So I realise I've been quite slack on the blog as of late. So much has happened and this week is very full with all my last minute things. I cannot believe that this time next week, I will be back in Australia. Where has the time gone? I keep moving between a whole range of emotions - from wanting to skip this week and just be home, to wanting to stay for another year or so :-P Luckily there are a few of us leaving, so we've all be chatting about it, but not so excited about the reverse culture shock I'm sure will hit me. At the same time, thats part of the whole experience and while I am going to miss so many people and so many things from this amazing place, the fact that I will be so sad to leave is an indicator to me of just how worthwhile this whole trip has been.
On another note, a huge thank you to some marvellous marvellous people who responded to my requests for moolah! Ended up with just under $900 AUS - WOW guys. You all rock :) Have to get my act together these next few days to get the money where it needs to go but am so excited that I can pass your generousity on to so many people :)
My last weekend was spent with all the other girls at a most deliciously wonderful place called Ada Foah. When I thought about travelling around Ghana pre-arriving here, I thought I would see many interesting places or many cultural places, but had no idea the number of breath takingly stunning places I would have the chance to visit. Ada Foah is a long sand bar/penisula to the East where the Volta River meets the ocean. We stayed smack bang on the middle of the sand bar, with the beautiful Volta Lake to one side, complete with its various islands and colourful fishing boats, and the wild, striking ocean to the other. Accomodation was no more than $10 for the whole weekend - woven grass huts lined up along the sand, right under the coconut tree grove, where we spent our few days hanging between the trees in lazy hammocks. Seriously, I can't explain how crazy amazing this place was! And you can only get there by boat so we got to cruise down the Volta taking in the wonder that is Ada Foah :)
My project in reviewing the IV program here is coming along really well. I've learnt so much about NGOs and the issues they face in getting their work done, which is such an awesome practical lesson to learn while I study the theoretical side of international development. I remember a friend saying sometime before I left, that this trip might make it or break it in as much as me discovering whether development work is something I do actually want to get into. And while I've realised its not nearly as straight forward or simple as I've thought, I definitely want a career in working with disadvantaged communities and individuals, building their capacity to support themselves and especially the needs of their children.
I will try and write some more this week, I have many stories to get out of my head and onto a computer screen! But if I don't get a chance, I will be home Monday night 10pm-ish after a ridiculous amount of time travelling (leaving here Friday afternoon!). Looking forward to seeing everyone - til then - Love you Ba-Bye!
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
randddddoooooommmmm
I just wrote this great little story but its still not finished, i'll publish when it is...but here are the basic details of my past few days.. I'm Aussie btw.
Dutchie bought a monkey. Monkey doesn't like us much. Monkey bit Frenchie. We all freaked out and read way too much about rabies. Frenchie called doctor friends as she hadn't had a shot. Aussie and Frenchie embarked on a journey into Accra to track down a vaccine. Aussie and Frenchie made it to the clinic, Frenchie got her shot, they left to the supermarket to buy overpriced Marie Claire magazines and many bars of chocolate to calm themselves down :)
Dutchie bought a monkey. Monkey doesn't like us much. Monkey bit Frenchie. We all freaked out and read way too much about rabies. Frenchie called doctor friends as she hadn't had a shot. Aussie and Frenchie embarked on a journey into Accra to track down a vaccine. Aussie and Frenchie made it to the clinic, Frenchie got her shot, they left to the supermarket to buy overpriced Marie Claire magazines and many bars of chocolate to calm themselves down :)
Please read :)
Haha, so straight up, this is a blog asking for money, nice and
blunt hey :) I'm asking because I see the need and have the access to
people that are needy. Many people gave me money before hand, and I've
put much of it to use in my first two months and will continue to use
it positively in my last few weeks here. But if you are interested in
helping, read below. Thank you :)
Sarah is a primary school student who lives with her grandmother,
mother and younger brother. Her father is an unknown figure in her
life, one of four or five rebels who raped both her mother and her
grandmother. Sarah's mother braids hair in the next town, often away
for a few days at a time. I'd like to believe them when they say thats
what she does, but often 'braiding hair' is a euphemism for something
much less innocent. Its common knowledge that many woman and girls
alike sell their bodies to keep up with the financial demands of daily
life.
