Just Two Weeks

How much can five students and a professor do in just two weeks?
We all signed up for this program because in some way we want to make a difference in the world. Isn’t that why most OTs become OTs anyway. But, how realistic is it to think that anything we do during our time in Ghana is going to make a difference? Two weeks isn’t enough time to change the way disability is viewed in another country. Two weeks isn’t enough time to reduce spasticity in a child with CP or to build up a child’s strength so that they can power a wheel chair. What can we do during our two weeks that could leave a lasting impression? The only answer I can think of reminds me of the story of the child and the starfish. We can make a difference one child at a time by teaching a caregiver how to perform stretches and range of motion on a child. We may be able to modify an eating utensil or pen or pencil so that a child can hold it and learn to eat or write. We can show caregivers how to prevent pressure sores or maybe to understand more about their child’s sensory issues, or why a child acts the way they do. If I can make a difference in the life of one child then I think this trip would be a success.