Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Going....Going....Ghana......For Now





I can’t believe it’s been over a month that I’ve been in Ghana and now is time to leave for Kenya. The past few weeks have gone by so fast and have been so jam packed, so much has happened my head is spinning and I’m not sure where to begin. But I will attempt.

Immediately upon returning from the Volta region the study tour from Seattle University arrived. The study tour is from the Albers School of Business and Economics (where I did my MBA and am completing my post-master’s certificate in International Business). It is led by Professor Harriet Stephenson, who is the director of the Village Net and the focus of the study tour was on microfinance in Africa. It was a great group and we had some amazing experiences together which I know we will never forget. In total with the study tour, we were eight. The first to arrive was Charles…or Chad…..either or! He arrived a day before the rest of the group and when we got back from a Valued Girls soccer game that Sunday he was there waiting for us in the garden at the lodge we stayed at. We sat around the table and introduced him to Prince, our beloved friend who works the night shift at the lodge. Prince was taking his dinner of banku with ground nut soup and chicken and invited Chad to join him. Banku is made by pounding cassava and corn into a doughy consistency. You take a piece with your fingers (of your right hand only, it is very rude to eat with your left hand as that is used for……other things……) and form a little scoop which you dip into the soup. We learned how to use our two forefingers as scissors and the thumb as a scoop. Chad dove right in and got the scissor technique down right away….was like he’d been there all along. The next day, along with Professor Stephenson, Noah, Patty, and Van arrived. Dave had missed his flight leaving Seattle and would be arriving after traveling for over 24 hours later that night. We had to conduct interviews that day so we only stopped briefly to welcome them and then went off to Ofankor to work. We brought Chad with us as he was not officially on the study tour (and he gets to stay in Ghana until November, which I am so jealous of I can’t even describe!!) and had some free time. He was immediately promised off in marriage by Akosua, one of the women borrowers who happens to have a 22 year old daughter Velma. Akosua brought us to meet her sister at her home and we sat and talked with them and her brother for the afternoon. They told us that we had to go up to the north of Ghana to ride the crocodile. There really is a place called Paga pond where there is a crocodile that you can sit on and have your picture taken. Everyone says that it is safe….they hold a piece of fowl out to distract the croc while you sit on it……I’m not so sure. Seems to me that fowl must get pretty boring, why not turn around and taste the obroni on your back instead? Akosua and her family assured us that this crocodile has a human spirit but the body of an animal. I’m focusing on the body of an animal part but I have promised Chad that when I return to Ghana after Kenya we can go and I will take his picture. I’m sure I’ll be talked into doing it myself…….we’ll see!!!!!

We met with different microfinance organizations in the area to see what is working in their programs. It’s hard to know where to start, so many things seem to be working and then so many don’t. The overwhelming consensus is that there is more money needed for bigger loans in order to really have some sort of measurable impact.

We went to an orphanage in Mmofortrom, about an hour from where we stayed in Ofankor. I was extremely impressed with the orphanage. It was on a beautiful piece of property on a hill overlooking a lush valley. It was built about 10 years ago, and they raise animals (including grasscutters…..a rodent which I will go into detail about later!) and have gardens and fruit trees to feed themselves and be sustainable. At one time there were fish that were raised and I believe they will be returning. The kids were so sweet and I just fell in love with them all. Soloman was one of the older boys and he led us on a tour of the property, including a clinic that was being built for the children. He was an excellent tour guide (his picture is on this post, the handsome boy in the striped shirt) and when the tour was over it was time for a soccer (sorry….football) match. Soloman was the star goal keeper and he hoped to play professionally someday. I opted to be the photographer for the game and let the rest of the group play. Not sure who won, but it was a lot of fun and I am so grateful we were able to spend the day with them.

We took a 2 day trip to Kumasi, which is the cultural center of Ghana and is the center of the Ashanti region. The Ashanti kingdom is still strong and anyone from the region is very proud to be Ashanti. We went through the Palace museum and saw artifacts from different eras. Kumasi also has Ghana’s largest open market. It was definitely much more conservative than Accra, and I felt like more of an outsider, the first time I felt that since I arrived. We met with a group from the engineering university in Kumasi, the largest in Ghana, who had been working on developing “twig lighting”…a process of making electricity using burning charcoal and water. We went out to a village nearby to have a demonstration….and on the way the tire of our van blew out. We were on the side of the road for about 3 hours, in this tiny village that I never caught the name of.

