Favourites

My time in Ghana has finished, so I thought some lists of things was a good way to close.

Favourite Things To Do:
 * Being a fashion designer - you buy the cloth, then you create whatever you want. Could be a disaster, could work out. I had both experiences.
 * Riding my bicycle. I can happily say I had the best bike in Tamale. And it was the best bike I've ever owned. I loved cruising around on it, and it gave me small freedoms that kept me sane.

Mine is the middle bike (obviously the best) and was red for speed

 * Going to Ghana Health Service and viewing their public health tactics - my favourite is using clothes as a public health message. 'Stop TB' or 'Roll Back Malaria' or 'Guinea Worm Eradication Program' is everywhere, what a way to sensitise a nation?!

Jervaise in his Stop TB - use DOTS shirt. I tried hard and hinted much that I wanted one!

 * Read local media articles. It is a different form of reporting, and so sensational you can't help but get caught up into the hype. Here is a personal favourite. Take the time to read it, you'll be rewarded.
 * Greeting everyone. I learnt greetings in quite a few languages, and enjoyed using Fra-Fra with the work guard, Dagbani with locals around the neighbourhood, Twi when in Accra/south, Walle when I was in the Upper West and having a go at anything really, including the many languages of the expats in Tamale. It's extremely rude if you don't greet everyone, so sneaking into your office late in the morning never goes unnoticed.
* 'Creating good relationships' with key people at Ghana Health Service. I thoroughly enjoyed and was welcomed openly by the Upper West Team, I was sad to leave.

Friday afternoon in Wa - the Regional Health team and I discussing my mother's arrival, and possible marriage proposals

  * Buying single serves of everything. Why buy a tin of milk powder when you can have a small sachet?

My local store. Rita looked after my every need, and if she didn't have it in stock she'd get a small boy to get it for me.

* And of course, having fun with friends. I made some (hopefully) lifelong friends, and had such a great time.
 

Favourite Observations:
 * Watching what you can fit onto a motorbike. I saw everything from live goats, up to 5 people, bicycles and many more things. Unfortunately you have to be quick with a camera!
 * Carrying things on heads - observing just what the body is capable of. Up to 5 large bowls of charcoal, raw egg trays, litres and litres of water, ice creams, handbags, you name it. Frees up the hands..
 * Babies everywhere - so well behaved. Strapped onto mother's backs. Easily amused by a piece of paper or a small wave. Taken into the workplace, everywhere is child friendly.
 * No smoking. It is highly frowned upon and just does not happen much. Great for an entire population, I wonder how this can translate to other places. As soon as you cross the borders to the Francophone countries, you get delicious food, but also smokers.
 * Sleeping in meetings. It became a game to see who would fall asleep, how long, and who would notice. It kept me occupied and made the meetings more interesting.
 * Being in a work car with someone who had never been in a car before. He was so shocked by the concept of wearing a seatbelt he almost didn't come for the ride. He thought we were tying him down in the car. Very amusing. He also spoke about how he had never been in a plane. It made me think about first times for everything, it is so much more pronounced in Ghana.

I'll take many memories home with me, all of them good. I will write a few more posts, and maybe about how well I'm fitting back into Newcastle - but if you are in Aus - drop me a line!

Surviving Perpetual Meetings

The amount of meetings I go to is crazy. Not only is it usually last minute and lengthy, it is mostly boring. I'm not used to Ghanaian style presenting, I can't maintain my attention as it sometimes takes hours to explain a simple concept. We spent 30 minutes on one slide recently, it had about 2 bullet points on it. On the plus side, the descriptive stories and anecdotes can be entertaining, just after 5 hours I'm usually happy to skip some of the finer details...

So my last meeting was a training session that I have attended at least 4 times already, but I'm more there for 'support' or just 'representing' the organisation. So I amused myself. I did a small study, with the results shown in the following picture;

So in summary;
the presenter took a call while presenting 3 times
the presenter wasn't listening once (this is pretty impressive, must have been an off day)
someone falls asleep: 0. awww, a rarity too, but I was up the front and I'm sure a sneaky nap was had without me seeing. It's the whole point!
the power went out twice (which means projector goes off)
twice I laughed when nobody else was laughing, and sadly, three times everyone laughed but me, I had no idea what the joke was...
only five times did we defer from the actual topic of the training for at least 15 minutes. This is probably a record, especially for the presenters as they love a good story, laugh and the sound of their own voice (there's always one presenter...isn't there!)
I guess it was a small training, because only 7 people answered their phone in the training 'quietly'... and by quietly I mean I could hear the conversation, or I could see them ducking under their chair, or leaning back, or looking up so their voice traveled upwards, and therefore was 'not' disrupting.... that's a personal favourite trait here. The quiet answer of the phone....
We started 2 hours late which wasn't too bad, and the last person arrived 3 hours late which was pretty good too. So all in all, I managed to amuse myself, and it was a good meeting.

