Fishing and relaxing

Anomabu is a beautiful beach resort west of Accra.The ocean is full of fish and the waves are safe enough to body board. The ocean breezes were deliciously cool after the intense heat of Tamale.

Pulling in the nets is hard work so everyone joins in. The catch will either be sold at the market or the fish will be smoked before they are sold.

View from the castle and the Door of Return

Cape Coast Castle

This is one of the many castles along this beautiful coast. It contains a museum that outlines the terrible history of slavery that took place over hundreds of years.Our guided tour showed us the dark dungeons where the slaves were kept awaiting transportation and the 'door of no return'.

Happily in the last few years a ceremony has taken place which enabled the door to be renamed as the 'door of return'. This acts as a symbol of hope and a reminder to all peoples that never again should anybody be treated in this cruel way.

Goodbye Tamale Hello Cape Coast

Goodbye Tamale .April 5th
The past three months have been one of the most fulfilling and amazing that I have ever spent.
I have thoroughly enjoyed working in my four schools, teaching the children and sharing ideas with the teachers and heads. It has been such a privilege and I think deeply appreciated on both sides. Getting to know volunteers from so many different countries and backgrounds and sharing a house for 3 months with Tim, Fred, Kim, Nina and others who shared our spare room briefly, has also been a delight; we have all had so much fun together.

I have made some really good friends here and shared amazing experiences so it was always going to be difficult in my final week to say ‘Goodbye’.

Three months just did not seem to be long enough for all I wanted to accomplish and embed and I just ran out of time at the end. Even during my last week I was still delivering phonics training to one school. Time was so tight that Helen, Early Years co-ordinator for the GES, came to my house the day before I left so that we could work together. However I did manage to watch class teachers deliver phonic sessions with the laminated cards I had provided and talk to the staff in each school about any
impact my visit had made. The answers were sometimes unexpected. One HT said that her school now valued punctuality as I was always on time for the training and refused to start until everyone was present. Other teachers told me they now used some of the alternative ways of discipline covered in our workshops, rather than the cane. The two schools I had visited late in my stay said that they needed more time with me. I agreed with them. Next time..?
In my final week I visited my schools to say Goodbye. I had bought them footballs from the UK and other small gifts. The children jumped for excitement when they saw the football. The game was now back on the curriculum! To my surprise and delight the schools also had gifts for me. One school even had a gift for my husband Ken. Eloquent thanks were expressed, not just for me but also for those who sent me including my family and school. It was very emotional and humbling. I shall never forget just how hard life is for many of the people I have met and also just how generous of spirit they are.

I asked volunteers, Asma and her deputy Zanabu to meet for supper at one of our favourite venues the Wednesday before I left. We all had a great time, managed to get home before the electric storm was in full flow but the next day I had food poisoning! .Not quite the exit I wanted from Tamale!

Hello Cape Coast!
The usual way of travelling from Tamale to Accra is by the STC bus which takes at least 12 hours! Fortunately I had decided to fly. This was not without its own difficulties as there is only one, very early, flight a day. Fred nobly got up at 4.30a.m in order to help me ferry my luggage, in the darkness, to the main road so that I could get a lift with the airport bus. He then waited with me until dawn. I was still suffering from food poisoning so everything was difficult.
I then need to get from Accra to Cape Coast, a three hour journey by STC. I wasn’t well enough for this so splashed out on a taxi for the 100 mile journey instead. The only alternative was to stay the night in Accra which would have been more expensive. I finally arrived at my friend’s house and went straight to bed and slept. Bliss!

Patricia and Bill had generously offered me the use of their house at Cape Coast and it has been an unusual experience to stay in a house without the host. However I have enjoyed every minute. The climate here is much kinder than in Tamale. It is still hot but their house is on a hill overlooking the sea and catches the cooling breeze from the Atlantic. The garden is a delight: green grass, birds and butterflies. Such a contrast to the dust of Tamale! There is both a day and a night watch man so I have felt very safe and well looked after.
I have spent the last two days having a wonderful rest at the Coconut Beach resort at Elmina. The ocean here has dangerous currents and a strong undertow so with red flags everywhere, swimming is out of the question. However the beach is enchantingly beautiful; white sands fringed by coconut palms and the food and service are excellent. This is a 5 star resort but the pool and all the facilities are open to all for a fee of 5cedis (about £2.50). Excellent value and a wonderful location for some r and r!

Tomorrow I leave this lovely house and move further down the coast with my HT friend Maddy at Anomabu. I haven’t seen Maddy since she dropped me off in my house in Tamale in January. She has been staying in Wa in the Upper West; eight hours by bus from Tamale. She leaves Kumasi, where she has visited friends, on the 4.00am bus tomorrow and we meet at eight. We will have lots to talk about.

From there we travel to Accra for our exit interview and then home for Easter. What does chocolate taste like- and bacon again!

Winnowing the rice

When I explained that I was a teacher and the children at my school would be interested the ladies were happy for me to take their picture.


Ghana grows its own rice and the quality has improved which reduces the need for expensive imports.

