Village Stay in Kandiga (part one)

When you think of a village in rural Africa what comes to mind? Stop and think about it for a minute….

Without getting into a discussion into why we think of certain things, I have a hard time deciphering where the village begins and where it ends, and what a village actually is. The place I stayed, ‘the village’, wasn’t isolated or far from “civilization” it is a community comprising of spatially separated homes by fields, dirt roads and foot paths, boreholes to pump safe clean drinking water shared by everyone, no electricity, and where just about everyone greets everyone. This isn’t the most detailed description, but how many of you reading this will actually sit here and read a 5-10 page description? Anyways, the home that I stayed in judging by my observations was a little better off than others but not as wealthy as some. The courtyard, I guess you could call it, was concrete instead of earth, they had zinc metal roofing on all the rooms except for the one I slept on, and they have a solar panel:

The solar panel only powers 3 lights and an outlet that can only handle a radio or black and white TV, not powerful enough to recharge a cell phone – the batteries are weakened since they are about 4 years old, a common problem with solar power. I think Peter, the father, said he paid around 300 Ghana cedis for it, but now they are more expensive because of a high demand and short supply, which is unfortunate because the area is perfectly situated for solar power with lots of sun and spaced out homes/compounds making infrastructure expensive to run all the power cables. Basically there’s different levels of wealth in villages, not everyone lives in extreme poverty and people have some ‘modern’ amenities and possessions like you or I - not all villages are isolated communities in the bush.

One of my favourite things about staying in the village was sleeping under the stars up on the roof of an older style room:

rooftop camping

I had the chance to lie under a sky full of stars every night with a cool fresh breeze carrying the scent of dew and millet crops (similar to corn field smell). It was incredible to wake every morning to a cool breeze and beautiful sunrise over the millet fields:

I’ve mentioned millet quite a bit because it’s the main food staple in this village as well as the district and maybe even region. We ate millet every day, mainly in the form of TZ with leafy stew and a couple times in the field we had it in grinded floury form with water added:

We also ate rice, bread and tea, guinea fowl (similar to a chicken), and gari which is kinda like cold sugary oatmeal, pretty tasty! Millet is very nutritious and suited to the environment so fertilizer isn’t needed, and the stocks are used after the harvest for thatched roofs and to make fences for dry season gardens to keep animals out. Here’s a pic I took as we made our way along a path between millet fields on our way to weed the groundnut field (another nutritious staple suited to the environment not needing fertilizer):

more pics are yet to come!

Agric as a Business and development

With the Agric as a Business (AAB) program things still feel like they are going slow especially since I’m only here for such a short time, but from what I’ve gathered it’s a normal feeling among JF’s past and present. I guess I see my greatest impact in laying the foundation for EWB and AAB in this new district, and building the relationship and credibility that we need to be effective in working with Mofa and farmers. Basically I’m trying to document as much as possible about as mush as possible.

AAB involves a series of meetings with farmer groups that focus on building strong groups and gaining basic business skills so farmers can make more income, therefore profit. We work with farmers that are small scale and mostly subsistence, and if you ask any of them if they want to make some money or more money I’m sure they will agree. The hard part I’m finding is the approach AEAs are taking. The AAB approach is to let the group do the analysis, make a plan, and make decisions while Mofa/EWB guides and supports them in this process. This process is done through facilitating discussions with groups with guideline questions and facilitation tips outlined on the AAB laminated cards given to AEAs.

The problem I’m finding is that AEAs are so used to a top down dissemination of knowledge/information and some aren’t letting the group decide, plan, and analyze at least without telling them the importance of record keeping or group meetings for instance (which are 2 topics covered on the cards). “Top-down” and “lecturing” sound like pretty harsh words so I need to clarify what I mean. Most of the AEAs, the ones I work with or not, are from villages and some even in this area, so they aren’t treating the farmers like unintelligent children, they are attempting to do what their regular job requirements: transfer knowledge which they’ve learned and are given by MoFA so farmers can adopt practices and techniques, like growing a new variety of maize that mature faster and can be harvested earlier. AEAs are doing their jobs the way they’ve been trained and also following their superiors instructions, they aren’t arrogant or condescending in how they talk with farmers.

