Small hills, big mountains

Success!

One of the things you realise when doing something like a VSO placement is that you’re not going to change the world – because if it could be changed that easily, why hasn’t it happened yet.

However, the other day, I had what I can only describe as a very surprisingly successful day. In order to explain it, you need to know a few things about workshops in Ghana and how they work.

If teachers are invited to a workshop, they will normally receive either lunch or a snack, or a snack and lunch if it’s an all day event, a mineral (soft drink) and water. This is provided by the organisers; participants pay nothing. The organisers are also expected to pay T and T – travel and time. This can vary from Ghc5 to Ghc10 normally, and I’ve heard a case of some giving as as much as Ghc35 for one day’s work. (£1=Ghc2.40)

In early 2010, I wanted to do a series of 1 hour workshops at one of my schools, but not provide any snack (one hour doesn’t honour a snack in my miserly opinion) and no T and T (the workshops were during the day at the school). When I told the Head this (let’s call her Janet – she’s not!), she was not very pleased, until her depute said “she is helping us, why should she pay us!”

Earlier this year, I organised another workshop at her school. This time, 3 other schools came along too, and I did give them mineral, snack and water as it was a 2 hour affair (I’m not that mean.) I gave T and T to the other 3 schools, as they’d all had to travel a fair distance, but not to the host school – all they were providing was an empty room, so I thought that was fair enough. At the end, several teachers from the host school and the head asked about T and T but I explained my reasoning. The head seemed ok with it, I think I annoyed some of the teachers a little.

The other day – another workshop, for 3 schools, same host school. The head teacher 1. willingly provided school funds for the workshop for snacks – first time in any school; 2. did not ask about T and T – and in fact seemed highly understanding about it and 3. thanked me over and over for coming. Success!

The workshop was on phonics, and was a real success – lots of games and teachers knowing their stuff MUCH better than a year ago. = Happy Rachel.

A sad day at a school...

I went in to one of my schools last week to support two of the teachers. The head came along to say that she was off to a funeral as someone in the community had died yesterday, and that she and some of her teachers were going to attend. The young man was father to two children at the school, and uncle and guardian of some others. He was a well educated man, with some money, and clearly a pillar of the community.

I was in P3 when we saw hundreds and hundreds of people coming down the dirt track to the makeshift church – a building without a roof which is also home to two P1 classes. Men, women, old, young, on motorbikes, bikes, in cars, going to pay their respects to this young father who had died so tragically.

I spoke to one of the teachers, an intelligent lady in her 50s, the depute head and teacher in P2, about what had happened. “He was coming home from town,” she said, “and an insect stung him in the neck. He was taken to hospital, but he just died. So we think it must be witches, how else would a healthy young man die from that.” Sadly, this response didn’t surprise me, a common belief being that witches are responsible for all sorts of misfortune. Initially, I thought it was only those with traditional beliefs that believed in witchcraft, but actually the majority of Ghanaians do still believe, even the most orthodox of Christians or Muslims. “Perhaps he was allergic to bees or wasps,” I suggested. “Many people don’t realise until they are stung or bitten that they are allergic.” “But he died quickly, how?” the teachers asked. I explained that if allergic, your tongue can swell up and you just can’t breathe anymore, and that although the adrenaline they give you is not a complicated drug, if you don’t take it fast enough, it’s too late.”

I hope that perhaps my explanation will slightly change what those teachers believe but I doubt it.

One wonderful woman I’ve met is Mama Laadi. She runs a foster home for children who have been accused of being witches, or those whose mothers have been accused and often killed. She’s taken in many children that no-one else cares one bit about, or are scared to care about.

I hope the family is able to understand this man’s death and seeks some solace from the church, as many people do; and that there is soon a greater understanding of medicine in these rural parts of Africa so that innocent women and girls, and men and boys, are not punished unjustly.