Mary is a washing lady who cleans my clothes every week. She lives on
camp alone, her husband long gone and her two children living with
their grandmother in Liberia. Though being a refugee is never the best
option, for Mary, staying here on camp and having refugee status gives
her a one up on all the millions, no billions of underpriveleged
people around the world. She is part way through a Ghanaian nursing
course, a much better opportunity than anything she'd be able to do in
Liberia, and is desperately trying to raise funds for her last year.
Mercy is six. Just months ago she was buying her own food and cooking
her own meals. Her mother is a drug addict and abused Mercy, burning
her legs with cigarettes and leaving her to fend for herself. Luckily
Mercy is now fostered by a loving family that live just next door, but
with financial issues of their own, money is not always easy to come
by.
Faith has burns down her arm from an accident as a child. She is
thirteen, loud and friendly and always laughing, but often roaming the
streets with her best friend - Maria, 18 years old and a teen
prostitute. Faith isn't yet involved in prostitution, but with the
company she is keeping, I'm not being cynical when I say its only
time.
My name is Laura. I live in sunny Brisbane mostly, but for the past
two and a bit months, bustling Buduburam has been my home. Each of
these girls are people I see daily, girls that run around our house,
that play hand clap games with us, that invite me over for dinner. I'd
love to say that I adore these girls all of the time, but sometimes I
really don't. Faith is often too overbearing, Mercy can throw amazing
tantrums, Mary is my friend but I feel it could be just for the sake
I've got money, and Sarah's grandmother is not afraid to make the most
of her grandaughter's heritage for her own gain.
And yet, they are all in need in their unique way, as are many many
others. To give them money might help for a day, a week if they spend
wisely, yet in three weeks time when I catch a dreadfully long flight
home, they are still in need. So instead all of us, myself and the
others I live with, have been focussing on giving these girls, and
others, something worthwhile - an education.
School fees range from $10 - $40 for most schools. For Mary to finish
her last year at nursing college is $250. We've all been helping
students as we can, but I realise that I have access to people that
many of you may never meet, but people you'd be willing to help if
only you knew their stories.
So here's the thing, if any one is interested in helping I'm happy to
be your go-between. Drop me a line with the amount you want to give,
remembering that something small at home goes a ridiculously long way
here. Get the amount to my dad, if you'll see him, or pledge it to
give to me when I get home. I'll add it to the money I already have
here to get as many people as possible into some sort of education
program.
Thanks heaps guys,
much love
blunt hey :) I'm asking because I see the need and have the access to
people that are needy. Many people gave me money before hand, and I've
put much of it to use in my first two months and will continue to use
it positively in my last few weeks here. But if you are interested in
helping, read below. Thank you :)
Sarah is a primary school student who lives with her grandmother,
mother and younger brother. Her father is an unknown figure in her
life, one of four or five rebels who raped both her mother and her
grandmother. Sarah's mother braids hair in the next town, often away
for a few days at a time. I'd like to believe them when they say thats
what she does, but often 'braiding hair' is a euphemism for something
much less innocent. Its common knowledge that many woman and girls
alike sell their bodies to keep up with the financial demands of daily
life.
Mary is a washing lady who cleans my clothes every week. She lives on
camp alone, her husband long gone and her two children living with
their grandmother in Liberia. Though being a refugee is never the best
option, for Mary, staying here on camp and having refugee status gives
her a one up on all the millions, no billions of underpriveleged
people around the world. She is part way through a Ghanaian nursing
course, a much better opportunity than anything she'd be able to do in
Liberia, and is desperately trying to raise funds for her last year.
Mercy is six. Just months ago she was buying her own food and cooking
her own meals. Her mother is a drug addict and abused Mercy, burning
her legs with cigarettes and leaving her to fend for herself. Luckily
Mercy is now fostered by a loving family that live just next door, but
with financial issues of their own, money is not always easy to come
by.
Faith has burns down her arm from an accident as a child. She is
thirteen, loud and friendly and always laughing, but often roaming the
streets with her best friend - Maria, 18 years old and a teen
prostitute. Faith isn't yet involved in prostitution, but with the
company she is keeping, I'm not being cynical when I say its only
time.
