This will probably be one of our last posts before we get home. We will head back to Kumasi tomorrow to debrief from the trip, and may not have internet access.
Tuesday was our last day at the Ridge School, where we have spent most of our time. The students were done with exams and teachers were busy grading exams, so we had a lot of time to play with the children of the school and talk. It sure was hard to say good-bye to all of the teachers and students at Ridge.
The school had a thank-you ceremony for us that included singing, African drumming, and a few speeches. One of the teachers composed a song that the choir from the school sang, and it was very fun. "We want to thank you...for bringing computers and a library from Michigan Technological, Michigan Technological." Several took videos, so we will have to show you the videos after we get home.
The school also presented us with outfits to bring home, which we are excited to wear to presentations. The girls got skirts and tops out of matching fabric, but with different designs, and the guys each got a shirt.
Today we traveled to Kranka to interview teachers and community members and interact with the students there. Several of us have discussed an interest in next year's group doing homestays in the villages, to allow them to interact more with community members.
The teachers at Kranka, as with other village schools, are very interested in getting computers to the schools, and discussed the need for materials to engage the students, such as computers and books.
We only have a few more days in Ghana, and I think all of us will be sad to leave the friends and towns that welcomed us into their culture. We all have learned a lot, and have fun discussing things we would not have done the first week of the trip that now seem like second nature. We look forward to seeing you all when we get back, and sharing all of the stories we did not have time to post on our blog.
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Finishing Up and Looking Forward
After meeting with all of the teachers at Ridge Experimental School, we had another meeting with Eugenia and Bertha, the two teachers that will be caretakers of the library. Our goals were. to make sure that they understood the organization of the library and show them how to use the library database we created in Excel. The organization system was clear, but the Excel database was not. Since computers are scarce here, Eugenia and Bertha have little experience with using computers and even less experience with using Excel. After realizing this, we explained in more detail and eventually decided that creating a manual for using Excel and our database would help reinforce our explanation. That way, both the current and future librarians will have instructions that they can always refer to. We created the manual using screenshots of Excel and our database. We added labels and instructions for completing tasks such as sorting columns, adding new books to the database, and finding specific books.
We've also been traveling with the other project groups to Babianeha and Kranka to identify potential library sites. So far, all of the schools we've talked to have been extremely interested. We collected data about each school, such as how many students there are and what resources they have, so that next year's group will have as much information as possible while preparing for their projects. While at the villages, we also assisted Jon and Kurt with their community interviews.
In our last few days at Ridge, it has been so wonderful to see the students sitting and reading in our library!
We've also been traveling with the other project groups to Babianeha and Kranka to identify potential library sites. So far, all of the schools we've talked to have been extremely interested. We collected data about each school, such as how many students there are and what resources they have, so that next year's group will have as much information as possible while preparing for their projects. While at the villages, we also assisted Jon and Kurt with their community interviews.
In our last few days at Ridge, it has been so wonderful to see the students sitting and reading in our library!
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Back to Babianeha
Before Friday, Kurt and I had asked Kojo if he could get together a group of people who would represent Babianeha so that we could ask them directly about what sort of concerns they had about life in the village. We had also asked the library group to come with us, since we had really only spoken with men on our last few trips and thought that it might be easier for the women of Babianeha to talk with other women. Thus, we set out with high hopes for what we would be able to accomplish, and we weren’t disappointed.
As has become our habit, we first went to the house of Emmanuel’s relatives, discovering in the process that the tro-tro driver knew who we were and where we were going. In the house, Kojo asked us to wait while t
he community members assembled, so we sat and went over our questions again before everything was ready. Kojo also gave us the plans for a public
After a fairly short wait, Kojo came to tell us that everything was ready, and we walked from the house to a small open area close to Kofibadukrum. A number of plastic chairs had been assembled, giving the people there room to sit, and facing the chairs was a table and five chairs. Before sitting, we all shook hands with the elders and the linguist in the front row, responding “Yaa” to the occasional welcome of “Akwaaba.” After we sat, some of the people came to where we were for another welcome and more handshakes. Traditionally, we would have been offered water, but Kojo informed us that he had told them that we had had water in his house. With the greetings over, he explained our project in Twi, and then gave the floor to Kurt.
Kurt introduced us, and then asked for their informed consent to our questions, explaining the methodology we would be using. Kojo translated the statement and their response, telling us that they didn’t mind answering what we would ask.
We had intended to split the group in two, resulting in one all male group and one all female group, but Kojo was the only translator available to us. Since this meant that the group of villagers would have to stay together, we decided to change the format of our questions a little, and allow the group to discuss them rather than answer individually.
After this decision, we began by asking what the population of the village was. Although the exact number of people is not known, it is apparently somewhere between five hundred and one thousand, and Kojo offered an estimate of about eight hundred. With the number of people in the village known, and our map of the village almost comple
te, it would be much easier to plan future projects.
Of course, we also needed to find out what those projects should be. We asked what the major concerns of the village were, and the responses we received were about what we had expected from our prior trips to the village. Still, it was important to learn that these opinions were held by many of the villagers, not just the ones that we had already met.
The need for toilet facilities was impressed upon us once more, and one of the women explained that since the school didn’t have a lavatory, the children were at risk of snake bites whenever they relieved themselves in the bush. The school has also gone without much in the way of repair or maintenance since it was constructed in 1974, and is in great need of improvement.
While we were on the topic of schools, the issue of higher education was brought up. The village has the educational facilities to teach children up through junior high, but the nearest high school is in Sunyani. This naturally comes at a considerable expense for the parents of the children, but Kojo says that there are scholarships available for children who are academically brilliant but economically needy, such as some of the children that are currently living with him.
From the needs of children in high school the conversation moved back to the needs of the school in Babianeha. After Kojo explained how the laptop group donated a computer to the school, it is explained to us that the district assembly would be willing to shoulder the cost of providing the facilities for computers if the computers themselves could be supplied.
After this, though, the point is made that, while the needs of the school are pressing, there are other concerns that the village must take care of first. On the topic of improvements in sanitation, we bring up the issue of cost, asking if the community would have any ability to pay for part of the project. One of the elders, the sub-chief in charge of the youth of the village, tells us that he can mobilize men and women to do any physical labor necessary. While this is very important to know, it isn’t the piece of information we were looking for, so we ask again if it would be possible for the village to contribute any money for the start up cost of a project.
A minor debate went on in Twi for sometime after this, and when the talking ended Kojo summarized for us. The short answer, he told us, is no. However, several of the men in the village had pointed out that the government of Ghana had built the pumps that the village uses, and the village sells the water to pay for their upkeep. We were assured that, were we to finance a project, the village would take care of the maintenance and associated costs such as electricity.
One of the projects that we had been considering was the construction of a water tower similar to the one in Kranka. To get an idea of how large the tank would have to be, we asked what the average amount of water used per day was, and found that the average family uses about one hundred and fifty liters of water every day for cooking, washing, bathing, and drinking. Consequently, any tank put up for the use of the community would have to be at least a thousand liters, and would have to hold more than three million liters if it was to be used as a reservoir for longer periods.
From water use and sanitation the discussion moved to an idea that we have heard before: a health clinic in Babianeha. In the rainy season, many people in the village (especially children and the elderly) become sick with malaria, and need to be taken to Dormaa for treatment. The government of Ghana would be willing to pay for a nurse and the medicine if the village were to put up a clinic building.
Further questioning revealed that, for this to happen, the clinic would need to have at least three rooms (a consulting room, a sick room, and a storeroom), and possibly also living space for the nurse. However, it transpired that the idea of the health clinic did not have broad support; the general consensus was that public toilet facilities were the highest priority.
With that determination, the meeting ended, and we shook hands with the elders and the linguist once again before returning to the Opuni house for a meal of banku and groundnut soup. After lunch, Kurt and I mapped the one part of the village that was left. This conveniently brought us right to the taxi station, where Kojo saw us off.
