Beacon House wishes you and your family all the blessings of Christmas. Click on the site below to see the Christmas spirit at Beacon House.
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Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Friday, November 5, 2010
Meet Volunteer Lynn...
Lynn is a trained teacher from Canada who is in Ghana as a missionary, please have a glimpse into her world as she experiences life in Ghana.
Well, it’s taken a while, getting into the swing of things at Beacon House. The children are being educated from a Christian perspective. It is one of the rare orphanages in the country which takes in children affected by HIV and special needs. In that sense, it is a great ministry to be part of.
My main responsibilities are to help the teacher, Angea, with curriculum planning and to help oversee the volunteers. Angea has her hands full with around 15-18 students ranging from the ages of 5-11 educated all in one classroom and trying to meet all their individual learning needs. It is definitely with hope that we can raise the literacy levels of these children because it gives them a better success for their future. The majority of these kids before they came to Beacon House did not have access to formal schooling which makes them even more behind. Many of them are from the north and central parts of Ghana where adult literacy rates are lower. In a sense, them being at Beacon house where they can get the proper support and care makes me believe there is hope for their future.
One of my greatest prayers for the children at Beacon house is that they would experience the deep love of a Saviour like I have come to know. Sometimes, it does break my heart to see the kids always wanting your affection because they don’t have the physical parents here on earth but what keeps me going is to know that they do have a heavenly Father who is a Father to the Fatherless and His love will never disappoint them. “Never will I leave you, never will I forsake you.”
Lynn
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Meet Bernard Xorlasi Fianku
With over a decade of management experience in children’s organizations and ministries, Bernard joined Beacon House as Program Director in 2008. His responsibilities include supervision of historical research of children’s cases and seemingly endless paperwork in order to successfully cooperate with Social Services and the Ghana Courts. He often is responsible for planning and supervising outreach excursions that serve to bring aid to remote areas and assist in finding homes for abandoned children. He is involved is all areas of Beacon House management and serves as Director in Romana Testa’s absence.
Bernard loves Ghana and has a passion for serving God in reaching the needy, the abused, and the forgotten children here. His years of education in specialized training in clinical and Christian counseling, abuse and addiction counseling, organizational leadership and working towards a B.S. Degree from University of Legon suits him well as program director.
He and his wife, Irene are also fostering a 3 year old from Beacon House with the hopes of someday making the little boy their son. Faith in action is a fitting description of how Bernard lives his life.
Monday, October 11, 2010
New Blog...New Faces...New Pics...
Welcome to the Beacon House Blog. As most of you know, each quarter Beacon House receives a new set of volunteers. There are a lot of faces and experiences to share so this blog was created to give you a diverse perspective of life in Ghana and working at Beacon House from various volunteers.
Enjoy the new pics below...
Enjoy the new pics below...
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Baby Feeding Table
A few months ago Beacon House received a wonderful donation which was used to make this beautiful table that seats eight babies!
Before this gift each house mother and volunteer would take a baby and sit on the floor to feed them.
Now, one or two house mothers can stand in the middle and feed all of them!
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Farewell Ghana
It’s Rachel again…for the second and final time. We’re planning to head back to the States on Friday. My past two months have been fun sometimes and not-so-fun other times, but ALWAYS an adventure. I will miss it (and who knows! Maybe I’ll be back here sooner than I think).
As a farewell address, I thought I would list all the things I love about Ghana. Sometimes it is easy to get excited about the hot shower and air conditioned house waiting for me at home, but then God reminds me of all the things I am leaving behind here. Such as:
1) Thunderstorms. I just love it when it rains here. Yesterday we had a bunch of rain and, as everyone here knows, that means it is COLD. While I was rejoicing in the temporary relief from the stifling heat, the children were huddled inside their shirts, shivering. Amazing how everything is relative.
2) The fact, here, to be “increasing in weight” is a good thing. Yesterday one of the house mothers here told me I was fat. As a compliment. I said (oh-so-politely) that in America, we want to be THIN, and even if someone is fat, you don’t comment on it.
3) New Vocabulary. “Head” is hair, “Knickers” are pants (and by the way, “pants” are underwear), “Biscuits” are cookies, and “Fine” is everything from Okay to Unbelievably Happy to Grumpy to Downright Miserable.