Giving

I may sound skeptical about development work; I've had many generous offers from people at home to help me 'make a difference' here that I have refused, and possibly offended people. I have just come from a meeting that has provided the perfect example for you as to why I cannot just take money or items and contribute to 'developing' Ghana...

A well meaning NGO donated $200K for supplies to a very poor district for a new maternal health program. Four years later the supplies are collecting dust in the warehouse. Why? The district still has only two midwives - who were last trained in 1995.

A perfect example of how money can be mis-spent. and quickly. My meeting is about how to identify needs, and where to be most effective. Sometimes with so many problems, so many shortages, it is hard to prioritise and programs can be directed in the wrong area (as shown). This new move is positive, and needed, a good step forward.

Back to it!

What do you want me to do with that?

Community Spirit

The most impressive thing I have seen over the year in Ghana has been the hard work of the community members for the benefit of their friends, family and peers. The most impressive program I have witnessed is called Community Case Management (CCM). The program is a Ghana Health Service program, with funding from UNICEF. It focuses on the biggest childhood killers in Ghana; 1. Malaria, 2. Diarrhoea and 3. Pneumonia. These are so common in children under 5 that this one intervention, if implemented universally, would reduce the number of under 5 deaths by 63%.

It is a program that is used in many countries, with the difference in Ghana being that the people running the program, assessing the children, going from house to house, being on call 24/7, and administering the treatment are all community volunteers. The community can nominate 2 people, who are then trained and equipped with educational cards, medications and reporting forms.

These volunteers are mostly women, which in the rural areas, means illiterate with no, or very little education. The volunteers diagnose and treat children using the skills taught to them in annual training sessions, a challenge in itself when you are trying to educate without the use of written tools. Role plays are a large part of the training, yet I never quite understand how the volunteers manage to remember the amount of information they do.

Volunteers attending training. Often with their own children. They are in charge of their supplies - in the white boxes, they carry these around on their heads, or if they are lucky, on a bicycle.

The main thing about the program, I have learnt, is that it increases the use of health services by poor children. Due to location, lack of services, lack of roads or transport or other factors, health facility-based services alone do not provide adequate access to treatment (in many countries, not just Ghana), and, not within the crucial window of 24 hours after onset of symptoms. So CCM brings the treatment to you.

It is affordable, treatment is cheap, and if you can’t afford even the recommended amount, it is given for free. Oral rehydration salts for diarrhoea costs a parent about 5c. Of which, 2c goes to the volunteer as ‘motivation’ – the only form of payment these hard working people receive. They are not officially identified as Ghana Health Service employees, and must keep other, sometimes multiple jobs to make ends meet.

The volunteers are given a large workload. Treating, screening and providing follow up care to the whole community. They must report to the closest health clinic once a month with the statistics of who and what they have treated, and re-stock their medication boxes. No transport is provided, these volunteers may have to walk kilometers, with no reward at the end. However how do you fill a report form when you cannot read or write? One health worker I met created a system to help him get reports from the volunteers. In a large jar put a grain of maize for every child 6-11 months treated for malaria. A grain of rice for every child 6-11 months treated for diarrhoea, and a grain of sorghum for every child 6-11 months treated for pneumonia. In a small jar do the same thing for children aged 12months – 5years. Genius.

It is innovations, cooperation and programs like these that makes this country so interesting. Yes, you get many volunteers who do not report, or health workers who demand written forms, but bit by bit Ghana is adapting its programs and building up its people to create something that will one day be a solid health system, built firmly on the strength of its amazing communities. This is dedicated to all the volunteers who give their time to the program, I am so proud of them, and continually hold them in such high esteem. I wish for them to be recognised and given employment entitlements, better status and the thanks that they deserve. 

Meet one of the volunteers - click here.

I Wish I Had A Mango Tree...In My Backyard...

Mango Trees. Best invention ever.

Mango trees are the perfect creation. The best infrastructure in northern Ghana for so many things. They are the best designed tree that I have seen. So multipurposeful.

They 1. Provide delicious fruit. And so many too; enough for a small business (or full belly). 2. Give far reaching shade. So much that they house many school classes, and if you pass by a community it is almost guaranteed that all the men will be sitting under one. 3. Are the perfect height. You can stand/sit under them, reach for a mango, and still get some solid shade, never a problem of hitting the head. 4. Provide some life to the desert. Green all-year round. In the dry season in flat Ghana you can see lone mango trees kilometeres away, they are the only relief from the heat.

