“Why the Volta Region?” I will try to answer this question, which I have been asked many times, in this piece dedicated to all who believe in our mission.

It was one of those evenings when I finished presenting the sports news after a long day. In what had become a practice, I will unwind by logging in to my Facebook account on one of the newsroom PCs, checking what’s new before I finally leave for home. At that time, Facebook was not an app yet and was only accessible on a computer.

While scrolling through my inbox, I found one message that caught my attention. For this piece, I have captured that message here:

“Hello, Miss Joyce. I have been watching you on television. I live at the Volta Home Orphanage in the Volta Region of Ghana, and I would be happy if you could visit us…….God bless you for the work you always do.”

I repeatedly read this message sent on September 28th, 2010, and I was excited as always when I read messages from friends and admirers I had never met.

The sender wanted me to visit their orphanage in the Volta Region of Ghana. As touching as it felt, I was unsure if I would honor that request, especially as the location was outside Accra.

I responded positively to avoid making my “friend” feel bad. I promised to visit during Christmas, almost three months from the date he sent the message. My response got my “friend” sending me more messages, sometimes telling me about how he was faring at school and sharing some interesting activities at the orphanage.

So, December 2010 finally came, and I did not fulfill my promise. How bad of me! Though I strongly desired to visit the orphanage, traveling to the Volta region was not on my to-do list, coupled with my busy schedule at work.

Fast-forward to September 2017, when I stepped foot at the orphanage for the first time. Hmmm! Seven years after I made a promise, right? In between, this boy would not give up. He consistently sent me messages to remind me about my promise. He also told me how disappointed they were at the orphanage as I postponed my visit.

To compensate them, I delivered food items to the “unknown boy” and all the children at the orphanage in 2016.

Though excited with the gesture, he would not hide the fact that the children at the orphanage wanted to meet me. This request will force me to plan my trip to the Volta Region in September 2017, but I wasn’t going to travel alone. I went with the Joy In Giving team, and that trip was made even grander with the kind sponsorship of Partners of the Joy In Giving Foundation, the Melcom Group, Patrick Quainoo Ministries, and the Mothers of Africa.

The four-hour trip from Accra to VeDeme began very early in the morning. The road is full of patches and potholes.  VeDeme is on the way to Hohoe. I remember the bus driver, whom I had been assured was very familiar with the Accra -Volta road, missed the turning at the Ve junction.  After driving for about thirty to forty-five minutes, we had to make a U-turn with no sign of the orphanage insight.  With the help of one of the volunteers who hails from the Volta Region, we finally found the Ve junction that leads to the Volta Home. A few minutes’ drive saw us reaching our destination- the Volta Home Orphanage.

That is when I met my “unknown friend“ for the first time. He is Charles Annabi. His parents own the orphanage. He was in junior high school when he first contacted me through Facebook, but he has now graduated from senior high school and is pursuing further education at the university.

The 2017 trip to VeDeme was my second time in the Volta Region. My first was somewhere in 2008, and that took me to Tapa Abotoase in the Biakoye District, where I reported on some human-interest stories for GTV News and the Breakfast Show.

However, I was happy to be back in the Volta Region. I got the opportunity to meet with the owners and matrons and also had a good time interacting with the children—thanks to God and Charles, the boy who refused to give up.

So, my question is, how long have you been expecting something that seems to be taking forever, and how long are you willing to wait?  I have learned a lot from this story, and I will encourage you never to give up because giving up won’t speed up the process anyway.

Today, we are helping the orphanage meet its numerous needs through Joy In Giving Foundation and partners.

After several years of excuses and disappointments, I know that the visit to the orphanage finally came off. It has resulted in a stronger bond between the Volta Home and Joy In Giving Foundation, which hopes to benefit the children positively.