Savelugu - Our Journey So Far

Our Journey So Far.

Team Watermelon!

Two weeks has now gone by, with the Savelugu team now fully on way with their project work with NFED. We have two of the best volunteers this week who have graciously given up their time to write about their experience so far, and also why they both decided to join our ICS team. 

Firstly Louis will tell you a bit about his experience so far, let’s starts from the beginning...

A journey of a thousand miles starts with a step forward. My ICS journey started with an application, when I first heard about ICS, I remember thinking, Challenge yourself to change the world? That sounds awesome! I opted to give it a try. After going through a successful application, I was short listed out of 400 applicants for assessment which would take place in Tamale.

It was finally assessment day... I made my way to the Tamale sport stadium conference hall, extremely nervous. I had no idea what an assessment day was going to be like. I came to a stop outside the door, and took a breath, I then entered the hall.  Everyone was looking at me. I quickly looked down to the floor and made my way to the front desk for my registration. The day was consumed by group activities and one to ones with the ICS staff. To make it through the assessment, you had to compete against yourself. The long awaited day was over, and I was reimbursed for my transportation.

Two weeks later I received a call informing me that I was offered a place on the ICS scheme. However, the placement offer was conditioned subject to my medical clearance, criminal clearance and satisfactory reference. A pre-placement training was organized for in country volunteers awaiting the UKV’S.

On the 9^th of January both ICV’s and UKV’s were hosted at GILLBT for an in country orientation before we move to our various project based communities. I got to know and meet my other amazing team members, and together we made up Team Watermelon (as we chose to name ourselves). The NFED Savelugu team finally arrived in Savelugu the evening after our last day of training. We started work on a positive note, meeting with the director of NFED, where we read through the reports of the previous team. We paid homage to Yoo Naa to announce our presence in his community. This was followed by our first community entry to meet with the various IGG’s, we were welcomed with Kola nuts from the chiefs of the local communities. I must say the team looks set to take this project to the next level. It has been an inspiring, fun, educative and life-changing two weeks, and I can only hope the journey continues.

Luis & Shauna respectively

Next we have our UK volunteer, Shauna....

Sitting on a 5 hour train journey to York, I struggled to keep my eyes open. York had been the closest assessment I was able to attend, and I fully expected to be the only Scottish one there. The day had been long and tiring, it consisted of group activities and also a one-to-one interview, all of which being constantly assessed. Around a week later I received a phone call to say that I had been successful and had been placed on a team traveling to Ghana. I only found out at training that I would be working with NFED Savelugu, helping women maintain their cooperatives and create a sustainable future for themselves and their communities.

I have currently been in Ghana for two weeks, and I am enjoying every minute of it. Living with a lot of children, and my bucket showers in the morning have been quite a struggle. None the less, experiencing a different culture and living here day to day has been the most rewarding experience of my life. I look forward to my forthcoming months living here. Working with ICS is very different from many other charities, instead of offering money to these communities and expecting a change to develop, ICS promote sustainability. Allowing the women, in the communities to help themselves, by producing Shea butter, soap making and rice production. The women can then pass these skills on to the developing generation in the community, creating jobs and a balanced lifestyle. By visiting the various communities we will be working with, and seeing how International Service as well as NFED has already made a considerable impact, will be something I never forget. I can only hope to carry on in this department throughout my career after working as a volunteer, and I will be a strong advocate on anyone who wishes to volunteer in the future, ICS is the place to do it!

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

What I hear, see, smell, taste and feel

What I hear; motor bikes rumbling, babies crying and the laughter of a group of men who are having a jolly at the NPP shelter.

What I see; gutters filled with rubbish and waste, the streets scattered with goats, sheep, chickens and the odd child asking for toffee.

What I smell; the unpleasant odder from the open sewer, and the toxic fumes leaking from the vehicles.

What I taste; the dust which is carried in the air.

What I feel; the uneven ground under my feet, the small but needed breeze and the suns sharp glare on my skin.

What happens when waiting for the women!

This may all seem really negative but don’t worry I’m getting to the good part. So above all of that, what I see when I look around is normal people going through the struggles of everyday life just like me and you, but I see them doing it gracefully by getting up every day and doing a job, any job, anything that can bring them any money in, for me that’s admirable! I see a community packed full of different cultures, religions and personalities but it all works so well together as the people here are so friendly and welcoming. They love to wave and say “Dasiba” which mean good morning in Dagbani. Every night I go to my local shop to get a drink and stand for about 20 minutes each time just speaking to the shop owner about his day and any topics that can be spoken about, the people are so easy to talk to and get along with. What I hear is the laughter of the women on the streets all making food, usually the laughter can be at us UKV’s trying to speak Dagbani, but it’s all just fun. I smell the many different spices and flavours of food rushing through my nose as I travel down each street. I then get to taste the various new foods that are offered here, a favourite of mine is bean stew and yams! Then sometimes as a treat the women who sells watermelon will come to the office and obviously I have to have some, then it’s like there’s a little bit of home here. I feel the hot rays of the sun cleansing my skin and slowly but surely bronzing me, under the many layers of sun cream I apply! The cool refreshing breeze that comes with riding the bike is exactly the break you need from the heat, and finally, I feel happy to be here, on the other side of the world, experiencing this life changing opportunity!

