Moo Tay Hanya (Let’s go on a Journey or ‘Go Big or Go Home’)

Tamale is only one of the areas in which YA operates. Alex and I got the chance to accompany my aunt up to the Upper East region of Ghana, into Bolga(tanga) and Navrongo to get a better grasp of the organization's reach within more rural areas of the country…

ROADTRIPPP

Our Journey from Tamale to Bolga (heading North)

We left Tamale bright at early around 7AM for Bolga, bumping along to a random Dolly Parton/Tracey Chapman/Elton John mix tape (needless to say, I was NOT the DJ). Against a looping landscape of giant anthills and mud huts we got the shock of our lives when we came across a couple of nomads resting with their two CAMELS, yes CAMELS.

 

Chilling on top of a camel :)


They were accompanied by their handlers, two French-speaking merchants from Burkina Faso (just north of Ghana) who had travelled down South to buy some goods and then return home. They were ridiculously nice and let us take loads of pics! Although I’ve lived in Kuwait for 10 years, this was the closest I’d ever gotten to one, let alone sitting on it J Wicked! Great start to the trip.

 

We spent our time in Bolga with the YA regional representative Conrad. We visited more students who had been through the vocational training program, however this time we visited significantly more young women. Many of them had started apprenticeships as seamstresses or hairdressers and were now self-employed and contributing significantly to their family’s income. There was an interesting mixture of single and married women from different backgrounds, yet all were supporting young children, another common trend in African society. All of them were quite young too (as YA beneficiaries are a max of 25 years old) and stated that their experience with YA had given them financial independence to be functional caregivers for their children in the absence of a male companion or sometimes, in spite of it.

                  

an open traditional iron. heated charcoal is used to keep it hot



      

 

Obiya, a YA apprentice perfecting her skills



Manual sewing machines

 



3 generations of pigs



After spending the night at my aunt Agnes’ relatives' place in Navrongo (that’s 7 more! – 42) we started off the next day (Friday) by visiting members of YA’s second stage of intervention to end the cycle of poverty – parents. This consisted of local community groups of single and widowed mothers who had come together to form a sort of co-operative business/support group. YA supports their endeavours at a business venture so that they can use their generated income to provide for their children's health and educational needs. This group had started a pig farming business where they raised and sold young piglets in the market. The selling of livestock is a profitable market in developing areas such as Ghana, which still has a strong agricultural basis. YA has supported 5 similar groups in the area through the delivery of executive training sessions in group business management, the provision of some building materials and the access to veterinary specialists to ensure the health of the animals. While these groups are still in the process of becoming fully operational, they are poised for massive economic returns that will certainly benefit the community and their families.

 

Members of the single mothers/widows YA supported co-operative



 

Textbook Ceremony

Our last amazing stop was to drop off textbooks at a JSS (Jr. High School) in the rural community. In Ghana students write exams before progressing from primary to JSS and from JSS to SSS (High School). The students we visited were preparing for exams in April and still had not received science textbooks for the 2011/12 academic year! Absolutely unreal compared to what my educational experience was like at their age! We were able to come together with the Regional Assistant Director in charge of Supervision from the Ghana Education Service (Ministry of Education), the Headmaster and the village Chief, to present the YA funded textbooks to the students. (pics, vid of chief). In the local dialect, the Chief said that YA had essentially given students the educational equivalent of a fishing pole and line, so that they would have the ability to learn and go further than they had previously been able to.
 

JSS 3 student handed textbook





The fear in my eyes is real :)

Tired, exhausted, ready to fall asleep standing up, but not until we made one last touristy jaunt at Paga, Ghana’s local crocodile farm J. It’s basically a small body of water that harbours a (growing) family of tame crocodiles that people can come see, feed and pet, all for a nominal fee of course ;) I’d been before with my family but it was so much fun to watch Alex, the newbie take a go at it. It was like standing on the glass floor at the CN Tower, you weren’t in any REAL danger but there was always the excitement of the threat of it! The crocs were mostly so tame because they were fed so regularly by their trainers, take a look.



