It has now been almost two months since I returned from my placement in Jirapa, Ghana. Yet each morning I walk down my street on my way to campus, hoping someone will greet me with a smile and a hearty “Angsoma!”

My friend Nancy greets me every day

These greetings are just one of the things I miss about Ghana. I also miss the food - banku, a starch base made out of fermented maize, and groundnut (peanut) soup is my favourite. I miss hanging out with my two young host brothers, Charles and Emmanuel, playing Owari or listening to music. I miss riding my bicycle around town and calling out to all of the people I know. I miss taking the time to enjoy every day, reveling in the relationships I have with the people around me. I miss traveling around the Upper West Region, visiting schools in some of the poorest places in Ghana and still being inspired by the dreams of the students there. And I miss my friends: Natalia, KK, Kobe, Nancy and many others.

My good friend Kobe

Now I am back in Canada, back at school, and back to my busy life. But Ghana hasn’t left me yet. It is still there, inside me, screaming to get out.

Ghana is one of the richer African nations, yet it still houses so much poverty. There are many people there who need our support as Canadians. And I, as someone who has been fortunate enough to travel to Ghana, am in a unique position. I have a choice. Will I keep my experiences bottled up inside me, enjoying the memories but convinced that “no one will understand”? Or will I share them with everyone I talk to, reminding Canadians that we have the power to make a difference all the way around the world?

A girl carries a basin of water from a nearby borehole to her home

I choose the latter.

So I am here to remind you that you have the power to affect change. There are many things we can do as Canadians, right here at home, to make the lives of those living in poverty overseas a little more bearable. Here are a few things you can do:

1) Buy Fair Trade products, such as coffee, tea, chocolate, sugar, bananas and other fruit, sports equipment, clothing, and lots more;

2) Donate to a charity that can SHOW you the impact it’s having overseas;

3) Write a letter to your MP to tell them you care about Foreign Aid;
(on a related note, the Canadian government recently rolled out a plan to UNTIE AID!!! This is super-exciting news for those of us who have been campaigning on this issue for years. Read more here: http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/story.html?id=f08c2405-d12b-4e11-9516-bd7faa004aca and then send a letter to your MP congratulating them on the new plan!)

4) VOTE in the upcoming federal election, and keep international issues in mind. Challenge your candidates to answer tough questions about their foreign policies and make them stick to it;

5) Volunteer for a social justice organisation;

6) Learn about another culture - see a foreign film, try a new restaurant, or talk to someone from a different country;

7) Try living off a dollar a day, just to see what it’s like (and yes, that dollar a day has been adjusted for Purchasing Power Parity).

This girl's shirt was shipped from Canada to Ghana - a common fate for our used clothing

Most of all, affecting change overseas requires a change in ourselves. We as Canadians need to change our attitudes and behaviour to better reflect our values. Canada has lost its reputation as a peacekeeping nation, but that doesn’t mean Canadians have lost their compassion. It’s time to stop being complacent and start demanding that Canada once again becomes a global leader when it comes to eradicating world poverty. But it’s up to you!

Nana

VINGOE, PHYLLIS ISOBEL - Passed away peacefully on July 25, 2008. Phyllis was born to Lottie and Duncan McLachlan, a pair of hardworking Scots, in North Bay, ON, on April 24, 1923. Her sister Myrtle Carr and brother Morris McLachlan still live in North Bay.

Phyllis was an excellent student and she graduated from high school at the age of 15. Although she did not have the opportunity to continue her "formal" education, Phyllis believed that one should never stop learning. She continued to be a voracious reader all her life.

Phyllis worked for the CPR in North Bay as a stenographer. It was here that she met Ted McCurry whom she married in 1952. They moved to Rothsay, NB, then to Toronto and finally to Galt, ON. After Ted died in 1978, Phyllis met and married Jack Vingoe and moved to Etobicoke. Jack died in 1981.

Phyllis was a strong woman who believed in the power of positive thinking. She lived independently in Etobicoke for many years. People would meet Phyllis once and remember her as "that tall, elegant woman". Phyllis loved to share her passion for ballet, literature, symphony, theatre, travel, bridge and golf with her wide circle of friends. But she was most special to her grandchildren Erin and Blair of whom she was so proud, her daughter Margot McCurry and son-in-law Allan Antcliffe. We will miss her greatly.

---

Phyllis Vingoe was my Nana; I am her only granddaughter. Like many people, I will remember her for her style and elegance, her poise and grace. However, these are not qualities I have always associated with my Nana (though I'm sure she always possessed them). But as young children we often don't give much weight to elegance. Instead, the quality I have longest associated with my Nana is love.

From my earliest memories I remember receiving so much love. She was so proud of us, her grandchildren, for even the smallest of accomplishments. We walked, read, played music and performed well in school to her constant delight. She was thrilled when I took up ballet and came to every performance.

It was not until she passed away that I noticed how many photos of us there are in her apartment. I know she loved us with all her heart, and that gave us the confidence to be the best we could be. I will carry her love in my heart always. And it is not for her elegance, but for her love, that I will always remember my Nana.

Early Return

As some of you are already aware, I've had to cut my time in Ghana short by 5 weeks. I returned to Canada last week to meet my mother at the airport and headed straight to the Mississauga hospital where my grandmother is currently held. She has been in ill health for the past few months, but her condition has deteriorated drastically since I left for Ghana. I was in close contact with my family for the last few weeks in Ghana until we decided I should come home early. After reaching that conclusion it was only a matter of days until I was on a flight back home. As for my grandmother, she continues to get worse every day and I can only hope her suffering does not last too long.

It has been difficult for me to leave before the end of my placement, but I believe it was the right decision. I had to come back to see my grandmother before she passes away - she will not always be here, unlike Ghana, which will wait for my return. My mother is relieved to have my companionship and support while my brother and father work during the week, and my grandmother was very happy to see me home. It's a difficult time for all of us, but I'm glad I can be here with the ones I love during this time.

I still have a lot of reflecting to do on my time in Ghana, figuring out what I learned, how I changed and how it will affect my actions in the future. I'm not yet ready to answer questions like "so how was it?" or "what did you learn?" (though I don't think I'll ever be able to answer those ones). I have to sort my photos, write down my stories and think as much about what I didn't see as what I did. I'm sure it will take time for all of this to come together, but it is a process I look forward to.

If you've stuck it out through these marathon blog posts, congratulations! You have a lot of time on your hands :) I invite your questions and comments on both my blog and my experiences as a whole, but please be aware that it may be a few weeks before I get back to you. Thanks for reading!

Rural Education in Ghana

*Disclaimer: please remember that all of the following information has been gathered from my perspective, using all of the biases I carry with me as a rich, white, young female volunteer. These perspectives may change as I stay in Ghana longer and the perspectives of Ghanaians themselves would surely be different still. So as you read, keep in mind that things may not always be as they seem.*

When we pass the first group along the red dirt road, I look back. What are these boys running for? Then we pass another group, and some more. This goes on for about 2km on the road between Jirapa and Sabuli. Many wave as we zoom past on our motorbike, but some simply stare ahead in concentration. We pass maybe 70 or 80 kids in total, boys and girls of all sizes. With only a few exceptions, they all have one thing in common: they aren't wearing any shoes.