There are 3 in my backyard. All currently bearing the most delicious fruit. It feels so indulgent to be able to add the most tasty mango to any meal at the moment, and dream up cocktails, recipes and other uses for the plentiful fruit. Ghana food, you aren’t so bad…

mangoes mangoes mangoes

Ripe for the picking

dam! have to wait for it to ripen, life is so hard...

Corporal Punishment

Driving past schools here can sometimes see either all the kids out in the field with machetes cutting the grass (apparently it's bring your own machete), or a whole class being punished. Like this photo. We stopped when we saw this entire class was being punished. The headmistress was involved, and it actually took a lot of convincing to make the teacher stop the punishment. Apparently the class had all laughed at someone, so the entire class was being punished. Finally my colleague succeeded in stopping this punishment, but who knows what happened an hour or so later.

I haven't had much to do with the education system in Ghana, just heard what other people know who are working in it so I don't have a good background, just observations. Corporal punishment is the norm, and when teachers do turn up (mostly they don't), it's highly likely someone that day will get some form of punishment. I think this one is one of the worst. As my driver put it, it'd be better to make them do something useful, or so they learn from it - maybe picking up all the rubbish around the place.

It's hard to watch, and I'm so glad we could intervene. But it was a temporary fix. Apparently there was a survey on children in schools recently, and the children voted to keep corporal punishment in schools. But maybe that was due to fear of repercussions. I have friends who have volunteered as teachers, and the children ask to be punished, they are used to the discipline, or expect it.

Ghana is on target for reaching the Millennium Development Goal #2 of Universal Education, however this has simply meant building plenty of schools. There are no qualified teachers, and the quality of the education is poor. As I have not had much experience with the schools, I have only entered a few, I'll end it there. But Ghana has made me appreciate the education system at home so much, and makes me hope for many more improvements in Ghana.

Lost In Translation

I was asking for an interpretation of a word I did not know yesterday. The conversation ensued;

Dee: “What does this mean?” (pointing to a word)

Z: “oni”

Dee: “Oh. What is that?”

Z: “You don’t know oni?”

Dee: “No. Is it some sort of local drink?”

Z: “Oni”

Dee: “Oni...”

Z: “Oni”

Dee : “Oh…. Ok. Oh. Hunne-y!”

Z: “hmm, yes, oni”

Dee: “hahaha. Oh the accent.”

(no reciprocal laughter)

Yes, a long winded conversation, and me thinking I’ve just learnt about a new food that I could look into, but really we were talking about good old honey. (why not laugh about it? I guess it’s not that funny, to  me it was).

We all speak English here, but the pronunciations are different. People in Ghana are used to the American or European accent, but the Australian is fairly new, and very different to Ghanaian English. I often need my own interpreter. Luckily my colleagues mostly understand me, but more often than not, when I’m in a meeting one of them will have to repeat what I say to everyone. To me, sounding exactly the same, but to people (especially of the north) here, it’s entirely different. I guess take 'oni' and 'hunnee' as two entirely different words.

I mostly have problems with Ghanaians pronouncing words that start with ‘th’. This is not pronounced ‘th’ like we would say ‘theory’ but instead pronounced ‘te-ory’. It has been quite confusing for me. You don’t ‘think’, you ‘tink’. You ‘tank’ someone rather than ‘thanking’ them. 'three' is more like a roll of the tongue, and my colleague had to write 'threat' on a piece of paper for me to understand the word. Whenever I am absolutely stumped by what someone is saying, mostly it’s a ‘th’ word. But knowing that doesn't help!

Other lost in translation fun includes telling a Ghanaian friend he has nice pants. He stared strangely, and as a wave of emotions went over his face, he exclaimed “oh, you mean my trousers?” followed by an explanation of how pants means underwear, and it was in fact an inappropriate comment. Having worn a skirt that day, I made sure I didn’t make the statement that I wasn’t wearing pants...

I just found this image at www.villageaid.org/ghanas-honey-rush.html the honey here is delicious.
Very different to that from home. 

Memoirs of Ghana

Am I too old to have ‘memoirs’ yet? Or reflect? Probably. Maybe i should say 'anecdotes'. But I have definitely had a great time in Ghana, and learnt plenty of life lessons and professional practicalities. Is this where I get all soppy and tell everyone how much I have grown from this experience, and how I’ve really left a mark here and helped change the world? That would be pretty cool, but let’s be honest, I didn’t.

Reflection is funny, because often you reflect and realise everything you were told was actually true. When I was preparing to leave, the program provided a psychologist to talk through the phases that I’d experience when working and living overseas. An impressive graph was provided to show the emotional turmoil (and fun) that I would experience, and I scoffed at the thought that I would be so predictable…

I wouldn't use the term 'culture shock', but this is the general idea

It’s pretty true really.