My name is Laura. I live in sunny Brisbane mostly, but for the past
two and a bit months, bustling Buduburam has been my home. Each of
these girls are people I see daily, girls that run around our house,
that play hand clap games with us, that invite me over for dinner. I'd
love to say that I adore these girls all of the time, but sometimes I
really don't. Faith is often too overbearing, Mercy can throw amazing
tantrums, Mary is my friend but I feel it could be just for the sake
I've got money, and Sarah's grandmother is not afraid to make the most
of her grandaughter's heritage for her own gain.
And yet, they are all in need in their unique way, as are many many
others. To give them money might help for a day, a week if they spend
wisely, yet in three weeks time when I catch a dreadfully long flight
home, they are still in need. So instead all of us, myself and the
others I live with, have been focussing on giving these girls, and
others, something worthwhile - an education.
School fees range from $10 - $40 for most schools. For Mary to finish
her last year at nursing college is $250. We've all been helping
students as we can, but I realise that I have access to people that
many of you may never meet, but people you'd be willing to help if
only you knew their stories.
So here's the thing, if any one is interested in helping I'm happy to
be your go-between. Drop me a line with the amount you want to give,
remembering that something small at home goes a ridiculously long way
here. Get the amount to my dad, if you'll see him, or pledge it to
give to me when I get home. I'll add it to the money I already have
here to get as many people as possible into some sort of education
program.
Thanks heaps guys,
much love
Please read :)
Haha, so straight up, this is a blog asking for money, nice and
blunt hey :) I'm asking because I see the need and have the access to
people that are needy. Many people gave me money before hand, and I've
put much of it to use in my first two months and will continue to use
it positively in my last few weeks here. But if you are interested in
helping, read below. Thank you :)
Sarah is a primary school student who lives with her grandmother,
mother and younger brother. Her father is an unknown figure in her
life, one of four or five rebels who raped both her mother and her
grandmother. Sarah's mother braids hair in the next town, often away
for a few days at a time. I'd like to believe them when they say thats
what she does, but often 'braiding hair' is a euphemism for something
much less innocent. Its common knowledge that many woman and girls
alike sell their bodies to keep up with the financial demands of daily
life.
Mary is a washing lady who cleans my clothes every week. She lives on
camp alone, her husband long gone and her two children living with
their grandmother in Liberia. Though being a refugee is never the best
option, for Mary, staying here on camp and having refugee status gives
her a one up on all the millions, no billions of underpriveleged
people around the world. She is part way through a Ghanaian nursing
course, a much better opportunity than anything she'd be able to do in
Liberia, and is desperately trying to raise funds for her last year.
Mercy is six. Just months ago she was buying her own food and cooking
her own meals. Her mother is a drug addict and abused Mercy, burning
her legs with cigarettes and leaving her to fend for herself. Luckily
Mercy is now fostered by a loving family that live just next door, but
with financial issues of their own, money is not always easy to come
by.
Faith has burns down her arm from an accident as a child. She is
thirteen, loud and friendly and always laughing, but often roaming the
streets with her best friend - Maria, 18 years old and a teen
prostitute. Faith isn't yet involved in prostitution, but with the
company she is keeping, I'm not being cynical when I say its only
time.
My name is Laura. I live in sunny Brisbane mostly, but for the past
two and a bit months, bustling Buduburam has been my home. Each of
these girls are people I see daily, girls that run around our house,
that play hand clap games with us, that invite me over for dinner. I'd
love to say that I adore these girls all of the time, but sometimes I
really don't. Faith is often too overbearing, Mercy can throw amazing
tantrums, Mary is my friend but I feel it could be just for the sake
I've got money, and Sarah's grandmother is not afraid to make the most
of her grandaughter's heritage for her own gain.
And yet, they are all in need in their unique way, as are many many
others. To give them money might help for a day, a week if they spend
wisely, yet in three weeks time when I catch a dreadfully long flight
home, they are still in need. So instead all of us, myself and the
others I live with, have been focussing on giving these girls, and
others, something worthwhile - an education.
School fees range from $10 - $40 for most schools. For Mary to finish
her last year at nursing college is $250. We've all been helping
students as we can, but I realise that I have access to people that
many of you may never meet, but people you'd be willing to help if
only you knew their stories.