It is a school out for a cross-country practice. Many of the children come to school in flip-flops, the only footwear their families can afford. Some come to school with no shoes at all. But when it is time to run, only the few with stronger shoes keep them on their feet. The rest shed their footwear and start off on the rocky roads, smiling and showing no signs of pain as they run along.

This is just one example of "the way things are" at rural schools in the Upper West Region of Ghana.

A rural Junior High School in Ganaa

Many children wear uniforms to school, but those who can't afford them just wear their everyday clothes. There are no official rules about wearing a uniform to school, but those who can't afford one will be made fun of by their peers.

Children are also expected to have their own school supplies - small textbooks, notebooks, pencils, etc. These also cost money, which some families don't have.

Ghana no longer charges fees for children to go to school. The practice of introducing school fees was common in many African countries during the Structural Adjustment Programs of the 80s, but later reversed once enrollment rates dropped dramatically. However, there are associated fees that families must still provide if they want their children to get a good education. And these fees can act as barriers to the poorest children attending school.

Additionally, children will often be kept home from school, especially on market days and in the farming season, to help their parents with the work at home. Not only does it cost money to go to school (if one wants the proper supplies and attire), but the family is losing out on an income-generation opportunity. If a child stays home to help with the work, the family will earn more money from their farm, or perhaps from selling goods at the market or on the street. For the poorest families, the opportunity to earn just a bit more through the labour of their children is impossible to pass up. And children who work can't go to school.

On top of the monetary issues faced by rural families, there is also a problem with the school system itself. Many Ghanaians become teachers as a stepping stone on the path to another occupation. Teachers are under-paid, and can be posted almost anywhere, which is often not near their families and communities. Also, many teachers at rural schools don't live in the communities in which they work. They will choose to live in a larger town nearby and commute to school, cutting them off further from the realities of the students they teach.

Some of the teachers in the rural northern regions are on their National Service year, a mandatory year of volunteerism required of every Ghanaian university graduate. The state has the right to post the National Service Volunteers anywhere they wish, and though most of these new grads are not from the northern regions this is where the most volunteer service is needed. Many are shocked by life in the north and are less than pleased to be here. Some will even quit before their year is up.

Clearly there is a problem with teacher motivation at the schools in this area. That is not to say that there are no good teachers; I have met a few that are truly passionate about their classes and want to give the children the best educational experience they can offer. But the majority of teachers at rural schools are there because they have to be, not because they want to be.

What does the Ghana Education Service do?

The District Director is in charge of all of the schools in a particular district. He heads up the District Education Office (which is where I'm working in Jirapa/Lambussie District) and reports to the Regional Education Office (in this case, in charge of the whole Upper West Region). He is responsible for making sure his staff do their jobs, and have the means to do it properly. The office here is made up of several departments, including administration and finance, training and hiring, and school supervision (of which I am a part). Within this department there are people in charge of culture, phys.ed, science, technology and math, setting exams and a multitude of other things. The District Girls Education Officer (Natalia, who I am working with) is also in this group. She is in charge of visiting schools in the district to encourage girls to complete their education, as well as dealing with specific issues like teenage pregnancy and elopement. There is also a team of Circuit Supervisors who are responsible for the 218 schools within the District. These schools are divided into 12 circuits and one Supervisor is in charge of each circuit. They travel around the circuits and make sure things are being carried out properly. They verify the attendance of the Headmaster and teachers at all of their schools and monitor childrens' attendance as well. They check the content of the curriculum being taught, monitor school health and generally make sure the children are receiving a good education. The Circuit Supervisors can also fire teachers if they are not showing up to school or not carrying out their duties.

Sign outside the GES District Office

Hypothetically, that is how my office works. But in reality very little of this work is carried out properly.

I had a chat the other day with two of my co-workers: Louisa, who is in charge of receiving schools' proposals and handing out grants, and Simon, who manages all of the circuit Supervisors. (They are both over 40 years of age, like most of the people who work in this office. It takes time to be promoted to this level and as a result many people here are on the verge of retirement. This creates problems when the work requires constant travel and an abundance of energy to interact with the mostly-young teaching population.) I asked Louisa and Simon what the main barriers are for the Circuit Supervisors in their work. They identified three things: Means, Mobility and Motivation.

MEANS

Unfortunately, as with everything, it all comes down to money. It takes money to fuel a motorcycle, which is the primary mode of transportation for the Circuit Supervisors. But somehow none of the money that comes into the District Office every year gets allocated to these field workers for fuel, which makes it very difficult for them to get around. For example, Natalia is supposed to visit every community in the district once per term (there are three terms in a year). However, there are some schools that she has not visited in over two years because she does not have the money for fuel to get there.

MOBILITY

A moto is required to get to the majority of the schools in this district - the population density makes public transportation impossible except along a few select routes. And a moto is expensive (in Ghanaian terms), at least Ghc600 ($600). The GES District office bought several motos a few years ago for use by the Circuit Supervisors, but currently there are only 5 available for 12 people. Some personally own motos, which they can use for their jobs, but the majority don't have the money for this. As a result, many of the Circuit Supervisors are left without the means or the mobility to carry out their work.

MOTIVATION

I have noticed something very interesting when I use the word "motivation" in Ghana: it has a different meaning. In Canada, I use the word "motivation" often to describe passion for one's work. Motivation comes from within, a reaction to injustices we see or ambitions we want to pursue. But here in Ghana, the word has taken on a much narrower meaning. "Motivation" is used to describe not internal drive, but external incentive. When people here speak of "motivation", they are really talking about compensation, including recognition from peers or supervisors and/or monetary compensation.

This is a touchy subject, and one that I won't speculate on too much. I think the internal motivation is present in most GES employees to improve education in the district. However, many find that they will receive the same "motivation" (compensation) whether they do their jobs properly or not. So why work more than you have to when you will still receive the same pay?

As a result, the schools don't get regular visits from the District Office, and they start to slack off. I have visited several schools already where we arrive to find the Headmaster has gone to the bank, or the market, or even gone home. Or maybe he has not arrived at school yet that day, even though it's past 10am. The same can be said for the teachers, who can wander into school at whatever time they please when no one is there to punish them. One time we arrived at a school to find all of the students dressed in their uniforms and playing outside. When we asked where their teachers were, a student replied "they have not arrived yet". I was incredulous! But that's the reality of rural schools. The current focus is on enrollment - get all the kids into school. But along the way, the quality of education has been neglected.

The parents have some power to hold schools accountable for their childrens education, but only if they are actually interested in this education. Many parents are illiterate themselves, or don't see the value of education, and thus do not take an interest in the education of their children. And some parents are just too busy farming or working to put food on the table. Schools will often call PTA meetings to allow parents the opportunity to speak up, but few parents have the time or motivation to attend. In these cases, the teachers are not held accountable by anyone: parents, headmasters or Circuit Supervisors.