Adventures with Asmawu

Adventures with Asmawu
Asmawu decide to take me on a cultural tour of Kanvilli village on our way to the Presby Education Office. Walking through the village we could see the women winnowing the rice and gathering around the water pump; interesting for me but very hard work for them. We visited Asmawu’s home so that I could see her flock of goats, her chickens, and unusually for Tamale, her pigs. Primary school teachers are badly paid in Ghana; their monthly pay is 190 cedis (£100) and headteachers only receive an additional £2.00! Even by local standards this is very low and Asma has to sell one of her pigs when school fees are due.
We next visited her bar or ‘spot’ and she showed me the recent storm damage. Cow head stew was on the menu and was delicious although I found the cow skin a bit chewy. We went across the road and I was persuaded to take a calabash of the local brew made of fermented millet. It was generously finished for me by an elderly gentleman and Asma later sent me a big bottle to share with my house mates. I was very popular. We eventually arrived at the education office where I was made very welcome.

The countryside is beginning to look green after the recent rains and blossom is starting to appear on the trees. I hope this continues because since I have been here I have just seen a very dry and dusty Tamale.

Church and the chicken tractor
I have just returned from a 2 hour church service with Moona and it was just like being at a Dianna Ross concert. The music and singing were fantastic; everyone was clapping and dancing and full of joy. This was followed by Bible study groups but I could not stay as I had arranged to see Will and his chickens.
Will is a long term volunteer working with agriculture and I wanted to see his ‘chicken tractor’. The soil here is subject to long periods of very high temperatures and many of the nutrients just vaporise. (It’s currently 47C in our garden). Will’s 5 chickens are enclosed in a pen where they naturally scratch up and turn over the soil, fertilising it at the same time by ‘digging’ in the old vegetables and their droppings. Will thinks the soil will be ready to cultivate in 6 months. Should I try this at home? At night or when it rains Will puts the chickens in their basket and hangs them up in his spare wardrobe!

Work!
I’m continuing to provide whole staff INSET for my schools. The head usually gives me an hour sometime in the day and the children are all told to stay in their classrooms and behave them selves. I’m not sure what they do as they are no books for them to read or games to play but it seems to work. The teachers and heads get very little INSET and appear to be thriving on sharing ideas. We have had some robust discussions on pedagogy and special needs. We have tackled the thorny issues of differentiation and control without the cane! We have also seen the power of sharing the Success Criteria.
I now have less than two weeks here so also want to monitor the impact in the classroom.
PTA
This Saturday saw the first PTA meeting for over 2 years at one of my new schools. The school has less than 200 pupils but there was overwhelming parental support with 60 parents at the meeting. We started and finished the meeting with prayers. This time the meeting was all in Dagbani As before all the teachers were present and I was asked to share the results of my monitoring report with the parents. My address which included observations of the strength of community and family life, the beautiful manners and thoughtfulness of their children as well as recommendations that would move the school forward were warmly received. The teachers appealed to the parents to send their children to school regularly, punctually and well fed. By the end of the meeting a new executive had been elected, a school fund started and a levy of 2 cedis per family that would be used to provide the wood for doors and windows that would keep the animals from using the classrooms as a shelter. It was a very productive use of a Saturday and the headteacher was very pleased with the result.

The chicken tractor in action

The chickens can rest in their baskets during the day and then at night they are hung up in a wardrobe in the spare room.

I am still living out of a suitcase and waiting for my promised wardrobe ..........

Did VSO have the correct delivery address?

Feeding time for chickens

Chickens are ideal for recycling all the kitchen waste- its either that or burning as rubbish collections are rare and expensive.

Attempted robbery and meeting my boss

Attempted robbery and visit from my boss!

Tamale is usually a peaceful and crime free town but it seems as if a criminal gang have recently moved in. There are thirteen VSO volunteers here and so far 3 of us have been targeted by thieves on motos. Tim and Will have had their lap tops stolen from their shoulders and last week it was my turn to be mugged.
On Sunday we visited Liz, (we came to Ghana together), at a local hotel. Unfortunately she has been very poorly and was passing through Tamale on her way home early with malaria, typhoid and anaemia!
We all ate supper together and I left with Tim at 8.00. As we didn’t manage to get a taxi straightaway we decided to walk. We walked side by side along the main road in the cycle lane that is bordered by a deep storm drain. With no noise, lights or warning a thief on a moto drove between me and the storm drain and grabbed the bag from my shoulder. Instinctively I hung on tight and….. ….the strap broke leaving me shaken but holding my bag!
A taxi picked us up and took us home safely but I spent a restless night. I have since reported it to the police who say we should stay home at night. Others including my work colleagues, locals and taxi drivers say we should have shouted and then the thieves would have been killed. I though this was just exaggeration but was assured by all that instant justice is very effective and a good deterrent! It does happen; so thieves take a big risk. It’s a real concern as there have also been 6 robberies among the Dutch volunteers, one with violence. In future I shall carry a ‘decoy’ shoulder bag with my valuables in a concealed money belt and avoid being out after dark; which means home before 6.30.

