Day 12: Concrete and Drip

More time at our beloved work site, the water plaza. Watching the workers mix the concrete was a great thing to see. They mixed the sand, rock, and cement in a large pile in the middle of the four dug holes, then made a large hole in the middle, and poured water in. To me it almost looked like a mountain of mashed potatoes with gravy, as they continued to work the sides of the mixture into the water being careful not to let the liquid contents spill out. It did take a while to agree on a proper cement/sand/stone ratio, but with John Yatzko's words in mind and Matt's wonderful skills at compromising, a workable ratio was decided on. How cement is utilized here is just simply different I suppose, trying to understand this was a little difficult. The workers did wonderfully, and I am very thrilled to be learning from them what I can. All their work is voluntary, a contribution to the betterment of their community, a taking of responsibility for what is being created.

The beginning of drip also continued today, led by Kate. She spoke with the workers about the general plans and had them get familiar with the materials. They explained to us what they planned to use it for, which would be tomatoes, and how far apart the plant spacings would be, along with any other ideas they had. They had several suggestions, but we couldn't begin testing until we acquired more materials and tools.

I've also had the pleasure of meeting three more of Phillip's wives today, and yes I am catching on to this new humor. Silly Phillip.

We then also met a guy named Steve from New York who is traveling through the area and staying with Akunz's family in Yua. He joined us this evening as we went into Sirigu for the big Youth Celebration. What I managed to gather was that this was a celebration of heritage and the youth of the communities in the area. There were many speakers and periodically a group of older women in similar traditional dresses would dance for everyone in the middle of this large congregation of people. The dancers would be different each time and would represent each community. Sirigu itself is made up of five communities, and Yua six. It was a fun time, a charming social event. Moses spent most of the time wandering around catching up with old school friends, while Kate, Max, Matt, and I made new ones. Luiza found Kate and I in the crowd and surprised us. Luiza, whom I formally met earlier this week on a bike ride into Sirigu was the singer during Christmas mass Saturday night, the one that sang the twelve days of Christmas at one o'clock  in the morning. We had peeled onions together that day and she tried to explain to me how to make FuFu. It really is wonderful to begin recognizing the faces and personalities of the people here, and being recognized ourselves as individuals as well.  

Anna

Day 11: Materials

Sitting around the breakfast table this morning over tea and lemongrass-milk we certainly didn't expect the exhausting day that followed. What a day, “gee-mah-nee” as Matt would say.

First thing, we drove to Bolga to visit the bank and source a few items. These few items turned into a truck filled with the entire solar array support structure and 45 lengths of PVC pipe. The truck driver was a nice man, that patiently tried to translate the labels on the broken cassette tapes from the passenger side door, that I obnoxiously began reading aloud. He also explained to Matt and I how rice and tomatoes were grown in the region between Bolga and Sirigu. The water comes from a large reservoir nearby, and they sow seeds in a small area and transplant them into the fields later.

Kate, Max, and Moses remained in Bolga to find some extra supplies as Matt and I went to pick up the support structure. We went to the welding yard with Henry, our technician, to get it. They were still working on it when we arrived, so we watched fascinated at the resourceful welding techniques used to make the remaining holes in the frame. What a place! A fury of metal, heat, and wires.

Once we arrived in Yua, the workers balanced the holes in the ground to exactly match the dimensions of this large beastly metal frame. We supported it to stand up through the night, but could not cast the concrete footings as we had planned, as there just wasn't enough sunlight. This was slightly disappointing since we needed the time for the concrete to cure enough before much more construction could continue. So we agreed to pour the concrete the following morning and install the solar panels on Saturday.

What was most interesting, was that in the Yua market near where our work was being done a large bus was being filled with goats, pigs, chicken, and guinea fowl to be brought to Kumasi that night. How they fit so many goats in such a small space on the roof of this vehicle, within it, and underneath in the cargo, is beyond me. It was most definitely an acquired art, a long and careful process. How loud it was too, the goats scream like children, and the squealing of pigs was deafening as they were dragged across the ground and into several pairs of hands that would lift them up and onto the top of the bus. A village girl who is around 18, Edna, sat with me as we watched all this go down, the English she learned in school wasn't enough to sustain a good conversation and my Fra Fra is far from useable but talking with her was nice all the same. Our driver, Phillip, also came over and told me that he was going to drive the bus all the way to Kumasi and back because the current driver was sick. He told me he was going to do this so that he could have enough money to marry Edna. I believed him, and really wish the language barrier didn't make jokes so difficult to catch on to.

