Becoming one with Ghana

UK volunteer Dionne Heslop sums up her experience at the end of the ICS placement

 

Volunteers amid the organized chaos of Tamale market

 

Let’s be honest: this experience has not been easy. As someone who hasn't had much experience with the poverty line or different cultures, it has been an almighty shock to my system. Yet it has also been the best experience of my life.

I came here with an open mind and was ready to take on any challenges coming my way. Admittedly, I was scared when we landed in Accra – which seems silly now. It wasn’t just a little bit different from what I was used to. It was a whole different world. My first experience in Accra was of a man who approached the open minibus window where I was sitting, demanding I buy some sort of child's toy that had obviously seen better days. All I could do was pray the red light would hurry up and turn to green.

Thankfully, Tamale was a whole different story. The streets are constantly alive with music and people dressed in brightly coloured clothing, rushing around trying to sell flip flops, fruit or even fish carried on their heads in metal bowls or wicker baskets. The biggest challenge I faced in Tamale, was trying not to get run over by the crazy ‘I do what I want’ traffic. I'm not even sure if they have any road laws in Ghana.

After my short time in Tamale I was all set to move in with my host family in Savelugu, they could not have been any more welcoming and willing to help us settle in but, another culture shock. The squat-down toilet and thought of washing from a bucket of rain water every day for the next three months was pretty daunting. You only get one bucket of water per shower, so you have to use the right amount of water for your hair, and then leave enough to wash with. I've become a master of this. Also, if it doesn't rain, then you don't get any water.

Road lead to Savelugu lake

At first, being in Savelugu, where there isn't much to do proved difficult. I don't agree with the food and the food doesn’t agree with me, and that is something that hasn’t got any easier. Savelugu is a quiet town with one bar, many shops that sell the same things and the forever beautiful lake. It took us a while to discover the lake, but we have still managed to make a lot of great memories there. It's quiet, secluded and a lovely place in which to relax and reflect, or in our case play spar (a Ghanaian card game) and kick the football around. ‘The mango tree’ is also a place where all meet and think of endless ways to try and entertain ourselves.

Working out here has not been easy to say the least: the cramped office and numerous dead ends can be frustrating, but getting to meet the working women from surrounding communities has been a pleasure. Learning about the way the women make a small living and what it entails to do so has been mesmerising, and they are truly amazing for what they do on on a day-to-day basis. Juggling family life with processing and selling their products all whilst under the poverty line is something to be proud of. It may not seem like a lot to us, but out here, trust me it is

I have met some amazing friends, who I've made some of the best memories with. I've lived with the kindest, funniest family and I've helped vulnerable women better their small income-generating activities. I feel great for being a part of it all.

What was out of my comfort zone has now become comfortable.

All in all: what a strange, wonderful place. 

After financial training at Savelugu information center

Something else in Savelugu

At the halfway point Sualihu Mariam and Yahaya Ayisha reflect on new experiences and opportunities

Insight: volunteers learn about rice milling at Lowlandi Rice Processing, Tamale

As in-country volunteers we both heard about the ICS programme from family and friends and were encouraged to apply as volunteers. Together we held similar expectations about this programme and set out personal goals to help us to learn from people of different cultures, develop on public speaking skills and also learn about development and its process.

Over the six weeks in Savelugu, we have spent time with our communities by educating the students in Savelugu Junior High School about their human rights. It was a successful and interesting activity that taught both us and the children something new and important. We have also gone into the communities to teach families about sanitation and the importance of keeping themselves and their surroundings clean. This was a useful part of our active citizenship because it helps the community understand the importance of preventing diseases and keeping themselves healthy. For us this was also very helpful and educative because as volunteers we were able to fulfill our duty to learn from the community and teach the community at the same time.

Ayisha

One of the most enjoyable and insightful experiences this week was meeting with Madam Memunatu at Lowlandi Rice Processing Company. She helped me understand how to improve the quality of local rice processed. This information will be helpful in our project impact as we can share this with our communities and project partners to ensure sustainability. During this meeting I was able learn about packaging rice and also learn about development.