Visit from my boss
My programme officer, Patience, arrived from Accra for my assessment meeting last week. I asked Asma the Kanvilli head and the circuit supervisor to attend and we had a very productive meeting. I now have lots of thinking to do and forms to fill in before the meeting in Accra at the end of my placement.
VSO are trialling the use of short term headteacher volunteers and we had a useful discussion on what to do next time; ideas included heads having their own moto, training teachers during the holidays and providing the necessary funding for the training. At the moment all photocopying, refreshments and other training expenses are paid for by me.

(As I sit on the veranda this Sunday writing I can see the guinea fowl flock which have just arrived to graze our garden)
One of the delights of being here is just watching all the animals, the cows, goats, sheep, chicken and guinea fowl wandering though the villages and gardens while they search for food. They all seem to find their way home at night where they are given water and very few of them are run over when they amble across the busy road. I’m not quite so keen on the stray dogs that raid our rubbish pit.

Kanvilli Presby Marches

The school looked so smart as they marched past us managing to keep their eyes straight ahead.

I was so proud of them

Arrival of the chiefs

The chiefs are a very important political and social force. They are very powerful. Here they arrive at the parade with geat ceremony from their supporters.

Independence Day

March 6th
Independence Day
Every child in Ghana knows that Independence Day is 6th March; they sing this as part of their morning routine. They also all recite their pledge with their hand on their heart; a powerful way of reinforcing their pride in their national identity.

National Pledge
I promise on my honour
To be faithful and loyal to Ghana my Motherland
I pledge myself to the service of Ghana.
With all my strength and with all my heart
I promise to hold in high esteem
Our heritage, won for us through the blood
and toil of our fathers;
And, I pledge myself in all things
To uphold and defend the good name of Ghana.
So help me God

March 6th is a public holiday; marked by parades and a public reflection in the press of how much has been achieved in the last 52 years together with the challenges ahead. Britain ruled Ghana for about 60 years and has been independent now for 52 years. I am still often introduced to classes as a headteacher from Britain ‘they used to be our colonial masters’ the tem makes me feel uncomfortable but seems to be used as a term of affection.
was thrilled when Kanvilli Presby (the school I have been most closely working with) was chosen to march in the parade.
I met the HT, Asesumawu, at Jubilee Park at 7.00am. Quite an early start for me! We assembled the excited children, chosen both for their marching prowess and to represent each class. Teachers, Robert and Moona, were also there to march with the children. They all looked very smart and wore white gloves for the occasion.

The parade ground was spotless and had been sprayed by the Fire Brigade to keep the dust down; even so I was covered in a thick layer of brown dust when I arrived home.

The Anniversary parade started promptly at 8.00 in the presence of the new Regional Minister A splendid military band led the military and police contingents march on parade. This was followed by the colourful arrival of the Chiefs (a very important political and social group). Their cars drove onto the parade ground covered with their followers; drumming, singing, crouching in homage and swirling enormous ceremonial umbrellas. Wonderful!
There were speeches and awards, followed by a march past that included the chosen schools. Although the ceremony finished at 10.30it was still a long very hot wait for all the participants. The First Aiders were kept busy with their stretchers.

Afterwards the town was thronged with people but I made my escape to recover in an air conditioned restaurant.

Daily Life

Daily Life
How do I spend my weekends?
This Friday evening we ate at home and then met two new volunteers for a drink and a chat at the ‘King David’ spot. They bought with them some American friends who had interesting tales to tell. They had been camping and hiking in Burkina Faso and also been to the African film festival in Ouagadougou. Burkina Faso is extremely poor, probably one of the three poorest countries in the world. Their guide had taken them back to stay at his small village and they had bought rice (an unaffordable luxury) for the whole community. They had slept outside under the stars and many people had come to welcome them. Their guide had been the first to be educated in his village. He had had to walk the daily 12 mile round trip to go to school; through his passion for education and determination he had mobilised the villagers and had raised enough money to build a school within the village with dormitory huts where the pupils could sleep if they lived far away. Don and Kerry had promised to do what they could to help and also send much needed clothing. It was such an interesting evening and meeting new people is one of the pleasures of being here.

On Saturday I got up early and cycled down to talk to the local carpenter to discuss moving the frame for my mosquito net. He sent his apprentice who managed to move the frame onto the new bed, change the curtains and mattress and hang pictures. I now have a new and hopefully cooler bedroom. It had been Kim’s room but she’s returned to Wales. My original room was south facing and always very hot. Everything was hot, the walls, my face cream, my books, everything! It was at the front of the house so I was always woken up at 5.30 when the jogging club went by shouting and drumming! It was bliss to wake up on Sunday slightly cooler and to look out onto the trees of the back garden. I spent the rest of Saturday sorting out my new room and writing and posting my blog.