At a small shop right off the road, the women were making food. One of the options was grasscutter, which is a akin to a large rodent/rabbit hybrid. It’s not something most people try and we had been goading Dave to try it ever since he arrived. Now was his opportunity, and as is his way….he did not disappoint! We all ended up taking some, it was…….gamey. Not something I would have again, but was glad to have had the experience just to say I’d done it! Typically the grasscutter pellets are ground and added to the soup for flavor…..I’m telling myself it wasn’t in this case as we were told it wasn’t.

We went looking for sodas and Patty found a small shop owned by a woman named Mary. She invited us in and we sat and talked with her and drank sodas and gin for a few hours. At first it was difficult to communicate as her English wasn’t very good but Patty realized that she spoke French and they were able to communicate easily. Mary was originally from Togo, a French speaking country, and had moved to Ghana to marry her husband who had been killed eight years ago. Mary was left to raise her two children, who sat quietly and listened to us talk the entire time. It was so nice to sit and talk to Mary and learn about her life, it was one of our best days in Ghana. Her shop was also her home, and she welcomed us with open arms and a generous laugh. I have said it before and I will continue to say it over and over……I love Ghana. Where in the states would you break down on the side of the road and spend a day with a woman and her family laughing and sharing stories and drinking gin for an afternoon?

The Valued Girls put on a great day for us with traditional dancing and music, and a soccer match with us despite heavy rains. I admit I was of zero help to my team but I had a lot of fun! I also helped make the stew which turned out to be delicious. It was great to spend time with the girls at their camp.

We managed to have some free time during the whirlwind 2 weeks of the study tour and we took full advantage. We spent a night at the beach at Kokrobite on Saturday night for reggae night. We had reserved the only room still available and were surprised to find when we got there that it wasn’t so much a room as it was a large open a frame on stilts with mattresses and mosquito nets. Everything is an experience, this not withstanding. We had a blast and the next day left for a football game for the Valued Girls project that they played in Accra. The team they played was an older team and very good…but our girls managed to get a goal to win in the last minute of the game, it was amazing!!!!!

Now the study tour has left and it’s time to say goodbye to Ghana…..at least for now. I’m excited to go to Kenya and experience a completely different part of Africa, both in geography and culture….but I’m very sad to leave Ghana. We all are. I’m glad I’m coming back in 10 days and I feel like I’m leaving home. But……..onward to Kenya!!!!!!!!!!!

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

A Weekend in Volta












We have been working hard and have a busy few weeks ahead of us, so as last weekend was our last chance to travel in Africa together on our own, we decided to take an extended weekend and head to the Volta Region. The Volta Region is along the eastern border that Ghana shares with Togo. When Ghana gained its independence in 1957, the Volta Region was incorporated into the new country with the agreement that after 50 years it could choose to remain part of Ghana, become part of Togo, or become its own republic. 2007 marked Ghana’s 50th anniversary and the region is in the process of deciding its fate. It is the largest region in Ghana and home to the Wli Waterfall;, Afadjato mountain (the largest mountain in Ghana and some argue in all of West Africa); Lake Volta, the largest man-made lake in Ghana, and a monkey sanctuary to name a few.

Wednesday morning we rose early, packed, ate breakfast and headed out to get a good start on the day Silly us for thinking we could do anything in something remotely resembling a timely fashion. As we have come to say in Africa….hurry up and wait. We set off in a tro-tro to Accra with Pricilla, one of the Valued Girls. She would take us to the bus station where we would take a bus to Hohoe in the Volta Region. After sitting in traffic in Accra for nearly an hour without moving, we opted to get off and walk to the bus station which ended up only being a few blocks away. Carrying our bas through the busy streets of downtown Accra was comical at best. After some confusion with Pricilla about whether or not we wanted to take a big bus or tro-tro for the 3 hour trip, we secured our 6 Cedis fare (approximately $4) on a big bus, sat down, and waited.

In Ghana, you can get almost anything you need anywhere you are from people selling goods along the roads and literally in the streets in traffic. This was no exception. Once we boarded the bus and were waiting for it to depart, we were able to buy fried rice with chicken and strawberry frozen yogurt through the window – could have bought books, toothbrushes, Mentos, cell phone credits, you name it they sell it. I’m going to have a hard time sitting in traffic on I-5 without being able to do all of my grocery shopping and errands at the same time.

