Savelugu School For The Deaf

As I said, I was supposed to start writing much earlier, but I am running late. I’ve already spent for 1 year and 3 months in Ghana and finished 4 terms in the school. I have lots of things that I want to write about, but I can’t talk about everything, so I must leave some out and might have to compress and condense my stories. If you feel too messy or unclear, you can put in some baking powder to puff my words out and make it suit your taste with a help of imagination. I would expect that you will be a visionary and dreamer from time to time. “You may say I am a dreamer but I am not the only one, I hope someday you’ll join us, and the world will live as one.” 

Let’s start with my school, Savelugu School For The Deaf. Brief. The school was established in 1978 for deaf children from kindergarten to Junior High School, and there are almost 300 students studying and living in this boarding school. And the school is located in a village called “Gbanyeli”, which is a part of the town, Savelugu in Northern Region, Ghana. There is the 3^rd biggest “city” called Tamale about 30 km away from the school. Although it is the 3^rd biggest “city” in Ghana, there is no big construction in the center of the "city", but just several two-storied buildings in Tamale, so it sounds a “big town” in my impression. And students come from the entire Northern Region, which has the largest area in Ghana; some students come from Savelugu, some from Tamale, some from far towns, and even students from other regions, though there is at least one deaf school in each region. Naturally their cultural backgrounds are so various and different from each other. And they belong to either Christian or Islam. Ghana is a Christian country (69.1% are Christians), yet it is said, more Muslim population in north and more Christians living in south. Yet as far as my school is concerned, roughly the majority Muslim would be 70% and Christians 30%.

When I saw the request information on the Internet before applying in Japan, I was a bit surprised by the fact that there was deaf school in Ghana, because I didn’t know that this country was affluent and fruitful enough in terms of food, education, health service, materials for everyday life and social life; everyone carries mobile phone and every family has TV, fridge, motor cycle at home. And you would be so surprised if you see Ghanaian Madams walking down the street, who are chubby and fleshy in beautiful Ghanaian dress with accessories. And above all, wherever you go, everybody is smiling merrily and joyfully; you would never feel gloomy atmosphere in Ghana. As a matter of fact, Ghana is rich enough to provide decent education to children with disabilities.

However it is true that there’re many schools that don’t have enough equipment and environment for studies like science, computer, especially in north of Ghana because it is said that north is much poorer than south in Ghana (some say it’s discrimination). As for my school, thanks to deafness ironically, NGOs or some people bring funds to the school, so we have a computer lab and computers, unlike other hearing schools where students learn computer without computers. “World Vision” has supported our school to found water system in campus; “Right to Play” built a volleyball court and playground with full of equipment like Seesaw, Slide, Swing, Jungle gym, etc. However classrooms, desks, and chairs, are tired, worn out and broken because the school doesn’t maintain and repair them when they start going bad, but remains them untouched, naturally they will be broken sooner or later. In a little conclusion, I would say that Ghana is rich enough materially, but people’s attitude toward things is problematic. Well, I live in Ghana with sufficient things comfortably now.