I also caught up with my washing. No machine of course. I hand washed sheets, towels and clothes in various buckets of water. It all dried quickly on the line and then needed ironing. Everything dried outside needs thorough ironing to kill any eggs laid in the damp material by parasitic flies. If the eggs are not killed then the larva hatches and burrows into your skin. It lives there under a raised spot until it breaks out as a fully formed fly! Which horror film borrowed that idea? Signs to look for are a raised spot with an off centre mark. If you find one of these you need to smother the larva by covering the spot with Vaseline. Then when it’s dead you remove it. Needless to say I press my clothes with a very hot iron.

March is such a very hot month!
At 4.30p.m today the temperature was 40C in the shade and 45Cin the sun! It only drops a few degrees in the evening. No wonder I am so hot after I cycle home from school. The heat is completely exhausting and, although I long for a brisk walk, any kind of exercise is out of the question unless it is at dawn, so on Sunday I went swimming with friends.

The one public swimming pool in Tamale is run by the River Volta Authority and is quite close to where we live. I splashed out 2 cedis on a ‘drop off taxi’ which meant the other passengers had to get out when my road diverged from theirs! Flora, Rona, Paul and I spent a really lovely afternoon swimming, picnicking and singing to Flora’s guitar (very 60s). By the afternoon it was standing room only in the pool and although the pool was very warm it still cooled me down a little. Fred took me home on his motor bike. It was a great end to the weekend and I have a new Islamic school to look forward to visiting on Monday.

Food
Unless we eat out, our food usually involves frozen chicken pieces, tinned tuna or corned beef flavoured with herbs and chillies and served with pasta or rice. It is the season for potatoes now but yam is a very good substitute- I particularly like deep fried yam chips!

I haven’t been brave enough to buy beef yet. The butchers slaughter the cattle early in the morning and its then on sale. There are huge slabs of beef in the market or on stalls beside the road; often with the large horned white heads and white feet of the cows arranged elegantly on a nearby table.
I really enjoy Ghanaian food and had lunch at the Goil petrol station restaurant last week. I chose banku (fermented millet) fried fish and okra soup. The okra soup must be an acquired taste because it was just too slimy for me. The waiter said I couldn’t possibly eat it without something moist so he gave me a hot pepe sauce which was much better. I ate it like the locals with my right hand; a sensible way of eating fish as you can feel the bones. A finger bowl and washing up liquid is provided for the clean up. The children at school love TZ and fufu so I must try them before I come home. The portions are huge so sometimes we have one meal and two plates.
The fruit here is a real bonus it’s so delicious and, like the vegetables, is seasonal. Mangos, avocados, tomatoes, oranges, pineapples and pawpaw are in season at the moment so I chose the right time to come to Ghana.

Water arrives!

We can finally have a shower again!

Street Children

March 4th

‘Street Children- do not despise them’

These sad words are written on a huge hoarding in the centre of Tamale to try to change the attitudes of local people. But just imagine- you are a child, alone, possibly abandoned by your parents and now also despised by the people around you. When I go into the central market in Tamale I see wary, shabby children selling fruit, trying to earn money when they should be in school or in the heart of a family.

This week ‘The Chronicle’ paper highlighted the plight of such children. According to the paper there are nearly 4000 street children in the Tamale Metropolis. Boys and girls from the ages of 5 to 18 who sleep on pavements or at the main lorry station with homeless adults. Nobody cares if they eat, sleep or have access to health care. In addition local people feel that the lack of family support makes the children a threat and so they in turn intimidate and harass the children. According to the report most would like to go to school. This is impossible as they have to earn their living and, although education is free in Ghana, parents are expected to provide books, pens, pencils and uniform and food to be eaten at school. All this is out of reach if you live on the streets.

On a more positive note the Tamale ‘Youth Idleness Control Centre’ has pledged to provide skills training for as many children as possible. There are also different charities that try to help these vulnerable children including ‘Street Child Africa’. This charity led a powerful assembly during our ‘Black African Week’ and explained that as the children cannot come to school, the school comes to them on the streets and street corners of the cities of Ghana.

Our school raised £2000 for them and I can now see for myself just how desperately that money is needed.

Visiting the chief of chiefs of Bongo

Adventures and drumming in Bongo

Baskets, chiefs and drums in Bongo Feb 24th
Sunday
Kim and I spent the morning with Fuzzie and Alnal in Bongo, a small town north of Bolga.
Alnel is a volunteer with VSO working on sustainable livelihoods in Bongo. He is having amazing success working with local women promoting their basket making and ensuring they get a fair price for their work. They would not have the skills or confidence to negotiate with the ‘middle ‘ men in Bolga. Their baskets are really beautiful with vibrant colours. It can take 5 days to weave an intricate basket which then they then sell at 8 cedis (about £4.50). Better to buy at the workshop before the stalls add their mark up- so we did.
I really enjoyed meeting the weavers and telling them about our basket makers from Somerset who weave baskets of willow- all translated by Fuzzzie. They said they would also like to use willow. The process looks very similar; the weavers sit on the floor and use water to soften their materials.
The Bradt guide book suggested that local chief might grant an audience so we set off to his palace. We were really fortunate that he was in and agreed to meet us. We had to remove our shoes in his presence and courtesy when we were introduced. We were shown to nearby chairs but when I explained that I would love photos to show the children at school he invited me onto his platform where I nearly sat on his mobile phone and BlackBerry! It was lovely to watch his wives, children and dogs relaxing and going about their daily chores.
From there we walked in the hot sun through an amazing rocky landscape and climbed up to the special rock that sounds like a drum when it is hit. A bongo drum in Bongo! We had to dance to the rhythm of course.

