Adventures in Ghana

Monday, 25 February 2013

A text message

At 11.57am this morning I received the following text message from a fellow volunteer which typifies the kind of things which delay work in Ghana but also give it it's vibrant cultured and lead us to profess 'This is Ghana'

TEXT: So Iv'e just been told our office is closing at 12 because the local community are doing some ritual sacrifice outside our office and no one is allowed to watch especially women. If a woman sees the animal then she is cursed never to have children! Only in Ghana hey?'

It raises a number of questions for me ... I wonder how many it raised with you and if indeed they were the same;

1. Why was my friend told only 5 minutes before the minute she was supposed to leave the office?
2. Why was the venue not chosen somewhere away from work places (of women)?
3. What animal?
4. Why a sacrificial ritual at midday on Feb 25th (which just happens to be my brothers birthday - is there a link?!)?'.
5. Does the animal curse the woman?

Many questions raised in Ghana by us volunteers start with 'Why?' and more often than not a fellow volunteer will interrupt the sentence with a simple 'This is Ghana.' Sometimes these questions are best left unanswered.

An update on how your money is being spent; The big girls at Mama Laadis

We have a French friend in her 20’s, Marie, who was helping out at a clinic in Bolga to make use of her nurses training while her boyfriend was working for a company linked to agriculture. The work was frustrating for her so she left but in order to keep her hand in some volunteering work she asked if she could do some work at the orphanage. So we took her to Mama Laadi who of course was very accepting of this help. As Marie is an independent volunteer she comes with no funding at all. She asked what I thought she should do. With limited time and resources I suggested she focussed on the older girls who didn’t appear to be going to school, as they were a small group (3 at the time) and what she did with them could be manageable in the day without the small girls and boys getting in the way. I suggested she did some informal education with them; took them to see hats being made, weaving etc, talk about the hopes and aspirations, encourage them to write, and do some maths… generally make them realise an education is important to get them what they want. Since she started with us back in November she’s done a fantastic job with these girls (now 4). The intensive work has clearly worked on a number of levels, a talent has been found (one is a fabulous Artist) , 3 are being tutored part time with the aim of going back into full time education and the sexual abuse of one girl has been reported to the police and she has been medically checked and counselled about it. Also, importantly, Mama has seen the fight, spirit and ability that these girls have that was once hidden behind zero confidence, not helped by many thinking they were 'slow learners' which further encouraged them to hide with in a very thick shell they built around themselves.

Sandy (not her real name) is 14 years old, and has been at the orphanage since December. She has spent 4 years on the street and has been raped several times. Marie has taken her for STD tests and an HIV test; everything is negative, only that she has vaginal mycosis. We don't expect any punishment for the man but we want to show her that this situation is not acceptable and normal. However, we had to be careful about the version she gave to the police so they didn’t interpret it as prostitution as the man gave her money after he raped her. She was begging for money at a total filling station and the watchman asked her to come, pushed her and raped her and then gave her money. It happened a total of 6 times. She was hungry. Luckily, Marie said that the policewoman who dealt with the case was very kind and understanding. Marie suspects that she is now selling her body, but if she questions her the answer is not clear and Marie doesn’t know how to let her understand that she has to stop.

So, on the back of that Marie sent all 4 big girls including Sandy (14+ years) to the family planning clinic to get contraception. All have been given the implant whether sexually active or not, which will protect them from pregnancy for 5 years. They were also given a condom demonstration by the nurse, condoms were brought and it was explained to them why they were so important even if they had the implant. With teenage pregnancies (many school masters are the cause of this) and HIV rife in this area we really felt this action would help the girls positively to stay as safe as they can given the circumstances they are in/could be in.

Marie has also arranged for 3 of these girls to be tutored by a teacher at the local teacher training college, they will receive a lesson of English and a lesson of Maths each week in the early evening, she went with the children so the teacher could assess their level, Marie came back saying [in a French accent] ‘Oh, they have found the teacher funny, nice and awesome!’. So they have agreed to continue, a positive step given their negative and limited experiences at school. Mama prefers to pay for the school at the end of the month, but the school really want to be paid before the lessons to be able to pay the teacher. So we have agreed that part of the money raised over the summer by family and friends will be used to pay for this tuition and books for these 4 girls… It’s likely to get them back into full time education, and in turn could turn their lives around…. Thank you once again for all you gave last summer.

