May 16th 2009

There’s not much that can be done now without tools or sand at the site. I know it’s going to be a struggle to get this building completed in five weeks. But for now, all I can do is wait.

I passed by a soccer match on my way home from lunch. It was the finals of a boys’ 15-and-under tournament which began three days ago. Ten teams from all over the Eastern Corridor had participated. Despite being the only team that wasn’t wearing jerseys, the boys from Yua made it all the way to the final round. I noticed they were also considerably smaller than their competitors. Yua put up a good fight, but Sirigu came out ahead for the win.

All of the women at SWOPA go home at dark. So in the evenings the only other person around is Simon, the security guard. I went out to talk to him for a while after dinner.

Simon has six children, five of whom are currently in school (the sixth is two). He explained that his oldest daughter has just graduated from secondary school and has been accepted into nursing college. Unfortunately, he can’t afford to pay her school fees. So she won’t go. He also has a son who alternates years going to school and working in the South to pay his school fees. Simon wishes he could come up with the money for them, but work is scarce in the North. There is no government assistance and no credit here in Ghana. Without an education you have two options: you can be a farmer, or you can be a security guard. Neither can pay for nursing school.

I’ve noticed at least 10 junior high schools in the area. I’m sure there are more. There’s definitely only one high school though. That’s one six-classroom school for all seven villages, a population of at least 20,000. Granted some students can afford to go to boarding school in Bolga or Navrongo, but the numbers still aren’t good. Regardless of how brilliant or motivated a child is, he/she will never have a chance at an education if the family can’t afford it. We’ll discuss this issue in more depth when the rest of the team arrives.

-John Yatsko