Only 20 minutes behind schedule, the bus started up after a few attempts and several puffs of diesel fumes and we headed out into traffic. Within a minute, we came around a corner, hit a taxi and causing it to sideswipe a teenage boy on a bicycle. A crowd quickly gathered, the bus driver jumped out and there was a lot of shouting in Twi and hand gesturing we couldn’t make out. The boy took off o his mangled bike, the taxi driver sped off, and our driver got back on, started up the bus, and we were off again. And only 4 hours after we left home!!

The Volta Region is gorgeous. It’s very lush and tropical with beautiful green hills. The villages in the region are much quieter than the villages where we are staying. There are acacia trees everywhere. On Thursday we got up and went out to the Wli Waterfall. We arrived at the visitor center and met our guide, Wisdom. He took us on the trail to the waterfall, which was about an hour walk. The falls were beautiful, and there were hundreds of humongous bats hanging on the cliffs around it. After the falls we went back to the village of Wli which is almost on the border of Togo. We convinced Wisdom to walk us over to Togo just so we could say we’d been. It was about a half mile walk to the border and luckily we had remembered to bring our passports with us. We didn’t have visas for Togo, but Wisdom assured us it wouldn’t be a problem, he knew one of the border patrol agents. Sure enough, after a few minutes of talking in Ewe, the Volta Region dialect, we were allowed to pass. We crossed the border and entered No Man’s Land, a half mile of road that is neither Ghana nor Togo. We reached a stone on the side of the road that was the official border and crossed into Togo. When we got to the actual border crossing point, we were met by a Togolese border patrol agent. He looked at our passports, and asked why we didn’t have visas for Togo but we had them for Kenya. Wisdom explained to him that we just wanted to walk around a bit and sightsee. The agent said that he would have to keep our passports until we got back to make sure we didn’t stay in Togo. Keep in mind, this agent had no official uniform or anything identifying himself as an agent….just a guy sitting at the border station. We were all a little unsure of the situation, but decided that we would go for it. We met a small boy walking down the road and said “hello” which he didn’t understand. Finally Chasity said hello in French which he understood. Amazing that just a few feet from Ghana, where everyone speaks English, it’s French or Ewe only. We walked up the road for about a mile, stopped to watch some Europeans building an orphanage and decided to head back. When we got to the Togolese border, we found the agent sitting on a motorcycle surrounded by 3 guys. He was holding our passports and definitely didn’t look like he was going to be giving them back. He tried to get us to pay and we were sure it would be an astronomical fee. He and Wisdom exchanged what appeared to be some heated words in Ewe and after a few tense minutes we were allowed to pass. Apparently Wisdom has friends that work for the Ghanaian border and he reminded this Togolese agent that his sister and aunties cross the border to buy and sell goods and if we weren’t allowed back into Ghana he would make it difficult for the relatives to pass. Helps to have friends here we have found!!!! . When we got back we decided to take a tro-tro to Hohoe instead of paying for a taxi…and as always, had quite the adventure. Hohoe was about half an hour drive by taxi…and it took an hour and 45 minutes by tro-tro. Apparently the driver had to make several stops to do errands on the way. This included driving through several people’s front yards to get coal, we surprised a young man taking a shower as we nearly clipped him. At one point there were palm leaves on the floor at my feet, huge bags of cocoa beans sticking out the back, something tied to the roof, and who knows what else, all in the tro-tro. At this point everyone else had gotten off and it was just 3 obronis exhausted and not sure what else to do or where we were going to end up. We even went back to the border to Togo to drop something off and pick something up. Eventually we made it back, just another day in Ghana.

The next day we went to Afadjato, the tallest mountain in Ghana and, as it is debated, perhaps all of West Africa. Our guide this day was Paul. We decided for the sake of time to hike to the waterfall there instead of up the mountain as it would be dark by the time we got there. Toward the end of the trail, I felt something bite my toe. I looked down to see a very large ant and when I looked around I realized they were everywhere. I pulled the ones that were already on my feet and legs out and as Paul advised…..I ran. Jenny was right behind me and wasn’t quite as lucky, she had them all over and they managed to get all the way up her pants, biting all the way. Getting rid of them required immediate removal of clothes……I’m sure Paul saw more of us that day than he was comfortable with. We made it to the waterfall, and again it was breathtaking. We stayed and sat a while, Chasity and Paul having rock skipping contests….I think Paul was declared the winner.

