The Savelugu Host Home Experience

The year is 2017, and our cross-cultural team of both UK and Ghanaian volunteers will be working hard here in Savelugu, Northern Ghana, from January until the end of March. During this time we will be using our combined skills of cultural knowledge, determination and other various abilities to work as a fantastic team, and to help support and empower communities where most are living far below the poverty line.

An entire week now has gone by, so we have all of us had a full seven days to adjust and adapt to our individual host homes.Two of our amazing volunteers Shirley and Jake, from developed central Ghana and the UK respectively, have written the following to describe their experiences at their host homes so far.

Here is Shirley’s host home experience!

So from the Gillbt guest house and conference centre, our mini-bus took off towards Savelugu. My team leader informed myself and my counter-part volunteers, they had made contact with my host father and he was very ready to receive us. I was for rest of the journey quite anxious and uncertain of both our host home and its appearance. I was very sad about leaving home. Then came the moment I wasn’t sure of...

Team Savelugu arrived safely at the Savelugu Central Mosque, patiently waiting for our host father.Shortly after we arrived, our host father soon appeared with a car and his friend on his motorbike, and they packed my luggage, as well as my two other counterparts luggage into the car, and what wouldn’t fit was carried on the motorbike, and we all then traveled towards our new home.

The welcome we received from our host brothers and sisters was so overwhelming! There were so many welcoming us, that it felt so good. Our host father showed all three of us to our various rooms, of which I instantly realised were very different to the room I was used to back at home. This made me feel very sad and apprehensive. My host brothers and sister, were very young, and were all over us to the extent that we didn’t know what to do. This was another overwhelming experience.

Our host father invited us to see our bathhouse and toilet facilities, it wasn’t at all like the one at home, thus I felt even further concern. Later in the evening, we had some supper which I wasn’t able to eat properly despite feeling famished. Afterwards, he again called us and introduced himself, and his family and we also did the same by introducing ourselves. I and my two counter-parts have two host mothers, and they both dote on us always. Whenever it is time for supper, they allow us to help them cook on their respective days of cooking. WHO HAS THIS?!

 

Our host brothers and sisters are always ready to teach us ready to teach us some new words in Dagbani, the local language, and I always now love to go home and meet them. They are all so bubbly, warm and inviting.

My host home doesn’t have the most sophisticated and conventional of all basic & social amenities, but it surely is a go to home always. I’m looking forward to having a lovely stay at my host home.

Hello! I’m Jake and whilst Shirley is from the more developed central Ghana, I have traveled from rural Somerset, South West UK.

With a very different perspective, I will now share host home experience so far.

The first major difference that I noticed upon arriving at my host home is, although larger than most homes, it is all on one floor. In the centre is an open courtyard, of which everybody’s rooms surround. Each room has a locked wooden door, and a mesh window. Whereas back home in a much colder climate, I am used to double glazed windows/doors to retain heat and repel rain. 

The home doesn’t have a TV in each room, however in the living room, with the one TV that we all watch some evenings as a family. Off to one side is the two cleaning rooms, one with a toilet that sometimes flushes, sometimes you have to pour water down the toilet. In the other room is a basic shower head on the wall and a tap lower down to wash feet. 

All water that comes from the taps is unsafe to drink and comes from a small salty reservoir located just outside the home. All cooking is performed over an open fire, and washing of clothes and eating utensils, is done by hand in a large steel basin. 

As for the room myself and my counterpart share, there is a roof fan, light switch, three plugs, two beds shrouded each by a mosquito net, sometimes we even have to light a mosquito coil, similar in design to an incense stick, of which the faint smoke deters insects and more importantly malaria carrying mosquitoes.

Just that which we need.

There we have two experiences both from Shirley and Jake, and as you can see each of these two volunteers has had so far a varied view. However both are happy, and have everything that they require in which to live a basic but humble way of life.

A home that both volunteers enjoy being a part of, for the duration of their placements.

Thank you for reading, hopefully this has been enlightening for yourselves at home, wherever in the world your home may be.

Jake & Shirley

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.

I came, I talked, I conquered

James Willis explains how ICS has helped him to develop public-speaking skills

Human rights: team leader Emmanuel telling Savelugu students about their rights.

I’ll begin with a quick overview. My name is James and I'm terrified of public speaking.

One of the main principles of ICS and International Service is Personal and Professional Development. Even now, just six short weeks in, I can say that I have achieved this goal. Personal development for me was being able to conquer a task or challenge that gave me great trouble throughout the past, and for me, that was public speaking.

Let me explain.

During our ICS assessment day for International Service I had to present to a group of potential volunteers – as well as the assessors – on a topic I was passionate about. This could be anything in the world. I chose to present on my love of photography and how I developed this hobby. The room couldn't have had more than 10 or 11 people in it, yet when I stood up to present, I was shaking, nervous, jittery and incredibly flustered. Thankfully I was able to do what was needed and I passed (obviously).