It is a dismal situation, and easy to lose hope. Keeping kids in school is a constant challenge. But one institution that is helping with the problem of retention is the Sara clubs. Here the students learn the importance of education for both girls and boys. They learn things that are useful to them outside of school, such as personal hygiene and respect for others. Their parents see this, and support them in their studies. Sara club members have become more assertive in class, asking questions, answering questions and demanding a good education. Teachers respond by improving their lessons and giving more time to answer students' questions. Overall, the academic performance of Sara club members has improved through changes in the students, parents and teachers.

Meeting with a Sara club in Ullo

But not everyone can be in a Sara club. In fact, there are more schools in the district that DON'T have Sara clubs than those that do have them. Many students believe, as their parents do, that school is a waste of time. They regularly miss school, fall asleep in class, show bad behaviour and don't study hard. Eventually they drop out, choosing instead to work or spend their time idly with their friends. They are not always to blame; they have no good role models and life is hard.

Still, even in those communities where life is most difficult, you will find students that show great dedication to their studies. Why do they do it, when their teachers, parents and communities generally don't support their efforts? Because somewhere along the way, someone has told them that education is the key to their future. They want to grow up to be doctors, lawyers, engineers. They want to go to a good school and earn lots of money for their children. They want to escape the trap of poverty, and they know education is the way out.

My Work

"It is said that if you educate a man you educate an individual, but if you educate a woman you educate the nation. From the Sara club our parents now know this to be true and now they send our sisters to school as well as our brothers."

These words are the result of a short group exercise we gave to the members of this club. Their challenge was to explain how the club had changed their parents' perspectives on the importance of girls' education. After 5 minutes huddled in small groups all around the school grounds, each group returned to the class and presented their findings in well-structured English sentences. I am impressed with their efforts, and motivated by the change they see taking place in the world around them.

Working with a group of Sara Club members

But let me take a step backward and explain how I got to this place.

Many people have been asking "so what are you doing in Ghana anyway?". I've been putting off answering that question because I was still sorting out the details of my work. But now I think things are relatively well planned out, so I will share my plans with you.

My first few weeks of work were spent soaking up information and getting a feel for the role of the Girls' Education program here at the Ghana Education Service (GES) District office. I am working closely with the District Girls' Education Officer (DGEO) - who just happens to be the same Natalia who is my host mother - and KK, a long-term WUSC volunteer who hails from the south of Ghana and is here on an 18-month placement.

One of the major initiatives in girls' education in the northern regions is the creation of Sara clubs. The initiative is a joint venture by UNICEF and many national governments throughout Africa in an effort to keep girls enrolled in secondary education. The clubs are based out of the Junior Secondary Schools (JSS), headed by a teacher and consisting of both male and female student members. The concept of the clubs is based on a fictional girl named Sara. Sara leads an exemplary life - she shows respect for her friends, parents and community, she is helpful, she studies hard in school, she abstains from sex and is a role model to her peers. In short, she's perfect. Through reading comic books and watching movies about Sara's exploits, the members of the Sara club learn moral lessons about the behaviour they should exhibit as young adults. They have discussions on personal hygiene, HIV/AIDS and other STIs, teenage pregnancy and relationships between boys and girls. They sing songs, act out plays and try to educate their communities about the "new" role of girls in society, not just as wives and mothers, but as educated professionals. The underlying sentiment is "anything a boy can do, a girl can also do", a phrase which I have heard repeated several times.

Students at a Sara Club meeting

In this district, Jirapa/Lambussie, there are 36 active Sara clubs. Many were just recently revived since KK started working here. Some clubs are more active than others - indeed, it seems to depend a lot on the motivation level of the club leaders. There are some champion teachers who are really doing a lot for their schools, and some deadbeats who just got roped into it and often don't even show up for meetings.

One of the major projects I'm taking on while I'm here is a Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) "tour" of these 36 Sara clubs. In these 3 weeks, we are traveling to all of the clubs and spending about 1 hour with each group. First we spend some time with the teachers, finding out the logistics of the meetings - when do they happen, how frequently, who plans them, etc. We also ask the teachers if they have seen any change in the behaviour of the students who are members of the Sara club. Often they note improved academic performance and behaviour in the classroom, as well as a more respectful relationship between the boys and the girls.

Next, we meet with the members of the Sara club in one of the school classrooms. This can range from only about 20 students up to 80 or 90. They stand and greet us and we introduce ourselves and the purpose of our meeting. Then come the questions: "What do you enjoy about the Sara club? How are you benefiting from being a member of the club?", then "What are the challenges that you face?" and "How can you improve your club?". At first the responses are slow to come - some students aren't comfortable answering in English, and some just need time to think. But once the first few ideas are spoken, more and more hands are raised to add to the discussion. (It helps that we offer a prize for participation - a postcard, coin or "Make Poverty History" bracelet from Canada!) For the final activity, we divide up into the groups that I mentioned at the start of this post to answer the question "how has the Sara club changed the way people think about girls' education?". Each group considers a different set of stakeholders - parents, teachers, classmates, brothers and sisters, chiefs and elders. It is a heavy question, but an important one, and these students are in the best position to answer it.

"Before we were not respectful. Now that we are Sara club members we are respectful of our parents and elders in the community. They see this and they know it is important to send us to school."

"Our teachers used to be in love with some students at school, but from the Sara club we know how to say 'no'. Now the teachers know that we are strong and we are here for our education."

"Often the children who are not in school will copy the behaviour of those of us who go to school. Now that we are in Sara club, we live the life of Sara - we are respectful and obedient, we do our chores and study hard. We don't chase boys/girls and we don't have sex. Our friends see this and they have stopped their bad behaviour too."

It all sounds too good to be true. Often these students are describing the best-case scenario, the ultimate goal of the Sara clubs. They know this goal, and so they tell us what they think we want to hear. On one hand, maybe some of these Sara clubs really have had a dramatic effect on girls' education in a community. On the other hand, maybe some have had absolutely no effect. But how do we know?

This is a common problem with M&E: how do you gather qualitative information in a way that is both reliable and efficient? The real effect of the Sara clubs probably lies somewhere in the middle of the spectrum. An in-depth study of the community, interviews with several different stakeholder groups and sustained observation would give us a better idea. But who has time to talk to every person in a village? So we must compromise. We use a variety of techniques - one-on-one interviews, small group work, group discussions and brainstorming - but spend a limited amount of time in each location. This approximates an approach known to development professionals as Participatory Learning and Action (PLA) - more on this technique later.

Another group is presenting as I look around the classroom at the assembled students. They look proud when they speak of their new respect for themselves. There are small giggles and hand-covered smiles every time they hear the word "sex". One after the other, they tell heart-warming stories of parents sending girls to school, elders approving of their behaviour and brothers and sisters copying their reformed role models.

While I would like to believe the Sara club is greatly improving the availability of education for girls in this community, I must sift through the layers separating us - language, religion, power, race - to find the truth. And armed with the truth, I will find a way to support these students in their quest for a better life.

A Day in My Life

I have started to settle into a routine here in Jirapa. To give you an idea of what my life is like, here is a taste of a regular day for me.

6:00am - wake up, go to the washroom, do my Pilates exercises. I bought a small prayer mat at a local store and I have enough space on my bedroom floor that I can do Pilates inside. I find this is a great way to start the morning - calming and energizing to prepare me for the day ahead.