As has become our habit, we first went to the house of Emmanuel’s relatives, discovering in the process that the tro-tro driver knew who we were and where we were going. In the house, Kojo asked us to wait while t
he community members assembled, so we sat and went over our questions again before everything was ready. Kojo also gave us the plans for a publicAfter a fairly short wait, Kojo came to tell us that everything was ready, and we walked from the house to a small open area close to Kofibadukrum. A number of plastic chairs had been assembled, giving the people there room to sit, and facing the chairs was a table and five chairs. Before sitting, we all shook hands with the elders and the linguist in the front row, responding “Yaa” to the occasional welcome of “Akwaaba.” After we sat, some of the people came to where we were for another welcome and more handshakes. Traditionally, we would have been offered water, but Kojo informed us that he had told them that we had had water in his house. With the greetings over, he explained our project in Twi, and then gave the floor to Kurt.
Kurt introduced us, and then asked for their informed consent to our questions, explaining the methodology we would be using. Kojo translated the statement and their response, telling us that they didn’t mind answering what we would ask.
We had intended to split the group in two, resulting in one all male group and one all female group, but Kojo was the only translator available to us. Since this meant that the group of villagers would have to stay together, we decided to change the format of our questions a little, and allow the group to discuss them rather than answer individually.
After this decision, we began by asking what the population of the village was. Although the exact number of people is not known, it is apparently somewhere between five hundred and one thousand, and Kojo offered an estimate of about eight hundred. With the number of people in the village known, and our map of the village almost comple
te, it would be much easier to plan future projects.Of course, we also needed to find out what those projects should be. We asked what the major concerns of the village were, and the responses we received were about what we had expected from our prior trips to the village. Still, it was important to learn that these opinions were held by many of the villagers, not just the ones that we had already met.
The need for toilet facilities was impressed upon us once more, and one of the women explained that since the school didn’t have a lavatory, the children were at risk of snake bites whenever they relieved themselves in the bush. The school has also gone without much in the way of repair or maintenance since it was constructed in 1974, and is in great need of improvement.
While we were on the topic of schools, the issue of higher education was brought up. The village has the educational facilities to teach children up through junior high, but the nearest high school is in Sunyani. This naturally comes at a considerable expense for the parents of the children, but Kojo says that there are scholarships available for children who are academically brilliant but economically needy, such as some of the children that are currently living with him.
From the needs of children in high school the conversation moved back to the needs of the school in Babianeha. After Kojo explained how the laptop group donated a computer to the school, it is explained to us that the district assembly would be willing to shoulder the cost of providing the facilities for computers if the computers themselves could be supplied.
After this, though, the point is made that, while the needs of the school are pressing, there are other concerns that the village must take care of first. On the topic of improvements in sanitation, we bring up the issue of cost, asking if the community would have any ability to pay for part of the project. One of the elders, the sub-chief in charge of the youth of the village, tells us that he can mobilize men and women to do any physical labor necessary. While this is very important to know, it isn’t the piece of information we were looking for, so we ask again if it would be possible for the village to contribute any money for the start up cost of a project.
A minor debate went on in Twi for sometime after this, and when the talking ended Kojo summarized for us. The short answer, he told us, is no. However, several of the men in the village had pointed out that the government of Ghana had built the pumps that the village uses, and the village sells the water to pay for their upkeep. We were assured that, were we to finance a project, the village would take care of the maintenance and associated costs such as electricity.
One of the projects that we had been considering was the construction of a water tower similar to the one in Kranka. To get an idea of how large the tank would have to be, we asked what the average amount of water used per day was, and found that the average family uses about one hundred and fifty liters of water every day for cooking, washing, bathing, and drinking. Consequently, any tank put up for the use of the community would have to be at least a thousand liters, and would have to hold more than three million liters if it was to be used as a reservoir for longer periods.
From water use and sanitation the discussion moved to an idea that we have heard before: a health clinic in Babianeha. In the rainy season, many people in the village (especially children and the elderly) become sick with malaria, and need to be taken to Dormaa for treatment. The government of Ghana would be willing to pay for a nurse and the medicine if the village were to put up a clinic building.
Further questioning revealed that, for this to happen, the clinic would need to have at least three rooms (a consulting room, a sick room, and a storeroom), and possibly also living space for the nurse. However, it transpired that the idea of the health clinic did not have broad support; the general consensus was that public toilet facilities were the highest priority.
With that determination, the meeting ended, and we shook hands with the elders and the linguist once again before returning to the Opuni house for a meal of banku and groundnut soup. After lunch, Kurt and I mapped the one part of the village that was left. This conveniently brought us right to the taxi station, where Kojo saw us off.
Thursday in Sunyani
Having traveled to both Babianeha and Kranka in the preceding days, Kurt and I decided to go downtown in Sunyani to determine the pricing on various construction supplies. After all, while it is possible to bring books and laptops along in checked luggage, bringing along cement and rebar is out of the question for the next cohort, and Sunyani is the closest city to the villages.
We had already determined the price of cement at a small stand close to the forestry hostel, but we wanted to see if it was possible to get a better price elsewhere. Thus, we took a taxi into town on Thursday morning, and began walking around.
There was, we knew, a store that sold Polytanks—the ubiquitous black plastic water tanks seen just about anywhere where water is stored—so we found our way there first. The tanks come in a variety of sizes, but it is doubtful that a village would find a tank smaller than a thousand liters very useful, so we obtained prices for the larger tanks. From speaking with the chief in Kranka, we knew that a thousand liter tank should be about GH1400, and this was indeed the right number.
This was reassuring; one of the taxi drivers who had driven us had told us that business people automatically double their prices when they see Oboroni, so it was good to know that we were actually getting the proper price without having to barter. To a certain degree we had expected this result, since it had been our experience that anything sold in a store or a restaurant had a fixed price, and for everything else all bets were off.
In any case, we proceeded in our pricing secure in the knowledge that the prices we obtained would be accurate. In the store that sold the tanks, we also priced out PVC piping, and from there moved on to a store next door that sold rebar.
The rebar was all outside, bent into enormous skinny U’s and red-brown from a patina of rust. The rebar, much like the tanks and the pipes, came in an extraordinary range of sizes, but we explained to the saleswoman what we intended to use it for and quickly found what we needed.
Her shop also sold cement, but here the selection was rather limited: cement made locally in
We had told her that we were pricing items out for a project that would, at the soonest, begin in a year, and she warned us that the prices would have probably increased by then. However, we had figured on dealing with inflation, and told her that we were trying to get a general idea of the cost.
Of course, it isn’t only building materials that must be paid for. Thus, we decided to talk to an architect. The firm we found, IKA Consult, was located in a building somewhat incongruously called the White House (complete with American flag), but the office was entirely professional, with both drafting tables and computers running CAD programs. We explained our reason for being in
He said that he did, but there was no one size fits all option for such a project. It depends, he said, on the size of the community, the available water resources, the land, and the budget. The last of these he stressed especially, saying that his firm would be able to arrange the entire project, from design to construction, if given a budget to work with.
Since we had not yet determined what project Babianeha considered the most important and since we ourselves would not be back next year, we exchanged contact information, and thanked the architect for his time.
Monday, July 27, 2009
Village Travels: Babianeha and Kranka
Last week has been full of travel and excitement for all three groups, but it also marked a lot of progress for Jon and me with our village sanitation research. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday we traveled back and forth between Sunyani and the two villages, Babianeha and Kranka. The extent of the information we want to provide has lead us to split the blog into two entries, one for Monday through Wednesday and the other for Thursday and Friday. The former is below and the latter will come at a later time.
Monday was the first time that anyone other than Jon and me went to Babianeha, and the journey itself was worth the experience. When Jon and I traveled last week our means of transportation were relatively easy to arrange; we found a taxi asked him to take us to Dormaa and paid the going rate (GH10.40).
With the group though, I had a much harder time securing the cab. At the taxi depot, the first place we tried, we were immediately turned down and told to go the new bus station. On our way to the station I tried asking some taxis waiting on the side of the road. They gave me a price of GH30 per cab. I insisted that we should be paying less but neither driver would go below GH20. Roger decided that there was too much arguing and that we should just walk to the bus station. Once there we find that they have a set rate, GH2.20 per person, to go to Dormaa. This was a discovery we remembered for the rest of the week.
