Written by: Blaise Marden

Hi my name is Blaise I’m a 24 year old female from the UK. I work in the golf industry in the management sector. This is how I was introduced to the Elfacares Foundation Organization. Luckily enough for me my employer back at home has a charity called The Golf Trust which is a partner with Elfacares Foundation. Having only spent just over a week with the Elfacares Foundation Family I couldn’t feel more at home. I’m excited to see how the rest of my journey progresses. 

My first week with Elfacares Foundation has been incredible. It will hold a special place in my heart forever. Of course every new experience comes with nerves and uncertainty however I’ve been lucky enough to have an incredible support system in the office and at home with my host family.

I’m extremely fortunate to be living in the local community which is only a short walk away from the office. My Host Family opened up their home with welcoming arms to ensure I felt safe and at home. My first week was jam packed. It was spent visiting multiple different projects and schools so I could familiarise myself with the community. These have included The Golf & Goal project, The Literacy Project, The Environmental Project, Football Training, Table Tennis, Fit4Fun and Drum Dance and Dream. 

I was fortunate enough to visit Jeremite International School with Barry and Joshua who are board members from The Vineyard Foundation for their Education and Entrepreneurial outreach program. The children gave presentations on business ideas they had created. It was emotional to say the very least. One girl understandably had a case of stage freight. I was able to give her a pep talk and of course a hug and she was able to return to class and finish her presentation with confidence.

I’m becoming more passionate about The Literacy Project day by day. Our aim is to build the foundations for reading and writing. A skill which is essential for everyone across the world. We have a class of 10 pupils who we see three times a week. My fellow volunteers who have been here for slightly longer than myself have integrated educational games into the end of lessons, giving the children something to look forward to after completing their work. We conclude the lessons with stickers and a sweet treat!!

Hearing Elfacares Foundation has a Golf & Goal project resonated with me as golf is a huge part of my life. Golf isn’t just my job but also a hobby. The Golf & Goal Project has many benefits from physical, mental and social. I’m extremely passionate about “women in golf” in particular so I thought I had a chance to have a positive impact on the project. To my pleasant surprise when I visited the Golf&Goal Project I found it was thriving with an incredible number of young female golfers of a range of ages. I was given the opportunity to meet the Club Manager at Achimota Golf Club to donate golf balls. It felt like a full circle moment as those golf balls started their journey in the UK with me and The Golf Trust. They now were back in my hands being handed over to the club. 

I’m honoured to say that recently a team of 5 junior golfers travelled to Nigeria for the 11th AWA Ibraheem Junior Open. They returned with 3 trophies with Ellen Amezado being crowned the new West African Junior Ladies Champion.

In my spare time since being here I have visited the Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park where I was able to learn about the Ghanaian Nationalist Leader who led The Gold Coast(now known as Ghana) to independence. After this I spent the afternoon at Labadi Beach. We sat by the sea and enjoyed the entertainment which included singing, dancing& performances using fire! I then ended my weekend by visiting Empowerment Worship Centre with Cynthia from my host family for Sunday evening Church service.

Thank you to Elfacares Foundation and The Golf Trust for making this experience possible. Whilst I continue my life changing journey I look forward to creating new bonds, learning more about the culture, making a positive impact and seeing so much more that this beautiful country has to offer… oh and eating lots more joloff rice!!!

Thank you for taking the time to read. Stay tuned for my next blog post at the end of my journey!

Thank you for reading!