Anna

Day 10: Community Meeting

A community meeting was held today. We discussed with the community elders what the expectations of these projects are and looked for approval and input from them. The meeting went well and we came to several agreements on where the first drip irrigation system will be placed and how the water plaza/solar array will be maintained and fixed. We also discussed the need for a way to shade the Polytank in the water plaza from the sun and the possibility of a mechanical pump. The community in general seemed enthusiastic about our plans, and we hope that this joint enthusiasm will provide the teamwork we need to make this project a success. Pok also urged the community to take advantage of our assistance while we are here and do their part to take responsibility for what we are providing. He also advised us that we shouldn't get the expectations of the community too high at this time, but instead should focus on planning for future projects after we have successfully gotten the water plaza to work again and the test drip irrigation system built.

Pok also explained that we were like the lifting of a bucket to the knee that the community must raise up themselves (a local proverb). The Chief himself spoke that he was very thankful that we have come, but expressed concern for families in Yua to be able to monetarily contribute to a fund to support any repairs of the water plaza. An extensive amount of Fra Fra ensued among the people within the meeting, especially Pok and Moses. The community agreed that a bank account would be a plausible plan, and Pok mentioned later that the produce from the drip irrigation systems could also be sold to support this fund.

The elders were such a focused group of people, who truly care about the well being of the people within Yua. It is our hope that they are not afraid to express their opinions with us and give all the input possible. Matt and Kate emphasized the need for their communication with the drip irrigation. That they are the farmers and know this land best, therefore what they make of our system will determine how well it works.

I have to say, the atmosphere of these meetings is a wonderful change to the school settings we are accustomed to. Around us children were playing along with goats, pigs, and chickens running about. The warm breeze under the shade of the tree, simply brilliant!

Anna

Christmas Time

December 24

Christmas Eve! Though none of us could quite believe it. Another 90 degree day and not a cloud in the sky. Sorry Bing, no White Christmas for these kids. So we weren't out making snow men or hanging stockings by the fire, there was plenty of Christmas spirit in the air. Our hosts were kind enough to invite us to a midnight vigil Mass in Sirgu. The church was decorated beautifully with white and blue streamers. The balloons hanging from every available surface gave the whole place the air of a birthday party which I suppose is what Christmas is really all about.

As we sat in the the pew in the front of the church and waited for the ceremony to start I don't think any of us anticipated a 4 hour service. By 1:00 am, it was becoming obvious that the rest of the congregation was feeling a little antsy to get home too,, as some of them were walking up to the soloists and trying to pay her to stop singing. Alas we survived, even those of us who are not catholic .The service was lovely, vaguely familiar but unlike any service we had ever attended at the same time. I'd have to say, I would be at church many more Sundays in the States if we had a choir like that... or a drum section...or a 30 minute break for a giant dance party in the middle of the service. We came home exhausted, and dutifully went to bed to await the sound of sleigh bells and hooves above us.

The next morning we were surprised to find ourselves again in the pew. Another Mass but this time in Yua and this time only 2 and a half hours. We sat in a building of concrete blocks with open doors and windows. There was a wonderful breeze blowing throughout. Everyone was dressed in the most elaborate colors and textures. It felt more like Easter than Christmas. This time we were not allowed to be silent observers. We were led to the front of the church to be officially introduced to the community. After a rather awkward introduction we were instructed to dance as the eager faces of Yua looked on. After what seemed like a lifetime of shuffling about in front of the alter we were mercifully led back to our seats.

After church we enjoyed a wonderful Christmas dinner or Guinea Fowl stew, rice, and Pitu ( a fermented juice drink which I think tastes like unrefined Mead... Max disagrees). We sat under a large tree in the shade with the breeze and the Father, a very pleasant afternoon. We were so humbled by the generosity and welcoming nature of the community.