In Dormaa we jumped in another tro-tro to Babianeha and finally arrived around 10:30am. Emmanuel’s family was very glad to see us, and very welcoming as always. We made our way to the Junior High school in Babianeha only to discover that they were writing (taking) exams. Speaking with one of the teacher we were told that at noon they would be free to talk.
We then went to the school in Kofibadukrum to meet with Kojo. Here we spoke with Kwaku, the headmaster, and were shown the computer room. We told Kwaku about the computers and books the other two groups had brought to Ridge and asked about the possibility of bringing the same to Kofibadukrum. Also here Roger worked on the desktop computers the Chief donated to the school. He was able to bring one of the computers into near-working condition. All that was needed to complete the task was to install Windows XP. Roger started the process and we disembarked, with the intention of returning at the end of the day, leaving the school teachers to finish it.
From here Kojo and Kwaku led us across the border to Cote d’Ivoire. Everyone, besides Jon and me, had their first African international experience by standing in both Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire simultaneously. Once again I realize how arbitrary the borders are in western Africa.
Heading back to the school in Babianeha we found that the school was once again in the middle of exams. We realized that it was 12:30pm, so we were tardy according to the time I had set earlier. We were still able to speak to Yaw, the headmaster and several of the teachers about bringing a computer and library to the school. We informed them that we would be back Wednesday and Friday and then made our way to Kojo’s house for lunch.
After eating we returned to the school in Kofibadukrum only to find that everyone had left. Incidentally the power had gone out, and therefore the Windows XP installation had not completed. Roger planned on returning Wednesday to complete this task. We then left the villages knowing that we would return to complete our work over the next week.
Tuesday we returned to Kranka with the intent to walk around the village to get an idea of its size and water resources. Unfortunately, the weather didn’t cooperate.
When we left the hostel in Sunyani, we planned to take two taxis (as the entire cohort was going) to the bus station, and from there get a ride to Techiman. From there, we would take more taxis to arrive at our final destination.
We were, in fact, able to do this, but even as we were riding to the bus station in Sunyani, it was obvious that it wouldn’t be long until the rain came. Large, ominous black clouds loomed over the horizon, and naturally none of us had brought our rain coats.
But the rain actually held until we got to Techiman and got two taxis to Kranka. The rain quickly picked up as we drove to Kranka, and the windows of the taxis fogged up. The taxis either had no defrosters or the drivers didn’t know how to use them, for they began wiping the condensation off with dirty rags, keeping just about the minimum of glass clear. And while the roads were initially no worse than what is typical for Ghana—the occasional pothole marred the surface—the road into Kranka was dirt, not pavement.
If Jon and I had thought that the roads were bad the first day we went into Babianeha, we quickly learned that they could be far worse. Giant puddles of water made it slow going, and it seemed as though the taxis would bottom out at any moment, sinking into the reddish mud that the road had become. The taxis made it into Kranka, though, and the taxi drivers insisted that we would be unable to find taxis out of the village. This was, we would soon find, completely false, but we took them at their word, and arranged for them to pick us up at two in the afternoon.
While at the school, we talked to the chief and the teachers about our respective projects. As previously mentioned, we had hoped to walk around the village, but the chief quite rightly pointed out that it was too muddy to attempt. He told us that we could do our walk around the next time we were in Kranka, and promised us that he would gather a group of people together so that we could ask them about their concerns and determine future projects.
He also told us that there would be no problem finding taxis back to Techiman from Kranka—apparently several of the teachers do this every day without any trouble. The taxi drivers who had attempted to rip us off had met with trouble of their own though—one of the taxis had experienced electrical problems (not too unexpected, considering how deep the water on the road had been) and the drivers had been forced to push it all the way back to the road into the village to attempt repairs.In any case, the other groups were able to discuss their projects. The chief had set land aside for the building of a public library, but construction had yet to begin, and there weren’t really any books. The library group learned that the school would be interested in books for children of all ages, not just those in junior high, and that the school would be willing to provide the facilities if books could be supplied. However, transporting books to Kranka might have to be done the same way the books were brought to Ridge Experimental School in Sunyani—the nearest post office is several miles away, and they don’t make any trips out to Kranka. If nothing else, transporting books as part of the group’s luggage makes sure that they arrive in a timely manner, and the next cohort is larger than ours—they may be able to accommodate the books a little better than we did. It will depend largely on the recommendation of the library group and the decisions of the next cohort, but it certainly seems possible to expand the number of schools that books are brought to.
The laptop group was also faced with the decision of how to expand their project and distribute the two laptops that they still had after the donation of twenty laptops to Ridge Experimental School. The school in Kranka actually had a desktop that Roger said he could take a look at next Wednesday when we return. Roger, Alison, and Mark decided, after talking to the chief and the teachers, to donate one of the laptops they still had to the school, which they will do on our return trip. For demonstration purposes, they had brought one of these laptops, and the chief and the teachers seemed fairly impressed. In addition to the donation of the laptop on Wednesday, the laptop group got permission to run the motor experiment they had done at Ridge, which will hopefully go over as well in Kranka as it did there.
After our discussion, we made our way to the clinic in Kranka, the chief in the lead. The group that went to Ghana last year had promised the clinic some medical supplies, and so we had brought with us a small boxed packed with thermometers and rubber suction devices for clearing the airways of infants, as well as some pictures that they had taken and thoughtfully framed.
We presented these to the people at the clinic, who received us gratefully as the chief explained why we were there. Although small, the clinic seemed well built, and the walls were covered with posters showing such things as the health risks associated with smoking or the dangers of STDs.
From the clinic we walked back to the taxis that had taken us there, where Roger had earlier done a bit of bargaining. The drivers did agree to take us back to Techiman, but we were somewhat bemused to discover that they were attempting to charge us more since they had waited for us. Apparently the fact that one of the taxis was unable to move was irrelevant to them, but they eventually conceded the point, and we left for the same price we had negotiated for the trip to Kranka.
We made it to Techiman without incident, and from there our trip back to the hostel in Sunyani was uneventful. It was a little frustrating how little we had been able to do, but we had become used to things not always going according to plan. Indeed, we had planned on not always being able to do everything we wanted to, so hopefully our next trip to Kranka will be more productive. Chief Nana seemed very accommodating, so even if the weather precludes a walk around the village, we should be able to meet with a group of the villagers and ask our questions.
On Wednesday, the laptop group joined us as we went back to Babianeha. With five people, the trip from Dormaa to Babianeha was somewhat cramped, since we all packed into a Daewoo Tico, but we arrived around 10:00am and were able to start our work.
We first went to the house of Emmanuel’s family, as we always do, to let them know that we had arrived. We were, as always, warmly greeted, and from the house Jon and I led the laptop group to the school in Babianeha. After Alison, Mark, and Roger were set, we began mapping out the village, starting with the schoolyard.
As we worked, a group of schoolchildren quickly gathered around us, their interest piqued. I showed them the map, which at that point only had some of the school buildings and a soccer field on it, but this wasn’t what they wanted.
They wanted to have their picture taken, which I did after extracting a promise from them that they would go back to school immediately afterwards. The children didn’t, but a couple of teachers, as curious about what we were doing as the children were, showed up to talk to us and were able to get the children to disperse. We talked to them for a bit, and explained what we were doing. One of the teachers was a district representative, and said that we should inform the district first of what we were doing. We explained that Yaw knew what we were doing, and that we also knew Kojo at the school in Kofibadukrum. This satisfied him, and we were able to continue our mapping until lunchtime.
The laptop group was already at the house of Emmanuel’s relatives when we arrived, so we discussed our plans for the afternoon over a meal of rice balls and groundnut soup, generously cooked for us. Jon and I would continue mapping, and the others would go to the school in Kofibadukrum, where we planned to meet them at around 2:00pm. The laptop group had donated one of the laptops that they had to the school in Babianeha, and they would attempt once more to repair the computer in Kofibadukrum.In the course of our mapping, Jon made a mistake as he drew the map, so we decided to split up so that he could correct it and I could work on mapping more of the village. At around the time we had planned on meeting the others we met up at an electrical transformer that was a convenient landmark and started walking towards the school. We had almost completely mapped the village, with the exception of a few rows of houses on the southern edge, which we planned to do on Friday when we made another trip to Babianeha.
