During the past two months I have been working in Akuapem hills in an orphanage. It is a more rural area with cooler climate, nicer people, and a better placement. I love working at the orphanage. It is a great place to volunteer because I feel like I am making a difference every day. I love the kids, They are all nice, though occasionally obnoxious and sometimes cannot concentrate to save their lives. So…they are normal kids! The young kids sneak out of nursery and come and sit on our laps because if they are with us usually they get away with not being in class. They love drawing and painting. I brought out some of the art stuff I brought the color pencils, markers, and a large roll of paper. By the end of an hour they had used up all 50 feet of the paper!
One black spot in this picture is abuse. They beat the kids daily with willow braches and canes. During class if they don’t pay attention, after class if their uniforms are not perfect and if they were late for class. For something small it is a whip on the hand, for more – a harder hit on the ankle and finally on the backside. If you got 2/20 on a test you get 10 lashes, 6/20 you get 5. All dependent on the teacher’s particular whim. They make up new reasons to beat them. The look on the teachers face is not sadness or regret, no they seem happy and empowered by what they are doing. It is the same cycle, as with so many things in Ghana. These children will grow up and suddenly they are the ones with the cane, they are the ones who feel like they can make themselves feel better through this act. I have seen a child dance and sing one moment and then the next find them crying after being beaten for an inexplicable reason. What was the teachers response- Stop crying or I will beat you more.
It is sickening and is against the law in Ghana. According to the Children’s Act of 2006 this form of abuse (corporal abuse) can only be used in rare and special cases and only administered by the headmistress. But once again lack of enforcement allows it to continue. One of the hardest moments in Ghana for me was seeing the look in the eyes of a child after being beaten. They looked at their tormentor with hatred. For a younge child to feel such an emotion is contemptible. Children should not learn to hate. I do not know a how I can stop this kind of abuse. I now refuse to let it happen in my class. But this is such a small measure. I will speak to the headmistress, but she does not seem willing to change. She was brought up through the same orphanage under the same system. The teachers view it as the only way to teach the children. They see white people as weaker and toss their concerns aside as such.
Another way they punish children is through their peers. If a child gets a question wrong in class the teacher will call "shame" the class will turn around and sing a chant of "Sha-sha-sha-shame and a wild dog woof woof and a fat cow mooo….." with hand motions pointing the child. I’ve seen many children during my short stay who have broken down in tears because of the chants. In many ways this latter form of abuse is the more harmful. It is effectively teaching the child not to try.
Every day after school the children all line up in their classes to say some chants and be inspected. As part of this routine two older children say the different announcements and keep the kids in order. It is hard to sit back and watch the teachers tell the older children to be harder with the children. They tell them they are not being strong enough with the younger children. Saying this to pre-teen boys has the desired effect. They are in a very moldable state and they want to please the teachers. They do not beat the other children but they do pretty much everything up to that. It is sad to see it come full circle,
There is hope. Those that I teach have begun to realize that I do not need to beat them to teach them. We have gained a mutual trust, and while it is still difficult, it is working. One child said after seeing his friends beaten, " Their must be a better way. If I was a teacher I would not beat the kids. It does not make sense". A child age 11.