After coming back to SWOPA for a short rest, it was off to the Sirgu market to join the night's festivities. We went to Big Joe's Spot and relaxed before hitting the streets to join the party. The streets were crowded and dark, lit by small fires here and there along the road. We found our way to the center of town where a DJ was pumping jams from giant speakers. Big Sean Paul fans, I have to admit I may be a convert. Nearly all of the young people of Sirgu were here dancing it up in the middle of the square. We made our way to the center of the cloud of dust and DANCE WE DID! The whole experience was amazing. I don't think this will be a Christmas that any of us will forget.

Kate

December 26^th

Another great day of work in Yua today! We set out early from SWOPA to dig the four holes for the solar array. Once we arrived in Yua we begun work at once clearing the rocks from the area to make room for the footings. Anna and Kate helped keep the children entertained with her various means while the men worked to dig the placements. Matt oversaw the overall project and made calls to Henry to verify the dimensions to the structure. Despite the difficulty of digging the holes the men joked and laughed the entire time, showing a genuine enthusiasm in working for the entire community's benefit. With the help of the Yuan villagers we finished quickly and had time to survey areas for future projects in the community. Soon we will be pouring the concrete footings that will support the water plaza's solar panels and beginning construction of the drip system.

Finishing early today allowed us time to catch up on our respective hobbies, Kate has her knitting which she is teaching to Matt, Anna is exploring the area around us and tending to her reading, and I have started up running again (along with the the subsequent naps that follow). Along with having time to ourselves we have been able to spend time as a team outside of work and learn more about each other. The relationships we form on this trip will be indispensable for the NAU chapter and ourselves as well, because this is a trip that will change and challenge the four of us in ways we never could have imagined.

Max

Day 6: Day in Bolga and Navrongo Dec 23

Evening family and friends from Sirigu!

Today was a rather uneventful day when compared with others so far, but that does not mean that exciting and important things didn't happen. Today we met with the DCE of the region to discuss sustainability of our projects now and in the future. We also began the initial dialog for education of the community about the the water plaza and irrigation system. We spent most of the day in Bolga searching for a modem so that we can update the blog regularly (to the glee of our families I'm sure). Tomorrow it will be Christmas eve and work won't continue until Monday, this weekend we will be relaxing and doing our very best to experience Ghanaian tradition.

Our guide, Moses, has helped us in many of our endeavors so far and will surely be an essential asset in the coming weeks as we spend more time in Yua working on our two projects. It has become a common theme for Moses to pile more and more food onto our plates telling us that “we do not eat enough”. I swear I have eaten more on this trip than ever before because of Moses, but he has become a great friend for all of us on the team and I hope that we will keep that friendship alive while on different continents.

Max

Moses our Ghanaian Guardian

Day 5: Return to Yua (Dec 22)

We returned to the water plaza and were met with a large group of men and very young boys. From there we continued to assess the structural integrity of the wooden structure. It was rotted and falling apart, the community had managed to add a few supports to the middle of the shade portion and reinforced the existing supports with metal beams. It was still falling apart and needed to come down.

The solar panels were taken down first, one by one. From here Kate and a few children wiped down the panels and held them up while we wrote down voltage readings. They all read between 18.3 and 18.8 Volts. The nominal voltage of the panels when first installed was 20 V. This is great, it means we are able to still use the panels elsewhere in the community. We collected them and stored them in a building nearby owned by Stephen, Moses' brother. The control box was also taken down.

This is when the deconstruction of the wooden plaza structure came down, led by Max. He did wonderfully, making sure the panels came down safely and into the hands of the helpers nearby. We managed to get the structure to the ground today. Success!

We also visited a site a little ways from the plaza that the community had specified as the ideal place for the drip irrigation test system. It was a good spot because it was a large amount of community land but was too far from a source of water to be maintainable so will not be used this trip.

I have to say that the best part of this event was the fun we had waiting for the workers to take down the panels and disassemble. Kate would take pictures of the children, they loved seeing themselves, as she would show them what she had taken. After finishing the documenting of the voltage values on Kate's notepad, I decided to draw a young boy that stood next to me and gave it to him. It came out as a silly cartoon, but the other kids got a big kick out of it. I chased down a pig and drew that too, they took the picture of it and laughed even harder. That's when one of the men walked over and asked me to draw him. I was nervous my picture would offend him, but he insisted. He loved it, and insisted he was very handsome, we agreed.

The children were fun, the people very friendly, Yua has been very good to us so far.