6:45am - sweep the yard. Ghanaians take great pride in all matters of appearance, including the upkeep of their houses. There is a huge nim tree in our front yard that is constantly dropping fruit and leaves, but i sweep the dirt clean.

The yard that I sweep

7:00am - bathe. The water usually runs for about an hour every morning, but the time is unpredictable and sometimes it doesn't come on at all. If it is running, I will take my shampoo, towel and cloth into the washroom for a shower. If the water is not running, I will also take a small bucket of water and bathe with this. Bathing has become one of my favourite parts of the day because it is the only time I am cool!

7:10am - dress, take my malaria pill and multivitamin, and eat breakfast. Breakfast usually consists of white bread and tea. Sometimes I will add a mango (which I've only recently discovered I LOVE here), an orange or some groundnut paste (peanut butter) for an extra treat.

7:40am - pack my things for work - laptop, water bottle, notebook, pens and books. If I am going out in the field I will also bring my raincoat (just in case), some biscuits and a motorcycle helmet.

7:50am - go to work. I get on the moto with Natalia (my host mother and the District Girl-Child Education Officer) and we head off down the dirt path to the main road, then along the road to work. It is not very far, about a 25-minute walk, but it is only 5 minutes on the moto (and much less sweaty).

8:00am - work. This can consist of many things. If I am working at the office it can include designing Monitoring & Evaluation (M&E) forms and activities, processing information that has been received, learning about and planning Participatory Learning and Action (PLA) activities, writing emails and reading about development. If I am traveling out of the office, it is usually to visit one of the Sara clubs in the district (more about these girls clubs later). We will meet with the girls and talk with them, both giving and receiving information.

Hard at work

12:00pm - lunchtime. Sometimes I will go back home with Natalia and we will prepare something for lunch, such as jolaf rice or banku with light soup. Other times I will take lunch somewhere in town, finding a place to sit and read my book while I take some kenkey or rice with chicken. It is also a good time to do small errands, such as going to the small local market, buying water or going to the post office.

2:00pm - return to work. After a long lunch and rest, I will return to the office to finish up work for the day. This part of the day is usually a lot more laid-back and you may even find people sleeping at their desks. If I don't have too much work to do, I will use this time to write blog posts or work on my learning plan.

4:00 or 5:00pm - finish work and go home. Depending on whether there is a lot to do, we will leave work earlier or later. After getting home, I will rest for a while (it's still usually very hot at this time). I like to read a book or write in my journal. If Charles and Emmanuel are home, I will play cards with them or talk with them for a while.

7:00pm - cook dinner. We will start cooking as it gets cooler outside - but it's still hot in the kitchen! We will cook TZ, fufu, banku, or rice along with light soup with goat, groundnut soup with fish, or okru soup. There are also several soups with various greens in them but I have yet to figure out all the names. And when I say "we" cook, it usually means that Natalia is in charge and I help with cutting up vegetables and pounding pepe (hot peppers) or tomatoes. I'm starting to learn how to cook though, so hopefully by the time I return I will be able to prepare some Ghanaian dishes!

Stirring the banku (fermented maize that is ground into flour then cooked with water)

8:00pm - eat dinner. Most families eat dinner around 6pm, but for some reason my family eats late. Also, it doesn't seem important that the family eats together - whoever is around gets a bowl when it's ready, and everyone else will help themselves later. The only important thing is to serve my host father with his own dishes on a tray along with a cup of water. Usually we will eat outside, where it is nice and cool (though this means I have to load up on bugspray first). Generally I like the food, though I'm not crazy about the snotty consistency of okru!

8:30pm - bathe again. Ghanaians usually bathe twice a day. It is easy to get sweaty and dirty, so this is a pretty good idea. The water is never running at this time of night, so it is always a bucket shower. I usually just wash my body and don't get my hair wet before bed.

8:40pm - brush my teeth, put my sleeping clothes on and head to bed. I will make sure I write in my journal before going to sleep, and sometimes if I'm not too tired I will read my book. Then I will turn off my light (if the power is on - otherwise I use a flashlight), tuck my mosquito net under my mattress all the way around and go to sleep!

The weekends are a bit different. Sometimes I allow myself the luxury of sleeping in until 7am, at which point Natalia will start banging on my door to see if I'm up yet. This is understandable - the morning is the coolest part of the day and the only time you can really do work. Saturday mornings consist of doing laundry. We will all take turns to wash our clothes in a big basin, rinse them and hang them to dry on the clothesline. Doing laundry by hand has become one of my favourite things - I find it so calming, sitting and scrubbing the week's dirt out of my clothes. The rest of Saturday I will find various things to do, including hanging out with friends, going for walks or other adventures. On Sunday my whole family goes to church. I went with them on my first week (to see what it was like), but I don't go anymore. Instead I stay behind and enjoy the peace and quiet. In the afternoon I will walk to the bustling weekly market, when people from all over the surrounding area come to Jirapa to sell their goods. There are things I can buy there that I can't find during the rest of the week, including pineapple and other such luxuries. I've never tasted pineapple so good as the ones in Ghana! On the way home I will relax, chat with people on the street and maybe stop for a cup of pito. Sundays are very relaxed, a perfect way to prepare for the week ahead.

The Rains Have Come

For those of you who were worried about the rain... it's here!

Before - a dry riverbed

Now - rain running through the street outside my office

Proverbs

To get a better understanding of local culture in Jirapa, I was challenged to learn some of the proverbs. So for a week I asked everyone I met to tell me one of their favourite proverbs. (This behaviour apparently led the menfolk of the town to believe i was romantically interested in them and I got more than 5 marriage proposals, but I guess that's what you get.)

Below are the results of my investigation. Can you guess at the meaning of these proverbs? The answers are below - some are easy, but some are way off the chart. Have fun!

1. A crab cannot give birth to a bird.

2. An eagle can fly thousands of miles but it never forgets to return to its nest.

3. If all lizards lie prostrate, how can a man tell which one suffers from pain in its belly?

4. Patience can move mountains.

5. If a donkey had horns it would kill people.

6. The ant may be small but it can eat the leaves of a mango tree until it is bare.

7. If a dog sees a fowl with a bone in its mouth, it needn't be in haste. The fowl has no teeth to eat the bone, so the dog will get it when it drops. (ok I had to paraphrase this one)

8. A bird has to trot before it can fly.

9. A man cannot stop drinking water because his son drowned in the river.

10. To bury a mad dog let the tail enter the hole first.

11. The Gbunu face of a billy goat cannot prevent the owner from selling it.

12. All for God (not a proverb but definitely a sentiment shared by the majority of the town)

Answers:

1. An easy one to start! This one is fairly obvious: it's comparable to the English expression "like father, like son." When I was told this one I commented "man, that's kinda depressing" but I think the comment was lost...

2. Another easy one. Remember where you came from and always appreciate it (usually in the form of respecting and loving your parents).

3. This one is tricky, and definitely one of the weirder expressions I heard. The meaning is "don't make judgements or assumptions without evidence", a good motto for everyone!