It’s all go go go from the start, meeting people, familiarizing, getting lost, understanding the culture/language and seeing through the stars in your eyes.

I thought I’d really been lucky because I lasted a long time without a dip, things were on the up and up and I was enjoying everything (and I really showed that psychologist). But things got monotonous and boredom kicks in, you don’t want to do the same thing every week, every weekend. You withdraw from life and just have ‘Dee time’. But once again, good old reflection kicks in and you realise you only get this one experience, so maximize it! Enjoy it! Friends are also really useful for this. Both back at home (thankyou SOOOO much everyone who stayed in touch, Skyped, sent me music suggestions(yes!!), made the effort, it is the little things, SMS’s, thoughts etc that count!) and friends in country. I’ve met a really diverse group of people; it’s strange being thrown together with so many people- you become friends with people you’d never usually be friends with, in a good way.

And then you realize you are on the home stretch and really need to make the most of things. That’s where I am at now. I’ve been busy busy just doing everything I want to do before I leave. Eating all the food I can get, seeing all the people here I probably won’t spend time with again. Getting fit. Having that final stab at the language (I still can’t really get past ‘hello’, but in my defence I do know how to say it in at least 5 languages!). Trying to figure out what’s been going on in Australia for the past year. and job hunting! Argh! The worst! The thought of going back to real work is quite scary (as I sit here at work typing this out….).

For those of you I contacted in an indecisive freak out (how unusual of me?!?), I didn’t take the South Sudan job. Well actually I did. For a good week I was bound for Bentio in South Sudan for a year as a Nutrition and Food Security Officer working with UNHCR. But after it was bombed and evacuated and I talked to colleagues about the lifestyle there I decided that really wasn’t for me yet.  It was hard because it was the ideal job, being handed to me on a platter. But it felt a bit too isolated and not really the way of life I’m looking for right now. So with sadness I turned it down. Que sera sera.

I still have 6 weeks to go. It’ll fly, and I’ll keep writing (suggestions are welcome), and keep reflecting. I’m no Ghana expert, or nutrition expert now, but I have some pretty good stories to keep me going for a while. I should stop now because 1) I’m not quite finished here yet, and 2) we don’t want this to turn into a novel (albeit an award winning one).

To help myself and you, dear reader to become Ghana experts, here are some do-not-miss Ghana highlights so far;

• ·         Witnessing the full circle of the seasons; the rainy, the dry, the Harmattan, the HOT, the rainy
• ·         Travelling to all parts of the country, it is so diverse each region you travel into
• ·         Learning some of the languages. It gives your tongue good exercise, ensures you embarrass yourself, but also helps to understand the diversity of this small country
• ·         Eating big, eating messy, and eating anything. Granted, I’m a vegetarian, so I couldn’t always eat everything, but it is such a fun experience. To (once again) step out of your comfort zone and go nuts on a big bowl of food you don’t really know anything about can be really amusing
• ·         Enjoying the wildlife. There is not much left, but the wandering goats  and sheep are fun to have around. The elephants at Mole are impressive – I was once driving back from Wa to work and 8 elephants crossed the road in front of me. So free!
• ·         Travelling on the local bus-taxis (called Tro-Tros). Squashed in, no ventilation, many stops, confusion…. But it’s a whole lot of fun, cheap, busy and friendly.

It's a tough life here...... (??)

Nightlife

There are now three clubs in Tamale to go to if you want a night out…. Over the year I think I’ve been to each twice. It takes a while to get motivated to go there! But it is definitely worth a visit if you are a newcomer to town. And great stories.

Giddipass is a restaurant and rooftop bar with the best music to dance to, and is a guaranteed dance fest. The people who frequent this place really know how to dance (well, I guess from my observations, all Ghanaians are amazing dancers) so it’s fun to watch some moves, probs fun for them to see us murder the dance floor. It’s the best place in town to watch the sunset, you are on one of the highest buildings in town (3 stories) and can watch over the city – people watching is so much fun, and it’s free! No entry fee. It closes at midnight, so guarantees you an early night (unless you head on to the next place!).

Drawbacks include;

no toilet; so you squat in a corner of the carpark and hope no headlights turn on you (and you are dressed appropriate, a skirt is best)  - this can be good to stop you from drinking/having a big night. I tend not to drink here, to avoid the toilet excursions, it was quite an ordeal the first time.

and groping; this is constant and goes for both sexes. You may enter the dance floor on your own, but soon there will be a ‘sillyminga sandwich’ with you surrounded by men instantly, to make it more interesting, you could time it…. Quite amusing to see male friends get ‘sanga’d’ by so many men too. The Ghanaians that have cottoned onto the idea (shock horror) that it isn’t nice to be surrounded and squashed when trying your best moves out really get the tourists onside when they shoo the men away from you. It’s a full time job.