I thought that working with my team would be difficult for me because of cultural differences and ideas, but so far I am pretty comfortable with the team and also enjoy Josh’s jokes because he makes everyone laugh.

My hope for the next six weeks is to learn more about my teams and their likes and dislikes. With the help of my team, I hope we can make a sustainable change in the work we do and also hope to record some valuable information for the next cohort that arrives in Savelugu.

Personal development: Ayisha and Jasper teaching pupils about their right to safety

Mariam

As a girl who loves to be with people from different places and different backgrounds I have been enjoying being with my team and learning new things from them. We work with women in six communities in the Savelgu-Nanton municipality who are into processing rice and producing shea butter.

With rice processing being their main source of income, the team along with NFED thought it will be beneficial for the women to be trained in soap making as an alternative income-generating activity. During week five, we were able to provide training for the women with the help of Madam Andaratu (“The soap lady”). The team thought it would be better and easier to split the communities into two wider groups for the training. The soap training took three days to complete it involved soaking the ingredients and preparation of soap. Overall it was a success and in order to make it sustainable I am part of a sub-group focusing on the Dagbani/English soap manual. I am very excited about finishing it and seeing how it will have an impact on the cooperatives.

As this was our first time writing a blog we find ourselves repeating ‘anything else’ to make sure we haven’t missed anything. We are both hopeful, happy and confident about the next six weeks we have left.

We need to talk about Savelugu

UK volunteer Jessica Notman has 10 things to bear in mind for ICS in Ghana's Northern Region

Spar time: one of our many sessions playing cards together

1) Playing cards has become a key part of our day-to-day activities. Whether it’s spar at the bar, or sh8thead at the mango tree, we play at least one game a day. It gives us time to wind down and reflect on all we have done at work. It’s also a great opportunity to kick some ass and beat everyone! Local boy Osman is our hero: he picks a blind card in sh8thead, and you’re guaranteed to be a winner. Everyone wants to be Team Osman – ‘what would Osman do?’

Team players: supporting each other in group activities

2) I cannot get over how supportive and kind and lovely my AMAZING team are. There have been ups and downs being here, as it’s natural to expect, but the team got this! I found the first couple of weeks really challenging, but having someone to moan at or laugh with really made me realize what it’s all about – it’s about being there for someone and doing your best to support them… no matter how bad you’re feeling yourself. I have made friends for life, and I feel very lucky to have the best team in Savelugu! ;)

Activities: engaging with a local school.

3) Every Friday afternoon we focus on one topic area from the Active Citizenship Pack provided by ICS; we have been to a school to teach them about their human rights, we have been round different communities and taught them about sanitation, and as I’m writing this we are organizing a trip to hospital to ask questions about health care. Everyone in our team looks forward to Friday. It gives us a chance to go out and engage with different people throughout the communities.

Stuck in: hands-on training with the communities in soap making

4) Soap making was SUPER fun. We spent three days, spread over two locations, and invited all of the women from the six communities we are working with to join; and now we have six communities of soap makers! We were dealing with caustic soda, and all I could think of was that scene from Fight Club… slightly awkward! But once I got over that I put some sweaty plastic bags on my hands, covered them with a sock, then got involved with the women – moulding the soap into balls was more complicated than it looked, but apparently I’m a natural!

5) Mosquito bites: maybe not a cultural exchange, but a huge part of our time here. At least once a day someone will talk about a bite… damn mozzies. They attack you when you’re walking, they attack you when you are sleeping, and they even attack you when you are on the toilet. They know no boundaries.