We then went to the Sirigu market and had lunch. More Banku! Tonight we also then had dinner with Joe from the Afrikids clinic in Sirigu. He discussed our drip irrigation plans with us and how to manage such a system if it were to become sucessful throughout Yua and Sirigu. He also expressed a big interest in having us install one in Sirigu too.

Anna

Day 4: SWOPA and Yua (Dec 21)

Yesterday afternoon we arrived at Sirigu Women's Association for Pottery and Art (SWOPA) in Sirigu, which is a center for women to create and sell their art as well as a hotel. This is where we will be staying for the majority of the next month. The place is beautiful; all of the buildings are painted with red, black and white, and stand out against the backdrop of the countryside. The weather here is perfect, and although it will still get hot during the day, the morning right now could not be better.

Last night we met with the chief of Yua. The formality of the ceremony was surprising, and every move seemed to be choreographed. We were seated in a circle, and after shaking all of the elders' hands, we began the back and forth process of speaking through the translators, Moses for us and his brother, Stephen, for the elders. Because we were speaking to them through Moses, he was able to translate what we were saying into Fra Fra, then add what we were supposed to be saying. The ceremony ended rather informally, maybe due to the fact that we will be meeting with the community again today.

Matt

Day 4 became the frame for this entire trip. It is when we first encountered Yua, the past projects done here (water plaza, nurses quarters), and the community members. We were hit hard with the reality of what we were doing here.

We left Tamale in the early morning and arrived in Navrongo soon after. Navrongo was a small community with a charming school that we went to in another attempt at internet. Matt and I formally introduced ourselves to the headmaster and then ventured through the courtyard, up some stairs, and into a room filled with computers. Moses mentioned that he, at a time, taught at this school as part of his educational training.

From Navrongo we went to Bolgatonga and visited the market for lunch. We ate rice and chicken and Moses had more Banku. Banku is the better tasting version of Fufu. Fufu is fermented millet while Banku is made from maize and calebesh, a squash. We ate these in Accra along with goat meat. From there we met with Frank from a solar company, to involve him in the project and get a consultant to look over our project and determine what materials we may need for the solar array. He was a well dressed man, in a fancy car, and sat with us on a bench outside of the Afrikids clinic. There we met Pok as well. Pok is the contractor for our project, and will be helping us, he is a very friendly man that has worked with EWB-NAU previously.

The big event: coming to Yua for the first time. It was a strange feeling to see all the previous projects that we have seen many pictures of in the past few months. We saw a group of elderly men assembled under a tree with six empty chairs arranged in the middle, we knew this would be where the official ceremony for our arrival into Yua would be. We didn't realize the profoundness of this event until we stepped foot out of the van and made our way over to them. We lined up and shook hands with everyone repeating the phrase “nabar” as they said “ozare” (my american translation of Fra Fra aka completely wrong). We remembered to only shake with the right hand, as this was customary.

The formality of what followed was a surprise. Moses spoke an introduction on our behalf, a prayer was said, and then we introduced ourselves. Matt then introduced what the project was, and asked if we could work together to accomplish these goals. He also mentioned that he would like to form as close of a relationship with these people as John Yatzko and Jessica Lum were able to previously. Matt did an excellent job, and we were very fortunate to have Moses translate for us. I'm pretty sure he changed everything that we had said into exactly what was suitable. Stephen, Moses's brother, spoke for the community. He gave thanks for all that we have done to come here, and welcomed us into the community. The ceremony then ended with Matt giving the chief a bottle of American whiskey. That's when everyone clapped the hardest. With Moses asking for consent we left the tree. We all said thank you, and in remembrance of Danielle's visit I yelled “Yua!” Amidst laughter, a strong “Yua!” rung out from the group, and we left.

Anna

Day 3: Travel North to Tamale (Dec 20)

We woke before sunrise. Kate and I walked out front of the main house in an attempt to get internet, trying to be quiet as the hotel watchman was peacefully asleep in a chair. Leaving Accra today and heading north toward Yua left a lot to be seen. We traveled by van and experienced the full breadth of Ghana through the road that brought us straight through the country. We left at 5:30am and arrived in Tamale by evening.

