Personal Narrative: I Stood Under The Iroko Tree

As I stood under the old Iroko tree in Techiman, Ghana, drenched in rainwater with a book in my hand, I believed more than anything that better days were yet to come. The tar­black sky, blowing winds and angry rain beads did not dampen this belief. My belief was instead fueled by joy coming from the book I held in my hands. I have always loved reading but the limited resources in my village suppressed my passion. That day under the Iroko tree has always helped me remain positive and optimistic, regardless of my surroundings and circumstances.
In Ghana, school happens outside at the mercy of Mother Nature. Students sit in wooden chairs at wooden desks underneath trees for relief from the hot sun while the teacher stands in front of a single chalkboard. When I moved to the United States two years ago, being born and raised in a "Third World Country" meant that I was different. The faces that sat around me in my new class looked nothing like the faces that sat around me under the shade of the Iroko tree. However, I quickly realized that our differences didn't end there. I was always stressed out when we
I was not the first and I will not be the last person to struggle with reading. It would be selfish of me to only help myself. I wanted to find a way to make reading more accessible to students who are in a similar predicament. I decided to join forces with the other African students at my school and we created an organization called Scholars in Our Society and Africa (SOSA). SOSA aims to collect school supplies – textbooks, books, notebooks, pencils, etc. – to donate to deprived communities in Ghana. We worked with a non­profit organization called “Called To Serve” to help us with the shipping and we successfully sent our first shipment to a high school not far from my hometown Techiman. Currently, we are working with seven different high schools in the Bronx to send up to 5000 used