Why Empower Only Women

During my Christmas holidays I have been able to have some great conversations with Ghanaians about the future of their country and the issues that they feel need to be addressed in order for their country to continue developing. On my travels I met a  Canadian volunteer working with a women’s group whose efforts are focused on providing support for teen girls who are victims of sexual assault and teen pregnancy, something I am not familiar with in Ghana. I was assured that teenage pregnancy occurs more frequently than I am aware. Despite abortion being legal in Ghana, illegal abortions remain very common in rural areas which has disastrous effects on the physical and mental health of the affected women. Ghana is fortunately not a hotbed of HIV however the prevalence of HIV/AIDS in Ghana is accepted to be higher than reported figures. 

Generally, young people in Ghana receive little to no sexual health education (from what I have been told), opening the door for NGO groups to intervene and offer education programs to try to stem the prevalence of disease and pregnancy. I spent a few days at Kokrobite beach near Accra, a place is very popular with volunteers and the locals. My boyfriend and I befriended one of the young men selling artwork on the beach. After telling him what I am doing in Ghana, he said the community living in Kokrobite was in need of workshops to teach women about contraceptives and to empower women to take charge of their bodies. He said that women were keen to learn about how to protect themselves and that previous workshops in the area were well received. I found it refreshing how adamant he was about women being empowered and the vital role that plays in reducing transmission of disease. He said that on public holidays when people flock to the beaches, organizations sometimes distribute condoms to people in an effort to reduce disease transmission and reduce unwanted pregnancies. For the sake of interest, my travel friend and I have kept an eye out to see how easy it is to find condoms for sale. Condoms are substantially more expensive than in Canada and the U.S., and more difficult to find than I was expecting it to be. We have only been able to find them in formal shops and at the Mall. It would be great if they were more accessible to people and more affordable to people who might not have much money to spend on condoms or other methods of contraception. Perhaps combined with increased education, accessibility and affordability would lead to more frequent condom use.

I do think that education efforts shouldn’t be exclusively focused on women. There seems to be such a responsibility placed on women to manage reproductive issues with little responsibility placed on men. Empowering men to protect themselves and their partners should be part of sexual health education because men are equally as responsible for protecting themselves as women. The culture here doesn’t promote gender equality and men are the heads of the household making it more important that men are educated and empowered to use protection. Education programs through schools is difficult because of the number of children who do not continue attending school after completing primary education. The other glaring barrier to improving sexual health in Ghana is the fear and shame-style campaigns for HIV claiming that there is no life after being diagnosed with HIV. It is unfortunate that this is the nature of the campaign but it doesn’t surprise me.

Living in Ghana makes me appreciate gender equality in Canada and the fact that women are empowered to make decisions for themselves. It is obvious that interactions between men and women here are a little different. I also think that NGOs that focus on improving sexual health education and women’s empowerment is critically important to help families overcome the cycle of poverty. In an ideal world, condoms would be easily accessible and inexpensive, reducing some of the barriers to encourage their use. Hopefully in the future this will happen.

Welcome to 2012

Having a full month break at the holidays was exactly what I needed to feel refreshed and excited to go back to work. I don’t think anyone would dispute the fact that being a tourist in a country is far easier than trying to set up a life and work. Only once you are immersed in a place you begin to appreciate and understand it. Being in a country for two weeks or even a few months isn’t enough time to really understand what is going on in the particular country. Traveling to tourist areas in the country also means that you are likely interacting with people who are accustomed to hosting tourists.

Traveling with my parents and with my boyfriend made me appreciate how much I have learned about Ghana in such a short period of time and I don’t assume for one second that I know all that there is to know. I was really proud of myself that I was able to navigate without getting lost or needing to ask for directions. I was also really proud of myself for being able to bargain for taxis and get a good price with confidence I didn’t know I had. I had some serious concerns that this experience was not bringing out the best in me, however I know I will be going home a more confident person and that I need to worry less and enjoy the remainder of this experience more.

I am excited to make new friends in the coming weeks as all of my friends on campus have returned home. I wasn’t expecting to make such great friends and they really made this experience a lot of fun. Whether we were celebrating small victories or getting over our problems by eating ice cream in the parking lot, there was never a dull moment. 

