Child's Play

This entry is for our grandkids, who ask what toys the children in Ghana play with and what their favorite games are. A simple game, called Ampe, is played with four or more children. There is a lot of clapping, singing, and jumping involved. It almost looks like a dance. Mancala is believed to be the oldest game in the world and is still played throughout Africa. In Ghana it is called Oware. Shallow holes, arranged in two or four rows, are dug out of a small, slender board. At home, our family uses marbles with this game, but Ghanaians use small stones or seeds. If toys are not available, the children use their wonderful imaginations and available resources to entertain themselves. Here are just a few examples.

  

This old tree is just begging for a climb.

Bamboo, a gourd, a stick and a nail make a great car.

BIG!

Africa is full of surprises. Some are amazingly big. Each week brings new and interesting discoveries. 

An avocado is a meal in itself.

Buduburum

The Church owns a welfare farm in Buduburum, 40 miles west of Accra. Elder and Sister Klein, the area welfare specialists, took us to see how the members put this property to use. Ten acres of land are currently either planted or are being prepared for crops. Pumps have been purchased to get water to the fields. Watermelons, black beans, cassava, okra, black-eyed peas, cucumbers, garden eggs, and cocoa yams are plants that grow well in this part of West Africa.

  

  

This is a type of greenhouse for peppers, tomatoes, 
and onions. In the background you can see the plowed 
ground waiting to be planted.

We were amazed to see the ingenuity of the farmers 
in providing shade for the seedlings as they grow 
strong enough to survive the hot sun.