Ghana

Most recent message:

" If you can manage one round of penpal replies to the letters you have recieved, pasted into one document separated by school, it will be easy and fulfilling to forward to my successor and pass them to the eagerly awaiting students. If there are a few students who have not yet received replies, you can also list those names below their respective schools, and we will get them a reply. I just found out that a few penpal replies were essentially stolen by a wayward teacher who was fired recently, so that may account for the radio silence on the part of a few kids. They tried to write but the adults got in their way! Thanks for the Spain well-wishes and the tips! I'll report back, and I do hope you keep reading and sharing the site! Sending my best to you and your class! - Lillie [|www.AroundTheWorldL.com]"

Message from Ms. Marshall, upon receiving your letters: "SO FANTASTIC!!!!!!!!!! I am in awe of your school's technological prowess! And you are all using your powers for good, not evil! The discussion Wiki is AWESOME!!! I will share it with students asap! I will print and hand out your letters tomorrow at Sanity International school. HUGE thanks for saving us on that front-- I was worried about some tears if they didn't get a single letter from their delinquent pals in Boston :) Seriously, anything at all you can scrounge up would be SO appreciated. THANK YOU for the idea! Now for the practical aspect, should your class take on this challenge: shipping/transport. Here are some options: 1) Sending a big parcel by mail (for which I will have to ask my friend Marla's advice for tricks on saving money on the parcel and avoiding the thieves in the Ghana postal service) 2) Sending a package with Marla when she flies to Ghana from Connecticut in late March. (You'd just have to send the stuff to her in CT.) 3) Sending financial donations so that the goods can be purchased on this end, with photos proving that they were really used for the designated purpose. Marla will leave around March 25, and her website is @http://brightstarvision.org/ . Do be advised that there are a few different causes to donate to: 1) YCC Ghana (where I am working) -- which does a TON of great work around Sogakope, Ghana. You have email partners both in YCC Kids Club and in the 4 different local schools with which YCC partners. 2) The remote school where my friend Collins is working. 3) Marla's organization, Bright Star Vision, which partners with YCC and YCC's project in the town of Dalive: @http://www.aroundtheworldl.com/2010/01/dalive.html If you want a few guidelines on donations (aka wish lists), the article I wrote about Dalive donations applies to any of these groups:" @http://www.aroundtheworldl.com/2010/01/dalive-donations.html Another message from Ms. Marshall, upon receiving letters from Thursday's classes:

"Thanks! We have used abut 75% of the first letters you have sent with two different schools, and so should be able to send you those replies by the end of next week.These new letters (and the last few from the old batch that weren't used) should be assigned next week and will hopefully get a reply within two weeks. Are there any more coming? On this end I think we actually have enough now, but we may be able to accommodate a few more. For the next set of letters, could you please make sure that every single student includes: first and last name, city, state, and country? Also, give our praise to students who wrote nice fat letters and tell the ones who wrote skinny little sentences that we are eager to hear more next time! :) Many Thanks, Lillie Marshall"

Next message from Ms. Marshall: "I hope you're doing well! I've just talked with my friend Marla of Bright Star Vision USA (the CT nonprofit that supports Youth Creating Change, Ghana) and Marla has the following suggestion about Ghana student donations from your class if you choose to do them (nopressure!): the shipping to CT and then to Ghana ends up being VERY expensive, therefore Marla suggests that your kids do a bake sale or other fundraiser plan to raise FUNDS rather than physical goods, should they desire to donate to Ghana kids. Again, this is just a suggestion, and I understand if you feel uncomfortable with this idea, but we would be sure to document the effects of the funds with photos and articles so you know they'd be used well! Huge thanks, and again, no pressure. Your first batch of letters will be to you by the end of this week, and your last batch shortly thereafter."

Most Recent message from Ms. Marshall (sent 2/23):

" I REALLY appreciate your email-- it lifted me out of bit of a funk! I have just spent the past half hour reading your student responses about the Ghana articles and they are awesome! I was in a really bad mood today from the HOT HOT heat and the technological limitations (aka only 1 of our 3 internet connections is now working, to share among 40 people, etc.), but your kids' responses are cheering me up!!! Yay! I will certainly share them with our students. We would really appreciate fundraising efforts, so keep me posted on how I can help, and again, no pressure. Tomorrow we'll make some headway on penpal exchanges and I'll get back to you asap. Thanks again! I needed that! - Lillie Marshall