So when I was told by my team leaders that it was my group’s week to present something from the Active Citizenship pack, (a guide given to every volunteer explaining various issues that affect ICS projects globally), I thought now would be the perfect time to challenge myself to do something different.

I could have presented to our small team, or just interviewed some of the locals on a subject. But for me that wouldn't have been a challenge, and that’s why I came to Ghana.

Instead of hiding in the office, my colleague and I wrote a lesson plan and approached the local high school, with the idea of educating teenagers on their human rights and specifically their rights as a child under the UN Convention on the Rights of a Child. It was all planned out, all my colleagues knew their jobs and the subject they had to talk about. The only thing left was to put the plan into action.

Talents: volunteers Frank and Jess with a group talking about their right to education.

This was where the nerves kicked in. I started shaking and it wasn't until I stepped up and started talking that I realised it was no big deal, that I was scared over nothing. Once the afternoon was over, the kids seemed to have learned something new, I’d learned something new about myself, and my colleagues had enjoyed the activities.

My time with International Service so far has been an amazing adventure and I’ve learned a lot, but for me, one afternoon in a school with 70 teenagers has helped more than I could have imagined. Throughout our training, it is emphasised that we will grow and change as people and professionals. Initially I thought of this as sales pitch – just a way to draw us all in.

But I've conquered a fear, and a fear I didn't think I would ever be able to beat. For that alone, the ICS experience has already been worth every second. And that’s before you factor in the lifelong friends, the business skills, the Dagbani language, the culture and the knowledge gained from it all.

Here’s to six more amazing weeks!

NFED: making the dream possible

Mumuni Alhassan reports on how the work of NFED is helping to lift rural women in Ghana's Northern Region out of poverty

Human rights: team leader Emmanuel and volunteer Dionne talk to school pupils about their human rights

Before the commencement of my ICS journey, my hope was to be placed in LIFE Project, Sandema, to help advocate for the persons with disabled (PWDs) and to also build their capacity to enable their rights and capabilities to be realized. This will enable them to be productive in life and be able to contribute enormously and effectively to the development of their community, country and the nation at large. But to my surprise, my hope was proved futile and I found myself in NFED Savelugu.

Having got there, I met lovely and adorable colleague volunteers who hail from different cultural groups and hold different schools of thought when it comes to execution of works and sharing of ideas in relation to development. Having met them, my fears and prejudice have all evaporated, and I integrated well with them. I have set goals for myself which they are helping me to achieve.

NFED is the Non-Formal Education Division under the Ministry of Education in Savelugu municipality, north of Tamale. It provides literacy classes to the people who are not able to have access to formal education. Their target groups are the rural poor. In running the classes, they have teachers (facilitators) who assist them in making this dream possible, whilst the NFED serve as supervisors to ensure that these facilitators deliver up to expectations.

These facilitators are given incentives which serve as motivation to enable them deliver well. The classes are run in 21-month cycle. After the first cycle they are then enrolled into the normal classes to learn basic English. When these people are done with the basic English and can now read and write, NFED encourages them to form income-generating groups (IGGs) and start running income-generating activities (IGAs). These enable them earn an income in order to develop themselves, their community and the nation.

This is where NFED’s partnership with International Citizen Service (ICS) comes in. International Service (one of the charities involved in the ICS scheme) partners with NFED to provide livelihood skills to these IGGs, so that they will be able to develop their families, communities and the country at large. International Service focuses on reducing poverty levels. On a global level Ghana is relatively poor and the Northern Region is the leading region in terms of poverty among the 10 regions in Ghana - this particularly impacts on providing livelihood skills to vulnerable and deprived people.

During our first discussion with NFED we wanted to ascertain the progress of the IGGs and the way forward to ensuring that the dream of ICS was feasible. According to them, "the intervention of ICS has brought significant improvement into the lives of these IGGs in terms of running their IGAs". The improvements they stated were leadership skills and group dynamics, business management, how to develop their own constitution, how to register their group as cooperative, and how to get bank accounts through the cooperative.

Community: ICS volunteer Ayisha talks to the cooperative members in Kukuo.

Human rights are a key indicator in this goal of international development. People with peace of mind can think critically and find alternative methods when it comes to planning towards development.

But people suffer various forms of abuses of human rights every day. As a result, we as International Service volunteers are also serving as human rights activists, aiming at bridging the gap between human rights and human rights law and to realize the recognition of human rights law.

We started to do so by sensitizing Savelugu Junior High School on the United Nations Convention on the Right of the Child, covering topics like the family, health, safety, education and personal rights as part of their volunteer learning session.

We believe that when peoples identify what their rights are they can live peacefully and contribute to developmental issues in their families, communities and the nation at large.