4) The fruit. It’s awesome here. Just trust me on this one.
But most of all, I think I will miss the kids. Every one of them is so unique and special and wonderful. I wish I could spend more time getting to know them. Each one has touched me in different ways. I will never forget this trip and what God has done through every moment of it. Thanks, Ghana….I’ll miss you!
As a farewell address, I thought I would list all the things I love about Ghana. Sometimes it is easy to get excited about the hot shower and air conditioned house waiting for me at home, but then God reminds me of all the things I am leaving behind here. Such as:
1) Thunderstorms. I just love it when it rains here. Yesterday we had a bunch of rain and, as everyone here knows, that means it is COLD. While I was rejoicing in the temporary relief from the stifling heat, the children were huddled inside their shirts, shivering. Amazing how everything is relative.
2) The fact, here, to be “increasing in weight” is a good thing. Yesterday one of the house mothers here told me I was fat. As a compliment. I said (oh-so-politely) that in America, we want to be THIN, and even if someone is fat, you don’t comment on it.
3) New Vocabulary. “Head” is hair, “Knickers” are pants (and by the way, “pants” are underwear), “Biscuits” are cookies, and “Fine” is everything from Okay to Unbelievably Happy to Grumpy to Downright Miserable.
4) The fruit. It’s awesome here. Just trust me on this one.
But most of all, I think I will miss the kids. Every one of them is so unique and special and wonderful. I wish I could spend more time getting to know them. Each one has touched me in different ways. I will never forget this trip and what God has done through every moment of it. Thanks, Ghana….I’ll miss you!
Monday, May 17, 2010
Pool Day
Last Friday the heat was taking a toll on the volunteers … so we made the decision to have a pool party with some of the kids. Nurse Debbie very generously offered up her compound’s pool and we were all set! Each volunteer took one child and spent the afternoon playing, relaxing, and eating delicious homemade brownies. It was a great afternoon! 
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
An American In Ghana
Hello! My name is Rachel and my grandmother and I have been volunteering at Beacon House for the past month. Ms. Romana has asked me to write a blog post so here is what I wrote after my first visit to the Ghanaian market at Madina. Day 19: April 17, 2010 Well…I have now been to the market. I’ll try to describe my impressions of it as succinctly as possible, but since those impressions were negative, it could be difficult. If they were positive, my post would be far briefer. I always use more words to complain. First, though, I ought to mention that I dislike shopping. Bores me to tears. I should also point out that I can’t stand having people notice me just because I happen to look different (if it is because of some incredible talent of mine, well, that’s another matter). And as a third premise, “cultural experience” is NOT a phrase that excites me in any way. 
All of these pet peeves were outraged by the Madina market. After the first two hours or so I sat down with H (one of the girls from Beacon House who came with us to help out) to watch our things because I was so sick of shopping. There was no escape from it. Stalls, goods, furniture, umbrellas, food, and people were so tightly packed in that you could not stand still for 5 seconds without being in someone’s way. Grandma Judy was almost run over by a huge wooden cart at one point—one of the women who came with us had to pull her out of the way. A little scary, no? And talk about having people notice you! We stood out like brightly colored warts. It seemed like someone was always calling out “Tsssss! Obruni! You buy?” While I was sitting with H, taxis, tro-tros, and people were passing inches away from my nose, and everyone stared at me with unabashed curiosity. One woman tapped my chin as she passed without saying a word. Another person, a man this time, had a LOT to say in a rather angry tone, none of which I could understand. Oh yes. A very cultural experience, to say the least. Add to that heat, dust, mud, sewage, flies by the hundreds, a headache, baskets of shriveled fish carcasses, a rat in the gutter, and exhaustion, and you can probably imagine how ready I am to go back to Madina. 
On the other hand, Grandma Judy had a rather enjoyable time. People, this woman is amazing. She was able to find pretty much everything we needed (a metal bucket, veggies, short tables and stools for the baby house), trekked all over that muddy market, pushing her way through hot crowds of people for upwards of 5 hours, and refused to declare herself tired until we were back in the comfort of our room. Not only that, but she is organized to the point that it annoys me. I can’t whine about it though, because she has saved my bacon too many times (not to mention that I was the one who left my bag behind at the food court in the mall twice and had to go retrieve it). And there’s no need for you to remind me about cleanliness, Mom, I am watered and soaped and sanitized constantly. 
