Ghana
The UN Development Index puts Ghana at position 129 of 173 Countries. 40 % of the population earn less than a dollar a day. Many of this 40% earn a lot less.
Crop farmers tend to be among the poorest portion of Ghanaian society. Imagine then, being born the son or daughter of one of these poorest farmers. Imagine being physically handicapped, deaf or blind. Harsh reality huh? I still find it difficult to think about even now.
From my tiny corner of South East England, from my life, friends, family, my job and my comfort zone, I wll be moving 3162 miles directly South, to the South Eastern Corner of the Volta Region of Ghana, not far from the Equator.
The Placement
The school is for physically disabled and the poorest kids. It’s a vocational training centre so the lessons taught are all aimed at getting the children into work so they have a chance in life. The school teaches dressmaking, weaving, tailoring, electronic servicing and leatherworks. As of 2006/7 there will also be an IT course which is were I come in.
The School is in a small town/village in the coastal Savannah region of the Volta Delta.
VSO is not an emergency aid agency. Everything is planned to have a permanent lasting influence. I am not going to replace a teacher. I am going to teach IT as the school cannot fill the position with a local teacher. There could be several reasons for this. Perhaps there was nobody skilled enough in IT. Perhaps there was but he/she is now working in the UK. Skill migration is a big problem in developing countries.
The idea, therefore is not just for me to arrive, teach and leave, but to train a local teacher to do my job and maybe to teach them to teach somebody else. To have a lasting impact. VSO believes in empowerment of people to make their own decisions and change their own lives. Perhaps I can learn a few things from my students too.
The Poverty Trap
Hot climates and drought are not the reason why many countries experience poverty. The reasons are numerous and complex but the West is not blameless. Debt is a major factor. Many developing countries are forced to repay loans to Western Governments many times over. Many countries suffer the skill drain mentioned above. Others have been stripped of their natural resources but not profited. As a result many of the poorest countries did not benefit from the Industrial Revolution. With the technological revolution upon us, many see this as the chance for developing countries to catch up. Others see it as their time to be left behind again. Which, is up to all of us.
Location
It is hot and humid every day in Ghana. The climate is tropical and has few seasonal changes. There is a short rainy season and the odd very calm wind. Daylight hours don’t change much either. The sun rises around 7am and sets around 6.30pm - every day.
London to Accra - 3162 miles.
Ghana is between The Ivory Coast, Togo and Burkina Faso.
My new home is just on the border of Togo, by the coast, in the South East corner
of Ghana. I will be living on the Greenwich Meridian, 5 Degrees North of the Equator.
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Ok Ghana does have cheese. Down near Ada you can get fried cheese - its very mild but if you wait long enough it tastes wonderful - Just drive around and wait for someone to sell you some through a window.
Laughing cow (known better as smiling cow) can be found everywhere but I am willing to conceed it’s not really cheese. There used to be a mad Italian selling Pizza with cheese near Kokrobite but I am not sure if he is still around.
Essentially you can get anything you want in Ghana it just depends on price and patience.
Have a lovley time and don’t worry about being alone - you may crave ‘me time’ more than cheese!
hey lotte - thanks for the info. how come you know so much about Ghana’s dairy products?
I like the artwork on your website.
It’s my husbands website and that is how I know so much about Ghana’s dairy situation! You will have a wonderful time - if you have any questions please let us know.
Congratulations on a beautiful website
Elisa
thank you
Jonathan,
I had the pleasure of speaking with your mother on Sunday morning and she gave me details of your website.
Interesting readings. As a returned volunteer, the experiences and frustrations etc bring back memories.
Your details and project brief were sent to me a short time ago by VSO through the Rotary Club of Rochester and I have passed the information on to our International Service Committee. We will endeavour to help you if we can.
Keep up the good work.
Best wishes - David Brake
I just got back from volunteering in Ghana. Everyone was so nice to us. There is so much work to be done there. I just created a blog to highlight some of the issues in the Volta region. Check it out at http://www.livingfaithprep.blogspot.com.
Very interesting site, Jon. Where did you get the info about the UN Development Index? I’d love to see where other countries place.
Good luck to you, and God bless!
Faith
Hi friends i am shortly going to Ghana. Now since I am not Ghanian but myself I am a Indian, i would like to know about ghana & people out there. Well I have studied a lot about Ghana on internet but i guess a local would really help me to know the place better. Well, i am going to Tema anyways.