My favourite review of this place;

“…we went upstairs to check out the dance floor. It was a crowded sausage-fest, and I didn't feel safe. Seemed like a lot of people were brushing against my pockets (aka pickpocketers)….. It's the most happening place in Tamale which isn't saying much because Tamale is absolutely not happening... No real reason to come here”

Hahaha. It’s true. There are also some nice reviews, but this sets the scene best!

When I’ve been there, apart from my friends, there was one other female there. The crowded dance floor was all men. And my male friend had his wallet removed from his pocket 3 consecutive times in a row, each time he was holding onto it saying ‘no, I don’t think so’… 10 points for persistence!

The Royal (for some reason pronounced ‘roy-yal’ – like Samuel L Jackson mentions the ‘Royal with Cheese’ in Pulp Fiction)… Anyway, the music is awful and the smell of toilet permeates, but it was up until a few months ago, the only thing in town open past midnight. And there are noodles available outside. It’s free for the ladies, but recently increased the cover charge for men to GHc10 (AUD$5). High rollers only!

And the new hotel/nightclub/leisure place is Discovery, it has a pool shaped like a mirror image of a map of Africa (who knows why it’s not the right way around) and both a nightclub and a VIP nightclub. Originally priced at GHc40 (AUD$20), it had absolutely no customer for the first few weeks (except for me who went for a look, and found it empty – seriously not a single person inside…awkward!), they have stopped charging entry fee and now it seems to go off. Smoke machine complete with fluoro lights, can be quite confusing on the inside… and the VIP nightclub is still empty. Not sure if I will venture there again to see if this changes.

My colleagues always tell me to be at home by 7pm because that is what they do, and it’s unsafe being away from home after that time…. I can’t say I adhere to this, but I listen. Mum is visiting in a few weeks…. Watch this space to see which one I take her to, any suggestions??

Joke For Today

Hide and Seek

Floating head?...Curtains?...Or Skirt? 

Ghana cloth is so much fun. Matching is highly regarded. Shirts and pants. Shirts and skirts. Headscarf and dress. All matching. And no, it doesn't look like pyjamas. Surprisingly. I'm not sure about matching curtains and skirt yet.... I'm all for it!

Affrika

An attempt at starting a book club in Tamale brought my attention to an article  about writing about Africa. I loved it, and find it so interesting now I’ve been writing myself about Africa, reading about it, and actually experiencing it.

My favourite points;

Africa is a continent, not a country: even the Australian government has made this mistake on their websites. I have heard using the term ‘African’ is sometimes controversial, as Sudanese people are so different to Boers, as to Algerians. “In your text, treat Africa as if it were one country. It is hot and dusty with rolling grasslands and huge herds of animals and tall, thin people who are starving. Or it is hot and steamy with very short people who eat primates. Don’t get bogged down with precise descriptions. Africa is big: fifty-four countries, 900 million people who are too busy starving and dying and warring and emigrating to read your book. The continent is full of deserts, jungles, highlands, savannahs and many other things, but your reader doesn’t care about all that, so keep your descriptions romantic and evocative and unparticular.”

The mention of the African sunset in literature. “Readers will be put off if you don’t mention the light in Africa. And sunsets, the African sunset is a must. It is always big and red. There is always a big sky.” As my roommate pointed out (and not to sound too cynical); the sunsets are beautiful, however I’m not too sure on the difference in appearance here to the sun setting in Australia (or the rest of the world for that matter).

And of course, generalisation; “Broad brushstrokes throughout are good. Avoid having the African characters laugh, or struggle to educate their kids, or just make do in mundane circumstances. Have them illuminate something about Europe or America in Africa. African characters should be colourful, exotic, larger than life—but empty inside, with no dialogue, no conflicts or resolutions in their stories, no depth or quirks to confuse the cause.”

I hope I haven’t made any of these mistakes, and I do take time to be critical of my judgements and thinking. It’s hard not to stereotype a country or continent that you have never been to, and is widely romanticised in literature, press and cinema. Also it is something that is so different to what we know or have experienced. Having said that, I’ve been lucky to lead a relatively ‘normal’ life in Ghana. It may be different to the Ghanaians living in the small communities, but it is the same as my UN colleagues living in Tamale. So I can’t say much for Africa, as my experience is one fifty-fourth of the continent. But I am quick to dispel the stereotypes that are mentioned in the article, and I cringe when I see donor campaigns or advertising that paints Ghana and Africa in the ‘desperate’ light. Although there are some serious human rights abuses and humanitarian crisis happening that you cannot ignore, there are also so many wonderful developments, ‘normal’ living and enriching experiences that are much better to mention.