Here’s where it gets complex: to a certain degree AEAs have the education and knowledge about some things that farmers don’t; many farmers we work with are illiterate for example. At the same time, it appears that to a certain degree farmers want to be educated on business skills and technical knowledge that will help them improve their livelihoods. So, if AEAs want to educate (through a form of lecturing, not harshly or anything, and even with jokes) and farmers want to be educated, then why are we trying to change this? This is one of the things I’m struggling with. Where’s the balance between pragmatic and appropriate, or participatory and teaching? Maybe those aren’t good words to describe the situation, but I think you get the point. Another factor could be farmers paying lip service to please the AEA who gives them fertilizer coupons that reduce the cost of a bag of fertilizer by about half.

From what I’ve observed in the field, through talking with long term volunteers, and reading reports and past experiences, the issue is that farmers voices aren’t being heard enough and their input, opinions, ideas, and concerns aren’t valued as much as they could or should be. As a result, our hypothesis is that: if farmers have more of a say, if they are able to honestly and openly share their ideas, if they are given some more power to do so, then we can learn from them and better understand how to support them in their activities so they can improve their livelihoods. I say hypothesis because we don’t want to make assumptions and present things as facts, for then we close ourselves off to feedback and potential changes. That said, we’ve found through our work with Mofa and farmer groups focusing on the 8 areas in AAB (group: strengths, meetings, finances, work/farm, business plan, record keeping, marketing, and evaluation) can make farmers more profits and improve their lives while feeling more in control over their futures and taking pride in the fact that they succeeded without a handout – usually in the form of a white man in a 4x4 giving money to the “helpless” (which is needed in some cases, but can lead to dependency and helplessness).

Hopefully I’ve been clear and haven’t confused anyone reading this. With all the uncertainty and complicated issues affecting our work, I’m staring to see some farmer groups that initially met with us and expected handouts like money or inputs (fertilizer, seed, chemicals, machinery) that are now starting to strengthen their group from within, make plans and set goals, and feeling like they can succeed. Groups express their appreciation for our support, knowledge and know-how to improve, and in a way we are doing this. At the same time, farmers are taking the initiative, driving the discussions, making the plans, thinking about what they want to do, how to do it, why it’s important or not, if its relevant and so on.

I think it’s also important to note that the groups are getting something tangible from AEAs in the form of fertilizer coupons which are subsidizing the cost of fertilizer (other groups and individuals are also receiving coupons, not just farmers involved with AAB). Groups are also discussing and planning with us through AAB, and receiving encouragement and information. Whether I like it or not, or accept it or not, I’m a white man in Africa working with an NGO - that means a clear wealth/power difference exists between farmers and myself. One of the implications or effects is that I’m treated with a certain amount of respect and prestige that a prominent older man would receive, therefore groups are somewhat encouraged to meet with us and participate in this program; they listen to what we have to say, and when I encourage groups or give my opinion my voice carries a little weight (definitely more than it should). I do struggle with this ‘white privilege’ and power disparity, but I try to be altruistic about it all and “use my powers for good” by encouraging and giving recognition, trying to understand and be open about what I’m doing and why I’m here, and leverage whatever weight my voice or actions carry to motivate farmers and AEAs.