In a few short days (and that entire week) we had touched on all three areas of YA involvement; the youth themselves, their parents and providers and the community at large. Now the real fun begins as we’ll get to learn more about facilitating the obstacles and celebrating the triumphs each level faces in working to create a better tomorrow for the youth!

Yaa Atchee (How’s work?)

Things have been so busy and insane, in the best way possible, and I don’t know if I’ll even be able to remember everything for this one post.

Work and family are all consuming at this point, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.

So since my last count of 29 my dad has arrived in Ghana (30), my cousin Hakeem slept over (31), ANOTHER aunt (one of many!!!) stopped by (32) and I’ve visited  my cousin Rita, her older brother and the mother of one set cousins (35). They all get bunched in there.

Youth Alive (YA henceforth) has really picked up in the past week … volunteer-wise we’re fully operational right now. As of Monday Jan 16 Mavis (Ghanaian) and Alex (American) joined me to round out our team. I feel really fortunate to be able to work with people who are around the same age. What’s interesting too is that Mavis has lived in Ghana her whole life, Alex has never left the US (‘til now!) and I’ve been back and forth and in between, so we all have different perspectives to add to our ongoing projects.

There’s always a little bit of background reading and orientation before ideas are put into practice. Luckily for us, first thing on Tuesday morning we had a meeting at our office with students that YA supports (beneficiaries) in health and education as well as a sponsoring organization, Barclays Bank. The children in attendance ranged from grade 4 to 9, and covered a variety of ages, many being older than the norm. We got a chance to introduce ourselves and let the group know that they could approach us regarding anything that was impacting their studies (school, teachers, family, etc).

Availability of textbooks, or lack thereof, is part of a serious resource shortfall problem within Ghana’s public school system. Many of the children were vocal about not having materials that should have been issued at the start of the school year in September 2011.  Students in Ghana, particularly girls, face added barriers to proper education that are a little different from the majority of people in the West. Some arrive at school late because they have familial obligations and chores to complete (fetching water, preparing food, tending to younger siblings, cleaning the house) before they are  allowed to leave. Meanwhile others have little time to attend extra (after school) classes or properly do homework because of similar responsibilities in the evening. Despite such challenges, the group was absolutely enthusiastic about possibilities for the future where they saw themselves achieving success as doctors, lawyers and pilots.

Following that introductory encounter with students in our back pocket, we were ready on Wednesday to venture out to some schools within the city to visit beneficiaries on-site and gain firsthand experience. We essentially try to document as much of each site visit as possible (written and visual) and the response we received from the kids was overwhelming as they were SO excited to see us and everyone wanted their picture taken! 



Youth Alive Primary School Beneficiaries



The school visits provided the perfect opportunity to get a better understanding of how beneficiaries were doing from the added perspective of administration (teachers, headmaster’s). A headmaster at the JSS (Junior Secondary School/Jr. High equivalent) level explained that there were at times barely enough seating to accommodate all students or tools to functional teach courses trades-based courses within the school system.

By literally witnessing more of the institution’s barriers to providing a sufficient educational experience we were able to more clearly connect the dots between some of the problems our beneficiaries were facing and how YA intervention could make the difference in their lives.



Mechanic beneficiary student



Straight from the school blocks we paid several visits to YA beneficiaries who had gone through the vocational (trades) training program. We met an array of metal workers, carpenters, auto body repairmen and mechanics. These boys had become men through the program that had literally plucked them from the streets of Tamale and gave them the opportunity to become apprentices in a field of their choice. Now many of them owned their own businesses, were supporting their families and were paying it forward by training others who needed a chance to learn an employable skill to end the cycle of poverty in their own lives. It was so amazing to see living proof of the ripple effect that is created when one person is able to make a positive change. Many of the young men we met said they had not had much ambition or self-confidence prior to their involvement with YA.



Mechanic beneficiary student



We all arrived back at the office super inspired by the many stories of seemingly hopeless youth who had overcome troubling circumstances to now live lives they could be proud of. As we were winding down from such an eventful day a group of primary (elementary) school boys wandered into our office compound and told us that they wanted to practice reading. As cheesy as this sounds in my head and on paper (word processor?), my HEART WAS SO WARMED by the fact that:

a)      Kids at that age actually WANTED and were SEEKING out extra help
b)      They hadn’t hesitated to come to YA, knowing we’d be willing and able to help

The YA compound, space and reading library are opening to any and all from ages 6-25, regardless of beneficiary status. Personally, it was so humbling to be able to put something as simply accessible as time towards children who were engaged. I read with two boys, Kwaame and Soma, who were excellent and again, resounded the earlier ambitions to practice medicine and pilot airplanes.