I highly recommend you read the article, it’s an easy read and from an African person (which is actually quite the change; most things you read about Africa are written by foreigners). While here is a good example and critique on aid campaigns. And here is a fabulous TED talk about the dangers of a single story.

There is a long list I could write about books/articles/movies NOT to read about Africa. I’ve read my fair share of them already and they make me cringe.

There’s your homework for the week – class dismissed!!

Yes, I'm guilty of it. Stereotyping: the token white person with all the 'local' ladies, and malnourished children... did I really do that??

Clearly I got awkward with the situation, and decided it wasn't for me

The 'Forgotten Killers'

Have a guess at the world’s biggest infant killer? Something scary, something unpredictable, something out of our scope to help with???

Pneumonia.

Closely followed by Diarrhoea.

In Ghana the problem is the same. Diseases that don’t really scare you at the thought, or make you think of death. But they are killing children in Ghana and the rest of the world, yet have such simple solutions.

You can  prevent pneumonia by washing your hands before eating. It’s not expensive, out of reach or ‘innovative’. To cure pneumonia you take some antibiotics. In Ghana they can cost as little as AUD$1.00 or if you can’t afford that, it’s free.

Diarrhoea can similarly be prevented and easily treated, again, hygiene and sanitation is key. But these diseases reflect more than just the diagnosis, it shows the living conditions, poverty, and healthcare accessibility of those severely affected. When you think about #1 cause of death in Ghana (or Africa in general), the cliché is to blame HIV/AIDS, maybe conflict, or some obscure disease like Nodding Disease. These are all difficult things to tackle, with big social impacts, or costs involved. But HIV rates in Ghana are 1.8%. The percent of children with suspected pneumonia receiving antibiotics is just 24%. The percent of children with suspected pneumonia taken to an appropriate health care provider is 51%. It is clear where the biggest impact can be made in health.

Ghana has just introduced 2 new vaccines to help prevent both diarrhoea and pneumonia. There has been much media coverage, and here is a great video about it.

Other things that are being done are;

1.  Promoting exclusive breastfeeding – by giving nothing but breast milk for the first 6 months in life it prevents infection, contamination and malnutrition. A simple, but effective way to ensure good health for your under 6month old. The problem lies in the following years where food is introduced, and it is often inadequate or insufficient.

2. Sanitation and hygiene. Ensuring all households have access to safe drinking water.

3. Community-based treatment of childhood illnesses. A program where volunteers in the community bring diagnosis and treatment to hard to reach places.

4. Promoting handwashing with soap. Massive campaigns and strategies are in place to improve handwashing. A study I worked on recently found that just 6% of people use soap. And then it mostly was for washing clothes rather than hands.

Wash those hands!

And for the final say, here is a news story on the current situation.

That's Rubbish!

The rainy season makes everything look so nice. The maize is two times taller than you and as green as can be, so you just think fertility, new growth and all these positive nice things. Then comes the dry season. Everything dies and Tamale is all red dust and plastic bags. I didn’t realise how the trees and bush was hiding such a mess!

The rainy season - the maize hides this... until you turn the corner and are standing on it! The pigs do a good job of halving the size of it daily

When you buy something here it comes in a ‘rubber’ or plastic bag. I heard the black bags are used so people can’t see what you have purchased. Because you may get jealous if you can see someone’s egg and bread – better hide it in a black plastic bag. Fine. But then what happens? You chuck it out the window into either a pile of already discarded rubbish, or start a new pile of rubbish yourself. It’s easy!

And often it’s not just one or two plastic bags you get with a small purchase, but my personal favourite is a pack of lollies you get here – guide to opening them;

1.      The lollie is encased in it’s own individual wrapper for each lollie

2.      About 10 of these are encased in a paper wrapper

3.      This paper wrapper is encased in a plastic wrapper

4.      You will be given a plastic bag to carry this small lollie treat home

So there is rubbish everywhere and of course no recycling. If you are lucky enough to find a bin to dispose of things, you watch the men come and collect the bin, and see it just goes to a larger pile somewhere else and burnt. The educated answer here so far is to just burn all the rubbish. Including the plastic. Makes for a lovely aroma, especially on dinner time. The rubbish near my house creates a large pile for the animals to fossick through and get the best parts, but there is no end in sight for the plastic bags. It is interesting how revolutionary the plastic bag has been for people here (making things so accessible and easy to sell/buy) however, the bigger, longer problem of waste collection is a long way coming. I take a stand and collect my bags, and give the re-useable ones to the ladies who run the shop down the street. But Ghana is choked by rubbish and no means to deal with it.

Sheep spotting - is it an animal or rubbish?

A pretty standard/clean sight. The view from my guest house. oh, the guest house didn't have a washroom, so this was also the toilet...

