Again I feel as though so much has happened in the last week that I am not entirely sure where
to begin.

Last Thursday Jacky and I left Accra to travel, once again to Ada, but this time for work. We were the only two representatives from Afri Radio, and although excited, I have to admit I was a little nervous at first. Luckily, there were two representatives from Ada Radio that spoke the local language, Dengbe, and one of which had done some field work of this nature before. Their names are Philimon and William and they are very pleasant to work with. Our goal was to conduct a focus group regarding the current AFRI program being aired in Ada about Market Information Service. Also we were asked to conduct one-on-one interviews with locals to find out their opinions of the program and to gather some success stories on the last program regarding animal housing. This process had to be repeated in three communities, Adedestkope, Ceaserkope, and Ayisa.

The goal of the program was to inform local communities on marketing techniques and to improve their marketing skills. One of the main aspects of the program was that it announced the prices of goods in numerous markets outside the district of Ada, and outside the 3 communities. Prior to the program people were not aware of the price of goods beyond their communities, and so had no incentive to expand. Now that the prices were being announced and even predicted on the radio, people could plan their trips to the markets, and ship some their produce to where it is in demand and where they can get a higher price for it. The program also taught farmers about harvesting bit by bit, rather than in bulk, in order to meet the demands of the market place and sell more efficiently. These are only some of the main points of the program; however, it seemed to be filled with other relevant information.

The first community, Adedestkope (pronounced: Adédé ch kopé) was lovely, but difficult to mobilize. While waiting for enough people to organise a focus group we walked through other people’s backyards, asking them politely is we could interview them about the program. Jacky and I each got five interviews. Philimon did the talking for me and translated while I just took notes and asked any additional questions or for clarification.

Most of the houses in this community were grass or mud huts or houses. Some of them had tin roofs, but with boulders holding them down. A lot of them had grass roofs. The roads were all dirt roads naturally, and transportation was mostly done by motorbike! There were a lot of bugs while we were working though, and did it ever get hot in the afternoons! I came back with a tan.

So anyways, back to talking about work. So we did the one on one and that was great but we still could not manage to mobilize enough people to conduct a focus group. The men seemed to be off to sea fishing and no one knew exactly when they would be back. So we decided that the only thing we could do was to come back in the morning. We returned there after having confirmed the time with the community, however, when we arrived in the morning there appeared to be another community meeting going on that kept people for an additional 2-3 hours. Finally when people started to come we were informed that someone in the community had unfortunately just passed and everyone was busy with the funeral preparations. We offered our condolences and asked whether we should come back but it appeared that enough people had come together to do the focus groups for a short while. 15 people in total. The whole process was interesting. We left and AFRRI gave them a solar paneled radio and some phone credits to call in during the program. Before we left the members of this community gave us some Ada names: mine is Adede (pronounced: Adédé) which means first born. Jacky’s is Kabukini meaning first girl. They were very nice in the end, and very grateful, as were we.

We then headed to the second community. There was a big Neem tree under which we held the focus group. I loved this tree as it was actually very relaxing to sit in its shade and discuss. More people came to this focus group and we only had to wait for 45 minutes for enough people to come and sit on the benches that were procured. One man even said that he was from a neighbouring community but that he had heard on the radio that there were two people from Canada coming to conduct a focus group on the program and that he wanted to come and take part. There were many more participants in this group and afterwards we managed to do the one on one interviews and success stories. We said thank you and grabbed a taxi back to a market where we could then take a tros-tros to our hotel.

The next day was the final community, Ayisa. This community was even more organised than the last and there were many participants in the focus group. Also this community was mostly grass and mud huts (some with metal roofs) again, we were surprised at how clean and organised and beautiful it was. We could clearly see the animal housing that has been built since the last program that aired. The ground looked swept and there was no sign of any pollution or garbage. Everyone was really nice. They even offered Jacky and I a Guinea Fowl as a token of gratitude. A guinea fowl is almost like a turnkey but it is black and white and almost looks checkered in pattern. We had to decline… but we did get to hold one.
On the way to Ayisa we stopped in a market (the name evades me). It was massive and you could get anything you ever wanted there. We bought lots of fruit and vegetables, bags of sea salt for cooking, and some pasta. I think all together it may have costs 5 cedis…and we got a lot of stuff.

The tros-tros ride back to Accra was, interesting to say the least.
I will write more later. Oh! For those of you who are wondering I did not go to Cape Coast last weekend…Instead we celebrated Nicks Birthday at the Suma hotel we first stayed at. Juliana works at the hotel everyday and she takes very very good care of us. Even now that we have moved on she checks in to make sure we are all ok. We visit often and Nick is her son. He is adorable, and on Saturday was his 2nd birthday. We all bought gifts and ate cake. Afterwards, we headed to another birthday party for someone from India that we had met the weekend before. Never have I mingled with so many foreigners and volunteers. Haha. The music was a good mix and we danced the night away.