Thursday, 22 November 2012

A successful proposal

I really pleased… chuffed to bits in fact. It’s been a long time coming – two and a half months but I’m pleased to say I’ve managed to get some money for the Science Resource Box Project. It’s not the full amount, as expected, It was a ridiculous amount in total, some 30 + thousand Ghana cedi but I got some of it. It’s probably seemed that work has not really been happening for me since I’ve been back but I’ve been doing more than I did this time last year in my first 3 months but very much along the same lines, prepping the ground for next term. I tried to pre-empt that and got a lot sorted before I went back to the UK, but this is Ghana and things just don’t quite work out how you plan them. Still I have a few projects hoting up as I write this. The Talensi-Nabdam training I’m doing with Hells Bells AKA Helen. The SEN project with Leela and Janice I’m trying to get working at regional level, a management support project for Talensi-Nabdam I’ve been asked to get involved with. A couple of smaller projects; ICT and STMIE, and last but not least, my Science Resource Box Project. That’s my most satisfying as I’ve done the pilot project, evaluated, planned for a roll out and written a proposal which has been accepted in part by an external NGO, World Vision, so it must have made some sense.

The meeting was postponed initially by WV and the second time around the District Director for education couldn’t join me so he asked his HR Officer to attend. The manager at WV started the meeting by going over the issues of the timing of the arrival of my proposal to his office; just as the financial year had started, after all the activities for the funding had been allocated. To say I sunk a few feet into my chair was an understatement – prognosis was not looking good. He mentioned the part of the project I wanted external funding for was something their funding covered; teaching and learning materials and they had looked at reallocating funds that were in that pot from other activities to see what was possible… My internal dialogue, while he continued to justify why he was going to give me what he was going to give me, went something like this ‘Oh great, looking up, possibility they could fund one or two boxes then, what’s that? 700 Ghana cedi a box…. Maybe they’re going to give me 1400 GHC… how much is that from 30,000… shit. Where am I going to find the rest there is no way two boxes will be enough, I had 10 for the bloody pilot………….bet the other NGOs I went to………….‘ Then out loud, having heard something unbelievable in the on-going external conversation, I said ‘Sorry what. How many boxes?’ the cool manager replies with ‘sixteen boxes… using your figures that works out to…’ [small pause to turn a page], ‘12,600 GHC’. Well knock me down with a feather. [Small pause and licking of lips while my mouth dried out] and all I could manage was a very professional(?) ‘Oh my goodness that’s amazing, brilliant, I can’t believe it…16 boxes… wow. Fabulous. 12, 600 GHC… Ha’ then turning to HR and under my breath telling him I nearly fell off my chair…which was true. They’ve got to be grateful I didn’t start whooping around the room. Twelve thousand six hundred Ghana cedi. About 4,200 of your British pounds… sounds better in cedi.

Anyway, I jumped feet first into obtaining a letter to procure the first instalment of 9000 Ghana cedi. What do they say? If you want something done well, do it yourself. In Ghana if you want something done in a timely manner, write the damn letter yourself, which I did, for the District Director who skimmed and signed. He really shouldn’t trust me that much – you all know how bad my letter writing is (…I have visions of writing that job application letter with two lovely ladies…. Erase, erase). Not particularly capacity building but I’m about 8 weeks behind schedule and anyway, I’m going to be building bucket loads of capacity next term ( hopefully, if all goes to plan). Anyway fact is tomorrow I’m off to the regional WV office to collect the cheque. So over the next few weeks I’m going to be building science resource boxes. Sixteen of those lovely babies to be precise, which will wing their way next term with a bucket load of training to 16 needy Junior High Schools in Talensi. Let’s hope they’re ready!