The drive was beautiful, and if you've never been in Africa before, perhaps slightly overwhelming. Its a fantastic place, but there are many things to get used to. The food, the dialect, the heat. As we left Accra the landscape became a dense rainforest, and thinned into a savanna as our journey progressed. The density of people along the street also lessened, and mud huts replaced the previous housing structures. Komasi was one of the major cities we passed through, the second largest city in Ghana (Accra being the first). It was a mass of people, noise, street vendors, and dust. What stuck out most to me about Komasi was how most streets seemed to be filled with car parts: full engines, hub caps, tires, frames. Huge masses of these items intended for sale. The entire trip held many colors too. I loved the school uniforms worn by the young women; bright blue, yellow, or green. The houses were brightly colored as well, very often with the vodaphone, mtn, or glo telephone company logo across the front. We were told that these corporations painted the houses in return for the free advertising it gave them. There were many people through the trip, chickens, cows, children playing, a funeral progression, and very often goats.

We rode with Moses, Dennis, and two drivers. Dennis is Akunz's son, and since he is in high school he relates well with us, it's very nice he decided to come on this trip. Yua is actually where he was born and his father is from, but he has not seen it since then. We tease him about this every so often: “Hey Dennis how cold is it in Yua?”....”oh...right....” Moses has also been indispensable. He is very informed and on-top of everything. He has also begun teaching us Fra Fra and Twi. Mostly Fra Fra, because this is the language spoken most in Yua.

Tomorrow we will leave for Bolgatonga, Sirigu, and finally Yua. “We're doing it!” Matt would say.

Anna

Day in Accra

Moses

Just a quick post before we get some sleep tonight: We have had a successful day in the city. Although it was a lot of waiting and a lot of traffic (as is to be expected), we have picked up the solar panels, set up in country phones for the team, met with Akunz to plan our van trip north, and tried some truly Ghanaian food. The day was hot and humid, a stark contrast to the weather that most of you are experiencing, but we have been enjoying it. We walked from lunch today so were able to see different parts of the city, and were able to get to know the people that will be so important to us during this trip: Moses and Dennis. They will be accompanying us to Yua and, along with many others, will be working with us in the community to coordinate our efforts towards constructing drip irrigation and rebuilding the solar plaza.

Thank you for your prayers.

Dennis

Day 2: Arrival

We made it! As we landed (two hours late) in Accra yesterday at four, we were met by the smiling faces of Isaac, Moses, and Dennis. The airport was a cinch, and there were no problems getting our luggage through customs. So far, Ghanaians are as friendly as we have been told.

Isaac

We were accompanied to the beautiful Afia Beach Hotel, where the girls' room is not even 100 feet from the beach. We went out to dinner with Dr. Akunzule (Akunz) and his wife. The team was excited to meet this figure that has had such an impact on our projects (Anna says he gave good hugs too). This great doctor, entrepreneur, and volunteer was busy however, as his three phones were active nearly continuously. I was able to speak with the woman from Las Vegas who had donated the van that we will be using. Thank you Las Vegas, maybe we will see you at the international conference.

It was a productive meeting as well. We were able to confirm the travel plans and rough itinerary for the month that we will be here in Ghana. Today will be our last day in Accra before leaving for Yua. We are planning on picking up the solar panels and running a few other errands before leaving.

And Mom, as promised, here is a link to a map: Sirigu, Upper East, Ghana
Sirigu is actually where Google maps says Natugnia is, and Yua is east of Sirigu on the Burkina Faso Border.


Matt

Left to Right: Matt, Kate, Moses, Max, Anna, and Dennis

Great summary Matt.
What a wonderful welcome we had! The air is warm and humid, a great contrast to the snow we left in Flagstaff. Isaac has been an enthusiastic tour guide so far and Akunz a delightful man. Dinner last night was just what we needed. Rice with Hibiscus juice. Akunz had also told us of an island he plans to take us to within Volta Lake. The Volta is the massive body of water you can see on most maps of Ghana. It was created by the Akosombo dam, and is the largest reservoir in the world (for surface area, fourth in volume). It is thrilling to be given the opportunity to visit it.

Dinner with Dr. Akunzule

This morning we enjoyed the beach while preparing for our day. We plan on picking up the solar panels and getting cell phones in the city.  It'll be great to explore the city we only briefly drove through yesterday. Hopefully we'll have internet again soon. In summary, this trip is starting off perfectly! We are ready to head up to Yua to begin our work.

Anna