At the school in Kofibadukrum, we found the laptop group quite easily—all we needed to do was to go to the room where there were children inquisitively staring into the doorway. The laptop group was in the room where the school keeps its desktop computers, and Roger was working on one of these computers as we arrived. We waited a bit as he finished what he was doing, since this was the last trip the laptop group would make to Babianeha. Although he was interrupted once more by power outages, the computer should be in working order.From the school, we walked the short distance to the bus station in Kofibadukrum, and made our way back to the hostel. The trip back took longer than it usually did, since we had to wait for about an hour and a half in Dormaa for the tro-tro we were in to fill with passengers, but we made it back without any further trouble.
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Cultural experiences
It is hard to believe that we only have one and a half weeks left in Ghana. Time has flown by so fast. I am really starting to feel at home in Sunyani, so I will be sad to leave.
The students at Ridge Experimental Junior High School (where we are doing most of our work) started final exams late last week, so we can not teach any computer classes until Thursday.
Our group, as well as the library group, has taken this opportunity to visit to other villages near Sunyani and scout locations for library and computer projects for future Pavlis cohorts.
Today and last Saturday, we traveled to Kranka. We got to meet the chief of the village and visit the kids at the school. We plan on returning next Wednesday to present a computer for them to use in classroom instruction.
Yesterday, we traveled to Babieneha and the town right next to it, Kofibadukrum. There are two schools there that are two other potential sites for computers. The computer group will return there tomorrow with Kurt and Jon.
We have several unique cultural experiences as well in the last week. On Friday, we were invited to the headmistress's house in Sunyani for a sampling of several Ghanaian dishes. She had five different dishes for us to try.
Most of the traditional Ghanaian food consists of some kind of dough--made out of rice, corn, cassava, yams, or a combination of these, served in a stew with a beef or fish base. To eat the food, you first wash your hands, then stick your hand in the stew, grab a piece of dough, and use it to shovel some of the sauce and meat into your mouth. I tried fufu, a corn and cassava dough in a tomatoe-based stew, as well as riceballs in a peanut soup. The food was all really good, and we learned a lot about Ghanaian culture by visiting her house and looking at her pictures of a naming ceremony, a retirement party, and a wedding.
On Saturday, the first time we visited Kranka, the chief of the village invited us to a ceremony remembering a slave market and the slave trade. About thirty chiefs were there, dressed in the traditional robes of Kente cloth, adorned with gold rings. The head chief was there as well. He is so venerated that his feet were not touching the ground, but instead placed on a pillow, and he had a man holding a velvet parasol above his head. We, being the only foreigners present, were introduced over the loudspeaker and got to shake hands with all of the chiefs. Later that day, we visited a monkey sanctuary and got to see two different kinds of monkeys as well as climb up the center of a ficus tree.
On Sunday, a couple of us got the opportunity to go with the headmistress and her husband to an English-speaking church service here in Sunyani. It was really nice to worship with the Ghanaians, and I enjoyed dancing to some of the hymns we sang.
The students at Ridge Experimental Junior High School (where we are doing most of our work) started final exams late last week, so we can not teach any computer classes until Thursday.
Our group, as well as the library group, has taken this opportunity to visit to other villages near Sunyani and scout locations for library and computer projects for future Pavlis cohorts.
Today and last Saturday, we traveled to Kranka. We got to meet the chief of the village and visit the kids at the school. We plan on returning next Wednesday to present a computer for them to use in classroom instruction.
Yesterday, we traveled to Babieneha and the town right next to it, Kofibadukrum. There are two schools there that are two other potential sites for computers. The computer group will return there tomorrow with Kurt and Jon.
We have several unique cultural experiences as well in the last week. On Friday, we were invited to the headmistress's house in Sunyani for a sampling of several Ghanaian dishes. She had five different dishes for us to try.
Most of the traditional Ghanaian food consists of some kind of dough--made out of rice, corn, cassava, yams, or a combination of these, served in a stew with a beef or fish base. To eat the food, you first wash your hands, then stick your hand in the stew, grab a piece of dough, and use it to shovel some of the sauce and meat into your mouth. I tried fufu, a corn and cassava dough in a tomatoe-based stew, as well as riceballs in a peanut soup. The food was all really good, and we learned a lot about Ghanaian culture by visiting her house and looking at her pictures of a naming ceremony, a retirement party, and a wedding.
On Saturday, the first time we visited Kranka, the chief of the village invited us to a ceremony remembering a slave market and the slave trade. About thirty chiefs were there, dressed in the traditional robes of Kente cloth, adorned with gold rings. The head chief was there as well. He is so venerated that his feet were not touching the ground, but instead placed on a pillow, and he had a man holding a velvet parasol above his head. We, being the only foreigners present, were introduced over the loudspeaker and got to shake hands with all of the chiefs. Later that day, we visited a monkey sanctuary and got to see two different kinds of monkeys as well as climb up the center of a ficus tree.
On Sunday, a couple of us got the opportunity to go with the headmistress and her husband to an English-speaking church service here in Sunyani. It was really nice to worship with the Ghanaians, and I enjoyed dancing to some of the hymns we sang.
Friday, July 17, 2009
The Library is Almost Open!
This week has been really busy for the library group. Exams start next week, so we wanted to finish organizing the library before that.
Tuesday morning we went into town to find supplies. We’ve decided that the best way to organize the books is by color coded categories. We’ve divided the nonfiction into groups according to subject and assigned each subject a different color. The fiction books are labeled with a letter indicating the first letter of the author’s last name. Each of the shelves has large signs stating whether they are nonfiction, fiction novels, fiction young adult and fiction children. We did this because we were encountered by a teacher who asked the difference between the books on the shelves. This method would make it easier for both the students and the teachers.
After color coding the books and making signs for the shelves we also made a Book Shelf Key, showcasing all of the colors and symbols and their meanings. We even updated our excel spreadsheet database to reflect the colors on the books. This is a very simple way for the librarians to locate the books on the shelf.
On Wednesday morning, we discussed amongst ourselves what we thought would be the best way to explain to the teachers our organization process. The headmistress had set up a meeting for us to meet with the teachers at the end of the day. We explained to them the entire process. We also asked for as much input as possible. We did not want to Americanize the library by any means. Our goal was to get them started at to allow them to create all of the policies such as how long a book will be loaned out, how many books at a time and who would be in charge of the library. It was suggested that we put the database on a few of the laptops for the children, this would allow them to access the books as well. However, their files would be “read-only”. We were told that two women would be the primary librarians and that we could meet with them later to go over the information in greater detail.
Most of the teachers seemed very grateful for the work we had accomplished. However, there was one person who believed that the books we brought were not exactly what they needed. He believed that the books wouldn’t be loaned out and used only as references. We were not sure how to react to his statement. We knew that we could not please everyone. And by the looks on the other teacher’s faces they did not agree with him. So 98% agreement was better than none.
By the end of the day we felt good. We had successfully organized all 681 books, created a database and shared with the teachers what we were doing. We even noticed a young girl who was utilizing the library. She had come in quietly and began reading the children’s books.
Now all we have to do is thoroughly explain the database to Eugenia and Bertha. They are the two women who would be the primary librarians. By the next time we meet, the logistics should be ready to be implemented. Our plan is to go into the villages to see what work can be done there, leaving Ridge School to operate on their own, and to return in a week to make sure everything working well and that there are no questions.
Meanwhile, the journey continues….
Tuesday morning we went into town to find supplies. We’ve decided that the best way to organize the books is by color coded categories. We’ve divided the nonfiction into groups according to subject and assigned each subject a different color. The fiction books are labeled with a letter indicating the first letter of the author’s last name. Each of the shelves has large signs stating whether they are nonfiction, fiction novels, fiction young adult and fiction children. We did this because we were encountered by a teacher who asked the difference between the books on the shelves. This method would make it easier for both the students and the teachers.