A Fish Out Of Water

Drinking...
You drink at a 'Spot'
Many drinks will be 'finished' so check that there are plenty in the fridge or even freezer at the spot if you are out for a big night or there are many of you.
If you are drinking beer you can choose from; Star, Club, Stone (heavy), Castle (dark), Goulda and Guinness (nothing at all like real Guinness). All pretty bad, but everyone has their favourites. and you sort of move through them as the months pass. You can't look at the Star anymore... so you try Club. and they all come in long necks. For GH2.50 - about $1.70.
You can go upmarket and get Heineken or Peroni sometimes, but you will probably drink them out of it, and you have to pay the premium price - of GH3.00 for a small bottle (about $1.50!).
If you drink spirits you can choose from having a 'tot' out of a bottle eg. Gordon's Gin, or a fairly good vodka. Or you can choose to have a shot from a sachet. This costs around 40c.

This was only drunk to show you readers how it's done....

For the non-drinkers out there: Pure Water (sachet water) is free. and minerals (fizzy drinks) are GH1 (about 50c). Note I didn't say drivers. Because drink driving is ok here (not that I'm okay with it).

and the essential component of a good Spot out: LOUD music!

Ghana Quirks I Enjoy

Some are funny, some are just interesting to me….

1. Using old diaries as a note pad, I’ve seen as far back as the 1990’s. It’s really common, and I just am not sure why… recycling?
2. Painting the nails on the left hand only, not the right
3. Taking multiple solo photos of yourself or friend in front of anything, no smiles allowed, very serious business (in the south, this is done often with an iPad in your face, always an amusing sight)
4. Either not wearing makeup at all, or makeup applied drag queen style
5. Playing ‘background’ music as loud as the volume possibly goes. Makes small talk easier, you sit in silence!
6. Washing your hands before eating with dishwashing liquid and water. Why not soap?
7. Dinner parties mean come, eat really really fast, and then leave… without paying the bill (and with taking a take-home pack). A friend negotiates this at work functions by doing presentations and everything before the food is served. I can never keep up with my colleagues – maybe because I chew things like fufu, the Ghanaians don’t chew, just put-in-mouth-and-swallow
8. Not waiting for the current conversation to finish before butting in with a new conversation
9. Hanging your handbag over your bottom – sort of bumbag style. Literally flaunting your curves. People here love to keep their hands free – handbag often goes on the head too.
10. Using the word ‘sh!t’ in a formal meeting to describe, well, sh!tting in public. I was with a national minister, and I was shocked we were talking about trying to stop people sh!tting in the open… I find ‘defecation’ (often used as well) so formal… but then sh!t is the complete opposite! My guard also talks about how our chickens ‘sh!t’ the eggs… I tend to get the giggles...

     To leave you now with a song that is often guilty of point #5. I tried to buy some things from a shop the other day, but the lady serving had to dance to the entire song first before we could exchange any money, it was worth it. It's my favourite song here, maybe because I think it is so funny. It's a guarantee you'll hear this if you leave the house in the morning. 

On THe Road

One experience was quite traumatic during my weeks on the road. We were travelling between towns, and came across a man and his mates, who had come off his motorbike. It looked like the front tyre had blown out. And he hadn’t been wearing a helmet. The gravel road had caused much damage, and as much as I tried not to look, the man’s face had been severely injured and deformed. Being a UN vehicle, the policy is we do NOT take passengers, or stop for people. But my driver and I decided to stop, it’s a deserted road, you can’t just leave the scene, and we could help. Not to be mentioned to HQ. So we put the man in the tray of the ute (so lucky we had this vehicle and not the new Landcruisers) and started back to town – fortunately I knew the Polyclinic, I had worked there previously. His mates on motorbikes were going to escort us, but we had to keep stopping because the man was trying to jump off the ute. I was sad to see that the friends sped off, we were left with this man we didn’t know in a critical condition.

We slowly made our way back to town. The ambulance was not an option because there is rarely fuel for its use, and regardless, we were at the scene.  We were fortunate in that my driver had made one friend come in the tray with the victim, as he needed constant care and placation, I’m sure there were head injuries/shock involved. The friend must have been a ‘strong man’ and my driver also had to keep an eye on him in the mirror for fear of him jumping out. I tried not to look at the man, it was a pretty horrific sight. I don’t know how they did it, I won’t go into details, but inside the car we were so quiet and tense, despite the 40 degree temperature I was so cold.

We got back into town and as we drove into the clinic, all his mates arrived for support and help. It was such a good thing to see. I met the district health director and she assured his care, telling me that the doctor was in today. This was much relief, as you never know the treatment you are going to get in the health facilities here. We left him with half the town supporting him. They thanked us, and got the vehicle washed, it was covered in blood. My driver asked me about HIV, which I thought was so great; It’s not an easy thing to discuss here. We talked about the health facilities here, the community support and about meditation.