4. Same as in English.

5. Haha, this one took a while to explain. I got it from an old man who'd had too much pito (he was pretty drunk) and asked me to marry him at least 4 times in 15 minutes. Anyway, it was a funny expression so I persisted to find the meaning. The explanation went like this:
Old Man: "so you know donkey, right?"
Me: "right"
OM: "and you know donkeys are evil, right?"
Me: "ok..."
OM: "and the donkey wants to have horns like a cow, right?"
Me: "sure..."
OM: "but since the donkey is evil, if it had horns it would kill people"
Me: "so cows want to kill people?"
OM: "no no, cows are not evil. Donkeys are evil!"
Me: "oh ok. So... what does that mean?"
OM: "if you want something but you have evil intentions, no one will give that thing to you."
Me: "wow, I would never have got that..."
Haha, so that's the story. Did you guess that one?

6. Small people can do big things

7. Be patient with opportunities that you know will come around to you eventually. Don't hassle people unnecessarily when you know you will benefit in the end. Let them enjoy themselves and wait for your turn.

8. Pretty straight-forward. This was actually used to describe a program we are implementing here at work, when we were looking for results too soon after the program was started.

9. Don't let difficulties deter you from the life you want to live. Be practical.

10. Yeah a kid told me this one and I think he just thought it was funny... I don't actually know if there's a lesson here or not.

11. "Gbunu" apparently means something like "to make ones face ugly". So the meaning is even if you try to make yourself seem undesirable, you may still have to do things you don't want to do.

12. Bonus track - do you dig it?

And that's all folks! I hope this has helped you to learn something of Dagaare culture! Post any comments or questions freely and keep in touch!

Photos of my Family

I'm on some fast internet right now, so here are some photos of my host family. Enjoy!!

Charles

Edgar

Emmanuel

Natalia

Mailing Address

Just in case you want to send me something (hint, hint), here's my address:

Erin Antcliffe
Ghana Education Service
P.O. Box 14
Jirapa, UWR
Ghana, WA

The Rains

The rains have not yet come. People are worried, and the farming seasons grows shorter and more uncertain every day. The riverbeds are dry and dust blows in the fields. The yam mounds that were made months ago sit barren in the hot sun. Every day people pray for rain.

Unlike Canada, Ghana has only two seasons - dry season and rainy season.
The rainy season usually begins in Jirapa in early May, sometimes even in April, and lasts through to about October. The temperatures during this season hover around 30-35 degrees C. The rains are sporadic, but when they fall they fall hard. This is the farming season, when people will grow yams, cassava, maize and other large crops. They will begin preparing the fields in April, ploughing and readying their fields for planting. When the rains come the fields are ready for planting, weeding and, many months later, harvesting.

The dry season lasts from about November to March. During this season temperatures can soar over 40 degress C. There are few rainfalls - this year there were only two in the span of four months. The fields lie dry and hot and there is no farming. Some people engage in dry-season gardening to supplement their diets (and, if they're good, their incomes). These crops include tomatoes, onions and a variety of leafy greens. But in general, life is hot hot hot and dry dry dry!

It is now the first week of June, and the rains have still not come. They are a month late and still people are waiting. There have been three rainfalls during the month of May, two since I arrived, but they haven't been close enough together to sufficiently say the rainy season has started. Once the rains come more often than every three days, then people will know that the rain is here to stay.

People are scared that there will be a repeat of last year's weather. The rains were late then too, coming at the end of May. But when they came they were accompanied by terrifying storms, high winds and torrents of rain. There were floods throughout the northern regions and many farmers' fields were just washed away. The crop yields from last year's rainy season were incredibly low. People desperately need a good year from their farms, which makes this year's late rains all the more worrisome.

Unfortunately, some of the ambitious farmers who planted early have lost all of their seeds. The very rural families who still draw water from rivers or streams are having an incredibly difficult time finding sources of water. Here in Jirapa the water comes from boreholes, which are still functioning, so we are lucky. Driving through the countryside on a motorbike, I see dry fields in all directions with no sign of life.

And there is nothing to do but wait and pray.

My New Home

Now that I've settled into my house in Jirapa, let me tell you a bit about where I live.

This is my house. There are 4 big rooms, a courtyard and a washroom (split into shower and toilet). The kitchen and the living room are at the front, and my bedroom and the parents bedroom is at the back.

The kitchen has a long stone counter along one side and water barrels on the other side. We use a small charcoal fire to cook everything, and it certainly heats up in that little room!

The living room is where we come to sit and spend time together. There is a TV and a DVD player in this room, and there is usually music blaring at all times of the day (given that the power is on). It ranges from Ghanaian high-life to American rap to Celine Dion - quite the eclectic mix! The living room also contains the freezer, which is really used as a fridge. It is turned on and off (either by hand or when the power goes out) to keep the food inside cool, but not frozen.

The courtyard contains more big water barrels. This is where we do the washing on the weekends. It's also where several things are stored, including motorbikes, extra pots, benches and several other things.

The washroom has a shared ceiling and a shared light. The toilet is on one side - yes, it is a real toilet, but it doesn't flush. It may have been hooked up to the water at some point, but more likely is that it was installed with no intention of hooking it up. Instead, we take a bucket and fill the back of the tank, then flush it by lifting up the stopper. The shower is on the other side with a stone floor. It is actually a beautiful shower - when the water is running. Otherwise I will take a bucket of water, crouch down and scoop water onto myself to bathe.

My bedroom is at the back and I think it is the hottest room in the house. But other than that, it is spacious and beautiful - I actually feel kind of guilty to be taking so much space to myself! I don't need all of the space, so it actually looks quite bare. On one side is my bed, covered in a mosquito net (thanks Kristy!) that I tuck into my mattress on all sides before going to sleep. My clothes are all hanging on wooden pegs on one side of the room (but the pegs are in danger of falling out of the wall so I might have to change that!). I have a small bookshelf and a table that hold my books, medicine and other small things. I also have a small mat on the floor that I use to do Pilates in the mornings. All in all it's a great room!

Now, I should introduce my family. There are six members of the Lantuo family: Natalia (mother), Edgar (father), Eric (age 26), Xavier (age 20), Charles (age 15) and Emmanuel (age 8). Oh and I shouldn't forget our dog, Hope! Eric is a teacher and lives far away now, and Xavier goes to school in a neighbouring town, so only Charles and Emmanuel live at home.

Natalia is the most dominant member of the household. She is the District Girls Education Officer and I work with her at the office. She is a very strong woman and holds many opinions. She is not afraid of confrontation and can put anyone (man or woman) in their place. That said, she is an excellent role model for young girls to stand up for themselves and their beliefs. Natalia does most of the work around the house, including cooking and cleaning.

Edgar is the District Inspector and he works at the District Assembly (local government) in Jirapa. He is in charge of making sure everyone in the area pays taxes and is generally financially responsible. He is quite a big man in town and people are always dropping by the house to say respectful hello's and to talk seriously with him. That said, he is a very quiet and respectful man. During our conversations he is always thoughtful and kind. I like to talk to him, but I find it difficult to know what kind of relationship we should have with me being a young white female staying in his house, and he a powerful elder black male.

