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