Teaching!
Just to reassure you that life is not all holiday here.
For the past five weeks I have been working with the head and teachers of another local school mostly observing and discussing learning .I decided to model my ideas through teaching and showing how we make learning more interactive, how to differentiate the activities and use Assessment for Learning strategies.
I taught 64 children in P5 yesterday for 2.5 hours and the same time with 73 children in P4 today. I had forgotten just how much I love teaching and also how exhausting it is- especially in this heat.
My lesson focussed on the similarities and differences between Ghana and the UK. Fortunately a returning volunteer had left me a large world map which was invaluable- especially when explaining about the equator. Initially the children were most reluctant to share their ideas with their neighbour as talking in class is simply not allowed, however they soon got the hang of it and by the end of the lesson could see its value as could their teacher Beatrice. Beatrice was most complimentary and fetched the headteacher to watch the lesson. Beatrice said she is going to use my ideas and that I should be a trainer for others. This positive reaction is great because none of these ideas extra money to implement. The teaching in this school is already good, the classes are well disciplined; everything is in place for the next step.

It is difficult to know how to proceed next and have the most impact. I am meeting the circuit supervisors tomorrow to discuss the options but I shallask to go to more'deprived' school.

Art and design at Sirigu village

Market day at Navrongo

Bring it on crocs!

Traditional houses that gave protection from slavers

My friend and his son show how the village people kept safe from slavers and wild animals. Once up on the roof (there were no outside stairs originally) they could pull up the ladder and hide behind the parapet.

Never smile at a crocodile.......

!

Double trouble

King croc arrives

Paga

adventures in Bolgatonga

Adventures in Bolgatonga Feb 23rd

Where to start! We have just spent an amazing weekend in Bolgatonga; 3 hours north of Tamale in the Upper East.
Kim and I set off on Friday afternoon from the trotro station. We let the first tro go as we waited for the others to arrive; a good decision in the circumstances. This was my first experience of travelling on a trotro (a very basic minibus of variable reliability). It was hot and packed, we had the windows open but this made it feel like being in a fan oven set at maximum. We stopped briefly a few times to pay a toll and were then surrounded by hawkers shouting ‘pure water’ and selling fruit and tilapia and other cooked fish which the other passengers bought and tucked into.
We were nearly half way when we came across the previous trotro minus wheels and windscreen on the opposite side of the road! Phew- that could have been us. Everybody stopped to help and fortunately the passengers seemed to be unhurt.
Eventually hot and thirsty, we arrived in Bolga and found our hotel ‘Comme ci comme ca’- with its thatched hut dining area and noisy, but functioning air con ( at last a cool nights sleep).
Saturday
Up at 7.00 for the usual omelette breakfast then to the tro tro station to meet the others and choose the best taxi. We rejected the ones with bald tyres, no back screen and broken seats and set off to Paga, on the Burkina Farso border, with Fuzzy our driver. And a convoy of motos. Calamity- we hadn’t checked the engine and broke down in the hot sun. We were rescued by one of Fuzzy’s friends who took us to the Chief’s Pool at Paga to see the sacred crocodiles. An ancient story tells how a crocodile parted the river waters with his tail and thus saved a chief from his enemies. The chief then promised that his people would never again eat crocodile. There are now over 200 in this pool feeding on the tilapia and other fish and prowling around the village homes at night!

I shall let the pictures tell their own story. To my surprise I actually did sit on a crocodile but I was certainly the most nervous as I made the elementary mistake of walking in front of King Croc who then lunged at me with his gnashers!
The crocodile is lured from the pool by a whistle, which he thinks is a chicken, and then he spends his time trying to get the chicken from the caretaker of the pool. There is of course more than one crocodile, some lying in the water with open mouths and teeth showing, others disguised as large, mobile, muddy logs that creep towards you. At one time there must have been about10 crocodiles in our near vicinity , kept at bay by helpers with stones. Sadly for the chicken the crocodile eventually gets his lunch.

At the pool we were befriended by a local gentleman who decided I would be his new wife and have his babies in the traditional maternity hut. He showed around the hut and played the drum so that we could dance as would traditionally happen to celebrate a birth. We were then guided us round the village and shown how the houses were designed to confuse the slavers. My friend then dressed me in traditional fighting clothes and put me on a donkey! After all this excitement we went back to Navrongo for lunch (of tilapia) and visited the local market to buy tomatoes.

We spent the rest of the day at the village of Sirigu, famous throughout Ghana for its pottery and painting. It was amazing, so beautiful, so cool and refreshing. We wished we had booked rooms and an art workshop. Perhaps another time?