It was a surreal experience, one I have not had much experience with before. I thought of dad and Uncle Bob doing this with the rescue helicopter at home, seeing things like this several times per day, I was affected just by one incident. Despite being queasy with some gore, I was fine, and my driver commended me for not being scared of blood! I told my driver about our helicopter services, reliable ambulances, and healthcare. We have all that, and Ghana doesn’t, but I was so incredibly comforted and moved by the community spirit, support and kindness of this town. I could leave knowing that in some way, he will be ok.

Me and My Driver

I have spent the best of two weeks driving around the Northern Region of Ghana supervising a large scale survey. More about that later. The best part for me has been getting to know my driver. This is actually a rarity in Ghana, as most people are cautious about what information they give out to you. The colleague I’ve been working most closely with for the entire 8 months announced to me the other day that his wife had just given birth. I had travelled and worked with him constantly, daily for all that time and he’d never mentioned her or the impending pregnancy.

So my driver and I went on a mission to small communities in 3 districts. These were sometimes as small as 14 houses. He was the most cautious, safe driver I have had, so this was reassuring for the duration. He would stop and ask for directions (imagine a man asking for directions!) and his English was great, so we talked the whole time.

He told me some fantastic stories, of the highlights:

·         Recipes – he cooks most Ghanaian dishes (including cat and dog).

·         How he won a regional award for his animal farming and was so proud. Aiming for a national award now. It was so nice to see how proud he was, and also how he treats his animals.

·         He bought a ‘home used’ (ie second hand) bicycle and was so excited he rode home 40kms. He rode so fast it took the same time it does to drive, but when he got home he was so exhausted he didn’t know what was happening to him. So he took himself to hospital! He was sore in the joints and they treated him for malaria!! He said he’ll never ride like that again. People here tend to ride pretty slow and laid back.

·         We discussed many things and he said he wants me to be a Big Woman. This does not mean fat (he thinks fat women are too slow), but an important person. He kept saying I should be a lawyer… probably in relation to my arguments pro-women’s rights. He had some interesting views…

I won’t share all the conversations and details, so as to betray his trust in our friendship. But there were some gems…. and some hypotheticals;

·         F: “What would your parents say if you came home with a black baby?”

·         Dee: “Would it be mine?”

·         F: “Yes, for example if you and I had a baby”

·         Dee: “I guess they would be upset that I kept it from them for 9 months!”

·         F: “I think the best thing would be if you got in really late, in the dark and did not wake them. You go to bed, and in the morning when they come and wake you, they see the baby?”

·         Dee: “Oh! I don’t think I’d want to give them a heart attack!”

But we were talking about racism. It is an interesting topic. He was so happy when I said that it is ok to be black at home, and people do marry different races. I guess for someone who has never travelled out of your own country, and have only met 2 white people in your life, you don’t know these things.

He was such a gentleman. Buying me all types of local foods. Carrying my bags. Ensuring my room was ok before I went in, and getting me to the places I needed to go. It’s been such a wonderful experience, and my first work on my own too!

Best Driver Ever

Parts of the weeks was sort of like being on holidays. We stopped at this ant hill for a photo. Nothing work related at all!

Happy Birthday To Who…

After making a big deal of my birthday as I always do, and finding it strange that my colleagues let their birthdays pass without as much as a word, I have discovered some reasons why people here do not celebrate their birthdays….

·         Many, especially the elderly, do not know their age or actual birthday. It is only recently that people are registering births, and so getting a birth certificate. It is interesting when doing surveys that require someone’s age and you ask things like “were you born before or after Independence” or “was it during the harvest or the dry season” to try to narrow down the dates and months

·         There are no ovens, and so you can’t make a birthday cake. My driver declared he would one day love to celebrate his birthday. We discussed this and I told him how we celebrate by singing over a cake. He suggested maybe praying over a pot of stew for him.  

·         The things that are celebrated here seem more communal. Like the Harvest, or Easter/Christmas/Eid rather than celebrating the individual.

·         Entertaining with Ghanaians from my experience is a big deal and you can’t just ask a few people for dinner. A friend of mine invited a few people from work for drinks to celebrate. The whole office got wind of it, turned up, ate, took takeaway containers home of food for their family and put it on the bill, and the whole thing turned out to be hundreds of dollars! So much for close friends celebrating someone special.

·         But Ghanaians know how to dance. If you want to have a party, put on some Azonto dance music, or anything Ghanaian and you’ve got a house of quality dancers busting it out. This may be the best way to celebrate a birthday. Dancing til you can dance no more. Maybe to some classics such as ‘hey shorty it’s your birfday’ – Ghanaians are short after all….. ;)