So here's the thing, if any one is interested in helping I'm happy to
be your go-between. Drop me a line with the amount you want to give,
remembering that something small at home goes a ridiculously long way
here. Get the amount to my dad, if you'll see him, or pledge it to
give to me when I get home. I'll add it to the money I already have
here to get as many people as possible into some sort of education
program.
Thanks heaps guys,
much love
blunt hey :) I'm asking because I see the need and have the access to
people that are needy. Many people gave me money before hand, and I've
put much of it to use in my first two months and will continue to use
it positively in my last few weeks here. But if you are interested in
helping, read below. Thank you :)
Sarah is a primary school student who lives with her grandmother,
mother and younger brother. Her father is an unknown figure in her
life, one of four or five rebels who raped both her mother and her
grandmother. Sarah's mother braids hair in the next town, often away
for a few days at a time. I'd like to believe them when they say thats
what she does, but often 'braiding hair' is a euphemism for something
much less innocent. Its common knowledge that many woman and girls
alike sell their bodies to keep up with the financial demands of daily
life.
Mary is a washing lady who cleans my clothes every week. She lives on
camp alone, her husband long gone and her two children living with
their grandmother in Liberia. Though being a refugee is never the best
option, for Mary, staying here on camp and having refugee status gives
her a one up on all the millions, no billions of underpriveleged
people around the world. She is part way through a Ghanaian nursing
course, a much better opportunity than anything she'd be able to do in
Liberia, and is desperately trying to raise funds for her last year.
Mercy is six. Just months ago she was buying her own food and cooking
her own meals. Her mother is a drug addict and abused Mercy, burning
her legs with cigarettes and leaving her to fend for herself. Luckily
Mercy is now fostered by a loving family that live just next door, but
with financial issues of their own, money is not always easy to come
by.
Faith has burns down her arm from an accident as a child. She is
thirteen, loud and friendly and always laughing, but often roaming the
streets with her best friend - Maria, 18 years old and a teen
prostitute. Faith isn't yet involved in prostitution, but with the
company she is keeping, I'm not being cynical when I say its only
time.
My name is Laura. I live in sunny Brisbane mostly, but for the past
two and a bit months, bustling Buduburam has been my home. Each of
these girls are people I see daily, girls that run around our house,
that play hand clap games with us, that invite me over for dinner. I'd
love to say that I adore these girls all of the time, but sometimes I
really don't. Faith is often too overbearing, Mercy can throw amazing
tantrums, Mary is my friend but I feel it could be just for the sake
I've got money, and Sarah's grandmother is not afraid to make the most
of her grandaughter's heritage for her own gain.
And yet, they are all in need in their unique way, as are many many
others. To give them money might help for a day, a week if they spend
wisely, yet in three weeks time when I catch a dreadfully long flight
home, they are still in need. So instead all of us, myself and the
others I live with, have been focussing on giving these girls, and
others, something worthwhile - an education.
School fees range from $10 - $40 for most schools. For Mary to finish
her last year at nursing college is $250. We've all been helping
students as we can, but I realise that I have access to people that
many of you may never meet, but people you'd be willing to help if
only you knew their stories.
So here's the thing, if any one is interested in helping I'm happy to
be your go-between. Drop me a line with the amount you want to give,
remembering that something small at home goes a ridiculously long way
here. Get the amount to my dad, if you'll see him, or pledge it to
give to me when I get home. I'll add it to the money I already have
here to get as many people as possible into some sort of education
program.
Thanks heaps guys,
much love
Monday, February 4, 2008
triedtopostthislastnightbutdidntwork,sameforthespacebaronthisnewcomputer
So much to say, so little energy to say it :) Here's the latest from the land of Laura:)
The past two weeks have been a bit quieter for me in terms of working...the beginning of last week I was rather ill, eating something bad and then vomitting it up in the early hours of the morning. It was the first time I've ever vomitted properly, quite a milestone in my life so thought I'd all share that with you :)
Instead of working last thursday, I went into Accra with Zeina and Sarah to watch the soccer. The African Cup of Nations is on at the moment, with none other than GHANA as the host country - now being the perfect time to be here! We saw Morocco vs Guinea and the first half of Ghana vs Namibia and it was totally insane! The stadiums were packed with crazed soccer fans, all singing and dancing and cursing the referee and it was mad to be in the middle of it all. We supported Morocco with about four other people in the entire stadium (40,000 i think), but suffered a devastating defeat - hence cheered ourselves up with a delicious meal at a lovely chinese place hehe. But honestly, this country is going mad with soccer fever, haha we are all sure that if Ghana were to lose any game from now there wouldbe full out riots :)Hoping to get along to the final near the end of Feb.
