I have always found myself supporting “the underdog”. Some might say “the little guy”, while the rest of us know them as “the person struggling to keep up and later finds themselves falling behind”.
I have just returned from a trip to Ghana and had the opportunity to spend time surrounded by a bunch of kids who eat, play, beg and sleep on the streets of Accra. Statistics in the Region suggest that more than 90,000 kids, as young as 5 years old, make the sidewalks their home.
I listened to many of their stories and honestly, was quite disturbed by the daily horrors they face. It is clear that these kids are the underdogs in this world. I found it shocking how luxurious cars, of various types, rolled by with horns blaring, while the kids sleep on slabs of cardboard.
A scene like this always leaves me with many questions:
Why wasn’t I born an underdog?
Why wasn’t I born on these hard streets?
Why was I raised in a caring and safe context?
I have never truly understood and doubt if I ever will however, this is what I know: As 2020 dawns I say to you -supporters and friends of Adventure4Change:
We are as dedicated today as we have ever been in addressing issues of inequity. This involves finding ways of providing hope, speaking to those who have the power to limit such imbalances, and equipping a generation of people to a lifetime of investing in transformative change. We believe that change is possible!
The photo above was taken a couple months ago. The kids shown used to sleep on the rough sidewalks of Accra until last week, when they headed off to take their place in school. Some had moved to the streets over 4 years ago; others have never attended an educational institution. With this new start, I believe this is how underdogs must be treated and cared for – and this is what we do here in Waterloo and beyond.
Thanks for helping make this all possible!
Contributor: Jeremy Horne
Content Manager: Tarique Plummer