To get back to my story, when it was (finally) time to leave, one of the women and I took most of the groceries and things in one taxi while Grandma Judy, Helen, and the other stayed behind. I will never forget that taxi. The driver’s name, as I learned later, was Stephen. All I know is that Stephen has got to be an angel. Either that or God picked up our car while I wasn’t looking. Because only a miracle could have turned that vehicle around it what looked to me like an anthill of people walking around us. When the driver was backing up, people would hit the car to let us know when we were about to run over someone. Not to mention that two lanes of traffic (and I am using “lanes” in its loosest sense) were coming toward us head-on as we were turning. I guess at this point I should say it was quite an adventure and I’m glad now I went. It was quite an adventure and I’m glad now I went. There. Happy now? Thank you Lord, for an incredible grandmother to help me find my way through an incredible culture. And thank you for giving us adventures, even when we don’t really want them. ~Rachel~
All of these pet peeves were outraged by the Madina market. After the first two hours or so I sat down with H (one of the girls from Beacon House who came with us to help out) to watch our things because I was so sick of shopping. There was no escape from it. Stalls, goods, furniture, umbrellas, food, and people were so tightly packed in that you could not stand still for 5 seconds without being in someone’s way. Grandma Judy was almost run over by a huge wooden cart at one point—one of the women who came with us had to pull her out of the way. A little scary, no? And talk about having people notice you! We stood out like brightly colored warts. It seemed like someone was always calling out “Tsssss! Obruni! You buy?” While I was sitting with H, taxis, tro-tros, and people were passing inches away from my nose, and everyone stared at me with unabashed curiosity. One woman tapped my chin as she passed without saying a word. Another person, a man this time, had a LOT to say in a rather angry tone, none of which I could understand. Oh yes. A very cultural experience, to say the least. Add to that heat, dust, mud, sewage, flies by the hundreds, a headache, baskets of shriveled fish carcasses, a rat in the gutter, and exhaustion, and you can probably imagine how ready I am to go back to Madina. 
On the other hand, Grandma Judy had a rather enjoyable time. People, this woman is amazing. She was able to find pretty much everything we needed (a metal bucket, veggies, short tables and stools for the baby house), trekked all over that muddy market, pushing her way through hot crowds of people for upwards of 5 hours, and refused to declare herself tired until we were back in the comfort of our room. Not only that, but she is organized to the point that it annoys me. I can’t whine about it though, because she has saved my bacon too many times (not to mention that I was the one who left my bag behind at the food court in the mall twice and had to go retrieve it). And there’s no need for you to remind me about cleanliness, Mom, I am watered and soaped and sanitized constantly. 
To get back to my story, when it was (finally) time to leave, one of the women and I took most of the groceries and things in one taxi while Grandma Judy, Helen, and the other stayed behind. I will never forget that taxi. The driver’s name, as I learned later, was Stephen. All I know is that Stephen has got to be an angel. Either that or God picked up our car while I wasn’t looking. Because only a miracle could have turned that vehicle around it what looked to me like an anthill of people walking around us. When the driver was backing up, people would hit the car to let us know when we were about to run over someone. Not to mention that two lanes of traffic (and I am using “lanes” in its loosest sense) were coming toward us head-on as we were turning. I guess at this point I should say it was quite an adventure and I’m glad now I went. It was quite an adventure and I’m glad now I went. There. Happy now? Thank you Lord, for an incredible grandmother to help me find my way through an incredible culture. And thank you for giving us adventures, even when we don’t really want them. ~Rachel~
Monday, May 10, 2010
Introducing Mercy
Mercy is Beacon House’s wonderful cook! She prepares all the meals every day for the children and the staff. (And sometimes for the volunteers if we are lucky enough to sneak some) 
Mercy started to cook as a partime job next to school in 2004. After she graduated in 2006 at the Ghana Education Service she worked several different jobs before starting at Beacon House. The decision of what to prepare each day is mainly influenced by the stock available and the expiration date of the foods she has. Mercy rotates the different food items so that eating at Beacon House never gets boring. Mercys favorite food is banku with okro-stew, but she would not say no to good fufu with light soup. 