After color coding the books and making signs for the shelves we also made a Book Shelf Key, showcasing all of the colors and symbols and their meanings. We even updated our excel spreadsheet database to reflect the colors on the books. This is a very simple way for the librarians to locate the books on the shelf.
On Wednesday morning, we discussed amongst ourselves what we thought would be the best way to explain to the teachers our organization process. The headmistress had set up a meeting for us to meet with the teachers at the end of the day. We explained to them the entire process. We also asked for as much input as possible. We did not want to Americanize the library by any means. Our goal was to get them started at to allow them to create all of the policies such as how long a book will be loaned out, how many books at a time and who would be in charge of the library. It was suggested that we put the database on a few of the laptops for the children, this would allow them to access the books as well. However, their files would be “read-only”. We were told that two women would be the primary librarians and that we could meet with them later to go over the information in greater detail.
Most of the teachers seemed very grateful for the work we had accomplished. However, there was one person who believed that the books we brought were not exactly what they needed. He believed that the books wouldn’t be loaned out and used only as references. We were not sure how to react to his statement. We knew that we could not please everyone. And by the looks on the other teacher’s faces they did not agree with him. So 98% agreement was better than none.
By the end of the day we felt good. We had successfully organized all 681 books, created a database and shared with the teachers what we were doing. We even noticed a young girl who was utilizing the library. She had come in quietly and began reading the children’s books.
Now all we have to do is thoroughly explain the database to Eugenia and Bertha. They are the two women who would be the primary librarians. By the next time we meet, the logistics should be ready to be implemented. Our plan is to go into the villages to see what work can be done there, leaving Ridge School to operate on their own, and to return in a week to make sure everything working well and that there are no questions.
Meanwhile, the journey continues….
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Learning More About Babianeha
As we walk through Babianeha, Kojo (Emmanuel’s brother and a teacher) tells us of how the village was in his childhood. In those days, the dry and rainy seasons were about the same length, and Babianeha was a typical cocoa farming community. But the dry season started getting longer as desertification advanced into Ghana, and eventually most of the cocoa failed. The people of the village had not been ready for this, Kojo explains; they had not considered education particularly important, and their children, like them, knew only cocoa farming. Education, he says, is perhaps the ultimate solution, the one factor that can solve many problems, including sanitation and water management.
Sanitation especially is a problem, because pit latrines are beyond the means of many families. There is a man who will dig, entirely by hand, a fifteen meter deep hole suitable for a latrine or a well and then reinforce the sides with concrete, but his fee for this service is 100 Ghana Cedis. As a consequence of this price, many people either use the increasingly dilapidated public latrines, or simply relieve themselves wherever. The public latrines are a very simple design; a large pit is dug, and wooden boards are spaced across the top, leaving gaps for people to urinate and defecate through. But the same change in the weather that made cocoa farming unfeasible is also responsible for driving up the price of wood as fewer places are suitable for lumber trees. Thus, money for repairs and maintenance simply isn’t available.
This is also true of the pumps that supply most of the village with its water. There were originally two pumps, both built by the government of Ghana in the 1970s, but these were shoddily made and continuously broke down. Eventually they were deemed irreparable, and two more pumps were built in the 1980s. These pumps have been more reliable, but they still break down every so often and remain broken until the money to fix them is available. The village attempted to pay for the upkeep of
the pumps by charging money for their use, but this has been unsuccessful—when locks were put on the small fence surrounding one of the pumps, it wasn’t long before the locks were broken and people were obtaining their water for free.
People just about everywhere prefer getting something for nothing over having to pay for it, but so many attempts to improve Bebianeha have failed because there is no one willing to pay. The school house needs basic maintenance and structural repairs to its walls, in addition to new windows and doors. Indeed, one of the village elders, David Kwame Chibi Chibi, told us that the school needs these repairs before it needs computers—there is simply no way to secure them in the school from theft.
But the village has been doing what it can. While the economy of Babianeha is still dependent on farming, they have switched mostly to vegetable farming, and the tomatoes that they grow are sold in Accra. The current village chief is a fairly young man, and he is stressing the importance of education for children. There are some needs the village has that are beyond the scope of the Pavlis Institute, such as their need for a public health clinic. There is a private clinic in the neighboring village of Kofi-Badukrom, but the nearest free clinic is seven miles away in Dormaa, and the roads are often all but impassable after a heavy rainfall. Still, there are definitely plenty of projects for the village that the next cohort should be able to bring to fruition, and our research should help.
Sanitation especially is a problem, because pit latrines are beyond the means of many families. There is a man who will dig, entirely by hand, a fifteen meter deep hole suitable for a latrine or a well and then reinforce the sides with concrete, but his fee for this service is 100 Ghana Cedis. As a consequence of this price, many people either use the increasingly dilapidated public latrines, or simply relieve themselves wherever. The public latrines are a very simple design; a large pit is dug, and wooden boards are spaced across the top, leaving gaps for people to urinate and defecate through. But the same change in the weather that made cocoa farming unfeasible is also responsible for driving up the price of wood as fewer places are suitable for lumber trees. Thus, money for repairs and maintenance simply isn’t available.
This is also true of the pumps that supply most of the village with its water. There were originally two pumps, both built by the government of Ghana in the 1970s, but these were shoddily made and continuously broke down. Eventually they were deemed irreparable, and two more pumps were built in the 1980s. These pumps have been more reliable, but they still break down every so often and remain broken until the money to fix them is available. The village attempted to pay for the upkeep of
the pumps by charging money for their use, but this has been unsuccessful—when locks were put on the small fence surrounding one of the pumps, it wasn’t long before the locks were broken and people were obtaining their water for free.People just about everywhere prefer getting something for nothing over having to pay for it, but so many attempts to improve Bebianeha have failed because there is no one willing to pay. The school house needs basic maintenance and structural repairs to its walls, in addition to new windows and doors. Indeed, one of the village elders, David Kwame Chibi Chibi, told us that the school needs these repairs before it needs computers—there is simply no way to secure them in the school from theft.
But the village has been doing what it can. While the economy of Babianeha is still dependent on farming, they have switched mostly to vegetable farming, and the tomatoes that they grow are sold in Accra. The current village chief is a fairly young man, and he is stressing the importance of education for children. There are some needs the village has that are beyond the scope of the Pavlis Institute, such as their need for a public health clinic. There is a private clinic in the neighboring village of Kofi-Badukrom, but the nearest free clinic is seven miles away in Dormaa, and the roads are often all but impassable after a heavy rainfall. Still, there are definitely plenty of projects for the village that the next cohort should be able to bring to fruition, and our research should help.
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
A Weekend Adventure
Greetings!
Before coming to Ghana, our group had learned that President Obama would be in Accra while we were here. We decided as a group that, if possible, we would like to see him speak.
When we arrived here, the country was already preparing for his visit. His name was mingled in with Twi on the radio news, and we heard more than one song created for him playing on Kumasi's stations. Children, men, and women would approach us just to say that Obama was a good man. It took us all by surprise, the Obama-fever in the air.
After we finished teaching classes on Thursday, the group packed up our Sunyani Hostel rooms and caught the bus back to Kumasi. We settled in for the night in our same rooms, and Emmanuel stopped by with Lord and Sandra, two of his grad students who were going to accompany us on our weekend trip. We discussed the plan and came up with a general trip outline. We would leave tomorrow from the Hostel at a little before 9AM and travel to Accra where we would spend two nights, and then we would travel to Cape Coast for a one night stay before heading back to Sunyani on Monday.
We woke up early the next morning and walked to Tech Junction to meet Lord and Sandra. At the junction, we were greeted by a billboard welcoming President Obama to Ghana, even though he only was to visit Accra and Cape Coast.
Lord found us a bus in the central market, and the bus filled slowly but surely. We learned later that day that the bus driver was getting people on the bus by telling them that there were Americans inside going to meet the Mr. Obama. People would climb the stairs of the bus, look at us, and then go back outside to pay the driver the bus fare.
