and the memories I have are all happy ones. Who wouldn't be, living with beautiful people like Mama Sisi, Daddy Tsagli (the village director), Mama Esthers, Mama Lizzy and, of course, Mama Francisca (my mother)?!"
Relevant Countries: Ghana.