I just got back from a trip to Ghana, Africa. It was a service trip of sorts, I worked at two schools, one in Accra, Ghana’s capital city, and the other in Kumasi. Ghana is the better of most African countries, it is safe, with a stable government allowing its citizens to make their way selling fruits and vegetables, eggs and fish, or an assortment of imported prepackaged items of all shapes, sizes and colors. Agriculture is a vital part of the economy of Ghana, and I witnessed this on the large scale – in the marketplaces and roadside vendors aplenty – as well as in one beautiful, yet small, example of self-sustainability.
Just outside of Accra about 45 minutes by “tro tro” or taxi vans, is a quaint little orphanage and school, serving around 200 children. The grand tour of the orphanage extends far beyond the childrens’ desks and beds. The orphanage is maintained through generous international donations, but more importantly, by a sustainable farm that is growing every day. I saw a hog house, a poultry barn that doesn’t look much different from the ones in the Ozarks, goats and sheep with their mineral blocks out. Take away the 80 degree tropical weather and palm trees, and I was at home. The orphanage employs a family to maintain the farm, and the children help as well. They raise bananas, maize, oranges, cabbage, onions, the list goes on and on. They also have a tilapia pond for growing their own fish. Ghana is a coastal country, so fish is a major part of all Ghanaians' diets.
This model for self-sustainability, so far from home in a rural part of Africa, really spoke to me. Their desire to work hard to sustain themselves while helping those less fortunate sounded just like how I’d hear one of Ozarks Farm & Neighbor's readers want to sustain themselves on their farm.
I am always so happy to travel outside our great country, and every time I do, I determine that we are actually all not that different from each other. From the Ozarks to the Ghanaian countryside, we are all brothers and sisters in our toiling on the land, in our animal husbandry work… from the small scale to the grand.
Thanks for all you do to maintain that great lifestyle here at home.
God Bless,
