The Bus Driver Quits on the First Day of School!

By Barbara Allison

It was still dark on the morning of September 1st as we made our way out to the bus preparing for our very first morning pickup. This is when we got word that our driver had quit! You can only imagine our dismay, as we knew that more than 40 students and their parents were anxiously waiting for us to arrive at their bus stops. Things work a little differently here, and before we knew it Fred had located a taxi driver on the main road that runs through Senase who was experienced and willing to drive our bus that morning. He was wonderful! He drove our bus for the entire first week of school and would have continued if he had not had a farm that required him to travel often.

What we learned through this experience is that there is no way for us to anticipate things that might happen from day to day while running a school in a small village in Ghana. What IS most important is to build a good relationship within the community, so when problems do occur, people know who we are and believe in what we are doing. In a small community such as Senase, it is as simple as stopping your neighbor on the street and telling them you need their help.