Mama Laadis V’s Adabase

The boys at Mama Laadis had asked for a football match between them and another school from Bolga… any school. Helen and I thought it was something we could do so we did. It probably cost us all in all about £80. So what did we do? Helen was the main instigator of this; She rallied her boyfriend Mark, to get his school team to take part. He being the football coach was more than happy and competitive enough to agree. I asked a favour of the Zamestec Headmaster to borrow his bus, we fuelled it and gave some cedi to the driver who happens to be a friend of ours. We provided the water for half time and the food for post game celebrations back at Mama Laadis. Some of the girls who stayed back prepared it for us while the boys played the game. Jollof rice with fish, it was very good! It was a great game despite the referee (Mark) getting a puncture on the way there). As always in Ghana there was someone else to step in… a random boy/man from the community who was already playing around on the pitch before we arrived offered his services and Eric (the driver) and Louis (a VSO friend) who had come to see the game became the linesman. Emma, Crispin, Damien and Tina also came to support. It was a fab day made even better for the Mama Laadi win 2:1 (2:0 at half time ; ))… Mark was gutted… he was convinced his team would win!!!

Team Adabase

The warm up instigated by my good self when the panic button was pushed and the ref didn't arrive, with a jogging demonstration (am I mad? In the African sun with no sports bra???) ... Note the picture does not include my good self, I lasted seconds....

More warming up

the generous bus donation (for a few hours anyway)

watching the footie from the sidelines dreaming of being a rich football player one day.. or is that his mama....

And Action!

more action

Instruction from Eric the driver/linesman due to a lack of an actual coach

A random polictical rally... election is on Dec 7th... things are hotting up

and more action...

randon african music played on the sideline dispite being drowned out by the hideous noise from the political rally

Half time and Mark has just arrived and he's 2:0 down! Whoops!! He's not happy... poor boys!

The Adebase team and coach

The Mama Laadi Team and one off coach for the day

Second half action... the dust is flying

more action

Elation from both teams on the bus ride back to Mama Laadis for chop of jollof rice...

boyz will be boyz....

All the children; girls and boys, winning team and runners up enjoying chop and chatting

Monday, 29 October 2012

Halloween watermelons (AKA pumpkins) and other stuff

It’s been a busy few days but good busy which has culminated in a Halloween party so I’ll summarise it mostly in pictures.

One of the new vols, Janice from Zebilla is a SNO (special needs officer) and I suggested I take her to some special needs schools we have in and around Bolga as there are not any equivalents in Bawku West – her District. So Thursday brought about a trip to St Charles special school here in Bolga. It’s a pleasure to be able to share something working so well in the midst of lack of funding resources, support, and community understanding and so on for these children. It goes to show it CAN be done. Mary Magdalene (yes, actually Mary Magdalene!) the head teacher and one of her teachers, Mary Magdalene (one is called Mary and the other Magdalene to avoid confusion) are inspiring. Such a pleasant feel about the place.

Later after Helen had taken Janice to visit the school for the deaf we took Liz (a Kenyan volunteer) and her in-laws from Holland to Mama Laadis as they had brought some clothes over they had collected.

That day ended with me cooking coq au vin from a packet sent from the UK, successfully on the stove top as I don’t have an oven for Helen and Janice. The following day I had organised the next TSO meeting for volunteers at my house. Although successful as they always seem to be, it was however a public holiday in Ghana. It was the Muslim festival of Eid which ends Ramadan and where Muslims perform salah (or prayer). Redwana had kindly said she would cater for the meeting even though she is Muslim. That morning, whilst sorting out the final detail of food for the meeting I noticed a cow had turned up in their compound. It was to be sacrificed for the festival and used to provide halal meat, one third of which was for the family, two thirds of which went to the local poor people. I asked if we could observe, I was just interested and they agreed, so we all traipsed over to the compound when it was to be done. I have never seen an animal killed for meat taking so long to die… awful. I thought it was supposed to be humane. One saving grace was that the cow seemed very, very calm despite the throat being cut...Skip the next few photos if you’re squeamish.

Amanda kissing Helen after the event which she didn't bat an eyelid at...

The weekend finished on a high with the annual Halloween party, held at my house. Like last year it was a costumed party. In Ghana without the sophisticated merchandising that goes with Halloween we had to get creative. And creative we were….I was really impressed with some of the costumes...