a week in may

A snapshot of my week after 15 months in Ho.

Sunday: VOLPHIG’s AGM

Michael has a stomach bug and spends all day in bed – it turns out to be a 24 hour bug similar to something I had a few months ago. So I attend AGM on my own. An important one as the name and constitution of the organisation is changed and it got unanimous support from the members. VOLPHIG is now no more and will be called Voice of People with Disabilities in Ghana, “Voice” in short.

Monday: A day trip to Accra:

I travel early in the morning to Accra to see the VSO doctor there for a regular check-up as well as attend a meeting to discuss another Volunteer’s research on Attitudes towards people with disabilities in Ghana. Both Michael and I had supported her in finalising her findings and recommendations.

It turned out to be a 6.5 hour journey for meetings lasting 2 hours!

On the way back I sat next to a Ghanian, Charlotte, who it turned out is from Kent! Well we talked non-stop all the way back and I am sure the rest of the tro tro had to put up with our discussions - we solved all the world's problems!!. Charlotte visits her sister in Ho for a few days every time she comes to Ghana. I really enjoyed her company.

Tuesday: Plan Disability Rights Fund Workshop for Voice

This time we are working on cross-disability Self-Help Groups at the workshops. I worked with Francis on what he needs to do to ensure we have a participatory workshop. He selects what tools to use – a first for him. WE will be going to Nkwanta and Brewaniase to hold the workshops next week from Monday to Friday. We had planned the dates for these workshops last year and as a result I had planned workshops over Easter!! and this time on a national holiday on Monday.
Charlotte comes to visit with her sister Ruth. Unfortunately we have power failure while they visit due to a storm. It was good to meet Ruth and we promise to keep in touch.

Wednesday: Continue planning workshop and develop a shortlisting procedure for a new post of ABILIS Programme Facilitator. Voice is partnering ABILIS in Ghana. This time round Voice advertised a new post in a national paper and I had supported Francis in developing an application form (with help from some of my friends in UK who sent me thier forms). Now he was learning how the applicants can be shortlisted. In the past they accepted letters of applications and there was no proper process set out for shortlisting. Another first for Francis and he really enjoyed the process.

Thursday: Attend a “Global Giving” information giving session

Time well spent? In theory the idea is great that we can get people across the glob to donate to Voice’s projects. The drawback is that Voice has to get $3,000.00 in 3 weeks before it gets a place on the website. Worse still, they take 12.5% of the donations for their administrative costs. Which I can understand but a high price to pay! I started this debate about why Ghanains should look to the west for donations when there are so many rich Ghanians. The conclusion, the rich Ghanains do not want to donate to their fellow country-folk as they do not trust that the money would be used properly!?!

Met a potential “friend” for Voice and it is great that she is Ghanian. She said that she has been discussing this “tapping local resources” issue at a national level. Maybe something will come from it.

Friday: Actual shortlisting

Francis surprised that we were able to shortlist 8 applicants out of the 28 applications received. He had worked on what he felt was essential for the job and we had shortlisted accordingly.
Final preparations for our trip to North Volta (Nkwanta and Brewaniase) from Monday to Friday next week.

So you can see a varied week and meeting interesting people.

Teaching Grace to make Samosas

Who would have thought I would be teaching a Voltarian to make samosas?

I met Grace awhile back when I found out that she makes the brown bread that we buy in Ho. The bread most sold here is very white and bulky and to the people’s taste here and it is rare to find brown bread. So finding her was wonderful. My purpose was to ask her where she bought her brown wheat flour from as that seems to be like gold dust in Ghana. I asked if I could buy some wheat flour and she wanted to know what it was for so I said for rotli. She said she would like to try some so I made some with a bean curry. I found out that this was for her husband’s benefit as he was placed, while in the army, in India and Pakistan and loves food from that part of the world. This is not something you hear from many Ghanains as I have said before.

Grace was frank – she did not like the rotli but she enjoyed the beans as it is similar to what Ghanains make with beans. However, she said she would like to learn how to make them and so last weekend she came home with her daughter. Surprise, surprise she also wanted to learn how to make samosas and she had brought ingredients for it – of course I would not use the mince meat she had brought, so replaced it with soya. That is something else most people here cannot understand. If you have money why would you not eat meat? Whenever we have been to small communities the caterers have always managed to make us great Ghanain vegetarian food but after a lot of explanations about why we are vegetarians.

Yesterday, Grace told me that the samosas and rotli was their dinner that day – which really surprised me but I guess it is a matter of exposure to different cuisine and willingness to try something different. Grace said she was practicing making samosas so that she can get good at it.

I really enjoyed teaching them both. I should really ask to be shown how to make fufu and banku but doubt I will have the strength to make either as both need a lot of elbow grease.