A day with Daniel in Ghana

Enid Bates from Bromley has been sponsoring 14-year-old Daniel since 2003. In March, she travelled to Ghana to meet him for the first time. Here, Enid shares her story of the memorable day.

"We were taken in a Plan 4x4 vehicle towards the village where Daniel lives. We passed through other settlements on the way, all with Plan Ghana symbols on posts. Villagers waved happily at the Plan Ghana van as we passed through.

We first went to the school and as soon as they saw us, smiling children came running towards us, all wanting to be in the photos. All schoolchildren in Ghana wear uniform and look smart and tidy.

I was then taken to a classroom, bare except for basic wooden desks and a chalk blackboard at the front. There were several children sitting at desks and I was asked to pick out Daniel. I have several photos of him but I was nervous in case I picked the wrong child. Luckily, I did pick Daniel and he smiled and came to the front to join me.

We then all returned to the playground where we met two lovely teachers. The woman taught the younger children and the man the older ones. We then left, taking Daniel with us, to visit his home which was about one kilometre away.

Daniel's family were all there to greet us. Two brothers were there, one older and one younger than Daniel. There was also an older sister. There is no registration of births in the villages in Ghana, so no one really knows how old the children are.

I was pleasantly surprised by the solid construction of the family home - breeze blocks appeared to be the building material. This was in contrast to the many mud huts with straw roofs that we had passed on the way. There was also a covered seating area outside their home with a solid floor.

I asked if I could take photos of the yard at the side, where chickens, chicks and goats roamed free, with some in hutches or pens. The family presented me with a bag full of fruit; pineapples, papaya, avocado pears and oranges, before we left.

We returned to the school to another great welcome, where I gave them some supplies for the school. There are two school blocks with a play area in between, which has climbing frames and other equipment. To one side is a fairly recently constructed latrine block.

The time went all too quickly. I am hoping that I can spread the word about Plan's marvellous work in Ghana."