We spent the weekend on the coast at Kokrobite again, seven lovely ladies in one double room! The beach is so relaxin and I felt like the entire week was marvellously relaxing. This week was busier and really interesting. Our neighbours foster a little girl whose Dad is who knows where and her mum is a real nut case. There are continuous dramas with her case but as much as possible they want to keep it within the jurisdiction of the camp council - if it goes to the Ghanaians, she will end up in a Ghanaian orphanage, definitely not the ideal solution. I'm close with the family and the girl, as are the rest of us actually, so Sarah and I ended up going along to the Social Welfare Council with the family to sort out the latest trouble. The poor thing though, she was stressed out about it - we did our best calming her down with a remarkable medley of Disney songs, Bob Dylan and the Sound of Music haha. All ended well though and she's still with her foster family for now.
I've done a lot more thinking about this next month and are probably going to work on a mini project for CBW.They have conducted a review of all staff and departments in the past month, so I'm proposing to do a review of hte international volunteer program- desperately needed and hopefully a step towards improving things for future volunteerss, but more importantly, CBW itself. Looking to do some surveying atboth ends - with as many past IVs as possible, as well as local staff and then present some suggestions on how to move forward from here. The initial idea has been okayed from the key people so waiting to finalise a few things then get into it with a couple of the other girls. Going to be tutoring a few arvos a week, working with the beading project set up by a past Aussie volunteer through another organisation, editing some copy for the former child soldiers group and running a couple of workshops with the press club at the junior high school - all of which should keep me nice and busy - yay!
Made a trip on Thursday to Kofoidua, about 3 hours away from Accra and home to a large bead market. We needed to get more beads for the bead project I mentioned before (more on that soon), though I ended up mainly buying a bunch of beads for myself. They also had teh old slave beads that the locals used to trade with foreigners during the slave era - pretty cool but overly expensive so no buying for Laura! The bead project is a really cool project initiated by an Aussie girl. There are two groups of kids, one is a group of younger orphans and the other is a group of early teen boys who until now have been moving wheelbarrows all over camp (porters essentially) to make money for their families. The kids make gorgeous beaded bracelets that are to be sold back in Aus for a much better price than what is possible here, and funds raised cover their education expenses. I'll try ad find details for the groups website, I haven't seen it but it has more details on it!!
This past weekend has been one of the best - Allison Sarah and I set off for the Volta REgion in East Ghana. Much of friday was spent on squashy trotros and broken down taxis before we arrived at a gorgeous lodge, nestled at the foot of a small mountain range. The air is really hazy right across West Africa, partly because peopleare burning off, but also due to a Saharan wind that blows across the region...anyhow, it makes the mountains look really gorgeous! Saturday morning we got up bright and early (too early if you ask me!) and spent the next five and a half hours (yes thats right, five and a half hours!!) hiking up one of hte mountains to see West Africa's highest waterfalls - Wli Falls. Stunning I tell you, but a real killer, we almost turned back a third of the way up the hill because it was a truly difficult climb. But after many many breaks and a couple of attempts at breathlessly singing those get-up-an-go inspiring songs (think Eye of the Tiger style!) we reached the top and relaxed by the falls, dipping our toes into the chilly water and taking as many photos as possible. God was pretty cool when he designed Ghana :) Coming down was equally hard and its still an effort to make our legs move today, but there are also a set of lower falls that we walked down too,once again rewarding our efforts!