Me in my community- Sahakpalugu

SAUSAGE!

So this week in one word- SAUSAGE! It was one of the best weeks we have had since being here, just because we had multiple activities and we were able to travel to the Upper East region, because we had the Mid-Term Review in Bolgatanga. There were good and bad things about the trip, the one bad thing was the travel. We had to travel 3 hours in a bus or shall I say Tro Tro as they call it, which is like an old school bus with more seats crammed into it, so as you can image it was quite uncomfortable. But, everything else was amazing, we got to see some amazing sights and in fact saw the first hill since we have been in Ghana!  Once we got there we had a nice reunion with the groups from the different districts as we have not seen them since the training at the Gillbt House.

Bus journey to Bolgatanga

The mid-term review in short was an overview of how all the groups are getting along and a big security up date as the elections are coming up and the Harmattan is also about to begin. Oh and back to the one word description of the week; the reason I said sausage is because for the first time since being here we were able to buy sausage in Bolgatanga and it was amazing!! Especially in a bread bun with some tomato ketchup! It just took us back home a little as it's been one of the few foods we have had since being here that tastes like anything from back home. 

On the Thursday of this week we had the group from Tolon come to visit us as they are on the same project as us, NFED (Non Formal Education Division), but one cohort behind so they wanted to come to see how we are doing and take some of the knowledge back with them. We booked the big ICT hall as we have a really small office which definitely wouldn't have been able to fit us all in, and we had a big meeting that lasted several hours and consisted of us asking each other questions and relaying any information that we think would be beneficial. Once the meeting finished at around 4:30pm we decided to have a little social activity before they had to leave at 5pm, so we went and had a quick Alvaro (A non-Alcoholic beverage) at the local bar, which was nice.

In all this week went by very fast, and was helped along by a bike ride we went on, on Saturday, exploring around our community. So as a whole I would say the week was a win.

A soundtrack for development in Ghana

From independence to the present day, Ghana’s musicians seem to have it covered, says UK volunteer Jasper Jolly

Like any immersion in a new country, the culture and subcultures of Ghana can be overwhelming for a new entrant. On the music scene this is particularly true: highlife, hiplife, azonto, rap in Twi, English and other many others. And all this sound echoes the country we are living in for these three months. Hearing Sarkodie’s “Dumsor” shortly after experiencing it – the “off/on” power cuts that regularly plunge us (and businesses, factories) into fanless darkness – made an impression. Here are five songs I’ve found to soundtrack our work in Ghana’s development – the good and the bad.

Nana Ampadu – “Ebi Tie Yie”

Let me tell you something, says the title of this 1967 Highlife song, before laying out a simple story about a leopard bullying a duyker (an antelope, apparently). So far, so homely, but listeners in 10-year-postcolonial Ghana found an Orwellian parable of social justice behind the simple story – to the point that its title is still associated with justice today. Its simplicity allegedly saved Ampadu from any serious repercussions from the suspicious military officials who overthrew Nkrumah’s first independent government. Today its infectious energy stands as testament to Ghana’s status among Africa’s more socially just nations.

Sarkodie – “Dumsor”

But there are still big challenges. Sarkodie – probably the biggest star in the country’s musical firmament – is becoming one of Ghana’s proudest exports. In ‘New Guy’ he takes on America in English, but it was in Twi (thank you, Alhassan, for translations) that he made his name. Dumsor is emblematic of the challenges of improving infrastructure with a limited budget and a population hungry for electricity-heavy development. Sarkodie hits deep in the gut straight away with the title’s opening refrain.

Sarkodie – “Inflation”

He’s at it again in “Inflation”, hitting out at rising costs from petrol to pineapple juice with a rolling thunder rhythm that’s thrillingly ominous. But again this is a problem that’s close to the bone here – every coin in our pockets was minted in 2007 when the currency was devalued by 10,000 times. Sarkodie has been accused of being party political because of his music, which he denies stridently (even in the actual songs). Either way, “Leadership is what we need”.

Rockstone – “Ya Bounce Wo Visa”

Rockstone is credited in some quarters with introducing the Hiplife Twi rapping which made Sarkodie possible. He’s also a potent symbol of globalised culture – bringing American influence to bear on Ghanaian music via London. With any cultural mixing there are bound to be sticking points – although we have had remarkably few.

Criss Waddle feat. Medikal – “PƐ Kakra”

Last and, musically, probably least comes Criss Waddle’s “PƐ Kakra”. Despite its low-rent obsession with standard status symbols (picture above is a case in point), this has become a very much unofficial theme tune for cohort 4 in Savelugu. We UK volunteers were drawn by the chorus which we could at least understand: “Triple cedis, | Cedis, cedis, cedis – pƐ kakra” – get more. We could link that to what we’re trying to do with our communities’ incomes, but let’s leave it at that.

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.