I am hoping to go to cape coast this weekend. Fingers crossed.

-Cassie

Hello everyone!

I would just like to say that at this point that I would do anything to have internet at my hotel. You can’t really skype at internet cafes, and by the time Riley gets home from school I am usually in my bed. Long distance phone calls are pretty expensive to Ghana, and it has been hard to get a good connection. We just got cut off mid-conversation and my phone is out of credits so I couldn’t call back. In short I miss everyone in Canada and I am working on the contact thing. I really hope that wherever my accommodation is… it has internet but I think the chances of that happening are pretty slim. Lol

So things here have been picking up pace. Unfortunately this past weekend I was very ill and so unable to really go anywhere or do anything. Fortunately for me, however, it was not too serious and I have made a good recovery. I just have to go a bit slower on food and make sure I READ the labels on all my medication before I take them.

I did start work on Thursday (before the sickness hit) and there was a lot to do. So how many details I have disclosed regarding my job thus far, I don’t know, but I work in the WUSC office.

Although AFRRI radio is a program that is under the heading of GNECC, their office is located at WUSC which, conveniently enough is located really close to our hotel. AFRRI stands for African Farm Radio Research Initiative. It’s a project that  operates it many countries around Africa, however, our team is solely responsible for its implementation and operation in Ghana. Essentially, there are 5 radio stations that have agreed to play a 1 hour program (I think they are usually one hour), once a week (sometimes they repeat the program depending on the station). The program is an educational program that discusses farming practice and it is aired in a number of rural communities all over the country. The program is conducted in the local language and dialects of each community and aims at educating people on the growing, cultivation of certain crops and the keeping of farm animals as well as how to market their product and enhance the community’s overall income. Also, I should mention that the program differs depending on the needs of each community (i.e.: one community might be listening to a program on Animals housing while at the same time another community is learning about the cultivation of a specific crop). Many of these communitie members have a minimal education and so this initiative offers really great opportunities.
We have arrived at a time where they were in-putting and analyzing the data that has been collected in the field regarding the first “campaign” or round of programs. The data entry process has been pretty demanding considering this is our first week here but that seems to have come to an end and analysis and report writing is about to begin.

For the past two days we have had the privilege of attending a two-day meeting aimed at creating an outline for the next 5 year plan for Unitterra (the volunteer organisation that has sent us here). It has been really interesting! First we learned about the workings of Uniterra and what the organisation (through volunteer work) has accomplished over the past 5 years. Then we have been divided into groups in order to discuss the topics that may require emphasis in Uniterra’s mandate for the next 5 years. We have been talking about the quality of education, exclusion and accessibility of education and vocational training with a special focus on girls, gender sensitivity and equity. My team in particular has been trying to develop strategies and activities that can be implemented in order to enhance the quality of education for girls in Ghana. I have learned a lot about the education system here.

There is a lot of work to be done in teacher training on gender sensitive issues, the lack of teachers (especially female) in rural areas, and the overall quality of education (although it must be noted that a lot has been accomplished in the past couple of years). For example, in many areas, girls do not have women role models or teachers to look up too, they may be overburden with chores and therefore suffer lower grades, and many schools lack facilities that are gender friendly (such as girls washrooms and sports programs).

I know a lot of you may be wondering about my accommodation…so am I. I was told I will find out on Monday, then told Wednesday… now maybe Thursday? Anyways, don’t worry. For the time being I have a nice hotel room until I find suitable (and safe) accommodation.
I bought some phone credits so I should be able to text! (with my new Ghaniain phone)

Anyways I will write more soon!

Love and miss everyone!

Cassie

So last Friday, at around 5pm we were all feeling a little defeated and really wanted to get out of the city and see more of Ghana. Jess and Nelly had decided that they were going to take a weekend trip to a place called Ada Foah, about 2 hours outside of Accra. I jumped aboard, so did Jackie, Inka and Marilyn (another volunteer who recently arrived). Bridget, a long term volunteer who has been living here for a while decided to come too and was our guide seeing as she had done this trip some months before. So eventually the group grew to 7. We left early
Saturday morning (7am) and went to meet bridget at the Tros-Tros station. I don`t know If I have explain the tros-tros yet but they are basically the public transportation system here in Ghana. They are these big vans (that look like they are breaking down…the door doesn`t really work properly) and they shove as many people on a bench as possible. The plus side is it is pretty cheap transportation and so you get used it. We arrived at the tros-tros station which is kinda like Ghana`s version of a Greyhound station. I think it might be called Lories? Not sure. But basically it was the craziest thing I have ever witnessed. These vans were EVERYWHERE and so were people. Stalls everywhere, markets down streets and in between the tros-tros.
Everywhere you looked there was someone balancing tons of merchandise precariously on their heads while holding some in their hands, and trying to sell it to us “Obrunies” (which is what they shout at us; translated it means “white person”). I had so many people crowding me and asking me where I was going that I couldn’t even answer, I had to just walk on. We eventually found this really nice lady who took us to the tros-tros going to Ada Foah. Once there, we realized that Bridget was waiting for us at ANOTHER tros-tros station beside the one we were in. So the lady again led us to the right place, weaving through noise, hissing, snapping , music and exhaust smoke. Finally we found where we were meant to be and we thanked the lady (with a hug and a couple of cedis) and boarded the tros-tros. It was actually a lovely ride. The scenery was beautiful outside Accra; the fields and little villages that we passed along the way were exactly how pictured Africa. This ride, in a way, was my wakeup call.