In Accra, we secured taxis to the Hostel where we would be staying at the University of Ghana. The traffic was unbelievable, and the driver explained to us that it was because of Obama's impending visit. His plane was to arrive in a couple of hours. We listened to the radio in the cab, and the only subject was Obama. The airport had been shut down in anticipation of his arrival, and as soon as his plane touched down he would be taken to the Holiday Inn where he would be staying. The next morning he would address the Parliament, and then fly to Cape Coast to see the slave trade castle there and give an address. He would then fly back to Accra, and there would be a farewell ceremony at the airport. Tickets were required to attend the event.
That night we were all a bit sad that there would be no opportunity to see our President speak, but we decided that it was no use to dwell on it. We started the next day with a trip to the market in Accra. It is one of the biggest markets in Africa, and it have taken days to see everything in that maze. We met a lot of very nice people there and were also grabbed, touched, and poked by many others.
After the market we saw Independence Square and grabbed a bite to eat. Obama was everywhere in the city. His face was plastered on billboards, on American flags, and on people's clothes. Everywhere one went, all one could hear was "Obama."
Kurt really wanted to see the U.S. Embassy, so we loaded into taxis. When we arrived, we noticed a long line of people standing outside, and they appeared to be Americans. Intrigued, we approached and started talking to them. We actually happened to pick a Michigan Tech grad. He explained that they were in the Peace Corps in Ghana, and they were waiting in line for tickets to Obama's farewell ceremony.
When the Peace Corps had finished going through the line, we talked to the embassy official in charge of the tickets. We explained what we were doing in Ghana and asked him if there was any way we too could see Obama. He was interested in our project, and he promised to do what he could. He made some phone calls and told us that if no more Peace Corps showed up, we could have the tickets. Though, he could not guarantee entry into the ceremony.
We waited anxiously, but our patience and persistence paid off. We were given the tickets and we boarded one of the buses headed to the rally. We were escorted by police to the airport and then joined the long line of people waiting to get through security.
To our surprise, our tickets got us into the very front portion of the audience. We waited for quite some time for the arrival of President Obama and President Mills. The Ghanaians behind us sang, and one could hear the steady beat of Ghanaian drums preparing for their performance. The anticipation and excitement was overwhelming. Everyone was smiling.
When Obama and Mills arrived, the fever in the air reached an all new level. I cannot begin to describe the level of excitement. Obama took the stage with President Mills, and after fully welcoming them, President Mills spoke and then President Obama. The crowd was hushed while they spoke with occasional bursts of applause and cheering. Though some may not agree with President Obama's politics, I think it would be difficult to deny his ability to inspire hope and bring people together.
When they finished their speaches, both the President and the First Lady shook hands with those in the front. Many members of our group were able to shake one or both of their hands. As their plane took off shortly after with the American flag on the tail of Air Force One illuminated, it was clear to all of us that this would be a night we would never forget.
The next day we drove to Cape Coast and then to Kakum National Forest. We hiked to the forest and learned more about the local vegetation and the way of life of the local people. We walked across the canopy bridges that bounced and swung 60 or so feet in the air. They zig-zagged from tree to tree high above the forest floor, giving the adventurous a great view of the jungle. Though some group members were afraid, all completed the walk and were happy that they had done it.
Back at Cape Coast, some group members braved the ocean waves while others just enjoyed the setting sun and white sandy beaches.
The next day we woke early to visit the Cape Coast Castle, where two hundred years ago slaves had been held before they were forced onto ships that would take them across the ocean, separating them from their home and families. We walked throught the dungeons, where slaves' feces, remains, blood, sweat, and tears still cover the floor so thick that the observer would assume it is a dirt floor, not one made of stones. We walked through the "Door of No Return" and learned more about the slave trade than most of us had ever learned in school. It was a very powerful visit and left us all quiet and reflective.
From Cape Coast we made the long journey north to Sunyani so that we could be back to the school for our Tuesday classes. It was an amazing weekend, filled with inspiring leaders, amazing views, and a history that should never be ignored or forgotten.
Before coming to Ghana, our group had learned that President Obama would be in Accra while we were here. We decided as a group that, if possible, we would like to see him speak.
When we arrived here, the country was already preparing for his visit. His name was mingled in with Twi on the radio news, and we heard more than one song created for him playing on Kumasi's stations. Children, men, and women would approach us just to say that Obama was a good man. It took us all by surprise, the Obama-fever in the air.
After we finished teaching classes on Thursday, the group packed up our Sunyani Hostel rooms and caught the bus back to Kumasi. We settled in for the night in our same rooms, and Emmanuel stopped by with Lord and Sandra, two of his grad students who were going to accompany us on our weekend trip. We discussed the plan and came up with a general trip outline. We would leave tomorrow from the Hostel at a little before 9AM and travel to Accra where we would spend two nights, and then we would travel to Cape Coast for a one night stay before heading back to Sunyani on Monday.
We woke up early the next morning and walked to Tech Junction to meet Lord and Sandra. At the junction, we were greeted by a billboard welcoming President Obama to Ghana, even though he only was to visit Accra and Cape Coast.
Lord found us a bus in the central market, and the bus filled slowly but surely. We learned later that day that the bus driver was getting people on the bus by telling them that there were Americans inside going to meet the Mr. Obama. People would climb the stairs of the bus, look at us, and then go back outside to pay the driver the bus fare.
In Accra, we secured taxis to the Hostel where we would be staying at the University of Ghana. The traffic was unbelievable, and the driver explained to us that it was because of Obama's impending visit. His plane was to arrive in a couple of hours. We listened to the radio in the cab, and the only subject was Obama. The airport had been shut down in anticipation of his arrival, and as soon as his plane touched down he would be taken to the Holiday Inn where he would be staying. The next morning he would address the Parliament, and then fly to Cape Coast to see the slave trade castle there and give an address. He would then fly back to Accra, and there would be a farewell ceremony at the airport. Tickets were required to attend the event.
That night we were all a bit sad that there would be no opportunity to see our President speak, but we decided that it was no use to dwell on it. We started the next day with a trip to the market in Accra. It is one of the biggest markets in Africa, and it have taken days to see everything in that maze. We met a lot of very nice people there and were also grabbed, touched, and poked by many others.
After the market we saw Independence Square and grabbed a bite to eat. Obama was everywhere in the city. His face was plastered on billboards, on American flags, and on people's clothes. Everywhere one went, all one could hear was "Obama."
Kurt really wanted to see the U.S. Embassy, so we loaded into taxis. When we arrived, we noticed a long line of people standing outside, and they appeared to be Americans. Intrigued, we approached and started talking to them. We actually happened to pick a Michigan Tech grad. He explained that they were in the Peace Corps in Ghana, and they were waiting in line for tickets to Obama's farewell ceremony.
When the Peace Corps had finished going through the line, we talked to the embassy official in charge of the tickets. We explained what we were doing in Ghana and asked him if there was any way we too could see Obama. He was interested in our project, and he promised to do what he could. He made some phone calls and told us that if no more Peace Corps showed up, we could have the tickets. Though, he could not guarantee entry into the ceremony.
We waited anxiously, but our patience and persistence paid off. We were given the tickets and we boarded one of the buses headed to the rally. We were escorted by police to the airport and then joined the long line of people waiting to get through security.
To our surprise, our tickets got us into the very front portion of the audience. We waited for quite some time for the arrival of President Obama and President Mills. The Ghanaians behind us sang, and one could hear the steady beat of Ghanaian drums preparing for their performance. The anticipation and excitement was overwhelming. Everyone was smiling.
When Obama and Mills arrived, the fever in the air reached an all new level. I cannot begin to describe the level of excitement. Obama took the stage with President Mills, and after fully welcoming them, President Mills spoke and then President Obama. The crowd was hushed while they spoke with occasional bursts of applause and cheering. Though some may not agree with President Obama's politics, I think it would be difficult to deny his ability to inspire hope and bring people together.
When they finished their speaches, both the President and the First Lady shook hands with those in the front. Many members of our group were able to shake one or both of their hands. As their plane took off shortly after with the American flag on the tail of Air Force One illuminated, it was clear to all of us that this would be a night we would never forget.