After the falls and a quick lunch we attempted to make a quick trip to Tafi Atome... of course nothing happens quickly here and we got half way there by dark, then had to try and find a lift to the actual village...no taxis aroiund and I think the effect of climing a freakin mountain that morning had definitely got to our heads...we jumped willingly into what the guys called a car...really just a shell with no seats or floor or back lights or anything a normal car has haha.. there were freak out moments that we may be being abducted but we ended up safely at Tafi. Woke up early again this morning for the main attraction - a tour of the monkey sanctuary! Hand fed the coolest monkeys ever, I can see why some think they are were we come from, such smart human like little creatures! From Tafi we made our way to the most middle-of-no-where place I've ever been to see where the majority of Ghana's kente cloth is weaved...really really really cool :) You'll havetowait for photosfor it to make sense, but basically they use the most complicated instrument/machine ever,but completely madeout of bamboo and rocks and thread.
Now back home, looking forward to getting a lot done this week! Have to walk from here at net cafe (top of camp) to the bottom where we live - my poor legs are really wrecked so wish me luck! haha love to all, mwah mwah mwah xx
The past two weeks have been a bit quieter for me in terms of working...the beginning of last week I was rather ill, eating something bad and then vomitting it up in the early hours of the morning. It was the first time I've ever vomitted properly, quite a milestone in my life so thought I'd all share that with you :)
Instead of working last thursday, I went into Accra with Zeina and Sarah to watch the soccer. The African Cup of Nations is on at the moment, with none other than GHANA as the host country - now being the perfect time to be here! We saw Morocco vs Guinea and the first half of Ghana vs Namibia and it was totally insane! The stadiums were packed with crazed soccer fans, all singing and dancing and cursing the referee and it was mad to be in the middle of it all. We supported Morocco with about four other people in the entire stadium (40,000 i think), but suffered a devastating defeat - hence cheered ourselves up with a delicious meal at a lovely chinese place hehe. But honestly, this country is going mad with soccer fever, haha we are all sure that if Ghana were to lose any game from now there wouldbe full out riots :)Hoping to get along to the final near the end of Feb.
We spent the weekend on the coast at Kokrobite again, seven lovely ladies in one double room! The beach is so relaxin and I felt like the entire week was marvellously relaxing. This week was busier and really interesting. Our neighbours foster a little girl whose Dad is who knows where and her mum is a real nut case. There are continuous dramas with her case but as much as possible they want to keep it within the jurisdiction of the camp council - if it goes to the Ghanaians, she will end up in a Ghanaian orphanage, definitely not the ideal solution. I'm close with the family and the girl, as are the rest of us actually, so Sarah and I ended up going along to the Social Welfare Council with the family to sort out the latest trouble. The poor thing though, she was stressed out about it - we did our best calming her down with a remarkable medley of Disney songs, Bob Dylan and the Sound of Music haha. All ended well though and she's still with her foster family for now.
I've done a lot more thinking about this next month and are probably going to work on a mini project for CBW.They have conducted a review of all staff and departments in the past month, so I'm proposing to do a review of hte international volunteer program- desperately needed and hopefully a step towards improving things for future volunteerss, but more importantly, CBW itself. Looking to do some surveying atboth ends - with as many past IVs as possible, as well as local staff and then present some suggestions on how to move forward from here. The initial idea has been okayed from the key people so waiting to finalise a few things then get into it with a couple of the other girls. Going to be tutoring a few arvos a week, working with the beading project set up by a past Aussie volunteer through another organisation, editing some copy for the former child soldiers group and running a couple of workshops with the press club at the junior high school - all of which should keep me nice and busy - yay!
Made a trip on Thursday to Kofoidua, about 3 hours away from Accra and home to a large bead market. We needed to get more beads for the bead project I mentioned before (more on that soon), though I ended up mainly buying a bunch of beads for myself. They also had teh old slave beads that the locals used to trade with foreigners during the slave era - pretty cool but overly expensive so no buying for Laura! The bead project is a really cool project initiated by an Aussie girl. There are two groups of kids, one is a group of younger orphans and the other is a group of early teen boys who until now have been moving wheelbarrows all over camp (porters essentially) to make money for their families. The kids make gorgeous beaded bracelets that are to be sold back in Aus for a much better price than what is possible here, and funds raised cover their education expenses. I'll try ad find details for the groups website, I haven't seen it but it has more details on it!!
