Luke Hodgson, who had been involved with ATE both as a volunteer and employee for just over 2 years, leaves today for pastures new in the USA.
Sarah and her team are immensely grateful to him for his dedication both to ATE and the people of Lawra.
The depth of his involvement in the charity and the value to his own personal development is amply demonstrated in the following interview. Luke agreed to take part in this, despite having ‘a thousand things to do’ before his departure.
What was your motivation to get involved with ATE?
John 13:34-35 “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.”
‘I often say that my motivation in life is to be able to help people, to give them a fighting chance and to show love and care for them. After returning from my first trip to Lawra (before I began working for ATE), I spent some time reflecting on the experience I had just had, and decided that I wanted to help however I could, and penned this review of my visit – https://ateghana.org/lukes-experiences-in-lawra/
Working for ATE has given me the opportunity to do just that, getting involved in an organisation that’s sole purpose is to help people, support them and care for them.’
What has your involvement in ATE meant to you?
‘ATE has been a huge part of my life now for the past 2+1/2 years. It has been something that I have fully committed to since I first visited Lawra (on what I believed would just be a holiday with the parents) in February 2014. I have had to step out of my comfort zone massively to accomplish the work that was required of me, and have overcome many challenges in the process.’
What were your highlights?
‘I have so many highlights from my time working with ATE, too many to list in this short post, so I will try to keep it brief! Firstly, having the privilege to manage the data collection, from the schools that ATE provides with free meals. Visiting the schools and carrying out the weighing and measuring of each and every one of the school children was definitely a highlight and a memory I will forever cherish. I made it my mission to not only see the children as a name on a page, but as an individual, children to relate to, integrate with and spend time showing them that they matter. By the end of that trip, they would run out of the classrooms as we were arriving to the school on the last day, waving, smiling, and shouting at us (what I can only presume was a positive welcome – from my lack of knowledge of the Dagari language!). Each time I left Ghana, I feel humbled and privileged to have the opportunity to carry out this important work, assessing the progress of the EducATE programme, but more importantly, to have been able to show love, care for and connect with these wonderful children.’
‘The relationships I developed with fellow employees, volunteers and supporters of ATE. (both in the UK and Ghana) were extremely important to me during the last two years, and will continue to be going forward. These incredible people that I have been fortunate enough to work alongside, have all been vital in the progress and development of ATE, from its birth to where it is today. I particularly enjoyed connecting with ATE’s consultants in Lawra, who took me under their wing and took pride in showing me around their home town. I treasured the times they invited me to play volleyball, hung out at the bar, encouraged me to try new (slightly unusual) foods, and even visited me in hospital in Lawra when I was admitted with heat exhaustion! These fantastic people, are the future of ATE, and developing friendships with them showed me how much they value the work that ATE is doing for many people in their home town.’
‘I would also say that connecting with ATE’s supporters in Ramsbury at events such as the street fair, charity football match and recent Film Premiere were very much highlights, as it gave me a real sense of how much ATE means to so many people in the community of Ramsbury.’
What were the challenges?
‘The past two years has helped me understand who I am as a person, given me confidence in a whole host of new situations and encouraged me to leap (not just step) outside of my comfort zone. One challenge that I faced was overcoming the fear of speaking to groups of people. People who know me, see me as a confident individual, however when stood in front of a large group of people confidence quickly turns into fear; legs begin shaking, voice begins to waiver and words begin to turn into mumbles, but overtime I was able to become more assured in telling ATE’s story. Part of the role for anyone working for ATE is to have an active role in fundraising and presenting to people about our work. I spent a long time developing a presentation, a script to go along with it, and even longer bucking up the courage to get out there and speak to people about ATE. By the end of my time working with ATE, I had realised that when speaking to people about ATE, I need to just speak from the heart, telling my story and how I became involved and passionate about this fantastic organisation. It’s all very well reading facts and figures from a piece of paper, but unless you connect with those that you’re speaking to, your message is unlikely to hit home.’
‘I also view the experience of visiting Lawra as a challenge, although more to do with the challenge it gave me upon each time I returned to the UK. How could I go from seeing, and working with people living in extreme poverty, to wasting so much food, energy, and money here in the UK. I remember returning from my latest trip to Lawra and ordering a round of beers at the bar in my local; “Welcome back Luke, the usual I take it? That’ll be £16” said the barman.’
‘How could I go from feeling so humbled witnessing the EducATE feeding programme giving children free school meals, to spending £16 soon after my return; a bill which would have provided 80 free school meals (YES, EIGHTY!). I still have to remind myself how fortunate I am to live in the society I do today, with lots provided for me by a whole host of different people; the government, parents, friends, employers etc, and remember the vulnerable people I spent time connecting with in Lawra.’
What does the future hold for you?
‘In the short term, I am due to be heading out to America to work at Camp Jewell YMCA, in Connecticut. This is a camp that I have worked at before, and I am very excited to return. I will be in charge of the “trippers” programme, a role which will see me taking a group of 14-16 year old kids to places such as Cape Cod, Washington DC, and other locations in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Virginia.’
‘Camp Jewell is a place that lots of people call home, with a strong sense of it being somewhat like a close family. Children (and adults throughout the year) return annually for years on end to make new friends, to spend time developing existing friendships, and re-connecting with familiar councillors, whilst enjoying the activities, facilities and trips that are put on for them. Both staff and campers return each summer looking forward to joining with each other and spending time enjoying summer together.’
‘Although on the face of it I will be working in a very different environment, in some ways, the work carried out at Summer Camp is quite similar to ATE; camp is a place that is designed to support and care for others, a place that teaches people how to love one another and live together, a place where children who come from (relatively) poor backgrounds are given access to an education of a different kind.’
‘I am very excited to return to Camp Jewell, to carry on my mission of caring for, loving and helping people.’
‘I would like to put on record how appreciative I am of the fantastic opportunity I have had these last two years, by saying a huge “Thankyou” to Sarah, and the Trustees of ATE, for having faith in me, and giving me the privilege of working for ATE. This employment has challenged me immensely and helped make me the person I am today. I pledge to continue supporting ATE, by sharing the news of the fantastic work Sarah, Habib and the team are carrying out, and by encouraging new donors.
‘Finally, In the words of Lucy – a student from Karbo JHS, “May God make the sky your limit” – I pray that ATE continues to grow, expanding its boundaries and areas it is able to support.’
‘God Bless, ATE’
Interview conducted by Mair Reed, ATE Volunteer