The Dilemma of Need

Hello Everyone,

I have been trying to work out exactly what I am going to bring to the orphanage with me and I thank those who have made donations already. I cannot begin to describe how grateful I am for your support and generosity. 

So in the process I emailed Jules, my exchange manager in Benin, to ask him what items are the most pressing necessities.

He replied:

"Hi Emma,

I'm really happy to read you, and also to know that you're organize yourself to bring somethings to the Orphanage. What you're bringing is really good for the orphanage.

The only support of the orphanage now is someone (a Woman) which pay only the scholarship for primary school student, that mean that they need everything (pen, pencils, copybooks, books, if possible, and old laptop to teach them computer science. It's will be great)

The most need is food, so if you can have fund to pay food for them, it's will be really great. The director told me that they need medical assistance (money to pay they tablets when they are sicks)

So the really need is Food, clothes, and long terms assistance. But i think what you're planning is great and your time here will help you discover more need and plan for the future."

After I read this I realized the devastating gravity of the situation in the orphanage. Their greatest need is food. The problem with providing food, however, is that it is something that needs to be constantly supplied and I don't have the resources to do that. I think that food and medication should be something the local government has to provide so that the children can grow up feeling that they live in a country that can support and provide for them, rather than relying on outside charity. The already heavily reliant relationship between Africa and developed nations is damaging to the development of African countries because of the dependence these underdeveloped countries have on charitable contributions.

This does not mean that I think helping this orphanage in Benin is not worth while. These children need whatever they can get and I am happy to have the opportunity to supply them with whatever I can. I am especially grateful that I will have the amazing experience of getting to know these children personally by working with them on a daily basis. I hope that what I will bring, tangibly and intangibly, will provide the children with resources to help them succeed in the long run. 

To Rabies or Not To Rabies?

Hello!


Today I went to get the recommended vaccinations, Typhoid, Meningitis, Hepatitis A, and Rabies. I had all my regular boosters up to date so I was only in need of 5 vaccinations, the fifth being the required yellow fever vaccine, which I have to get in a governmental clinic because it is required in order to get my visa.


So I got the first three, Typhoid, Meningitis, and Hepatitis and it went fine. (Meningitis had a little sting to it though)
However, the last vaccine was the rabies vaccine, which has 3 injections in total. I came in thinking I would get it and as nervous as I already was, because I (like most people) am not a fan of injections, it didn't help when the doctor kindly informed me that the rabies vaccine "was quite a jab." However, when I went to the nurse to get my vaccines she told me that because I will be in a small city with a hospital near by that has post-bite rabies vaccinations, she did not see it as a necessary precaution. She just warned me to stay away from any stray animals and I guess that is simple enough. I am still considering the option because she told me at the end of the day it is up to me, however, I think that the rabies vaccination is one I can safely avoid. phew!

Fundraising

Hey Everyone!

The Humanity Exchange Programme encourages fundraising to help fund the volunteers trips and towards bringing staple supplies for the orphaned children.

I will be an orphanage assistant during my time in Benin and therefore I will be with children of all ages who have been abandoned or whose families are simply too poor to care for them. A lot of these children have lived on the streets and have been abused or prostituted and others are handicapped or living with HIV/AIDS. 

I will help care for, teach, and run extra-curricular activities for the children and I would love to be able to bring with me certain staple goods such as clothing (shirts, long skirts, pants, and sneakers) and school supplies to provide to the orphaned children.

The children's ages range from birth to 20 years, so my focus will be to bring a variety of different sized items that are not readily available, such as sneakers. In order to get the best value for the money donated I will be contacting Chinese and/or Taiwanese manufacturers for both the clothing and the school supplies so that I can buy in bulk. 

I am hoping that you will be able to support me in this ambitious endeavor. Any contribution that you are able to make will be sincerely appreciated not only by myself, but also by those who I will serve overseas.

Making a donation is easy! Just send me an email to ivana.okereke@gmail.com with the amount that you would like to donate and you will receive an email back with a money request using PayPal so that you can pay with any credit card securely even if you don't have a PayPal account. 

Should you have any questions about this program, please contact me by email at williams.ema@gmail.com or by phone at +917 50 7855010 . You can also contact The Humanity Exchange directly by phone (+1 415 800 3998) or by email (admin@thehumanityexchange.org), and view their website at www.thehumanityexchange.org.

Your support is greatly appreciated. I look forward to sharing this extraordinary experience through my blog and upon my return.

Thank you all so much! 

Introductions

Hello readers!


My name is Emma. I am half Serbian and half American and I have lived in Dubai, UAE for the past 6 years. I graduated High School in 2011 and I am currently pursuing a gap year. The most exciting part of my gap year is my upcoming trip to Benin with a programme called The Humanity Exchange. For those of you who don't know, Benin is a small West African country that is sandwiched between Togo to the West and Nigeria to the East. I will be staying in the voodoo capital, Ouidah, a small city close to the capital of Benin, Cotonou.


As Benin is a francophone country I will be studying French in order to be able to communicate with the locals and more importantly, the orphaned children I will be taking care of during my stay. I will be staying in Benin for two months and my trip is to commence on the 9th of March! I have a whole slew of emotions running through me as the date to my departure nears, nervousness, anticipation, and anxiety to name a few, but I know that this trip will change my life in an unimaginable way and I am excited for my journey ahead.