The countryside here is full of trees, and far prettier and more varied than in Tamale. There are also more animals- pigs wandering around, a few horses and donkey carts everywhere. Tamale is traditionally short of water (frustratingly we’ve just run out of water again) but Bolga has rivers and pools. It is a bustling and very friendly town,

I shall try to return once I’ve got over the journey!

Elephant mud bath

Shea tree

This tree is very important financially to women in the north.
The tree grows readily and the women process the nuts and make them into shea butter.This is an important ingredient in moisturising creams and is exported for this reason. However the women have to work very hard and go through many processes to obtain the butter. Unfortunately they are not always well rewarded for their labours.

Sunset overlooking Mole

Kim,Vicky and Liz arrive at Mole

Mosque at Larabanga

Mole National Park

Feb 17th
It’s very strange to be so hot and to write the date as February. Temperatures have dropped slightly from the challenging 40+ as last night we had a violent dust storm and then some welcome rain that lowered the temperature. As a result we all slept much better.
I have been unwell- hence the gap in my blogging. Fortunately I am on the mend as a week ago the doctor at a hospital told me I did not have malaria but typhoid! You can imagine my initial reaction! However I knew that I had had every available injection and also that although I was ill, I was probably not dangerously ill. I took advice from Rebecca and had further tests at another hospital which were inconclusive but I am beginning to feel stronger. Although I stoll can't drink beer or coffee. I shall be an even more stringent follower of the local advice for food:
‘Peel it, boil it or bin it!’
Even the bread!
My illness means of course that I am falling behind in my self imposed timetable of school support. Very frustrating! However I had such care and kindness from so many people when I was ill that I feel very lucky. Betty dropped in with bananas, Kim and Tim looked after me and cooked wonderful meals, teachers from Kanvilli phoned and dropped in and Jim sorted out further tests.
I feel almost back on track now especially as I am working with the headteachers in my new school.

Mole National Park Sat and Sunday (7th & 8th Feb)
Liz, Kim and I rented a car complete with Hassan our driver; and spent a wonderful weekend in Mole. Mole was 3 hours drive away so we set off early at 6.00am!
It cost us 120 Ghana Cedi a day (about £40 each) but was well worth it for our air conditioned 4x4 transport and safe and knowledgeable driver. The alternative was to use public transport and to leave Mole at 4.00am on Sunday!

On our way we stopped to visit the famous mosque at Laranbanga, just outside the Park. The architecture is really impressive and in stark contrast to the poverty surrounding it. It is reputedly the oldest building in Ghana and the locals were very keen to tell us its history and charge us fees. At one time we were overwhelmed with offers of help- it was very useful to have Hassan who negotiated a fair price for us.

We set off again for Mole and finally arrived. We changed our booking to air conditioned rooms- (oh bliss); looked across the park and saw our first elephant at the nearby water hole (more bliss)!
We spent the next few hours being entertained by watching gibbons steal food and drink from picnickers around the pool and then whole families came to show off on our veranda. They were accompanied by a charming family of wart hogs (bush pigs) with their four sweet babies.
We had booked a ranger to take us for a game drive at 3.00 in the afternoon. Unlike S Africa and Kenya, Mole has few facilities for game drive unless you have your own vehicle.

James, our armed ranger, had worked at Mole for 30 years and was very knowledgeable. He explained that Mole was wooded Savannah and had been sparsely populated as it was home to the tsetse fly that caused sleeping sickness. He got out of the car to refill his water bottle from a stream and into the car flew a tsetse fly! Apparently the British were in charge at this time and decided to kill all the animals to prevent the spread of the disease. Later it was discovered that the problem was in the tsetse fly itself, not the anilmals, and clever scientists got the locals to catch all the male flies and substitute similar flies which has now eradicated the sleeping sickness parasite- so we were in no danger after all.
I was a bit concerned about James drinking straight from the stream but he assured me that as it was running water it was perfectly clean! James kept us entertained and pointed lots of cob(deer), bush buck(different deer), monkeys, gibbons, birds and a crocodile at the water hole! It was a such a lovely experience.

James joined us later for a cold beer and sat around the pool sharing our delicious supper of roast guinea fowls. There was so much left over that he took a ‘doggy bag’ for his family We arranged to go on a game walk the following morning at 7.00am.
Sunday
There must have been about 30 people ready for the game walk at 6.30 am and my heart sank at such a large group. To be really enjoyable and to see the shy animals the group needed to be small and quiet.
The first thing to be done was to equip people with large (and notoriously uncomfortable) rubber boots if their shoes were not enclosed. More rangers then arrived and James chose his small group of the three of us, Hassan and Jonas from America. Hurray!
We set off down the rocky escarpment and had an amazing time for the next four hours, watching the animals in their own surroundings, examining different types and different ages of droppings, learning about the plants, visiting the ancient sites of villages that had planted trees to shield them and keep them hidden from the slavers. So much to see but no elephants!
We stopped for a snack of crackers and water and finally arrived with sore feet at the hide over looking the water hole. We sat quietly resting, getting ready for the return uphill trek, when James motioned us to look to the side and magically we saw 2 elephants slowly emerge from the foliage, completely unaware of our presence. They came closer and one changed direction after he raised his trunk and ‘smelt’ us. We then spent an entrancing half hour watching, from very close quarters, as the elephants drank, squirted and just stood still. We then spotted three other elephants slowly coming down the escarpment to meet their fellows and exchange greetings by touching trunks.
It was time to go back. This meant walking around the water hole while the elephants were walking around the other way towards us! Mindful that James had said elephants can travel at 25 mph this was not a very comfortable position to be in. However we got close enough for some good photos and then got back to base safely ready for a long cool drink. What a wonderful experience! We were so lucky!
This weekend we go north to Bolga and from thence to Paga, home of the famous crocodile pool.

