Milly Cook in Ghana - February to August 2001

During the six months I spent with St David's (Africa) Trust[now Africatrust Networks ] between February and August 2001 I was involved in several volunteer ventures. The majority of my time, however, was spent in the small town of Breman Asikuma, in the Central Region of Ghana. Our project there was the construction of a two-classroom building for the kindergarten at the Catholic Girls School, which was started by the two previous volunteers. The work was most definitely needed, as the 130 young children were crammed into a dark basement. This flooded with each heavy rainfall, which on the edge of a rain forest is a fairly frequent occurrence. The original duration of the project was estimated to be two weeks but we soon learnt a great deal about Ghanaian concepts of time! With my British volunteer' brother,' Ned, I spent nearly 5 months in the town and became absorbed into the way of life.

My brother Ned

Slowly the school is built

In many ways I feel that there was as much value in our small daily interactions as in the more tangible projects, both to us and to the host of Ghanaian people we met, lived amongst and befriended. It is easy to quantify the material projects in terms of books bought and hours taught but now I really believe the immeasurable benefits of cultural exchange were just as valuable. We learnt huge amounts about a culture and way of life very different to our own by experiencing it first hand. Similarly, we could not help but create interest with our strange looks, habits and ideas. The roaring laughter of a lady who declared, 'I have never seen a white woman buying paint before,' will stay with me for a long time. Our very presence was amusing and a source of intrigue. I think many people could hardly believe that we, who they often saw to be incredibly rich (which relatively we are, of course) and to have endless opportunities and choices (which comparatively we do) had chosen to be there, in their town, working as volunteers.

A rare sight in Ghana

Fish take-way

The concept of voluntary work was a fairly strange one to the majority of Ghanaians we encountered, but it was something we tried to put into practice with the building of the school. I spent many hours talking to people about how, perhaps, if we all made a small contribution of our efforts, then together, as a community, great things could be achieved. I really believe in this concept, as perhaps in the long term sowing the seeds of an idea like this can be far more beneficial than any amount of material aid. However, ideas can take a long time to take root and when there is little paid work around and you have a large family to feed, a relative to bury with the elaborate and expensive funeral which is an essential custom, constantly rising prices and new taxes being introduced, working for nothing must seem like a very strange idea. Fortunately in Ghana there is always plenty of time!

The pace of life can be incredibly frustrating if you are trying to work in the way in which we are used, to deadlines and with time-efficient schedules. However, slipping into the Ghanaian way, which of course was inevitable, has enormous benefits, which are not easy to imagine until you have experienced them first hand. To give just a single example, in Ghana it is immensely important to greet people and consequently this was the first thing we learnt in our invaluable Fante classes during the first two week in-country induction course in Cape Coast. This also covered such topics as Health, Culture and History/General Knowledge of Ghana .It is not just important to greet and inquire about the health of your friends and relatives but the taxi driver before you ask for a ride, the woman from whose head you buy tomatoes, the man you pass in the street, in fact everyone. After six months back in the UK I still find it incredible that it is possible to buy something without eye contact, let alone any verbal communication. Walking through Breman Asikuma I was never anonymous. I constantly encountered friends and acquaintances to gossip with, pass the time of day and be invited to 'chop' (eat). By the time I left I would encounter far more people that I knew walking along the main street than I would in the British village in which I have lived for 16 years. The warmth of Ghana, so often mentioned in guidebooks really should be experienced to be believed.

It seems a real tragedy that so much of what is heard about Africa from the outside is a mix of stories of war, dictatorships, famine and HIV/AIDS. Of course these problems are huge and do absolutely deserve the coverage they receive. But we are left with a stereotype that was by no means my overwhelming impression of Ghana, after six months first hand experience. The friendliness and up-beat positive attitude of the people will stay with me forever, and is an inspiration for life. In Ghana, friends are referred to as brothers and sisters, acquaintances as friends, and no one is a stranger. Children play delightedly with cars and drums made from old tin cans, and ingenious nutmeg graters are made from empty shoe polish tins. Europe could learn a great deal from Ghana about recycling! During the frequent power cuts, or 'light outs' as they are locally known, homes and street stalls are lit with kerosene lamps created from powdered milk cans. Sitting on the flat roof of our house at night cheers could be heard from all over the town as the electricity flickered back on.

Courtesy call on the Chief Initially raising three thousand pounds to cover travel and living costs, as well as a sizeable donation towards the projects, seemed a daunting task. However, it can become addictive and goes a long way towards getting you excited about your forthcoming project. In Africa the hard work and determination it took was more than repaid as the money can really go a long way, and there is certainly no shortage of possible projects.

We found that smaller projects worked better than some of our more ambitious ideas, as however much you plan you cannot prepare for some of the bizarre circumstances and delays that will undoubtedly be thrown at you. For me, perhaps the most rewarding experience of my time in Africa was introducing a little boy from my host family and his parents to a special school for the deaf in Cape Coast, a few hours from Breman Asikuma.

The teachers there were able to explain in Fante, the local language, about how his deafness had been caused by meningitis, which meant that he could not hear. Previously his parents had believed the problem was that he could not speak.

The teachers also explained that it was by no means his parent's fault and that the family could all learn sign language so that the little boy could both 'speak' and be 'heard'. The parents before had no idea that such a special school existed or that it would still be a normal Ghanaian state school, complete with uniforms and classrooms, just with signing rather than speaking. The relief for everyone was incredible.

Now the little boy has a chance for an education and to be able to express himself. His parents feeling of stigma has been replaced with excitement for his future.

Everyone smiles always

I would really recommend people to go, see and experience Ghana for themselves with Africatrust - and many thanks to Dr. Kwansah-Filson in Ghana and the team in Wales.

I think it is impossible to sum up in words the benefits that are gained from the inter-cultural exchange of a visit to Africa such as ours.

The experience provides practical knowledge and skills for both volunteers and the hosts, and the knowledge that your project can benefit so many is of great reward.

Milly Cook Ghana 2001

Visit to Traditional Medicine Doctor