Radio stars: the team after the broadcast at local station Might FM

6) On the 9th August we did a radio sensitization. This was an ace experience, being in the room with a microphone in my face with Jasper, Alhassan and Frankie sitting with me. We spent AGES writing a script, and then in typical Ghanaian fashion, all of the timing was changed and the DJ rushed us through. Making it up as we went was our natural response from then on. Still slayed though…

Say toffee: volunteers with some of the local children

7) The children are amazing here. They irritate UK volunteers by constantly shouting, ‘Silaminga, buy toffee’, but more often than not they are adorable. One of the funniest things I have seen (though I feel Josh will not agree), is when the little girl spat fish all over Josh’s back. He just sat there repeating, ‘Has she just spat on me?’- Hilarious!! There is a little girl that sits outside the office asking for our team leader, Chloe. She even wrote her a letter, expressing her displeasure when Chloe forgot her name…

Marathon runner: a volunteer feels the effects

8) People have spent a lot of time out the office, because they’ve been running… by running I mean running to the toilet. We can’t decide if it’s the mystery meat kebabs, the roadside cheese, or the shitoh (or a combination of all three!). Either way, running is very popular amongst our team in Savelugu!!!

Mid-terms: from Savelugu to Sirigu and back again

9) The Mid-term Report was this week, and it was SO much fun. We got to meet back up with the other parts of our big team, after being spread out all over the whole of the Northern Region. Waking up at 5am for a three-hour bus journey was not ideal, but seeing everyone was so worth it! We played our own mini-Olympics, and obviously Team Savelugu won! GO TEAM!

Bus selfie: volunteers from various International Service projects

10) Friendship was honestly one of the main reasons I came here, and although we are only halfway through, I already know it is something that I have gained. Other volunteers from the UK, the ICVs and the team leaders now make a complete friendship group; we have shared so much together and I now have memories with these people that I will cherish forever. Another six weeks with our team will fly by, but the friendships and memories we have made will last forever.

A Different Planet

As cohort 4 arrives in Ghana's Northern Region, UK volunteer Joshua Rayworth reflects on his new home away from home

Meeting the chief: volunteers from cohort 4 are escorted to the Yoo Naa palace

As I sit down to write this blog I have no idea where I will begin, let alone end up. Funnily enough this also describes my ICS (International Citizen Service) journey: development is not a linear tale, and impact can be hard to measure in the short term.

I decided to involve myself in this scheme as I had held a belief that I would like to explore opportunities beyond that offered by the UK. This avenue is a fantastic way to decide whether or not I can cope with the challenges faced living outside of one’s comfort zone.

Having been brought up in a relatively worry-free home environment I now find myself in Savelugu, Ghana – a small town 20 minutes’ drive north of the Northern Region capital of Tamale. For the first time I am experiencing what it is like to live with a Ghanaian host family, something I have never had the opportunity to do before. Having been warmly welcomed I feel comfortable in my surroundings and excited at the prospect of being part of the community over the next few months.

“You are on a different planet,” said my in-country buddy, Elvis, when we first arrived here. He dutifully reminds me of this every so often. It is fair to say he is absolutely right. Before flying out here I had constructed a fictional image of what I might expect, but the reality of it is that I had no real sense of anything.

My in-country colleagues have been extremely helpful in making us aware of what challenges are faced in Ghana from both a community and political level – in addition to highlighting the positive aspects such as the friendliness of the people and their welcome into their lives. Grasping the language, Dagbani, and appreciating the culture is vital to immersing ourselves into this new life. The in-country volunteers (ICVs) have been tremendous with their guidance.

Dynamic group: volunteers and team leaders on cohort 4

The dynamics of our group as a whole are great. I believe each person can share her or his thoughts in a fair environment and there is security in that fact. Naturally this is conducive to a good work environment. This requires us to act as parts of a whole – something which we know can be tried and tested by forces beyond our control – but the challenges will morph into achievements over the long term.

At this point it would be most British of me to inject some cynicism into this blog. However, I can’t complain about the weather, or anything else for that matter. I suppose this goes to show that although the initial change in climate, diet, and balance of work/social life can be overwhelming, it is an intrinsic part of the whole experience and necessary for our own personal development.

By the time you read this post much will already have changed in my life. Although it seems funny to write now and more so to reflect on later, I state it in the sense that no person can truly understand a new way of life in a little over two weeks since arriving. Going forwards there will be much learned and aspects likely misunderstood; yet we know this to be part of the process.

By no means does my journey stop here – who knows where I see myself in six months, one year, five years? All I know is to embrace the present and work with a great bunch of assorted friends to inspire a lasting impact on our respective projects.