With the boys in the Jungle Bar

With the girls in the Jungle Bar

Birthday smiles

Birthday pictures

My birthday!

Yesterday was my birthday and it really was a wonderful day.
I had arranged to buy some food for break for all the teachers at school and it became a really lovely party. The tables were set outside and laden with guinea fowl, fried rice, noodles, salad and baked beans but before we could tuck in Madam told everyone how old I was and they all sang 'Happy Birthday'. Their version has 4 verses. They have the same tune as us- the second verse is'How old are you...' V3 was my response- sung of course and they finished with v4 'May God bless you..' We then had prayers thanking God for the food and asking for blessings and good health for 'mother'-me!(Mother is a term of respect- due to my great age!) I was then presented with a card and gifts of cloth that I can take to the tailor- I was completely overwhemed with their generosity and kindness. The children also sang to me- all four verses.

I then had lunch of delicious ground nut (peanut)soup and chicken with Kim at the chop bar opposite our house.

The day finally finished with another party at the Jungle Bar with VSO buddies, games and even more gifts! I am so moved by everyones kindness and all the birthday messages I receieved from home. Huge thanks!
Today is another day and very different. I taught Maths again and borrowed some slates from KG1 which I used to teach a small group outside the class on the veranda - they really loved hiding their answers and then showing me. Two of the circuit supervisors happened to be there as they had come to see how I was getting on. I shall go to the office next week as I need to have some access to local heads so that we can discuss and share ideas.

Liz (HT support like me) is coming from Bolga tomorrow and we are going to share training ideas. Despite the 39C I cleaned away the cobwebs swept and washed the floor, removed lizards and spiders and then went for a cold shower. NO WATER! So lets hope there is enough for a 'bucket bath' and if it does not come back we will have to buy some. Tamale has plenty of water there just seems to be a problem gettingit in the pipes. Appparantly the whole area was without water for quite a while in Novemeber.

We have hired a car and driver to take Liz, Kim and I to the Mole National Park this weekend. We should be able to see elephants and other animals- I can't wait!

Starting to teach

Monday 2nd February
I started teaching the 60+ children in P1 today. I wanted to show the teachers how to make it interactive by using ‘thinking partners’ but the children are so used to learning by rote that it is going to take some time to get them used to it.
Its very hot today- even the Ghanaians say that its hot. Its 38C and tomorrow will be even hotter! Help!
I arrive home from school and put my feet in a bucket of water and then try to drink lots of sips of tepid water. If it’s too cold it can give you a tummy upset. Even just sitting writing this the sweat is dripping off my chin!

General Election 2008

Shopping and guinea fowl

photos of KG1

Getting ready for school

23rd Jan
Its Friday today and many of our local shops are closed, including the wonderfully named ‘Allah is my shelter’ beauty salon, however the ‘Jesus is Lord’ café is open. Ghana is a very religious country and this is shown in many ways including the ways in which the shops and businesses are named. Friday is the day for going to the mosque and wearing smart clothes. Many volunteers wear Ghanaian clothes so I am wearing my new vibrant green kaftan which I bought it from a woman’s cooperative last week. It’s very cool and comfortable.

I visited two local primary schools yesterday by moto, which down dirt tracks was very exciting as I hadn’t been on the back of a motor bike for years- especially down dirt roads filled with chickens and goats.
. The head introduced me to each class and the children gave me a lovely welcome clap. The headteacher told them that they must all come to school on Monday or they will miss speaking to me and finding out about Britain. Despite being an independent country for over 50 years, Britain is still held in high regard and affection by many people.

The teachers and the children must find learning very difficult as there are sometimes between 70 and 100 in each class. Each class has a school captain who keeps order if the teacher is out of class and gives out books. I shall be in each school for 2 weeks.

I have had my borrowed bike thoroughly serviced by Mohammed ( he even took the pedals off) so I am all ready for Monday and the teachers and 480 children of Kanvilli Presbyteterian Primary School.

This weekend I think I shall go into Tamale centre and buy some of the beautiful batik made here in Ghana and I’ll get Zara, the seamstress opposite, to make me a long skirt and blouse. I‘m also going to test drive my bike and see if I can find a short cut that doesn’t involve going on the very busy main road that is full of heavy lorries on the only route from the port for landlocked Burkina Farso.