This past weekend has been one of the best - Allison Sarah and I set off for the Volta REgion in East Ghana. Much of friday was spent on squashy trotros and broken down taxis before we arrived at a gorgeous lodge, nestled at the foot of a small mountain range. The air is really hazy right across West Africa, partly because peopleare burning off, but also due to a Saharan wind that blows across the region...anyhow, it makes the mountains look really gorgeous! Saturday morning we got up bright and early (too early if you ask me!) and spent the next five and a half hours (yes thats right, five and a half hours!!) hiking up one of hte mountains to see West Africa's highest waterfalls - Wli Falls. Stunning I tell you, but a real killer, we almost turned back a third of the way up the hill because it was a truly difficult climb. But after many many breaks and a couple of attempts at breathlessly singing those get-up-an-go inspiring songs (think Eye of the Tiger style!) we reached the top and relaxed by the falls, dipping our toes into the chilly water and taking as many photos as possible. God was pretty cool when he designed Ghana :) Coming down was equally hard and its still an effort to make our legs move today, but there are also a set of lower falls that we walked down too,once again rewarding our efforts!
After the falls and a quick lunch we attempted to make a quick trip to Tafi Atome... of course nothing happens quickly here and we got half way there by dark, then had to try and find a lift to the actual village...no taxis aroiund and I think the effect of climing a freakin mountain that morning had definitely got to our heads...we jumped willingly into what the guys called a car...really just a shell with no seats or floor or back lights or anything a normal car has haha.. there were freak out moments that we may be being abducted but we ended up safely at Tafi. Woke up early again this morning for the main attraction - a tour of the monkey sanctuary! Hand fed the coolest monkeys ever, I can see why some think they are were we come from, such smart human like little creatures! From Tafi we made our way to the most middle-of-no-where place I've ever been to see where the majority of Ghana's kente cloth is weaved...really really really cool :) You'll havetowait for photosfor it to make sense, but basically they use the most complicated instrument/machine ever,but completely madeout of bamboo and rocks and thread.
Now back home, looking forward to getting a lot done this week! Have to walk from here at net cafe (top of camp) to the bottom where we live - my poor legs are really wrecked so wish me luck! haha love to all, mwah mwah mwah xx
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
my teeth hurt..
...they do, from the cold of all things, and I don't have sensodyne toothpaste here, I'm in a really spot of trouble haha. okay, silly thoughts are floating round my head, this evening has been really lovely. A few of the volunteers are leaving tomorrow and the next day so we did a special dinner (someone found a cabbage at the market so we made salad! and andi's mum sent her packet mash potato and gravy, seriously that stuff is good!). A big part of this trip that I was looking forward to was meeting the other IVs, and being here two months, I can definitely say that they have played a huge part in making this trip what it is.
I've always lived at home, so I guess being here was a taste of independence, with a whole lot of cool benefits (like we have a cook and cleaner and washing ladies and maintenance men etc etc!). All of us are fairly different characters but that has only made things more fun - we've had some pretty cool chats about life and love and religion and poverty and politics and everything in between...including the nightly conversation of every single food we miss (cheese, green beans and brocolli are high on my list!). I've learnt weird arabic expressions and realised that newfoundland is so similar to tasmania, that french sounds really cool except when everyone else in the house can speak it but you, that dutch sounds even cooler, that no matter where in the world you are from there is a lot to learn from each other :)
my brain is a bit muddled and i had lots more to write but im super tired and have to be up at 6 tomorrow (we are going to spend countless hours on a tro tro to get to the big bead markets here!). but on a funny note, we have been a little bit naughty and taught the kids some funny things to say... 'suck it to me, sucker', or 'leave me alone or i'll bite your bum!' or 'sh#t man!' (which I had no involvement in I swear!), or telling hte kids that certain people's names are 'fatty boom ba' or so on...oh the laughs :)
I've always lived at home, so I guess being here was a taste of independence, with a whole lot of cool benefits (like we have a cook and cleaner and washing ladies and maintenance men etc etc!). All of us are fairly different characters but that has only made things more fun - we've had some pretty cool chats about life and love and religion and poverty and politics and everything in between...including the nightly conversation of every single food we miss (cheese, green beans and brocolli are high on my list!). I've learnt weird arabic expressions and realised that newfoundland is so similar to tasmania, that french sounds really cool except when everyone else in the house can speak it but you, that dutch sounds even cooler, that no matter where in the world you are from there is a lot to learn from each other :)
my brain is a bit muddled and i had lots more to write but im super tired and have to be up at 6 tomorrow (we are going to spend countless hours on a tro tro to get to the big bead markets here!). but on a funny note, we have been a little bit naughty and taught the kids some funny things to say... 'suck it to me, sucker', or 'leave me alone or i'll bite your bum!' or 'sh#t man!' (which I had no involvement in I swear!), or telling hte kids that certain people's names are 'fatty boom ba' or so on...oh the laughs :)
Friday, January 25, 2008
Blog titles really annoy me :)
I've been working with the HIV/AIDS department for two months now and am thinking of jumping into something different for my last month. Problem is, I'm not sure what... its been really interesting (and at times slightly scary!) to see how this organisation works. Definitely a huge wide gap between how I think things would be best done, and how they are actually done - though whose to say how I would do things would actually work. We have all been very frustrated with the organisation and departments across the past two months, and learning that this frustration has carried through the volunteers that have been here for a long long time. Part of the problem is us volunteers ourselves....well not us specifically, but hte role we play in the organisation.