Her favorite dishes to prepare for the children are vegetable foods like fried rice and jollof. The time needed to prepare the food varies with the dish. As rice is comparatively easy and fast to prepare, banku takes a lot of time and energy. 
Mercy is a great cook and always has a smile on her face! We all love and appreciate the food she makes everday.
Mercy started to cook as a partime job next to school in 2004. After she graduated in 2006 at the Ghana Education Service she worked several different jobs before starting at Beacon House. The decision of what to prepare each day is mainly influenced by the stock available and the expiration date of the foods she has. Mercy rotates the different food items so that eating at Beacon House never gets boring. Mercys favorite food is banku with okro-stew, but she would not say no to good fufu with light soup. 
Her favorite dishes to prepare for the children are vegetable foods like fried rice and jollof. The time needed to prepare the food varies with the dish. As rice is comparatively easy and fast to prepare, banku takes a lot of time and energy. 
Mercy is a great cook and always has a smile on her face! We all love and appreciate the food she makes everday.
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Happy Easter
During the Easter break a group of children and teachers from British International School came to Beacon House to celebrate Easter with our kids!
They brought lots of presents (donations) as well as decorated Easter eggs for the kids to eat.
After some delicious snacks, the BIS kids sang some songs, and the Beacon House kids followed.
We all enjoyed the party very much!
They brought lots of presents (donations) as well as decorated Easter eggs for the kids to eat.
After some delicious snacks, the BIS kids sang some songs, and the Beacon House kids followed.
We all enjoyed the party very much!
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Playground Project
Thank you to all that participated in the Beacon House Beaded Bracelet project raising funds to build a play area for the toddlers. The play area is being used even while we are waiting for the gate and paint. The toddlers look forward to playing in their safe area where their toys await them. House mothers can now monitor them as they wash clothes and diapers.
Along with the play area the baby house has a new clothes line and a drain and soak way for the water tap. When I return in July we will bring some new toys for the play area with the remaining funds. Kayla is still making Beacon Bracelets to fund other projects to build much needed baby beds.
To help with the ever growing laundry needs a new clothesline was erected. Laundry is a constant just like eating that takes a huge part of the day to do. If more loads can be hung out then more can be done at one time. A new washing machine is expected soon and that will indeed be a huge blessing!
Remember, the minimum donation for bracelets is only $25, necklaces with up to 25 beads is $30. The bracelets are great gifts as many were purchased this past Christmas. Impress a friend or loved one with an authentic African bead bracelet or necklace.
Time to get started! No more worries!
Along with the play area the baby house has a new clothes line and a drain and soak way for the water tap. When I return in July we will bring some new toys for the play area with the remaining funds. Kayla is still making Beacon Bracelets to fund other projects to build much needed baby beds.To help with the ever growing laundry needs a new clothesline was erected. Laundry is a constant just like eating that takes a huge part of the day to do. If more loads can be hung out then more can be done at one time. A new washing machine is expected soon and that will indeed be a huge blessing!
Remember, the minimum donation for bracelets is only $25, necklaces with up to 25 beads is $30. The bracelets are great gifts as many were purchased this past Christmas. Impress a friend or loved one with an authentic African bead bracelet or necklace.
Time to get started! No more worries!
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Baboons!
A few weeks ago, four volunteers took the children to a Park near Shai Hills ... to a wildlife reserve where they could see some animals. We rented a tro-tro and most of the children (except the babies) went on the excursion. The first to greet us .... the baboons.
After we fed the baboons some bread, we drove through the flat land and saw some antelopes.
It was difficult to see the antelope herds in the distance but a few of them came very close. Two males fought 50m from us. You could hear their horns crack together!
We also went into the “bat cave”. These were once inhabited by the Shai tribe.
The hike was challenging. There was a strong smell in the cave. After the hike, we enjoyed some awesome sandwiches with groundnut paste and bananas.
Friday, February 19, 2010
Going to Bolgatanga for the first time!
My name is Akinyi, I am Romana’s daughter and it was my first time going up north to see what my mom does to help children and give support to families……I got to see this done!
