sala

I hope to have some intense lessons-learned type of post up soon. But you can't put a timeline on processing over 2 months of life in Africa, especially when one week of that was returning to a place that God used to completely wreck your life. So until then, I'll share some long overdue stories...

Meet Sala :)
Sala is a Ghanaian employee for Global Mamas in charge of processing and preparing international shipments at the house. Out of her dedication to make a better life for herself, she diligently leaves her house every morning at 4:30 to catch 3 different buses/cars to get to the Accra office by 7. She works silently all day straight through lunch and rarely looks up for a break. I worked just feet from her everyday without really knowing her but still oddly curious at who this woman really was.

Everyone has a story. It's on you to find out what it is and just listen.

I thought her selfless dedication to the NGO was inspiring enough. But little did I know, there's much more to Sala than the eye can see. One day at the shop I decided to just ask. Vulnerable to rejection with the possibility of connection. Sala's eyes brightened at the very second I asked, overjoyed that someone not from Ghana would pay attention to her. This isn't me boasting righteousness; it's just one time that I decided to lay down my own pride and do what I could to love the one, as Jesus commands. Sala started off by telling me that she's adopted by a couple in London who have a huge heart for children. She's one of many adopted children by her parents. Instead of choosing to live in luxury in London with her new family, she chose to live in Ghana to dedicate her life to her people, to her home.

Rewind to 8 or so years ago. Sala began working at an orphanage in Accra, Ghana out of her love for children. She knew the work came with little pay, long hours, but the bonus was a full heart at the end of each day. She worked to educate the children, keeping them fed and happy. After a few months, she noticed something wasn't quite right. The money that came in to the orphanage wasn't transferring. Though hundreds, even thousands was spilling in, the children could barely get one meal a day. Tattered clothes and dirty faces broke Sala's heart. She was just an employee feeling helpless and confused. But she knew something just wasn't right. Sala, just one ordinary woman, took it upon herself to get to the bottom of the issue and fight on behalf of the starving children the orphanage was supposed to be protecting. After weeks and months of digging around, Sala discovered the problem. A devastatingly huge problem. The orphanage director was taking most all of the donations flowing into the facility and pocketed them. The director didn't care about the children suffering as a result of her greed.

Sala could've just turned a blind eye. She could've succumbed to her helplessness. But she took a leap and risked it all. Sala went to the already-corrupted governmental officials to officially report the crime. Months passed with no answer, no justice. Sala was fired immediately after her filed report. It appeared the director had gotten away with it all. Sala said she didn't feel defeated because she knew she did all she could for the children. After 8 years of dedication to loving each child in the orphanage, Sala was unemployed and hurt. It was then that Sala began working for Global Mamas as she was in desperate need of a steady income. Almost a year after starting her position at Global Mamas, Sala was informed of some incredibly exciting news. The police caught up with the orphanage director, arrested her, and shut down the corrupt operations of the orphanage. Children were split into smaller groups and placed in loving orphanages and homes across Ghana. Sala kept in touch with her sweet children and never gave up on bringing justice to those without a voice.

If the story ended here, I would still rejoice over her persistence to see justice brought to these children, desiring a better life for them. But this woman, just one woman, let love shine even brighter. She currently works a full work week with Global Mamas but uses her weekends to visit groups of children that were split up after the dissolution of the orphanage. Sala devotes her life to loving these children and doesn't need a salary to do so. This is sacrifice. This is LOVE. The one day she shared this story with me, she had just returned from one boy's birthday party over 5 hours away who had recently been adopted by a Ghanaian couple. 10 hours of travel for one boy. Inspiring, touching yet challenging to my heart.

What will you do to defend those who can't defend themselves?

Learn to do right! Seek justice, encourage the oppressed. Defend the cause of the fatherless, plead the case of the widow.
Isaiah 1:17