The next day we drove to Cape Coast and then to Kakum National Forest. We hiked to the forest and learned more about the local vegetation and the way of life of the local people. We walked across the canopy bridges that bounced and swung 60 or so feet in the air. They zig-zagged from tree to tree high above the forest floor, giving the adventurous a great view of the jungle. Though some group members were afraid, all completed the walk and were happy that they had done it.
Back at Cape Coast, some group members braved the ocean waves while others just enjoyed the setting sun and white sandy beaches.
The next day we woke early to visit the Cape Coast Castle, where two hundred years ago slaves had been held before they were forced onto ships that would take them across the ocean, separating them from their home and families. We walked throught the dungeons, where slaves' feces, remains, blood, sweat, and tears still cover the floor so thick that the observer would assume it is a dirt floor, not one made of stones. We walked through the "Door of No Return" and learned more about the slave trade than most of us had ever learned in school. It was a very powerful visit and left us all quiet and reflective.
From Cape Coast we made the long journey north to Sunyani so that we could be back to the school for our Tuesday classes. It was an amazing weekend, filled with inspiring leaders, amazing views, and a history that should never be ignored or forgotten.
Electric Motor
While teaching about computers, we noticed that the students do not get the opportunity to perform many hands on experiments in their classrooms. In an effort to increase interest in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) fields, we decided to show the children a simple electrical engineering experiment. The experiment consists of using a 1.5 V Battery, two paper clips, a magnet, and some insulated wire to create a small electric motor. The experiment demonstrates the relationship between current and magnetic field and how these principals can be applied to create a temporary magnet, an electric motor, and electricity. We started by explaining the experiment to the students, followed by a short lecture on the theory behind the experiment.
The class was divided into 3 teams of about 14 students. Enough materials were provided to each team to create four electric motors. To get the students excited about the experiment, we offered a prize to the team who created the fastest motor. After giving all the necessary precautions we let the students perform the exercise.
As the students began completing their
experiment, each team would start cheering each time one of their teammates would get the motor to work. It didn’t take long before the class became a shouting battle between all 3 teams. We selected the best motor from each team, and after observing the best motors’ performance we declared a unanimous winner. This experiment had such a positive impact on the students that we decided to come up with other basic science experiments that we can perform while we are visiting the school.
Computer Project Update
We started our second week of teaching the computers 
today. Our days vary from one to three classes a day. I think the students are beginning to get as used to us as we are to them. We still get smiled at a lot and students will go out of their way to wave or say hello to us, but the initial excitement of seeing a group of foreigners is starting to die down a bit. To this point, we’ve been teaching the students about the word processing application on the mini-laptops. We’ve had the students write letters to kids in the U.S. who helped with the book drives for the library group. However, I’ve noticed that some of the students have written letters to various members of our group. We plan to save these documents to a flash drive and print them off when we get back to the states. The structure of our classes has generally been the same for the past week. There are roughly 45 to 60 students in every class. Alison leads the class with instructions while Roger and I stand by for additional support. When the students begin to work, the three of us (and sometimes other group members) walk around to help the students as needed.
Interaction with people at the school has not been limited only to the students. Many of the teachers, as well as the headmistress, have been very interested in our American lifestyles, especially in regards to education. Roger and Alison have engaged in multiple chemical and electrical engineering conversations (unfortunately, no one has really asked me about financial practices). But we also talk about things like religion, technology, things people do in the U.S., etc.
We have also talked a bit about the Pavlis Institute and how we ended up in Ghana. We tell them about how we’ve been waiting for this opportunity for years and about all the preparation we’ve done in the past year. We also tell them how we hope to send future groups to Ghana to continue and improve on our projects. It’s amazing to hear their responses of passionate and sincere appreciation for all we’ve done for them. The people here really do value education in a way that is commonly disregarded in the states. Every book and computer that we’ve brought is treasured and taken care of with the utmost care and diligence.
Before we came here, I really thought I’d have trouble getting into a routine with things. But I’ve come to find that our days are so full of activities that routine becomes virtually irrelevant. Even with teaching the computers to the students at the J.H.S., no two days are ever the same. We wake up every day without knowing what’s going to happen, and it’s making this trip seem less and less like work.
So to sum up, the computer project is going very well. Students are at various levels of computer knowledge, but most are catching on to the things we’re doing in our classes. We will be teaching for the rest of this week, but will not be at Ridge next week due to final exams. We will most likely return the following week to wrap things up.
Attached are some pictures of the students using the mini-laptops, which have been generously donated by various sponsors. The students are very grateful!Life at Ridge Experimental School
The computer group has successfully completed one week teaching computer classes at Ridge Experimental Junior High School, and has started a second. Classes this week and last have gone exceptionally well.
The students really enjoying working with the computers. We have taught several classes to the first and second form students (seventh and eighth grade students). Although a couple students do have computer experience, most have never seen a computer.
We gave the students the assignment of writing a letter to a student in the United States about their life and family in Ghana. They handwrote rough drafts of their letters, and have been working on typing their letters. Typing their letters has allowed them to practice their typing skills, as well as simple computer functions such as saving a document. We had to explain what the backspace bar did, and how to use "Enter" to begin typing on another line. They are quick learners, and always have a smile.
Today, some of the students finished typing their letters, so we gave them the assignment of playing with the drawing toolbar in word. One pair of students made the Ghanaian flag, another proudly drew a heart.
Roger and I also discovered potential project, or part-project for next year. Roger had brought kits to make simple motors using wire coils, magnets, and a battery, and it was amazing to see the second form students get so excited when their motor started spinning. Tomorrow, we plan to do a chemistry experiment. The experiment was a highlight for the students, and bringing more experiments next year would help their learning a lot.
We plan to continue working with the students at Ridge this week, and spend next week scouting other potential project sites.
The students really enjoying working with the computers. We have taught several classes to the first and second form students (seventh and eighth grade students). Although a couple students do have computer experience, most have never seen a computer.
We gave the students the assignment of writing a letter to a student in the United States about their life and family in Ghana. They handwrote rough drafts of their letters, and have been working on typing their letters. Typing their letters has allowed them to practice their typing skills, as well as simple computer functions such as saving a document. We had to explain what the backspace bar did, and how to use "Enter" to begin typing on another line. They are quick learners, and always have a smile.
Today, some of the students finished typing their letters, so we gave them the assignment of playing with the drawing toolbar in word. One pair of students made the Ghanaian flag, another proudly drew a heart.
Roger and I also discovered potential project, or part-project for next year. Roger had brought kits to make simple motors using wire coils, magnets, and a battery, and it was amazing to see the second form students get so excited when their motor started spinning. Tomorrow, we plan to do a chemistry experiment. The experiment was a highlight for the students, and bringing more experiments next year would help their learning a lot.
We plan to continue working with the students at Ridge this week, and spend next week scouting other potential project sites.
First Trip to Babianeha
(Written July eighth)
Yesterday Kurt and I went with Emmanuel to the village in which he was raised, Babianeha. The trip from our hostel in Sunyani to the village only took about an hour, which is, apparently, fairly typical. In the future, we will first have to take a taxi or tro-tro to Doorma, and then another taxi or a tro-tro to Babianeha. Today, though, we used one of the trucks owned by the school of forestry, which was somewhat more convenient, yet also more expensive.
It had rained last night, and so the recently graded dirt road into Babianeha had turned into a quagmire of mud from which a tro-tro in front of us barely escaped. Fortunately, the four wheel drive of our truck was more than adequate for the task, and we made it both into and out of the village with no trouble.
Once in the village, we went to the house of Emmanuel’s sister, where we waited for his brother, a teacher at one of the schools in the village. In the area there are both Christian and Muslim schools, one of the main difference between the two being that the latter teaches in Arabic as well as English. We passed by a kindergarten and a grade school on our way to the junior high, a building that bears more than a passing resemblance to the Ridge Experimental School. However, the differences inside quickly became apparent—this school only had a single XO laptop, and it was in one of the teacher’s rooms.