I really hope to spend more time at work and also working on my blog for the remainder of my placement. I think my body has had enough of traveling for the time being and I am not opposed to saving some money by staying close to Accra.

I have also compiled a brief list of the things I want to accomplish by the time I leave Ghana. I am quite amazed at how much I have accomplished in only a few months. Hopefully I will continue to grow and learn in the coming months.

The Ghana List:

• Fall asleep on every beach I visit
• Learn a bit of the local language (Twi) (done)
• Take a tro tro by myself (done)
• See a hippo in the wild
• Take a safari through Mole National Park (done)
• See an elephant in the wild (done)
• Ride on a motorcycle (done)
• Ride on a tractor (done)
• Visit a witches camp in the north (done) 
• See one of the historic mosques in the North (done)
• Visit Kejetia market in Kumasi (done)
• Tour at least 10 forts/castles
• See monkeys (done)
• Climb a mountain (done)
• Learn how to negotiate for a taxi (done)
• Do some African dance (done)
• Master cooking one Ghanaian dish
• Make a charitable contribution in some capacity

Peace and Tranquility at Bojo Beach

Sarah and I decided to take a bit of a break from the big trips we have been taking for the last couple weeks and decided to take a day trip to Bojo Beach. This place was not included in our guidebook however everyone who has been there has highly recommended going. Getting there wasn’t too difficult - we followed the same route we take to Kokrobite but simply get off the tro tro at the Bojo Beach road. For once traffic was in our favour and it took about an hour to get there. This little trip also served as a lesson to be cautious about allowing someone to serve as your ‘guide’ and to be cautious about telling people where you are going because people can and do follow you. We were fortunate that it was only a small boy who followed us, and thanks to the taxi driver who brought us to the beach, we were able to stop him from following us. The boy was going to ‘show’ Sarah and I to the Kokrobite tro tro station which is a short walk away from the main station. It was pretty clear he didn’t really know where he was going. Somehow he got on the same car as us. Sarah asked him if he was going to meet friends or family because he told us he was going to the beach. He didn’t seem to sure about what he was doing. When we got off the tro tro and walked to a nearby taxi to ask him to take us to the Beach the boy was there, holding the door open saying we should get in. I said very clearly to him that we were saying goodbye and that he should go on his way. That didn’t seem to do any good. Luckily the cab driver told him to get lost. Turns out the boy took the next taxi to the beach entrance and was begging for money so he could go to the beach. Our taxi driver told him to go home and to stop causing trouble. 

The beach itself is stunningly beautiful. It is essentially a sand bar across a small lagoon. You do have to pay to enter the beach which pays for your passage on the small motorized canoe across the lagoon. Really, they should get around to building a bridge because the boat ride is less than 30 seconds. The beach was so empty with maybe 30 people in total on the beach. There was no hawkers and nobody to disrupt our day. The food at the restaurant was of reasonable value and the pizza was quite tasty. The beach was safe and we were not concerned about having our bags stolen while we were in the water. The beach was spotless with no garbage in sight. The water was wonderfully warm and clean. There was minimal floating plastic garbage in the water, compared to some of the other beaches we have been to. I would highly recommend going to Bojo Beach for anyone who enjoys a beautiful beach. 

I think Bojo will rival Kokrobite once the accommodation is finished because as of right now, the rooms are still being completed. 

More Relaxed Trip to Kumasi

Travel in Ghana is rarely an easy task if you are going by public transport somewhere outside of Accra. Our trip to Kumasi was a perfect example.

Sarah and I never seem to be able to plan our trips in advance. With her being busy with classes and me busy at work and our evenings flying by, we are often planning our trips on Thursday. This week was no exception! Our delayed planning and frustration of phone numbers never working for the hotels we call led us to deciding to leave on Saturday instead of Friday evening.

We arrived at the bus station Saturday morning at 4:30 hoping to get on a bus before 6am. We witnessed the most crazy argument at a bus station as two different groups of people started their own lines at the bus station. Instead of dealing with the issue in a multitude of ways, they chose to yell and scream at each other. Not the greatest start to my day. The trip between Accra and Kumasi is supposed to take four hours but for us, it took seven.

Our first stop was Fort Kumasi which we were able to use our guidebook map to find. We even walked there from the bus drop-off point! Quite impressive.