That night we went to our friend Nii’s house for dinner, who we'd met the weekend before at Kokrobite beach (that post to come!!!) to learn how to make ground nut soup. It was an amazing process to watch, I have to admit that with Nii and his friend Godxon in charge and Chasity trying to help……I didn’t do much other than watch! He used all kinds of fresh ingredients, some I had never heard of (garden egg? Who knew?!) and the rice was local rice from a field nearby. Ground nut soup is a nut based broth that gets thick when you cook it , then you put in chicken and have it with rice balls. We have all become addicted to it and have it almost every day. This was by far the best we have had with all the fresh vegetables. There were 6 of us and it was just like a dinner party at home, except not. We sat on the porch and the kids from the houses next door came and talked to us and danced with us and listened to reggae. It was really nice to be at a friends’ house hanging out, it felt like a normal life for the first time in a while.

The next day we got up early and went to the monkey sanctuary. The monkeys in this particular forest are thought to be sacred. We fed them bananas and they would peel them down and take chunks out of our hands very delicately. Our taxi driver Godwin came with us and when we were done walking through the sanctuary, he took us to his cousin’s house so that Chasity could ride the motorbike. We walked up to the house and were greeted by about 10 men sitting around in a circle in the front yard, one from the Ghana army. They brought chairs out and insisted we sit with them. Chasity and Godwin went off for their ride and Jenny and I sat with the men. We got several marriage proposals which we politely declined. They began to pass a bottle of palm wine around, which we have not had yet and have been told is a must at least once. This particular bottle however had some unidentifiable particles in it and was really dark and dirty looking so we passed.

We left Hohoe on a “bus” (really just an air conditioned tro-tro) at 5 and were told it would be 2-1/2 hours max. Oh Ghana. Fool me once……..about half an hour into the drive the driver pulled over to put oil in as it appeared to be leaking. We did this about 5 more times until the driver gave up and pulled over and told us to get out and he would call another vehicle. Apparently by call he just meant try to flag someone down on the road. We were halfway back to Accra, in the middle of nowhere, stranded on the side of the road in the dark. There were a few stands and we wandered around a little; bought some credits for the cell phone, met some children and bought them toys. After 2 hours we got a regular tro-tro to Accra and made it home by midnight: dirty and exhausted, but another amazing experience. TIA…….This is Africa.

Monday, August 9, 2010

Cape Coast Castle







This post is about a week overdue, it seems like time passes faster here than at home, last week feels like years ago already. I apologize in advance if it isn't the most cohesive post, I've had a fever for a few days but promise to do my best, hopefully I can give this experience the justice it deserves.

Last Saturday we went out to Cape Coast to visit Cape Coast Castle, the prison where enslaved Africans were held before being put on ships to the Americas. Having been just one week before at the slave market in Charleston, it hit me pretty hard. Standing and looking out the windows of the men's dungeon at the vast ocean, l could only imagine how terrifying it must have been to not know where you were going, only out to the sea. Knowing where they ended up and what their lives were like once they got there, I wonder if would be best not to know.

The men and women were separated and many times never saw each other again, even while in the prison. Our tour led us through the womens and the mens dungeons, basically just big caves with no lights. There was a pit where women were placed in if they disobeyed, a hole big enough for one person to stand up in and it was covered and the women were left in until they died, being raped many times during their last days. When it was time to be boarded onto the ships, they were walked through a large door, which was called the "Door of no Return". From this door they walked down a path to the ships awaiting and never saw Africa again.

We brought our translator Joyce with us, she had never been before. When we walked through the doors, she wept and it was hard not to follow suit. The atmosphere was very somber, but everyone we met there was very friendly and happy to have white people interested in the history and many people expressed to us that it was good for us all to be there together. When we walked out to the beach next to the castle, there was a drum band starting up and girls doing traditional African dancing. Pretty soon a large crowd had gathered and the mood was very upbeat and fun. The sun was just setting and I turned to look at the castle with the sunlight reflecting on its outer walls, the drums in the background, and even though everything that happened there was horrific and almost unfathomable, there was a strong sense of hope for better times to come and it made me realize again why I had come to Africa in the first place.

A powerful experience and one that I will never forget, each day that I am here I love it more and more. The hope that people here have despite their conditions and history is humbling. Everywhere we have gone, there is music and dancing, in the streets of the villages, on the beach next to Cape Coast Castle; everyone is so happy and enjoying the simple things in life. This is what I hope to bring back with me.