So we arrived in Ada Foah at around 11 am. Where we met some locals who were happy to take us where we wanted to go. Estuary Beach was our final destination. Bridget described it as paradise, and I have to say she was not far from the truth. The local brought us weaving through a very calm very nice little market, full of wooden stalls, and to a river where a boatman awaited. We negotiated a price (3 cedis) and hoped on. Boating down this river was absolutely gorgeous. On either side of us there were communities surrounded by palm trees. Never in my life have I seen so many beautiful palm trees. There were simple communities living mostly out of mud and grass huts, and there were beautiful beach homes (most likely privately owned property). The water was so clear and inviting, that is before we heard about the crocodiles (I did not see any but just knowing they were there was enough to deter swimming-let a long the warnings from my doctor). We arrived on the beach and there were rows of grass huts, a drink booth, and grass umbrellas near the water with lounging chairs underneath. Amazing.

It was called estuary beach because it marks the place where the ocean meets the river (or sea? I heard it being called both). We were basically on a small strip of island, and on one side was the river by which we traveled and on the other side was the Ocean. Literally right there. I had never really been in the ocean before so that alone was amazing. The sky was so blue that if you stood on the hill it was hard to see where sky ended and ocean began. The waves crashed so ferociously yet somehow, it was calming…. ok, I am being a little romantic with my writing now but I have to say, having hardly been around oceans, this was amazing. We “swam”, if you can call it that. There are no life guards in Ghana and the tide looked very dangerous so we slowly edged into the water and let the waves push us onto the shore. As we got braver, it got more fun. Afterwards we napped in hammocks under some coconut trees (cliché but it had to be done) and I got a tan! YAY.

The food was really good, which was a bit surprising considering we were quite literally in the middle of nowhere. No washrooms except a grass outhouse, no shower, but good food.
As the day wore on crabs came out of their millions of homes on the Ocean beach and danced around our feet. They were so cute! I also spent half the day picking seashells.

When night fell a giant bonfire was prepared and to our surprise and pleasure chairs were placed around the fire and we were graced with traditional African music and dance! There were a group of very good drummers, lots of signing and some cowbell! The dancers were like nothing I have ever seen. They were so fast and agile (especially considering they were dancing on sand), and the crackled of the fire behind them made it all the more mystical. After about an hour of strait dancing (and in this heat!) they invited us to come and try our hand at it, or rather or hips lol. What a workout! I am definitely taking up African dance when I come back to Canada, 10 minutes and you have lost 20 pounds and your abs are screaming for a break. I loved it.

Afterwards I retired to my grass hut on the beach. I know, cool right? There was no light and it was my first mosquito net experience… there were 3 pounds of sand in my bed but aside from that I slept well.

The following day was just as good. I walked to beach when I awoke and there were around 15 men pulling at a giant rope from the Ocean. Curiosity pricked me so I went to check it out. They were fishing! This was not fishing like we are used to it. This is HARD work. I decided to help… 2 hours of constant pulling in the African heat and still they had not pulled in the net yet. Basically, there is a giant net that they (somehow… I think by boat) cast into the ocean. At each end of the net there is a long stretch of thick rope. There are two groups of about 15-20 people each who grab each end of the rope and stand about 50 feet or more away from each other to pull it in. It took me a while to realise that the two groups were pulling at the same net. I have never sweat that much in my entire life (and I can say that in complete honesty.) The fish was meant to feed the entire village. I was soon distracted, however, by a GIANT sea turtle which had washed up on the shore. It was one of the saddest things I have ever seen. The turtle was dead… belly up but still so big and beautiful. The feeling of seeing it there for some reason filled me with so much sadness. The turtle was easily half the length of me and probably twice as wide. One thing I should note is that the pollution on the beach is unbelievable. All of the garbage from Accra gets washed up on the shore in Ada, and pollutes the peoples land and animals. Apparently, a mile or so down river there are no washrooms for the people, and so the ocean it is. I am SO glad that I learned this after I swam. There are volunteers there who are currently in the process of building toilets.

So we made our way back around 3 pm and it was a wonderful weekend all in all. We caught a tros-tros all to our selves, and some of the people who were at the beach accompanied us back to Accra. It felt really good to shower.

So this afternoon I am supposed to be moving into my new Hostel with Jackie-looking forward to having a place to settle into.

Tata for now!