Day 5 (May 23)

Contributed by: Olivia

We had breakfast at 6:30 am and left the hotel at 7:30, an hour later than we had planned. We stopped in Tamale for lunch at the Marian Hotel. We watched a Nigerian drama while we ate our jollop rice and chicken. By 3pm, we were on the road again. We stopped a couple more times to refuel and stretch before we arrived at Pok's house, Ghanaian People's Network (GAPNET) representative in Bolga and also an agricultural extension worker. We introduced ourselves and then followed him to our lodging at Sirigu. We trailed his red truck with green canopied truckbed with our rattling taxi over dirt roads. Each time there was a heavy thud above our heads, we hoped that the metal rack would not fall off the roof with our cargo. It was noticed from the first stop outside of Accra that the rack's supports bent from the heavy cargo.

We drove in the dark and could see only what the headlights could light on the road. The traditional maroon, white, and gray chevron patterns on the cement walls could be seen by the lights from the open shops. It was market day (Friday) in Sirigu. Vendors sold their wares by the light supplied by expensive grid power.

We arrived at Afrikids new office and guest facility around 9 pm. We met Joe Asakibeem, Afrikids Sirigu Operation's Manager who worked alongside EWB-NAU last summer. He greeted us with a big smile and a strong handshake. A quick panoramic view of the area hinted a handpump nearby under the trees, children pumping water, and passersby on their way home. Pok and Joe gave us a tour of the new building. It includes a library, an administrative office, a boy's room, two bathrooms, two showers, a kitchen, a supply room, and three bedrooms. We were told that we were the first guests to stay in the rooms.

The rooms were outfitted with two beds on wooden frames, a ceiling fan, a desk, and curtained windows with wire screens. Immediately, the fans were set to high. After settling into our rooms, we congregated on the rooftop patio because of the cool breeze and open air. We watched two children study by porchlight. We heard a processional of singing from people returning from a funeral. The stars could be seen very clearly and children were heard singing from a far off distance.

Amidst the local sounds, a scream was heard below the rooftop patio from one of the rooms. It was the sound of a man shocked by sticking a key into the outlet. Jared sheepishly admitted to unsuccessfully grounding electricity while we laughed at his unfortunate consequence of conducting electricity. We sat and talked before we had a meeting in one of the rooms. After the meeting, we retired to our rooms for the night. The children outside had unrolled their mats and slept on the ground under the porchlight.