I truly believe that this AAB program will help farmers earn more income, and one of the main reasons is because of the people involved. Most of the AEAs are good at what they do, they want to help farmers and do a good job, yet I can’t speak too much about this because of my limited time here and I don’t have the greatest understanding of all AEAs since I’m only working with and regularly communicating with 4. On the EWB front I can speak more confidently because I’m closer to them and communicate better with them: we have amazing people working here who are incredibly thoughtful, caring, hardworking, dedicated and motivated, and critically analyzing and reflecting to the extent that just about anyone you ask will explain how they’re not doing enough, things are happening too slow, or not enough progress has been made. They most likely will speak of their challenges and short coming more than their successes, but I like to quote Levi, our EWB director of overseas, on his description of EWB overseas volunteers: “insecure overachievers”. My coach the other day also said something along the lines of ‘we’re always undercutting our successes and whatever successes or progress we admit is usually an understatement.’ We are making progress and farmers are working their way out of poverty, but its hard to measure, it’s a slow process that takes time, it happens in different ways, and all the while we are always looking to improve and questioning our actions, assumptions, decisions, and ideas – hence, it’s complex and difficult for me to explain or understand clearly.

The approach we’re taking with AAB might sound flaky or not very concrete as we are always second guessing, and questioning our approach to see if it’s appropriate, relevant, and effective, but that’s the way it should be I think. People’s lives aren’t static they are dynamic and their surroundings are as well, therefore ‘development work’ must also be constantly changing and adapting to assist people in the changes they face. This changing atmosphere leads us to try new approaches and ideas leading to successes, insights and of course failures and shortcomings. We can learn just as much or more from our shortcomings and failures and use the learning to improve, the problem is that donors large and small always want to see results, which can lead to projects that show short term immediate gains that can fall apart soon after the project ends.

For instance, a project manager I interviewed at the local bank said the main problem here with NGOs is that they come for a short period of time, run their project, then leave, and when the project is over so are the benefits. He basically said there is no long term or sustainable projects happening in this district I’m in. However, it’s understandable why donors want to see direct and immediate results, if you donate 10, 100, or 1000 dollars I’m guessing you won’t want to hear about how the project didn’t produce the expected results, and how the NGO/charity learned valuable lessons that they will put into practice to ensure long term sustainable improvements on the ground are achieved, or the NGO/charity trying to explain the complexities involved on the ground and how concrete results may take 1-5 years, and the like. I think it’s much more comforting to read or hear about how your money went into the bricks of a school that was built, or the wages for labourers and materials that built a latrine or borehole, or polio vaccinations, etc. All important in their own respect, and I’ll be the first to admit that I enjoy reading a fuzzy letter with pictures and results from a charity I donate to, it makes me feel like I did something good – donate money – and people benefited – like a health center opened, or a family received livestock. But the point I’m wandering around here is that other types of projects that won’t produce immediate concrete results and focus on long term results are just as important, yet not as appealing to donors.


Here's a few photos of farmer groups involved with the Agric as a Business program:

The Kakungu Farmer's Association

The Zenga Farmer's Group

The Abulu Zenga Wopolo Women’s Group proudly standing in front of their almost finished building they constructed on their own to hold meeting in

Children of the Street

Children of the Street

By Lora Akati

(published in The Daily Graphic July 19, 2009)

Hear now, the voice of the voiceless,

Of us, who have no representatives.

We are the children of the street

With nothing but dust to eat.

Policies have promised to save us

But instead like maladies,

We are stuck in the abyss of hopelessness.

Education is alien to our world

For though we have heard of rights,

They are meant for the bright.

Despise us or dismiss us,

We are still the homeless, children of the street.

We may not have homes,

But we do have hopes.

Just as the earth has never ceased in its orbit,

So our dreams grow each passing minute.

We do not beg for respect, for it is foreign to us.

All we seek is a tomorrow,

Where education will replace rape,

Where food and shelter will exist.

Where we will be bright enough

To demand the respect of our ‘rights’.

This is the dream we hold on to

As we wake up each morning under the bridges

And bare our souls to the dangers of the street.

This is our silent prayer,

That one day, our voices shall be heard

By none, but ordinary people with respect for lives.

Ordinary people like you.

The writer graduated from Keta Secondary School in 2008, where she read General Arts. She has been admitted to the University of Ghana, Legon, and looks forward to reading political science, English, and social work. Currently, she is studying French at Alliance Francaise, Accra.