Charles is in Form 2 at St. Anthony's Junior Secondary School (JSS) here in Jirapa. He is the Library Prefect and quite popular in school. He is a very respectful boy and is well-liked by both his peers and adults in the neighbourhood. He and I have become good friends and he helps me learn Dagaare (the local language). We also play a lot of cards, and have taught each other some new games.

Emmanuel is in Form 3 at St. Anthony's Primary School (PS). He doesn't like school as much as Charles and often pretends to be sick to try to get out of going. However, Natalia is strict and Emmanuel usually has to go to school anyway. When he's not pouting about school, he's quite a lively young boy. He spends lots of time playing with the other children in the neighbourhood. He admires his older brothers and they're quite good to him. I'm impressed at the level of his English, though of course it's not as good as the rest of the family, but he gets by.

(I will post photos of my family soon - the internet is toooo slow right now!!)

The Lantuo's are devout Catholics, attending mass every Sunday. Both Natalia and Edgar are officials in the Church. They are quite well-known around town, but still money can be tight. However, this doesn't stop Natalia from taking time to enjoy pito, the local brew (it reminds me of cider and is very good). Overall the Lantuo's are a great family to live with, but still I'm left with so many questions. Is this family in poverty? How should I know? They don't ACT like they're in poverty - but what does an impoverished person act like anyway? On one hand, they have a TV, a DVD player and enough to eat. On the other hand, they have to draw water from buckets and cook their food over a fire. So what are the criteria for living in poverty, and how can I, an outsider, make an accurate assessment of a family?

Lately I've been thinking a lot about development. More specifically, I've been asking the question "What does developed Ghana look like?" Because I'm pretty sure it doesn't look like the US. But if Ghanaians aren't striving to live a life of excess like Americans (or Canadians for that matter), but don't want to live in poverty either, where DO they want to live? What do those developed lives look like? How can Ghana develop in a way that provides for every person, yet is sustainable into the next century (or several centuries)?

In addition, how will we know once we get there? The NGO industry in Ghana is booming, with everything from huge international NGOs to locally-grown organisations. Everyone is capitalizing on the money that is flowing into Ghana for aid and development, and believe me: there are millions of dollars here. Furthermore, millions of peoples' livelihoods rely on the business of development. This makes it difficult to step back and say "are we there yet?" So who will be the one to say when Ghana is developed and all these NGOs can pack up and go home? And then who will employ all of the people currently employed by NGOs?

There are lots of questions, but development work is all about questions. As long as we continue to be critical of ourselves and others, we will remain on track to development... whatever that means.

The Last Week

The last week has been a whirlwind of activity. I spent several days in Accra, some in training and some just exploring the city, before coming up to Tamale, the capital of the Northern Region. To give you an idea of the various escapades I got up to last week, here's the play-by-play (complete with photos!):

Tuesday: The First Day
After arriving late Monday night, I arose early to a cacophony of new sounds (including a rooster). We had a leisurely morning with breakfast at the guest house (never again - at 5 cedis, it was much too expensive!). Around lunch time we headed up to the WUSC office, a 5-minute walk up the red dirt road, around the goats through some puddles left behind by the rainstorm the night before. There we filled out some administrative forms, used the wireless internet and got more familiar with Kafui, the director of the Students Without Borders program in Ghana. Next, we needed to take care of necessities: food and water, and to get that: money. (It is one of the strange things about arriving in a new country: finding food and water seems so difficult at first, when you don't know the ins and outs of the street vendors, what is for sale and how much you should be paying for it. But once you figure that out, suddenly a whole world of interesting foods opens up to you!) To ease us into living in Accra, we went to the one place a group of white people would be comfortable: the mall. Maybe it was cheating a bit, but buying food at a grocery store instead of a market vendor certainly made it easier for the first day. I also managed to grab a cell phone while I was there - and that phone will be my primary mode of contact while I'm in Africa, so if you want to get in touch, call me!

Wednesday: Training and the University of Ghana
Up bright and early again on Tuesday, we were ready for our training. First we learned about the Girls Education Program, an initiative of the National government, and how WUSC fits into that program. We also went over the structure of the Ghana Education Service (government ministry), which was mildly confusing but definitely helpful. After lunch we learned more about Ghana in general (geography, people, food, etc.) from a man named Divine, one of the warmest and most boisterous Ghanaians I have met thus far. In the afternoon we went out to the busy street in our neighbourhood because everyone needed to get passport photos taken to renew their visas. (The area is called Haatso - pronounced "Hatch-o" - and is actually just a suburb of Accra. It takes 45 mins to get all the way downtown!) While we were waiting we explored the surrounding area and talked to the hordes of local people who were coming over to see the spectacle: 11 non-Ghanaians all in one place. The children asked us to take their photos and men asked for our phone numbers. The whole thing actually made me quite uncomfortable - it was amazing how much better I felt when I ventured out alone the next day. One "Obruni" (white person) draws much less attention than 11! Finally, we went to see the campus of the University of Ghana. It was quite beautiful, with wonderful flowering trees and shrubs everywhere. We visited the bookstore, which had an array of interesting things, before heading back to the guesthouse.

Thursday: Training
The training on the second day was more useful. We went through WUSC's year plan, outlining each volunteer's responsibilities to see how they fit into the big picture. It was useful to see how we will be contributing to the overall project. I also heard lots of great things about KK, the Ghanaian volunteer I will be working with in Jirapa. He has been there for about 8 months now and is well-known in the area, and I am very much looking forward to meeting him!

Friday: Downtown Accra
We had an adventurous Friday, finally working up the courage to travel into downtown Accra. We all piled onto a tro-tro and headed to Nkrumah Circle (the main transportation hub of the city, named after Kwame Nkrumah, Ghana's first President). We got there just as a rainstorm was coming and it was fascinating to watch people running around, covering up their goods they were selling on the street and women selling shower caps to keep your hair dry. However, it was a little much for some people to try to keep the group together, so we split off into smaller groups; I went with Jess, Jess and Beth. We headed on a tro-tro downtown to Makola market, the biggest in the city. It was insanely busy, with goods of all kinds for sale on the streets and alleys in every direction. The smells were the most overwhelming experience, changing so frequently that it caught you off-guard with every step.

That was also a little overwhelming, so after half an hour we escaped the crowds and headed toward the National Cultural Centre, a small arts and crafts market on the shore (Ghana is on the Atlantic Ocean). There we found a small restaurant and sat down for a snack and a drink. I tried my first real Ghanaian food: banku with groundnut soup - it was delicious! (More on food later.) During the meal, we started chatting with a man sitting at the next table. He turned out to be a drum-maker, so after we finished he took us to his shop, sat us down on a long stool, handed each of us a drum and gave us a lesson. It was so much fun! Other men gathered around and we had a little jam session with singing and drumming. They showed us all the symbols that can be carved into the drums and described the process of making them. We took their number and promised to come back to buy drums before we leave Ghana (we'll see if that happens or not).

Then we went to the Nkrumah Botanical Gardens and Mausoleum, which was beautiful. There was a small museum holding ancient photographs showing Nkrumah with people like Queen Elizabeth and Fidel Castro, quite amazing! After a long day, we headed back to Nkrumah Circle to catch a tro-tro home. (Tro-tros are large vans, like the 15-seater vans we have at home, but with the seats ripped out and extra seats put in. These vehicles can hold around 20-25 people at capacity, with a driver and another man who will lean out the door to call out the destinations and collect the passengers money.)