The Fort is a small red structure that doesn’t look particularly imposing from the outside. The appearance of the Fort doesn’t give much indication to the importance of this structure. The British colonialists established the Fort as a training grounds for the Gold Coast Regiment. Joining the army provided some benefits to the soldiers, including teaching them how to read and write and providing employment. The original signboard has a different spelling of Kumasi than the current spelling. The reason for this is simple; most people were illiterate. When the signboard was outside, it meant new recruits were welcome. 

Original Signboard 

Sarah and I were given an excellent tour of the Fort and our guide was very knowledgable about the history of the Fort and the involvement of Ghanaian troops in both the First and Second World War. Without boring people who have little interest in military history, Gold Coast forces participated in both World Wars. WWII saw forces fighting in West Africa, Burma, and Sri Lanka under the British. A lot of the items kept at the Fort are items seized by the soldiers when they defeated the opponent. There was a lot of Japanese mortar weapons and Spanish swords and even Italian plates. 

The Fort wasn’t a slave trading fort as it was a military base. The Fort has two separate cell blocks that held prisoners who committed crimes. The severity of your crime dictated whether you were placed in the reasonable cells or the incredibly cramped and dark cells. If you had committed a terrible crime like murder, you would be placed in one of two tiny windowless cells with many other people until your death. You had no sunlight, no bed to sleep on, you would be crammed into the cell given one meal a day that you would have to consume in minutes, or else the guards would remove the food. Pretty awful place to be. It was astonishing how many people they were able to cram into these tiny cells. The other cell block was more humane and was for people who had defected or committed lesser crimes. Nana, the woman who led the Ashantis in their fight against the British in 1900 was kept here after her capture before she was transported to Elmina Castle where she was held until her death. This iconic battle saw the Ashantis defeat the British despite having less sophisticated equipment.

Isolation cell - 8 people would have been
kept in this tiny cel

The following day we went to the Manhyia Palace, the former home of the Ashanti King. The Palace itself is a modest colonial style home on beautiful grounds with manicured lawns. The house doesn’t look very regal by today’s standards, but at the time when people were still sleeping in primitive huts, it was quite luxurious. I will be honest, I think the tour at this attraction was far too long and less interesting than the Fort tour. Much of the tour involved the guide trying to explain the incredibly complex family structure of the Ashanti people. I would be lying if I said I fully understood it. What I was able to gather from this discussion was that the inheritance system is matrilineal as opposed to the rest of the country which is patrilineal. If you are a child, your mothers sisters are not your aunts, they are also your ‘mother’. But you can have uncles, but you can’t have cousins. This fact seemed particularly puzzling. The other fact that we argued with the guide was why the King was allowed to have many wives, but the Queen Mother, who maintains a certain degree of power, is only allowed one husband. Well, he didn’t really have a good reason for that! From the pictures and the wax statues, there was no doubt that the Ashanti Kingdom earned its name as the Kingdom of Gold. The King is draped in gold jewelry. I think the Palace is worth a visit to learn more about the Ashanti people however it wasn’t my favourite place we have visited.

Manhyia Palace

Our last stop of the day was the Central Market. I only took a picture from the entrance because I didn’t want to be flashing my camera about in the crowded market. This is the  largest outdoor market in all of West Africa. It has burned down a few times most recently in 2009, but we couldn’t tell of any lingering damage. We were there on a Sunday and I think that was a wise move because it was less busy than it would normally be. I found it really impressive how organized the market was. There is a distinct area for food, cloth, baby supplies, machetes, shoes etc. The price of things was also much lower than it is in Accra, unsurprisingly. It was impressive how much stuff we were able to purchase for so little.

I really enjoyed our trip to Kumasi despite our short stay and transportation issues. The roads in the city are much better than the roads in Accra and we didn’t get hassled nearly as much as we do in Accra. Kumasi had a lot of character to it and the buildings were different than Accra. 