Basically, our program fees fund the entire organisation, and our motivation/frustration is the driving force in getting things done. However, because IVs only stay a month or two, trying to achieve consistency and fluidity in changing things is really really difficult. Issues that IVs address one month reappear the following month when the old IVs leave and the new ones arrive. A perfect example is the way the HIV AIDS dept does outreach...we have a team of four local volunteers and as many IVs that decide to work with them. When we sit down with groups in the community to discuss the virus, transmission and prevention, it ends up being the entire group of us when essentially, one or two individuals could do the entire presentation. So we suggest that the team be broken into groups - hey presto, our productivity is increased three fold. But then we hear from a past IV still working on camp that they did the exact same thing...and yet once they left, things automatically went back to how they were. Its a small example,. but it appears to be the culture of the organisation.
There are a whole range of issues that need to be dealt with for this organisation to make a bigger impact than it current does. Its not that the potential isn't there - they receive significant funding (especially relative to costs on camp), they have a constant influx of talented, motivated, hardworking IVs, they have 70 local volunteers and departments working across a range of fields. We seem to be here at an important time in the organisation...they are in the midle of a review of all the local volunteers and the director is about to leave to re-establish the org in Liberia. The director himself is one of problems - at least many IVs have problems with him, as have the local staff. Seeing him leave will hopefully bring a breath of fresh air! The two guys second and third in charge will move up into the roles and have been chatting with us on our thoughts of improving and changing things to see the org really move forward. Which is really cool and I think part of my next few weeks will be spent suggesting solutions to problems and ideas for growth. But I guess always in the back of my mind is the thought that once I leave, once our group goes, everything could go back to how it was, and the whole cycle starts again.
If I could do this trip over (not that I don't like what I am doing, what has happened so far...but just if I could do it again!) I would have come and worked with CBW for a month then spent a good 6 months or so here connecting with other programs and projects and not constrained by just the one. There is a lot of need here, and its clear that there is a huge need for sustainable, well thought out projects that break the 'hand out' mentality that is running rife. As one girl working here said, in many ways Buduburam is a great example of what NOT to do in development. Its pretty cool though to see the reality of why things went wrong/dont work, but then see some groups and projects that are actually working. You realise though, if you want to put bread on the table each night here in camp, you either run alittle market stall, own an internet cafe (both which have limited demand) or set up an NGO and take your share of hte funding. Back to my original thought htough, it would have been cool to dedicate a more significant amount of time and energy to this place..never fear though, I haven't extended my plane ticket and will be back early Marach...all ready to jump straight back into uni haha
Well thank you if you got this far...its good to get some rambling thoughts out of my head. Oh and news from today, a real tragedy on camp, a young boy fell down a water well and died. He broke his neck and was left unnoticed in the water for too long..we dont know exact details and probably never will (rumours about everything and anything are the way it goes here) but its dreadfully sad. It happened somewhere behind our house, roughly in the same kinda neighbourhood though... :-(
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