Sunday 25th January 2009

Kim (my VSO house mate) and I got up very early (5.46am) and went to the Holy Family Church with our new friend Jim. The singing and drumming were fantastic and everybody was very friendly. The service was ‘short’ one and only lasted for 2 hours; it was in both English and then repeated in the local language spoken by the Dagomba. Of course many people do not have television or radio so going to church, as well as being a really important occasion, is also a time they can meet with family and friends and hear the local news which is given out at the end of the service.

We all came home to a late breakfast of porridge, boiled eggs and toast made in a hot dry frying pan (our cooking is done on two gas rings; we have no toaster or oven)




Monday 26th January
I was very excited as this was going to be my first morning in a school in Ghana. I filled my water bottle, took my notebook and camera and cycled along the flat, dusty road to Kanvilli Presbererian Primary School with its 470 children.


School started at 7.45 with whole school assembly of prayers and songs to the accompaniment of drums played by the children. The children are very proud of their wonderful country and songs are sung for it. The children were reminded to keep their shoes on (this prevents hookworm) and to keep their uniform clean and tidy. Each class then marched from the playground while singing:

‘Why are you marching?
Why are you marching so?
6th March 1957
6th March 1957
Ghana’s Independence Day’



I spent the day in class KG1 and in speaking with the headteacher. The children in KG! are four and five years- (just like Reception) and enjoy singing and action songs. They sing about what to do when the big lorries thunder past them and enjoy doing the actions for ‘I’m a little tea pot’
They were very keen to write on the blackboard and to have their photos taken. Some were so tired at the end of the morning that they fell asleep at their desks- but they are very young and had worked hard.
This school is lucky that it has a large water tank that collects rain water in the rainy season and children bring their own plastic cups so that they can have a drink. The money for this was raised by a church in Germany.
The children have a long break at 10.00 when they eat their breakfast. Some bring it with them in a tin, others buy it from the ladies who set up cooking stalls just outside the school. After break the guinea fowl or goats arrive to eat up the remains!
I hope you like all the pictures
.
I will be in class P1 tomorrow

Frank, Liz and Vicky enroute

Nearly at Tamale- only 4 more hours to go. Frank is a fab driver and avoided most potholes and got us there in daylight.

Pineapple for supper!

Delicious bamaba beans and fried plantain

Lunch in Accra

Meeting my boss

21st Jan

I met Madame Director on Monday at the prayers and devotions that always start the week for the education office. She has retired but staying in post until a successor is found. She was very friendly and I was introduced to the whole department.
We said Goodbye to Rik and Dinie, two VSO volunteers who have been here for two years Dinie had worked in schools and introduced the teaching of phonics which has really helped with improving reading and Rik helped with IT.
I also met many other new colleagues including the chief inspector and circuit supervisors. There are over 250 primary schools in Tamale and although my new job is Headteacher support officer I think to have an impact I will need to be assigned a smaller group preferably near my house as transport is difficult.
I am forward to visiting my first school tomorrow on the back of the chief inspectors moto!

It feels very hot today and is probably 36 degress. The Harmattan wind blows from the Sahara andand makes it cool at night which makes it easier to sleep; it also brings lots of red dust so everything feels very gritty.
It is winter here and the Ghanaians find it cold- apparently March is VERY hot!
I will have another try at loading some photos. Fingers crossed!

18th Jan

Jan18th
We travelled up the 620 miles from Accra to Tamale on Friday and finally
arrived eleven hours later at dusk.
I was really excited to finally meet my new house mates, Tim and Kim and to see where I would be living for the next 12 weeks I was given a warm welcome and a cold drink. The next day Kim and I bought curtains and rugs for our rooms at the market in Tamale. Our house is 8 km outside the town and we travel everywhere by a ‘shared taxi’ as these act as buses. The taxi driver just keeps picking up passengers until he can’t fit anymore in!

We have a large house with 4 bedrooms and a garden. The garden is always full of the local goats and chickens- this is actually very useful for us as they eat all the left over food and some of the rubbish. There is no rubbish collection at all- everything has to be burnt, buried or eaten by the goats!

The local children also come in to say Hello and pick up the almonds that have dropped. They are also happy to take away some of the plastic bottles which they sell to the ladies in the market for their palm oil.
Tomorrow is Monday and I am. going to the Ghana Education Service office (GES) to meet my new boss, the metropolitan .director

I am writing this from an internet café 15 minutes walk from our house and now that I have reduced the size of the photos I hope that I can publish them- but it’s a very slow connection. Hope you are all very well.

13th Jan

Hi this is our first dayin the capital city Accra. We arrived last night after a flight lasting 7 hours and flying over the Sahara desert. The sunset from the plane was spectacular.
We spent today at the HQof VSO learning about Ghana.They have just had elections and now have new president called Professor John Attamills.
We had lunch outside under the shade of an enormous mango tree. It is very hot here but there is acooling breeze. There are brilliant colours of the flowers,and the fruits and we see many women and some children with their heads piled high asthey carry pinapples,avocadoes and bananas. I wish I could dothat. Everybody is very friendly and helpful and we have met other volunteers who have shown us around. We have two more days of training before we travel to the North on Fridayready to start work in our placement on Monday.