Going up to Bolgatanga took about thirteen hours in the car and we stopped to either use the bathroom, clean vomit or eat. Vivian (Beacon House staff) came along with a child from Beacon House called Jennifer. The journey was long, but I liked seeing the differences from the urban life to more rural and open life.
We arrived at our guest house (an income generating project for Mama Laadi) in the evening and the next day we were off - to see Mama Laadi’s foster home. I got to see all the children and see what she has done to help the children. I met some really cute children.
Later that day, we visited villages and went to see one particular family which Beacon House has been assisting. The children showed us a type of fruit with a hard shell from the Baobab tree. It tasted pretty good. We then went to visit a family that had recently asked Beacon House to care for their baby. The baby was malnourished so we brought her back with us to the guest house and later to Accra.
I think one of the highlights of the trip was that I got to see Kara and Atule -- they are children which stayed at Beacon House before.
After a long day driving around on dirt roads, the guest house-keeper ( Mr. Barry) gave us two live guinea fowls as a Valentines present from a family Beacon House supports. Mr. Barry then slaughtered the fowls and cooked a nice meal, which I refused to eat it, but mum enjoyed!
On Sunday, since the car was having trouble starting, we were dropped off at Mama Laadi’s and we stayed there while the car was getting fixed and had the chance to meet Sada again (ex-Beacon House staff). We left in the afternoon with Sada, Vivian and me pushing the car.
We went to visit Siragu Mother of Mercy baby home because Beacon House gets many requests to take in babies and they are considering putting the babies there. Three Sisters work at the home along with two helpers and there are 20 babies. One Sister explained to us that each baby can stay at the home for a maximum of three year but that the baby had to come with a care-taker because it is assumed that there is always someone in the family that could take care for the baby. She also told us that the youngest care-taker was 10 years old (I thought this was very interesting).
After looking around the baby home, we went to visit another family asking for assistance. This time while mom was talking to the family members, Mama Laadi showed me how the people live in the rural homes.
I loved the trip and would like to go up again and I was happy to see what my mother does and see how we can help people….I myself have come up with ideas :)
Going up to Bolgatanga took about thirteen hours in the car and we stopped to either use the bathroom, clean vomit or eat. Vivian (Beacon House staff) came along with a child from Beacon House called Jennifer. The journey was long, but I liked seeing the differences from the urban life to more rural and open life.
We arrived at our guest house (an income generating project for Mama Laadi) in the evening and the next day we were off - to see Mama Laadi’s foster home. I got to see all the children and see what she has done to help the children. I met some really cute children.
Later that day, we visited villages and went to see one particular family which Beacon House has been assisting. The children showed us a type of fruit with a hard shell from the Baobab tree. It tasted pretty good. We then went to visit a family that had recently asked Beacon House to care for their baby. The baby was malnourished so we brought her back with us to the guest house and later to Accra.
I think one of the highlights of the trip was that I got to see Kara and Atule -- they are children which stayed at Beacon House before.
After a long day driving around on dirt roads, the guest house-keeper ( Mr. Barry) gave us two live guinea fowls as a Valentines present from a family Beacon House supports. Mr. Barry then slaughtered the fowls and cooked a nice meal, which I refused to eat it, but mum enjoyed!
On Sunday, since the car was having trouble starting, we were dropped off at Mama Laadi’s and we stayed there while the car was getting fixed and had the chance to meet Sada again (ex-Beacon House staff). We left in the afternoon with Sada, Vivian and me pushing the car.
We went to visit Siragu Mother of Mercy baby home because Beacon House gets many requests to take in babies and they are considering putting the babies there. Three Sisters work at the home along with two helpers and there are 20 babies. One Sister explained to us that each baby can stay at the home for a maximum of three year but that the baby had to come with a care-taker because it is assumed that there is always someone in the family that could take care for the baby. She also told us that the youngest care-taker was 10 years old (I thought this was very interesting).
After looking around the baby home, we went to visit another family asking for assistance. This time while mom was talking to the family members, Mama Laadi showed me how the people live in the rural homes.
I loved the trip and would like to go up again and I was happy to see what my mother does and see how we can help people….I myself have come up with ideas :)
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