We visited an orphanage one Wednesday evening during our final week in Ghana! It was absolutely incredible. About 15 kids resided in this place where they were provided schooling, food, clothing, a place to sleep and a place to play. The owner of the orphanage grew up in an orphanage himself and as a kid vowed to help other kids who happen to be in a situation like himself. Therefore, in the late 90s, the Agape Orphanage was established. The owner works at a silk-screening shop where he spend his days printing tshirts to support the 15 children in the orphanage. Every single cent is accounted for to ensure that each child is looked after. He relies heavily on donations to make sure basic needs are met, but corporate sponsorships in Ghana are few and far between. Companies who can afford to sponsor kids tend to put their money towards beauty pageants as opposed to orphanages because pageants receive more media attention.
We spent over an hour playing with the kids. We had brought along a few toys, colouring books and crayons, some bracelets, an assortment of stickers and other small gifts for the kids. To see their faces full of joy was so incredible to me. They played so heartily with a simple bouncy ball; it was just crazy to me. A couple little girls took the liberty of covering my arms in stickers and thought it was hilarious to try to put them on my eyelids. It makes me so happy to know that they have a place to call home; they are lucky to have such an incredible facility for them with an owner who cares so much.