Christmas Greetings

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Christmas Came Early at Beacon House!

This past week the children at Beacon House were treated with really special surprises. The festivities began on Wednesday with a visit from the 5th graders of American International School (AIS). Their teacher brought cookies, candy, and juice, and led the children in an interactive story about Christmas.

The children later showed their appreciation by putting on a special performance that they'd been rehearsing for weeks:

The next day the festivities continued, thanks to Meredith College/NC students.  The children were taken to a nearby field for some fun and games! It was an absolute joy to see how much fun the kids were having, definitely a memorable experience for everyone.

That evening everyone was treated to pasta and apple cobbler before being given some really great presents!

Happy Holidays from Beacon House!!

Mercy, Afi, and Their Sons

Mercy and Silas

Mercy, a beloved member of Beacon House's teen moms program, is the mother of 5 month-old Silas.  At just 19, Mercy admits that her pregnancy wasn't planned and that she was a bit apprehensive towards being a mother. She came to stay at Beacon House when she was 7 months pregnant.  She delivered at a clinic nearby. Mercy has quickly grown to embrace motherhood and today is fully devoted to raising her son.  Raising Silas on her own has not been an issue, and she plans to one day move back to her childhood town, in the Upper East Region of Ghana, to be near her family. She looks forward to the day that Silas begins going to school.

  Afi and Richmond

18 year old Afi has been part of the Beacon House family for about 2 months now with her 15 month old son, Richmond. She has been helping out in the the kitchen and has been heartily welcomed by the staff and children. Eventually, she will be enrolled in a catering course to improve her cooking skills. Even though she wasn't planning on having Richmond at such a young an age, Afi  loves being a mother.  She dreams of Richmond one day becoming either a lawyer or a doctor.

Helen and Mary

Last week Beacon House said goodbye to two longtime inhabitants, sisters Helen and Mary.  While their presence will surely be missed, we are all thrilled and excited for them as they embark on their journey with their 'forever family'. We know that many of you who have visited Beacon House in the last 4 years would surely have met them.

I had the pleasure of interviewing them during their final night at Beacon House. Here's what they had to say:

What  do you love the most about Beacon House?

Helen: I like to mop and sweep the compound, and play just a little bit. 

Mary: Beacon House is nice, and also beautiful! And I like to play.

Can you tell me anything about where you’ll be moving to and what are you looking forward to the most?

Helen: We’ll be moving to North Carolina. I’m happy because next week we’ll be leaving for America, but tomorrow I’ll be a little sad when we leave Beacon House with my mommy and daddy.

Can you tell me about your parents?

Helen: They were living in North Carolina and now they came to Ghana to pick me up. But they were also praying for the papers to be finished, so they prayed and prayed and prayed until the government said it was finished.  So now they came to Ghana to visit today and tomorrow I’ll be leaving, so that’s all I can say.

Is there anything you’re worried or scared about leaving?

Helen:  I’m worried about all these people, my friends here and that I won’t be able to see them again.

Helen with her friends in 2009.

Is there anybody you’d like to thank?

Helen: Thank you for the love of mommy Romana. God gives her money and she buys us food to eat. We also pray for her that God will give her more knowledge.  Thank you Matthew for coming to play and watch movies with us, for being with us and helping us with homework.

Faith at True Love School

Faith is 13 years old and attends True Love School in Accra, thanks to the generosity of sponsor donation.  Her favorite subjects are Science and Core Studies (artwork), and her favorite sport is football.  Gifted and talented, she loves playing the guitar and hopes to one day become both a Musician and a Doctor.  Her favorite place in Ghana is the Cape Coast region, specifically Kakum National Park. 

Update on Abigail

This post is just to give an update on Abigail, a girl we first introduced over a year ago here.  Now 17, Abigail attends Kwegyir Aggrey Secondary High School near Cape Coast. She boards at the school and comes to Beacon House during school holidays.  Her favorite subjects are Math and Government, while her favorite sport is football.  She enjoys music, singing, and going to the beach (Labadi is her favorite, located in Accra) when she has the opportunity, and still dreams of becoming a nurse one day.  

Thank you to all who have contributed to Abigail's continued success, allowing her the chance to pursue her dreams and make a difference in the world. 
 

Calvary Methodist Prep School children

Hello everyone, my name is Matthew Reiter.  I am doing my internship at Beacon House for the next 3 months.  Originally from New York, I attend The George Washington University in Washington, D.C., and I am spending this semester studying at the University of Ghana through a program called CIEE. Definitely influenced by my passion for travel, I study International Affairs with a concentration in International Development. I am so grateful that my studies brought me to Beacon House where I spend 2 or 3 days a week and have really been enjoying my time here. Working with children is something I love doing and hope to continue doing throughout the coming chapters of my life, and I sincerely hope I leave as much an impact on the Beacon House kids as they have already left on me.

This week I had the pleasure of interviewing some of the children who are staying at Beacon House. Thanks to the generosity of our sponsor, these children have the chance to attend Calvary Methodist Prep school.  The school term began this week. Here's what they had to say:

Fati

Fati is 8 years old and cites writing as her favorite subject at school.  Clearly interested in fashion, Fati lists washing clothes amongst her favorite activities and hopes to one day become a hairdresser.  She enjoys jolloff rice, tigers are her favorite animal, and she loves the movie Spy Kids! 

Josephine

Creative and ambitious, Josephine, 10, loves learning English and dreams of becoming both a teacher and a musician.  She enjoys jumping on the trampoline and eating jollof rice and chicken.  Her favorite animals are cheetahs and lions, and her list of favorite films includes Indiana Jones, Spy kids and High School Musical. 

Maxwell

Maxwell is a determined, eager to learn 8 year old.  While he enjoys reading, writing and spelling at school, he's most enthusiastic about improving his math skills.  Always wanting to be outdoors, Maxwell loves playing football and hopes to become a builder when he's older.  He loves fried rice and his favorite animals are horses.

Anna-Maria

Anna-Maria is a very studious 8 year old who enjoys math and dreams of becoming a teacher in the future. Still a kid at heart, she loves playing with friends, eating cheese pizza and watching her favorite movie, Spy Kids. If you couldn't guess, her favorite animals are elephants!

Mary

At just 14, Mary is extremely mature and driven.  She enjoys Religious and Moral Education (RME) at school as well as English.  She enjoys football and playing music, and is currently learning how to play the guitar/ukelele.  Her favorite hobbies include reading and telling stories, and she will hopefully carry this passion into a career as a journalist.