Kwaame & Soma reading :)

Sun-da-zoo-ah! (Welcome [Home])

I’ve barely been in Ghana for a week but it’s already been such a full and busy time!

My journey really started in Kuwait on Jan 4, it took me about 12 hours to get to Accra (capital of Ghana) via Addis Ababa (Ethiopia).

All in all it was a very smooth trip and fate/the universe led me toward some interesting people. On the longest leg of my trip (Ethiopia-Ghana) I had the luck of sitting next to a young Korean student, Jiye who just happened to be an International Development/Environmental Science Masters Graduate (go figure). Needless to say we definitely found things to talk about! She is very well-travelled, having worked in Kenya and has been working with a development organization in Ghana for over a year. She was the super adventurous type who had gone to explore Ethiopia by herself  and I couldn’t help but admire the confidence and ability to completely immerse herself in another culture.

I arrived in Accra around noon on Wednesday Jan 4, where my Uncle KK (1, this is the relative count), my dad’s younger brother met me at the airport. It was so good to see him after so many years and I had the pleasure of staying with him and his family (6) for 2 days.

The first thing that hit me in Ghana was the HEAT. Snap! I had left Canada in November when it had JUST started snowing, I had been in Kuwait while it had been a mild 20 degrees (beautiful weather in the desert btw) and for some reason I hadn’t counted on tropical, 30+ degree weather in Ghana! There are basically two seasons in here; dry and rainy. When visiting Ghana in the summer as a child it had always been the rainy season (running from March-July and September-October). This is the first time I’ve ever been during the dry season (November-March and August) which is known for its warm Harmattan (not Hammer Time, like I first thought!) winds kick up dust everywhere.

Accra is an extremely busy city with nearly 3 million people. It’s the industrial heart of Ghana where people goes realize dreams of success and wealth. The reality however is very different as the city represents both the minority of great wealth and majority of staggering poverty of its inhabitants. Beautiful, statuesque government buildings lay on winding roads that lead towards ram-shackled shanty towns.

By Friday morning I was ready to leave the overwhelming, organized chaos of the big city. Instead of making a 12 hour journey by bus (brutal) from Accra to Tamale (location of parent’s house), I flew on a 45 minute flight (that’s progress for ya). My mom (7, yes I’m counting my parents as relatives) met me at the airport with two of my aunts (9).

On the drive to the house it was clear to see that despite the seemingly short distance I had travelled, I was in the more rural area of Ghana. Tamale is a smaller, bustling city but as a focal farming area it’s not uncommon to find enclaves of mudhuts that normally splay remote villages.

For those of you who know my unfortunate monkey strangling story (accidental suicide), this is the house where it took place. The last time I was here the house was just a framework of bricks and the courtyard was full of the copper-red sand. Now, here stood “the dream house” that my parents had been working on ever since I could remember. The simple garden my mom tended to was now bearing mango and banana trees with chili peppers, tomatoes, pineapple and watermelon slated to be grow as well. WHOA, it was more like a farm than a garden. Pure beauty. I don’t have a green thumb whatsoever so it takes me about an hour and a half to water the entire property and I’m pretty sure I’ve already killed a few plants by stepping carelessly around the land :O

It wouldn’t be Africa if we didn’t have random animals running around the house…We have a few chickens, some goats and guinea fowl (unattractive chicken-esque birds). There are also a couple of dogs that my mom’s been raising as puppies named – wait for it – Buddy Boy and Buddy Girl … super original eh? No matter, they’re extremely sweet dogs.

