Sketchbook from Ghana (finally)

I finally managed to scan in my sketches from Ghana, almost 5 months after we came back. For various reasons (mostly being creatively drained after the intense mornings with the kids) I didn't feel like sketching while I was there so there is only a few sketches and they are rather random.
Like for example this one.

We flew to Accra through Istanbul and spent half a day there.

Our first day in Accra. This is were we stayed. The hostel was called the Diamond Palace and the person who came up with that name had a good sense of humour.

Here is our team, all excited about the wifi connection.

Quick sketches of Kayla and Elliot. Kayla had the most awesome way of pronouncing "yeah, right?'. She actually had a few ways of pronouncing it and in each case it meant something else.

More sketches, trying out gouache this time. This is double outside my comfort zone - painting instead of drawing and people instead of animals.

Sketching on a tro tro on the way to the Street Academy. And Kate writing her daily report.

More gouache sketches - Elliot and Lauren.

Kyekyeku in his famous trousers and Harry. I think this one was taken just after another day of teaching.

This lady painted our nails and was tring hard to convert Kate to christianity. 

View from the fooftop at our hostel and I think one of my favourite places in Accra.



The sketch above is from our trip to the beach. A very lazy sketch and a very lazy day.
And below is the only sketch I made in the Street Academy. It was a day when a local charity came to do a workshop with the kids soit wasn't as hectic as asual and I had a few minutes to take out my sketchbook.

A trip to the National Museum in Accra.

For my birthday Kate treated me to the best thing ever - a weekend at the Elmina Bay Resort. A very much needed break half way through the project. It was lovely to escape noisy Accra and spend a whole day lying under the palm trees, reading, sketching and swimming in the best swimming pool ever. One of the most exciting things was a shower with hot water.



On the way back we visited Emina and Cape Coast. I believe it was the most surreal day I've ever experienced.

Another swimming pool sketch.

And my last sketch from Ghana, a day after we said goodbye to the kids (lots of tears) and a day before we got on the plane.

The kids taught us how to say things in their language Ga. Here is my first lesson and a map of Africa I drew on the flight back to Edinburgh.

All in all, a month in Ghana teaching the kids how to make movies was one of the strongest and most amazing experiences and I don't think any sketchbook (or photos) can really express what it was really like to be there.

Kasia and Kate volunteer in Ghana

Exciting news!!! In August later this year my friend Kate and I will be going to Ghana to volunteer with the charity Akosia. We will be working on a filmmaking project with children who attend The Street Academy in Accra.
The project is pretty amazing and the aim is to give the children an opportunity to work on a creative project that will give them the chance to learn new, tangible and useful skills, as well as to develop their self-expression and self-confidence through creativity.

Over the next few months we will be fundraising to cover the costs flights and medical expenses to allow us travel to Ghana and contribute to this amazing cause.

We will be selling our artwork, organising online auctions and Kate will run the Edinburgh half marathon. 
Here is our blog that we set up to post regular updates on our fundraising activities and to write about our experiences when we are actually out in Ghana working on the project.

We also have our fundraising profile here for those who wish to make a donation. There are some lovely rewards waiting for our backers!

I will keep you posted.