Saturday: La Beach
Another adventure! We went out to the coast again, this time to the beautiful beach. It wasn't too crowded, but we were constantly accosted by people trying to sell us things. It was kind of annoying, but I guess that is part of the experience of going to the beach in Ghana. Anyway, it was gorgeous and we had a very relaxing afternoon. (Don't worry Mom, I wore lots of sunscreen!) I also started talking with a man who had a Mancala board, a popular game here in Ghana, and he taught me how to play. I was pretty good - I was even winning after a while! But then we had to go so who knows who would have won (haha - I'm sure he was letting me win!).

That night we went out with Ato, a friend from the guesthouse - his uncle owned the place so he would come and play cards with us and talk at night. We went to a local bar (with air-conditioning! and pool tables!) for a few drinks and just to hang out as a group before we parted ways on Monday. I had a great chat with Ato about Ghana's development, the differences between north and south, and what he thinks of Western volunteers. It was all very interesting, and will be part of a later blog entry!

Sunday: National Museum
For our last day in Accra we headed to the National Museum, a treasure trove of African artifacts and art. Unfortunately, I slept in too late and everyone went ahead without me, so I had to venture into the city alone. Again, I felt oddly more comfortable about this situation, so I didn't mind at all. But another stroke of misfortune fell, and not far from where I got on my tro-tro it broke down. The driver kicked us all off and we had to stand and wait for another to come. Finally one came and all of the people who were on the tro-tro with me got on, so I got on as well - but without finding out where it was going. So instead of going to Nkrumah Circle, as I planned, I ended up all the way downtown! It wasn't too bad and I walked up to the Museum, but I was drenched in sweat by the time I got there. Gross! (Did I mention it's hot in Ghana?) The museum was small and eclectic but very interesting. I bought all kinds of hand-made gift cards at the small shop to sell in our EWB silent auction this fall - they're beautiful! Afterward we headed for some food, which was scarce. Apparently things close up on Sundays, who knew? We settled on a Lebanese restaurant inside a hotel, where I ate some delicious lamb kebabs and rice. Finally, we headed back to pack and get ready to leave early the next morning!

Monday: Travel to Tamale
Not much to say here, I spent the day on the bus. Overall it took us about 11 hours to get from Accra to Tamale, but it wasn't too bad - there was air conditioning (we took the nice bus) and cheesy Nigerian movies all the way up. We stopped several times for pee breaks and food. The most interesting part was watching the changes in the landscape as we traveled farther north. The south is full of dense jungle, with rolling hills and logging trails. There are villages placed sporadically along the route. As we traveled, these villages slowly changed from houses with cement walls and tin roofs to mud huts with thatch roofs. The landscape flattened out and the trees became more sparse as patches of grass and red earth peeked through. About 1 hour outside of Tamale there was a lightning storm off to the West of our road, and I watched it with fascination as the lightning lit up the sky and forked down to the earth. We arrived around 7:30pm and went to the guesthouse, where we spoiled ourselves with beer and the best pizza in Tamale!

Tuesday: Tamale
I woke at 6am to my roommate, Billie, screaming about cockroaches. I've never woken up so quickly in my life! She made me take all the sheets off her bed and flip her mattress over before we found the cockroach in the corner. I scooped it up and took it outside, but that was it - we were up! We ate a breakfast of eggs, bread and tea at the guesthouse, then headed on foot into downtown Tamale. I immediately ventured into the market, which was a beautiful space, full of narrow pathways and shaded open-front huts. I bought some beautiful fabric that I plan to have made into dresses (two of them) and a shirt when I get to Jirapa. I wasn't going to make a shirt, but then I saw some funny fabric that looks like it has circuit boards drawn on it and the engineer in me couldn't resist! We had a breezy lunch at an open-air restaurant near the market and then headed back to rest. The heat definitely restricts the amount of energy I can use in one day. It will be cooler when the rains set in, but I don't think they're quite here yet!

If you made it this far, CONGRATULATIONS! Apparently I'm feeling quite wordy today. I want my blog posts in the future to be much more specific - I will write about my work, my family and development - but for this first post I just thought I'd let you know what I've been up to! I promise to cut down on the word count in the future :)

Call me!
Once I get up to my placement in Jirapa the closest internet connection will be in Wa, one hour away, and I've heard it isn't too reliable. So in that context, here is how you can get in touch with me: call or send a text message to 011-233-24-706-6041. Incoming calls and texts are free for me, but I'll try not to talk your ear off if you call. I can also call and text out of Ghana at a reasonable rate, so let me know if you want a phone call! It's always great to hear from home, so say hi once in a while.

Finally, I hope this finds all of you well, safe and happy and healthy. To my fellow adventurers: take care and return home with lots of photos and stories to share over a cup of coffee on a crisp fall night!

I have arrived

Two minutes after arriving in Accra, I have already drawn a conclusion about Ghana: it is hot. Very hot. Of course, “hot” is a relative term, but to my Canadian blood Ghana definitely falls under that category.

But beyond that, I have forced myself not to draw any other conclusions. That is a theme of this trip, something I have been concentrating on for the last month. I will “reserve judgement” (a piece of advice attributed to Sarah Lewis, a past EWB overseas volunteer in Ghana) for the duration of my trip, keeping good notes so that I may draw some conclusions later. I know that as these three months progress I will see things in very different ways, and it is important to just record my observations without inserting my personal judgements into my notes. So that is what I will try to do.

After a much-delayed and painfully long flight, I arrived in Accra (the capital of Ghana) on Monday night to the afore-mentioned heat. Several other WUSC volunteers arrived at the same time, so we traveled together to our guest house. After sorting out the logistics of who would stay in which room, I quickly unpacked and fell into a deep sleep.

The past three days have been centred around the WUSC office, where we have been doing some training and preparations for our placements. This included logistics (travel and accommodations), information about our individual jobs and how we will contribute to WUSC’s overall work plan for the year. I have also heard many wonderful things about KK, the Ghanaian WUSC volunteer that I will be working with in Jirapa.

The WUSC office is not located in the city of Accra, but rather on the outskirts. We are staying in a guesthouse that is within a 5-minute walk from the office. So while we have not really been to downtown Accra yet, we have traveled around a bit including a visit to the Accra Mall (a once-in-Ghana experience I am sure) and the University of Accra (beautiful campus!). That said, even just walking down the street is an adventure here, with people yelling out to me, children running up and people asking for my phone number.

Speaking of which… I now have a phone! If you would like to call me, please do. I can also receive text messages and it is cheap for me to either call or text back, so I will be sure to respond. Here is what you will have to dial: 011-233-24-706-6041. If you want to know what all of that means, it is: (international call)-(Ghana country code)-(area code)-(phone number).