Emmanuel’s brother also led us to the junior high at which he taught in the neighboring village of Kofibadukrum. Here there were some old desktop computers, but these were nonfunctional, strewn across the computer lab in pieces. Regardless of the fact that the computers didn’t work, the door to the lab seemed to have come from a shipping crate, and was made of thick metal with a solid lock.
One of the teachers that we met with in Babianeha, upon learning that the laptop group had delivered twenty laptops to the Ridge Experimental School, argued that his school, being rural, needed the computers more. And indeed, Babianeha more closely fits the stereotypical idea of an African village that most Americans have than Sunyani, so it was a valid point. It’s not fair to call either school, which both desperately want laptops, greedy—the people only want what is best for their children, and they’re understandably skeptical of empty-handed Westerners. So they do what they can to get a promise for aid, showing the hard fact that, no matter how much we can accomplish while we are here, there will always be more people, just as deserving as those that we have helped.
Indeed, the children seemed little different than those at Ridge—there weren’t quite as many, but Kurt and I quickly drew a mass of children around us who either held onto our hands and arms or followed in our wake, giggling at our words and covertly attempting to touch our skin. They were also rather fond of having their pictures taken, and Kurt promised one of the classes that when we came back, it would be with a group photo.
And so, after exchanging greetings, and sitting on the porch of the school amongst our eager throng of followers, Emmanuel introduced us and explained our projects. The school is interested in having both the laptop group and library group to visit, as the school needs both.
As for our particular project group, Emmanuel promised us that his nephew would be able to translate our surveys, as not everyone in the village speaks English and our Twi is nowhere near as good as it would have to be. In addition to our work on sanitation, we also promised the villagers that we would look into any needs that they have and create projects for the cohort that comes after ours. Thus, in the coming days we will also be readying our surveys and preparing ways to work around the language barrier, in such ways as using pictures and simple diagrams instead of written scripture.
Much to our delight we found that many of the villagers had private latrines already in place. The upkeep could be something to look into, but that will be a decision of the community. The village had several water pumps to retrieve ground water allowing easy access to this essential element of life. Emmanuel’s sister even had one of the black reservoir that are used throughout much of Ghana. This allowed their house to have running water with sinks and toilets.
After our visit to the school, Kurt and I became the first members of the cohort to leave the country, which we did by walking to Cote d’Ivore. Kofibadukrum exists on both sides of the border between Ghana and Cote d’Ivore, and the two halves were distinguished by exactly two factors: each side uses the currency of the country it is in, and the lampposts in Ghana are made of wood, while the ones in Cote d’Ivore are of concrete. We were able to stand in both countries simultaneously, which made us appreciate just how arbitrary the national borders that the European powers made when they divided Africa among themselves are. Indeed, the village is sustained because of the tribal bonds the villagers share, not the national ones.
However, the clashes among tribes forced to share a country with opposing tribes have been an unfortunate aspect of post-colonial African history. Ghana is one of the most politically stable countries in Africa—just last year, an election in which the party opposing the incumbent party took the presidency went smoothly—which is due in no small part to the lack of tribal strife. This isn’t to say that it doesn’t happen; rather, it is a part of Ghanaian politics, but not a dominate one.
On the topic of politics, we were able to meet with the assistant chief of Kofibadukrum on the border. With Emmanuel’s help, we introduced ourselves and explained to him all three of the projects that our cohort is working on, and told him that we would be back. Like the teachers in Bebianeha, he seemed enthusiastic; computers for children are in high demand.
After we walked back to Babianeha, it was time for lunch, and Emmanuel’s sister generously fed us a spicy tomato stew over rice. In deference to our American tastes, it wasn’t as spicy as it is supposed to be, but it was still quite good, and gave us an opportunity to think about what we had just done.
Indeed, while our original plans were, in part, to price out wood and nails as the main construction supplies, all of the buildings that we saw were either of mud bricks, concrete, or corrugated metal, with wood used very sparingly, such as for roof frames or fences. Wood used for construction here needs expensive chemical treatment to prevent insect infestation, and is prone to warping in the heat and humidity. And while we will still do our sanitation surveys to develop a case study, it will be just as important to determine what else the villages need, not necessarily limited to sanitation.
However, we haven’t strictly focused on only our project in our time here. We went to Ridge Experimental School the first time the other groups went, and we went there today to help the laptop group with a science experiment to demonstrate the principles of electromagnetism to the students by having them build motors out of batteries, wire, tape, paperclips, and magnets. In the following weeks, it is possible that we may require the help of the other groups to make our surveys a manageable task. It is one of the benefits of there being eight of us—there’s always someone to help.
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Library Update
Yesterday, the library group was able to meet with the headmistress as she had been too busy the day before with other engagements. We discussed, briefly, the plan for the library, and she gave us a schedule of classes that she would like us to teach. The classes would be mainly about the different kinds of books and the different parts of books (title, author, ISBN, copyright, glossary, index, table of contents, etc.).
We spent the rest of the day cataloguing the books in a Windows Excel file that we plan on transfering to the schools' computers. We're also thinking that it will be a convenient way for the school to keep trackof the books that have been checked out. However, we will need to discuss our ideas with the headmistress before any policy is set into action.
We entered about half of the books into the computer by the end of the school day and left pretty happy with what we'd been able to accomplish.
This morning we woke up bright and early to walk the twenty minutes to the school and get there in time for our 7:45 AM class. We were greeted by a scared baby goat outside the ITC lab and many children who were playing in the school yard before their classes began for the day.
We began our class session with a lesson about the difference between nonfiction and fiction. Then we passed out books to the children, ranging in ages from 11 to 15. There were about 35 to 40 students in the class, and they all seemed eager to get their hands on books.
We taught them the basic components of the books, and by the end of the class, they had all learned what the title, author, ISBN, and copyright were. In addition, they had learned how to use the table of contents, glossary, and index. Each student read an interesting piece of their book to the rest of the class. Some students were very excited and read multiple selections aloud.
When we had finished with our class, we snuck into the classroom next door to watch Roger's science experiment. We helped judge whose motor ran the fastest. The kids' energy was amazing!
After lunch at Eusbett hotel, near the school, we finished cataloguing the books. Then we began the long process of stamping the books. While we were busy stamping, a couple of students brought in three bookshelves to put their new library on. By the end of the day, we had finished stamping the nonfiction books, and we organized them by subject on one of the shelves.
As a side note, two nights ago we had a large thunderstorm, and lightning struck the modem to the computer lab. Hence, we have had limited internet availability. The simple task of loading Google takes about 10 minutes.
We spent the rest of the day cataloguing the books in a Windows Excel file that we plan on transfering to the schools' computers. We're also thinking that it will be a convenient way for the school to keep trackof the books that have been checked out. However, we will need to discuss our ideas with the headmistress before any policy is set into action.
We entered about half of the books into the computer by the end of the school day and left pretty happy with what we'd been able to accomplish.
This morning we woke up bright and early to walk the twenty minutes to the school and get there in time for our 7:45 AM class. We were greeted by a scared baby goat outside the ITC lab and many children who were playing in the school yard before their classes began for the day.
We began our class session with a lesson about the difference between nonfiction and fiction. Then we passed out books to the children, ranging in ages from 11 to 15. There were about 35 to 40 students in the class, and they all seemed eager to get their hands on books.
We taught them the basic components of the books, and by the end of the class, they had all learned what the title, author, ISBN, and copyright were. In addition, they had learned how to use the table of contents, glossary, and index. Each student read an interesting piece of their book to the rest of the class. Some students were very excited and read multiple selections aloud.
When we had finished with our class, we snuck into the classroom next door to watch Roger's science experiment. We helped judge whose motor ran the fastest. The kids' energy was amazing!
After lunch at Eusbett hotel, near the school, we finished cataloguing the books. Then we began the long process of stamping the books. While we were busy stamping, a couple of students brought in three bookshelves to put their new library on. By the end of the day, we had finished stamping the nonfiction books, and we organized them by subject on one of the shelves.
As a side note, two nights ago we had a large thunderstorm, and lightning struck the modem to the computer lab. Hence, we have had limited internet availability. The simple task of loading Google takes about 10 minutes.
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