Why Writing Letters to Ghana Appeals to Struggling Students

The (all volunteer) staff at Yo Ghana! have been somewhat surprised that the schools in the U.S. most interested in working with us tend to be those with students who are struggling in some respects and who often come from families living below the poverty line.

Having done a fair bit of tutoring with struggling students over the past decade, I of course have some theories as to why this is the case.  Children whose families are struggling with poverty often feel as if they have no sense of agency, that they live in a world that is beyond their control--and beyond the control of their parents.  They may also be reluctant to show vulnerability, as that is likely just to bring more pain.  It often feels unsafe to hope or to care, much better to adopt a "cool pose."

Sharing letters with a pen pal in Ghana offers a way out of this.  First of all, many Ghanaian students are also struggling with living apart from one or both parents.  Most have far fewer material resources than their counterparts in the U.S.  In fact Ghanaian students are often stunned to learn that students in the U.S. routinely fail to take advantage of reading the many books most are surrounded by.  So the Ghana students commonly model determination and optimism in the face of adversity, a point of view in which school is deemed to be a prized opportunity, not some sort of refined torture.

Ghanaian students also tend to be more earnest and less guarded than their American counterparts are.  West Africa, to be sure, is changing fast, becoming more urban and saturated with media.  But it still a part of the world in which most people reside in a dense network of interpersonal relationships in which a "cool pose" is not necessary.  They therefore offer American students a venue in which it is safe to be vulnerable and to care.