Slow internet

So I've been trying to upload a video I made for about 2 weeks but the internet hasn't been cooperating. I tried again today with no luck, and I also tried to upload some more pics from Mole National Park without success. This is just a very quick update letting you all know that things are going great and I'm healthy and happy. I'm heading to the village on Monday and i have farmer group meetings all day Saturday so I'll try to post on here in a couple weeks. I have pictures, a video, and more info about my work so if you can bear with the slow internet connection (and the frustration it can bring) I'll pretty much spend a good day of posting when i return from the village!

Bye for now!

Brian

Mole part 1

(sorry about the delay in posting, the internet hasn't been cooperating and work has been getting pretty busy, luckily today I have relatively fast internet so I can post some pics. The next posts following this will be about my work and my village stay. Thanks for your patience!)

June 26

A couple weeks ago all the JF volunteers got together for some meetings, catching up, sharing, story telling, workshops, good conversations, and of course fun. We were together for about 2-3 days before meeting up with the long term volunteers for the in country meetings, workshops, and ultimate frisbee. It was a great opportunity to unwind and share experiences while learning about everyone’s placement. It was also a great opportunity to be a tourist for a day, and that’s just what we did.

We all met up in Tamale, the Northern Region capital and hub, had some food, then waited about 2-3 hours for the bus to show up before heading west to Damango. The road from Paga to Tamale is paved and relatively smooth, the road from Tamale to Damango is poor according to Ghanaians. The bus ride was pretty rough and bumpy, but manageable especially since we all knew that Mole National Park wasn’t far from Damango and awaiting our presence. We arrived in the evening after a long day, ate a late dinner and crashed. The day before I left I started to feel my health declining and some sickness coming on, and by the time I awoke in Damango I wasn’t feeling too good. Between the diarrhea, head ache, fever, and aches I managed to ride out the day of workshops and discussions without falling to deep into a negative attitude, and the strangest part was that these symptoms ranged from bad to ok. The up and down feeling of sickness allowed me to somewhat enjoy myself throughout the 4-5 days.

We were up early around 5am to head north to the Mole Park with high hopes of seeing some elephants in the morning. Luckily a long term volunteer, Wayne, was able to find a trotro for hire the night before to take us to Mole in the morning. The tro ride was pretty bumpy but we were all in good spirits: anxious to see elephants and a container of Ghanaian chocolate spread was being passed around:

Aline and Spencer living the high life

Very early and bumpy tro-tro ride into Mole

Mole is the largest wildlife reserve in Ghana, and after passing through the front gate we encountered a family of baboons on the road to the ‘visitor centre’, a nice welcoming committee indeed.

We got to the centre, piled out of the tro, used the nicest, cleanest washrooms in Ghana (nicer than my bathroom in my Windsor apartment) then were off with the armed ranger for a walk in the park

Cleanest washrooms and funniest signs!

.

Ranger and our "field trip chaperon" Alanna (she's our support staff/coach/big sister)

While we stopped to listen to the ranger brief us on the parks history and wildlife habitants, to warthogs darted out of the bush and were running towards us. They turned about 5m before reaching us and took off down a path. We all got a good laugh especially because they have hair like 80’s rock stars, aka mullets: short in the front long in the back. He finished talking and we walked down an open path in pretty open forest. About 5 mins later near the worker’s quarters before getting into the forest/bush we encountered a heard of elephants. It felt like Jurassic Park with the buildings and equipment all around and a herd of elephants grazing.

We stood around in awe for about 20mins quietly observing and taking photos of the elephants before they slowly walked on by. Our primary goal had been achieved in a matter of 5 minutes! It was a great way to start the day, and thankfully in terms of my health I was feeling fine, and the weather was just about perfect this day: overcast and not too warm. We continued on our tour and got up close to some warthogs sleeping:

Further along our walk we came across a family of baboons ‘monkey-ing’ around, some antelopes, more baboons, and of course more elephants:

To be continued............