Wednesday, August 4, 2010

First Week in Africa










I have managed to survive my first week in Africa. The internet at the lodge we are staying out is slow and unreliable, I finally found an area in the garden courtyard where can get wireless 80% of the time. The first few days were so overwhelming and new I couldn't get my mind in a place to be able to sit and process what was going on let alone attempt to blog about it. What a difference a week makes, I feel like I've lived here forever.

It has been an amazing week and each day has been full of new experiences beyond anything I could have imagined. I have met so many wonderful people, everyone I've met has been so welcoming and friendly. We are staying in a village outside of the capital Accra called Pokuase. I am pretty sure we are the only "obronis" (white person) for miles. All of the kids run after us shouting "obroni obroni" and laugh when we talk to them. The Village Net works out of Ofankor, the neighboring village. It's just a short tro-tro ride away....if you've never been on a tro-tro it is quite the experience. Tro-tros are the main public transportation, they are large vans with 4 rows of seats plus the front seats. Good way to get to know your neighbors.....we've counted as many as 23 people on a tro-tro into the city. There is a driver and a "maid", the guy who lets people in and out and collects the fare. He hangs out the window at each junction to call out the destination.......the line we take goes to Accra, Circle (a market area in Accra) and Achimota. He calls them out very fast and with hand gestures; I've gotten it down pat and my goal is to be a tro-tro caller at least once before I go, I've been assured all I have to do is ask.

We have nearly finished interviewing the women in the 2 different groups, I am sitting in an internet cafe near our office waiting for a group to come in for our final interviews. These women are absolutely amazing. They work from very early in the morning until 9 or 10 at night, going home during the day to cook dinner for their family. Most of the women sell wares on the road or in sheds along the roads. They sell yams, plantains, water bags, 2nd hand clothes, and a variety of other goods. All of the women we've interviewed have said that the loans they've received from The Village Net have helped them start their businesses and pay for food and expenses for their children (clothes, school fees, medical needs) but that they aren't big enough to really expand their businesses the way they would like to. They have almost all expressed a strong desire to learn how to read, write, and calculate. We are designing a program to meet this demand and hope to begin implementing it very soon and offering it to all of the clients. We have selected a group to do a more advanced entrepreneurship coaching program and will begin the 3rd week of August. We will go through each of their businesses and brainstorm ideas on how to expand and increase profits, and to think about the future plans: set goals and design actions plans on how to achieve them. We will also be helping them create a business plan. The women are unbelievably friendly, we've been to their homes for meals and they've taught us to make fufu and wrap headdresses. The pace of life is very relaxed and I am worried about getting used to the fast pace of life back home!!!!

I met with Paul Amponsah, the founder of the Valued Girls Project. He was with Rebeccah, their goalkeeper. We discussed the plans for bringing the computers from Seattle to the camp next summer and I'm so excited for the project. There is so much good to be done and Paul is amazing. In Ghana, it costs around $500-1000 a year for one child to go to secondary school, depending on whether or not they are day students or require boarding. The Ghana government passed a law that requires all students in junior high and secondary school to pass an ICT (computer) exam each year in order to advance to the next grade. Many of the girls in the villages don't have access to computers or know how to use them and therefore many can't go to secondary school or advance to the next grade. The Valued Girls Project is helping to train the girls on IT while they are at the camp for soccer for the 2 months. Camp starts next week and I am looking forward to going to meet with the girls (and boys very recently). There is a big tournament in Accra this Sunday, we will be playing the Starlight Ladies, a club in Accra that has been around a long time. These girls are ready though!! We will be riding with them to the game and cheering them on, should be a great time!

On Sunday we went to dinner in Osu, the expat area of the Greater Accra region. After feeling so disoriented for nearly a week and not seeing any other white people, I had the strangest experience. When we walked into the Italian restaurant I was overwhelmed to see so many obronis, it was almost too much to handle and was almost uncomfortable. I've gone Ghanaian!!!!

I'm finally feeling acclimated and settled in, we went into Accra on our own yesterday, without Joyce who has been our guide
. We were very proud of ourselves for getting off at the right tro-tro stop and knowing exactly where we needed to go to do the errands we set off for. Managed to buy speakers for an ipod, sandals, jewelry, paintings, new phone card and got the number registered....not bad for 3 obronis!

Ghana is very safe, we've had no problems day or night, you just have to be smart about where you go and what you do. I am loving it here so much, I can't believe it's only been a little over a week. Now that I have my bearings I will try and be more frequent in my updates!