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ghana
Celebrating with a vibrant, loving community altered her perspective about what the holidays mean.
Tucked above the Gulf of Guinea along the infamous Gold Coast, Ghana's capital of Accra is everything you imagine a major West African city to be -- steamy, chaotic, colourful and steeped in history. Here is how to get the most of out this fascinating city of three million and its environs over 72 steamy hours.
Maybe it's dramatic to call this a new apartheid. But a quick search as I wallow in the glare of an unforgiving sun and my own self-pity reveals countless stories of unexplained visa refusals and similarly stringent refusals from South African embassies, to provide reasons for them.
In a film that makes such a poignant case about valuing the perspectives of those seldom considered (children in general and children caught in the midst of conflict in particular), it appears to fail at achieving just that -- for Africans.
A recent trip to Ghana's Volta region affirmed for me that there is so much more to aid and development than one prosperous nation giving to another in need. I was still taken aback by what I saw upon arrival. In short, people in Volta are not living with a lot. But they are far from powerless.
It made an impact on me to witness the eagerness of these savvy young people to build their savings -- I wish I'd learned such a valuable lesson at their age. The students showed pride in the youth savings program and seemed to feel empowered by it.
According to the International Energy Agency, nearly 1.3 billion people lack access to electricity, and over 95 per cent of these live in Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. Though it's a few years old, the map below illustrates that statistic quite well.
Earlier this month, His Excellency the Right Honourable David Johnston made a historic trip to Africa at the request of the Prime Minister. His travel included Ghana, Botswana and South Africa.
The difference that one bike can make to a child is extraordinary. In Ghana, a bicycle leads to education and education brings opportunities. Those who don't take that for granted and those who make the simple connection often go on to do amazing things. They are tomorrow's leaders.
We've known Munro Chambers since his TV character, Eli Goldsworthy, pulled into the parking lot of the fictional Degrassi High in his vintage Hearse. Whether he's starring in a satirical fundraising video to benefit Haiti, or building a school in Ghana, 22-year-old Chambers is making a difference. We caught up with Chambers at a build site in Ghana, where he and his fellow Degrassi: The Next Generation cast members were volunteering to build a school.
