A FAMILY from Huddersfield visited charity work they help fund in Ghana – nearly half a century after they left the West African country.

Araba McMillan set off with father Ian to meet Atteh, the 15-year-old they sponsor through global children’s charity Plan UK.

It was an emotional journey for the McMillans, as they retraced their footsteps and took in decades of change since living in Takoradi, on the Ghanaian coast.

“I was born there but my parents returned to the UK when I was only six months old in 1965 and we’d never been back to Ghana,” says Araba, who is now 48.

“I wanted to see the places they had lived and worked in while I could still pick my dad’s brains.”

And a highlight of the trip was the day visit to Atteh’s village in Asesewa where a bond was instantly forged.

“Atteh’s family were delighted I’ve a Ghanaian name and they were pleased to talk about the differences in Ghana from the 1960s to the present day,” says Araba, whose name indicates she was born on Tuesday in the Fante dialect.

Money donated to Plan UK through sponsorship benefits whole families and communities, rather than individual children.

A donation of £15 a month helps provide clean water, healthcare and education in communities across Africa, Asia and Latin America.

Sponsors receive regular updates and photographs from their sponsored child and keep in touch by writing letters back.

Plan UK has over 100,000 sponsors in the UK, generating £24m a year and supporting one million children worldwide.

Araba and Ian, 75, who used to teach in Ghana before moving to Huddersfield, visited Atteh’s school which is supported by Plan UK.

It was then on to meet Atteh’s family, including his twin brother, and immerse themselves in local custom.

“The village chief welcomed us by asking us to drink water with them, which was indeed a pleasure,” says Araba.

“Then he brought out some palm wine with which to ceremonially ‘wash our feet’ in welcome.”

They also met a Village Savings and Loans group, part of the Banking on Change partnership between Plan UK and Barclays.

These groups enable villagers to save money and pool resources – garnering entrepreneurship by helping set-up small businesses and boost much-needed income.

It was here that the McMillans had a stark reminder of how precarious life can be in rural Ghana despite progress made.

“While we were there, the villagers all of a sudden started waving their arms about in the air and shouting at a big bird swooping down towards them,” says Araba, who now lives in Reading.

“I couldn’t understand what was going on until they explained that it was a hawk and it would have carried off one of the many chickens scratching around – that would’ve been somebody’s dinner flying off.”

For more information on sponsoring a child with Plan call 0300 777 9777 or visit www.plan-uk.org

Ghana’s capital city is Accra.

Its population is estimated at 20 million and around 10% of them live in or around the capital city.

The country is similar in size to the UK or the American state of Oregon.

More than 70 languages and major dialects are spoken countrywide.

Two-thirds of Ghanaians are Christian and around 15% are Islamist.

Most of the country is flat and lies below an altitude of 150m.

It has a tropical climate and its southern tip borders the Gulf of Guinea.