Entrance to the market

Cellphones

Cellphone use has skyrocketed in Ghana over the last decade. Of a population of 24.7million (2011 estimate), there are merely 267,000 (2009) land lines and over 15.109 million (2009) cellphone users that grows each day. I find it very interesting how Ghana, and indeed many African countries, have basically skipped the landline phase and have transitioned smoothly to using cellphones. Even at my office, landline phones are non-existent. I knew based on my pre-departure research that cellphones are considerably cheaper than in Canada (let’s face it - anywhere is cheaper than Canada). The phones themselves start at 20 cedi ($15), and for that you get a simple phone with a flashlight and FM radio. For that little, that’s pretty great value. Phones can range up to 1100 cedi for the brand new BlackBerry Torch, if you are feeling flush with cash. I don’t often see people walking around with BlackBerrys except on campus where I see people with them all the time. iPhones and Android phones are also becoming more popular for those who can afford them. Some people have multiple cellphones. This seems rather excessive however once you experience the unreliability of cellphone networks in Ghana, it makes sense to have multiple phones with different networks in case one network goes down.

There are a few key differences between the Ghanian system and the Canadian one.

Firstly, there are many different service providers in Ghana from MTN, TiGO, AirTel, Vodafone, and the new GLO which has yet to start providing service. Unlike in Canada where you are very limited in your options (Bell, Rogers and Telus being the main three), all of the companies here are independent and switching between networks is no more difficult than either porting your number to the new network or simply buying a new SIM card. Secondly, in Ghana a SIM card will set you back 1 cedi or approx 60 cents CAD. In Canada these tiny little chips can cost upwards of $20. Some people have phones with slots for two SIM cards for different networks which is great because you never know when a particular network is going to be down. Once you have paid for your SIM card, you can start adding credit to your phone by buying the scratch cards being sold pretty much everywhere. Enter the unique number code and you are ready to start using your phone. Unlike in Canada where you pay that silly $7 monthly network fee and that emergency number fee, here whatever money you spend on credit is yours to use. 

Data, something I could never afford at home, is completely affordable here. I use Vodafone and I pay for what I use. Most networks require BlackBerry users to pay for a data subscription that is valid for a month. It is really really handy to be able to get online whenever I need to wherever I am. I find my BlackBerry internet the most reliable internet access I have.

Cellphone usage has many headaches in Ghana. It is beyond frustrating when you are trying to make a call and it drops every 30 seconds or simply doesn’t connect. It is equally frustrating when my SMS messages seem to evaporate into thin air, never reaching the recipient. It is puzzling that I get excellent service in my building but if I go to the buildings on either side of mine, I can’t get reception if my life depended on it. There are also days where BBM or the internet just doesn’t work despite my best efforts.

Welcome to Ghana!

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Two Month Check-In

I have now been in Ghana for two months. Getting adjusted to a completely different way of life hasn’t been easy at times, and as my close friends can attest, we all had a horrible “I hate Ghana” week last week. I thought I would answer some of the usual questions people from home have asked me about my experience thus far.

What is your housing like?

I like to describe it as St. Paul’s mixed with campsite minus the hot water and tent. I was really reluctant to move into ISH (International Students Hostel), because I was really hoping to live in a compound house and I was 'over' the dorm life. And let’s be honest - residence is noisy at the best of times, I like my privacy and quiet. ISH has really grown on me and I have decided to stay there for the remainder of my stay in Ghana. I really like the convenient location - I walk to work everyday and there are tons of food options for me all within the campus. I have cooked twice in two months as I can’t make myself dinner for as little as I can buy it for. I am still not fully comfortable with cold showers although most days its bearable. Making friends with other foreign students is also great, I eat dinner with friends or, on the bad days, get ice cream and sit in a parking lot and 'discuss'...

What do you eat?

You know what they say, ‘when in Rome..”. I have been eating Ghanian most meals since I arrived. Typically for breakfast I eat plain cereal or I walk to get an egg sandwich (for about a dollar), or sometimes I eat baked beans - yes! I get Heinz beans here! Lunch is generally a snack of plantain chips (way better than potato chips), or roasted groundnuts (peanuts). I eat groundnuts constantly. They are so good when they are freshly roasted and what a great source of protein. Dinner is the big meal of the day, I usually get jollof rice with a bit of salad and spaghetti or fried plantains. If I don’t buy that, I am usually eating fufu with groundnut soup. Eating ‘Western’ food is a treat and it is expensive by comparison. Other ‘treats’ here include fruit juice and sugar cane. Anyone who has tried sugar cane knows how yummy it is! It is better than candy.

