Placement!

Received an e-mail with my placement today.. Sounds like it's going to be pretty hardcore! I don't even know how to begin to prepare myself for what I'm about to experience.

I'll sum up what my info packet said:

Situation at the orphanage:
The district town of Nkwanta in the Volta region. There are 80 orphans and the average age of the children is about 6 years old, with a staff of 13. There is electricity, but it often goes off with many power cuts. The majority of the water comes from a local river which is about a 10 minute walk. The water is very dirty and not suitable for drinking. There is an outside toilet, and showers are taken place in a bucket bath every morning. There is no running water at all. The children have flimsy straw mats and little/no shelter from wind and rain. There are no tables.

Situation for volunteers:
I will be placed in a host family house. I will share a room with other volunteers during my stay. It is a 1-2 minute walk to the orphanage. This is where I will eat and spend my spare time. The toilets are a basic hole in the ground and like the kids, the showers are a bucket bath. I will have a bed with a mattress and a lock for my room. Cell phones can be temperamental there, and there is an internet cafe with 2 computers but the internet is slow and disconnects or the power goes out.


So needless to say, I'm pretty anxious! I am very excited though, and feel very lucky that I have this opportunity. I can't wait to get there and fill everyone in on what's going on, and hopefully be able to post some pictures!

2 weeks to the day!