I have the next three days free in Accra while some of the girls get settled into their placements here. I will be exploring the city and I will also be trying to talk to lots of people about their perceptions of Tamale and the northern regions of Ghana. I am curious to gather those perceptions from people of the South about the North, and gather perceptions of the South from people of the North. I have heard that the South is very different from the North of Ghana, and I would like to explore these differences in more depth. If you have any ideas or thoughts on this, let me know! Then on Monday we will be traveling to Tamale, arriving on Tuesday. I will be spending Tuesday to Friday in Tamale while the others get settled. During this time I hope to visit with Sam, Sarah G., Kristy, and some of the other EWB volunteers in the Tamale area. Then I will finally travel to Jirapa on Friday and get started on my placement. I can’t wait for this! I am feeling impatient right now, spending so much time in Accra. I am anxious to get started on my work. But I know I should be patient and enjoy my time in the South with all its amenities while I still can. Before long, I will no longer have the luxuries of a shower, flush toilet and reliable internet access, so I’m off to use those things while I can!

(Pictures soon!)

Money Update

Just a quick note: thank you to everyone who has donated to my placement! It makes a world of difference not only to receive monetary support, but also to know that you have confidence in me and the work I will undertake this summer. So far I've raised about $500 from friends and family, which is a significant amount considering the cost of living in Ghana is only about $11/day. I've also received funding from a few other sources, including CIDA (in the form of a travel bursary), as well as Dr. Pearl Sullivan, head of the Department of Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering at the University of Waterloo. Thank you for your support as well!

Time is beginning to speed up as the day of my departure gets closer and closer. On Sunday evening I will fly out of the Toronto Airport, landing first in London, then in Accra, the capital of Ghana. I can't wait to step off the plane into the heat and bustle of one of Africa's great cities. I will be staying in Accra for about 3 days while I complete my training with WUSC on their development projects in Ghana. Then I will be heading into Ghana's northern regions, by way of Kumasi and hopefully a quick stop in Tamale. This will take a couple of days as well, as the roads and buses can be unpredictable and breakdowns are almost guaranteed. But eventually I will arrive at my new home in Jirapa, well-prepared and ready to start work!

In the meantime, I am busily packing, shopping and saying goodbye to friends and family. Three months away is not long, but it still feels as though there is so much preparation to be done. If I didn't get a chance to say goodbye, please know that it is nothing personal. And I'll be back in no time at all!

I may have only occasional access to the internet during the summer, so if you write me an email and don't hear back for a couple of weeks, don't fear. I will also be buying a cell phone when I arrive, and I'll let you know as soon as I have a number in case you want to call. I would love to hear from everyone, whether it is by phone, email or comments on this blog. As I said before, your support means so much to me and I know it will be even more comforting once I am in a new environment, so far away from home.

First Post

and so we begin...

WHO AM I?

My name is Erin and I am a fourth year Mechatronics Engineering Student at the University of Waterloo. Engineering is a co-op program, and I have taken advantage of this opportunity to experience as much of the world as I possibly can. I spent my second work term teaching English and working for a motorcycle company in Chongqing, China. I spent another work term doing research in Karlsruhe, Germany, where I also had the chance to travel and see much of Europe. Living in other parts of the globe has made me realize just how much we are all connected.

WHERE AM I GOING?


I am going to Ghana this summer on a 3 month placement with the Students Without Borders program of the World University Services of Canada (WUSC). My placement will be in Jirapa in the Upper West Region of Ghana, near the borders of both Cote d’Ivoire and Burkina Faso. The Upper West is one of the most remote regions in Ghana and also one of the poorest, making it a challenging area to work in.

WHAT WILL I BE DOING?

My partner organization is the Regional Education Directorate of the Ghana Education Service, the branch of the Ghanaian government responsible for administering education throughout the country. I will be part of a much larger WUSC project working on Gender Advocacy in Education. This involves both WUSC initiatives (mainly capacity-building activities) and GES projects (community mobilization and outreach activities). My role will be to support all of these activities and find where I can add specific value to the organization.

WHY AM I GOING?

Since 2006, I have been extensively involved in the University of Waterloo chapter of Engineers Without Borders. Through my involvement with this group I have learned about a multitude of international development issues through workshops, discussion groups and presentations. I have met many people who have worked in the development sector, primarily in Africa, and learned as much as I can from them. I have spoken to hundreds of members of the public and high school students about how they can help those living in poverty overseas.

However, despite all of this involvement, I still feel there is a disconnect between myself, here in Canada, and those living in extreme poverty. (Extreme poverty is defined as living on less than $1 per day.) My role in the world is to work for human development until every person has an equal opportunity to succeed. This includes working in Africa, where the highest percentage of the world’s poor happen to live. It also includes working in Canada, encouraging Canadians to make decisions that have a positive impact on the world’s poor (such as buying Fair Trade products). And in order to do the best job I possibly can in Canada, I need to experience Africa.

MORE ABOUT EDUCATION

Access to free primary education is one of the fundamental human rights recognized by the UN. In addition, the achievement of universal primary education and gender equality are two of the eight Millennium Development Goals set by the UN in 2000. Education is one of the most powerful tools for poverty alleviation. It has been shown that the children of women who have at least 5 years of primary education are 40% more likely to live beyond age 5 (http://www.dfid.gov.uk/pubs/files/gender-equality.pdf). In addition, women who have a primary education are more likely to be self-sufficient, finding innovative ways to expand and improve their livelihoods to feed their families.

Improving access to education in rural Ghana is important for the country’s future success. Furthermore, gender equity in education is of paramount importance to a well-balanced society. My goal is to contribute to these aims in the hope that I may be able to add some small value.

MONEY

"Volunteering" means "no paycheck", so I will be living for the next 12 months without any income (4 months volunteering this summer, then 2 school terms next year - no more co-op!). I will be receiving a travel bursary from CIDA (the Canadian International Development Agency) for my flight, but unfortunately WUSC does not give stipends to their volunteers. This means that while the cost of living in Ghana is only about $11 per day, it will be coming out of my own pocket. Overall, the cost of my placement will be about $5000, $2000 of which is my flight. That leaves $3000 that I must pay for on my own. $1500 of that is program fees to WUSC, and the other $1500 will cover my travel preparations, food, lodging, local travel and any other costs associated with going to Ghana.

I have been working to fundraise for my placement through scholarships and university grants, but it will not be enough to cover the full cost. While I am hesitant to ask friends and family for money, I admit that I would be grateful for your support. Please email me and let me know if you are interested in making a donation toward my placement this summer. I am also looking for opportunities to do presentations when I return. If you know of a group (or are part of one) that would like a presentation, let me know!

NOW THAT THAT'S OUT OF THE WAY...

The words written above describe what led me here, and now here I am: off to Ghana. I am terrified, overwhelmed, worried; but I am also excited, eager, and hopeful. Terrified that I will screw up and have a negative impact on those around me, but excited that I may have a positive one. Overwhelmed at the amount of preparation ahead of me in the next month, but eager to dive in and get started. Worried that I am not ready for the experience that is ahead of me, but hopeful that all the things I’ve learned over the past few years will help me on the way.

I would like to use this blog to share my experiences with you. That includes my day-to-day adventures as well as my deeper thoughts on development. I want you to see, smell and hear what I am seeing, smelling and hearing!

If you have any requests for things you'd like me to write about, let me know! It's always nice to know that someone is reading. And of course, if you have any questions, send them my way!