Right off the bat, three of my cousins live in the house with us (12). Three of my mom’s sisters live within walking distance too. My aunt Fatima lives with two of her children, daughter-in-law and four grandchildren (20), aunt Aisha came and visited with her one year old baby Shamsee (22) and my aunt Agnes lives with her two children (25). During my first couple of days, many people stopped by the house to visit including my mom’s brother and my dad’s two cousins and niece (29). WHOA FAMILY …

The things I take for granted are carefully appreciated and utilized here – clean drinking water, running hot water, the convenience of electrical appliances, namely washing machines, or the lack thereof. I had to (re)learn how to hand wash my clothes,  which is a production in itself. There’s no such thing as a shower anymore, here we heat water on the stove, pour it in a bucket and bathe. Ghana is still towing that bizarre line where development blurs – while it seems that media and communication have exploded there are still some serious gaps in areas that would raise the standard of living for people such as health care and education.

On Tuesday I began my work with Youth Alive Ghana. The organization began in 1996 as an Action Aid initiative in the Northern area of Ghana. My aunt Agnes (mentioned above) is the Director of the organization which uses a three tier approach to target the cycle of street youth in the region.

1. Primary – educating street children, bridging them into formal education, providing apprenticeships and funding for higher education, aiding in the provision of health care support and services.

2. Secondary – enabling parents and guardians (specifically females) to provide for street youth through education and opportunities to improve employability skills.

3. Tertiary – advocating on behalf of street youth by communicating with interest groups (community, schools, other NGOs, levels of government) as to the needs, potential and progress of this disenfranchised demographic.

The organization’s work contributes to ending the cycle of poverty in the region and I’m pumped that I’ll have the chance to help kids turn their lives around. In the coming weeks I’ll be working alongside a couple of other volunteers who are also interested in becoming agents of change!

PS, I apologize for the lack of photos atm, I pulled a rookie mistake and don't have the software for editing them...I'll start taking decent ones with my phone!

Zeeya, Yo, Go-bay (Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow)

In mid-November I graduated from with a degree in PR and given some time to reflect I had reached two conclusions; I had no idea what I wanted to do next, but I definitely wanted a chance to spend time with my family –  not just my brother or parents, but family in the broadest sense possible.

It’s been almost eight years since I was last in Ghana … over 1/3 of my life (scary). Things have obviously  changed since then and I was starting to feel disconnected from my national identity in terms of culture, language and lifestyle. Travelling and living across North America, Europe, the Middle East and Asia had given me an understanding and appreciation of people and places beyond my background. I was able to read Arabic and speak French but couldn’t understand a word of my parents’ secret dialect – that didn’t seem right. Also, the recent passing of my grandmother (Old Lady, as she was lovingly referred to), makes now an important time for me to feel a physical presence with family and not one that depends on the connection of faulty phone lines.

After grad, my dad started planting the notion of attempting a Master’s degree and I slowly started leaning towards an interest in International Affairs/Global Development. Ghana is a developing country with a lot of opportunity for growth and positive change. I wanted to take the time to understand the complex cycle of social (and political) issues that affect people on a daily basis; people that I even know personally. Volunteerism with a  local NGO was something that I definitely wanted to pursue and knew would be beneficial on a personal and professional level.

So it was decided - take some time off for R&R in Ghana with family whilst giving back to the community.

Being a Comms major, I couldn’t just leave my goals for the trip so open-ended. That’s right,  I’m busting out some objectives:

1. See/visit/greet as many relatives as possible. Unfortunately I can’t give a number because it constantly fluctuates in Ghana with the sheer size of families plus births and deaths. Family is also a loose concept as there tend to be very strong ties even between extend family members -  I’ll try and keep a count going.

2.   Learn conversational Hausa (pronounced House-ah). Hausa is a common West African language so my mom suggested that I try and learn it first instead of a local dialect. I’ve already started with the title of this blog so you can learn along with me!

3.   Volunteer with an effective (and efficient!) local organization. I want to get my feet wet by learning about local development initiatives. I’ll be working with Youth Alive Ghana, an Action Aid initiative that aims to help street youth end the cycle of poverty within the community.

This is more of an intro on the basis of my stay in Ghana and of this blog. I start writing my thoughts and experiences here as a way to document whatever valuable time is left before life becomes full of other obligations and time is no longer mine. Hopefully, these words will become the bridge between the romanticized idea of Africa and the unknown truth of its society.