It is not safe to drink water from the tap so I am forced to continue buying bags of sachets. A week’s supply of water usually costs me a dollar.

How do you do your laundry?

Bucket style. I could send my clothes to be washed in a machine on campus for a fee but I actually enjoy doing it by hand, and it saves me money. I find it relaxing to wash my clothes. I try to do laundry at least once every three days. Dirty clothes attract ants and because you go through so much clothing because its hot meaning I am doing laundry a lot. I’m pretty good at using the bar of soap to remove stains and then you soak them in a bucket with laundry detergent powder for an hour or two before rinsing. I wash everything from my clothes to towels to bedsheets this way. Not bad.

What about mosquitos?

I’ve been fortunate thus far that I haven’t contracted malaria (my biggest fear in Ghana). I haven’t been as careful as I should have been because I recently put my bed net up. Prior to this, I sprayed a bit of insect repellent around my bed and on my ankles. The bed net is useful because it means I can sleep with my balcony door open as the nights are getting hotter and sticky.

What do you do for fun?

Contrary to what some might think, I am not going clubbing or to the bars. I go to Trivia Night at a local bar where a lot of expats hang out but other than that, I don’t party. The heat makes you more tired than at home so I am usually pretty tired in the evenings. I try to save my money to go on trips during the weekends. I have traveled for the last five weekends so I am very tired and could use a break! There really isn't a dull moment - what a change from having no friends and nothing to do during the first month here. I will miss my friends terribly when they leave soon.

What is the most frustrating thing about Ghana?

Inefficiency. Just simple things like having an organized lineup to purchase bus tickets or anywhere really seems to not matter. Simple tasks like going to the bank or getting your mail can take hours. Getting a tro tro is not usually organized with a line (except in some places), and people will push and fight one another to get on board, especially if it is an infrequent route. Patience is key. The system will not change so the best option is to just accept it and try to work within the existing system.

What is the best part about living in Ghana?

I could be silly and say that it is being able to buy pretty much anything on the road and being able to buy food while driving. While this is incredibly awesome and makes travel more bearable, I would have to say talking to people my age or people I work with about development in Ghana and about their culture and their lives is the best thing about Ghana. I love to learn and I find it all very interesting because some aspects of Ghanian culture is so different from my culture yet in other ways they are similar. It reconfirms that development work is really where my heart is and that I can have a future in this field if I am motivated.

A Waterfall Day

(Sunday October 30th)

The morning after we returned from Kokrobite, we decided to rent a car and a driver and go to Shai Hills Forest Reserve. While I would STRONGLY discourage anyone going here, I would encourage people to instead make the trip to Akaa and Boti waterfalls in the Volta Region. 

Me at Akaa Falls

I love the Volta Region, and really, I don’t need to be asked twice to go there for any reason. The roads are surprisingly pretty good and the driver can make all the difference between a reasonably comfortable journey and a back-breaking, bone shattering trip. Luckily, we had a great driver. 

Steps leading to Akaa Falls
The weather was perfect for taking pictures

Umbrella Rock

Me under the Umbrella Rock

Our first stop was Akaa falls. I couldn’t tell you where it is but I’d say it’s about three hours drive at least from Accra. Unlike our previous trip to Volta which involved scaling Mount Afadjato, reaching the falls was relatively simple. We paid the guide who walked us down the path. I really wish he had told us about the place, he didn’t speak to us once really. I took tons of pictures (as usual), and it was very pretty. There was a lot of water because of all the rain we have had lately. We took more pictures then went to see the Umbrella Rock. The rock was really cool and we were able to climb up under the umbrella part. You used to be able to climb on top of the umbrella but because it is quite dangerous, they don’t let you do that anymore. There was a village on the hillside across the valley and I would totally love to live there!

Boti Falls

Steps to Boti Falls. There was quite a lot of them!

Our next stop was to Boti Falls, a short distance away from Akaa Falls. This time we didn’t have a guide but we had to pay a second fee to get in. There was some dispute about the actual cost of entering but eventually we were on our way down the steps to see the falls. There are two sides of Boti Falls, the female side and the male side. The falls are beautiful despite not being as tall as the Wli Falls. For once we didn’t have rain to ruin our trip. While it wasn’t the trip we had planned on taking, it was still a worthwhile trip.

Boti Falls

Me at Boti Falls