Ghana 2019: Improving Educational Opportunities with EPI

I am a board member of Empower Playgrounds and as such I have the opportunity to go to Ghana.  While I could talk about the the lush green jungle, the crazy markets with people carrying all sorts of even crazy things on their heads, or the poor roads with no signs I, instead, want to talk about what an amazing experience it was to go support the improvement of education and thus life opportunities for children in rural Ghana.

While I was in places such as Adorkope to Zipponuinui and everything in between I could see first hand how life is without electricity and the real struggles to survive.  And yet, these kids want to learn and are happy.

I'll admit it was a very National Geographic moment to be the first white person one of the villages had ever seen or met. Kids loved me, babies did not!

The kids taught me ampe, let me dance with them (okay, they danced...I did some white person attempt), and laughed with them.

We inspected Merry Go Round installations and had the community help.

We handed out additional lanterns (one school had 15 additional students come after only 5 weeks of having their merry go round installed!).

We trained teachers.

We surveyed students to see how we can best support their education and are performing analysis and research into STEM education.

And, we spoke to almost 100 young girls and their parents training them on Days For Girls kits and then delivering kits.  These young women want to learn and now have a greater chance of success, and they are excited about it.

While there is still much to do I was grateful to have the experience to see first hand the immediate positive impact of these projects we are working in rural Ghana.  If you would like to know more about Empower Playgrounds Inc and their various projects please visit:  http://www.empowerplaygrounds.org/

If you want to see additional pictures I've taken please visit my photo album at TrekkingTrego Public Gallery. All pictures are available for purchase.

Going, Going, "Ghana"

Visiting new countries always excites me.  I get to experience and learn about the country which also allows me to see things from a different perspective.  Ghana was a new country for me to visit and just this sort of experience. 

Let's face it, Ghana isn't on anyone's vacation destination list.  That doesn't mean you shouldn't go there nor that that there aren't some really fascinating things about Ghana.  Here are some take aways:

The Women Are Strong

And I don't just mean by a little bit.  Ghanaians in general are hard workers and most work is manual labor so in some regards they have to be stronger.  These women would not only carry some crazy heavy load on top of their heads but they would also simultaneously have a kid strapped to their back and another big purse or kid on an arm.  Add to the fact that they would do this for MILES and I was astounded.  I'll admit I was astounded not only because of the weight they carried but the fact that I have such crappy balance I could never carry something on my head that gracefully (okay, or at all). 

I'll note that the men are strong too :)

There May Not Be Lots of Motorized Equipment But Gas Stations are Everywhere

This was one of those funny things to me.  Not a lot of people have cars or motorbikes but you didn't have to go very far in order to find a gas station.  Sometimes gas stations were freakishly modern and nice while other times it was an old hand pump.

Roads are Crap

Very few roads are paved in Ghana.  And even if they were paved you still had to dodge major potholes.  Sometimes a dirt road was better - sometimes you just had to have faith that there was a road that way.  Here's the funny thing...Google Maps has these many of the tiny two tire track roads on their maps.  Kudos to them.

(yes, this really is a road!)

You Can Buy Anything Roadside

Unlike America or Europe you don't go to a store to get something.  At most there is a 5'x5' shed which people operate out of.  Otherwise, its either on the roadside or on their heads (see above about strong women!).  It didn't matter if you wanted a bra (I'd hate to have a fitting for that on the roadside), a TV, a sofa, a coffin, or food. 

(Their coffins are a bit on the eccentric side)

One tasty thing you can buy everywhere is FanYogo or FanChoco's.  These are frozen treats that have an incredible distribution system. You can buy these cold treats on the roadside in the middle of the jungle and they are frozen solid!

And, let's not forget that all of these places have awesome religiously toned names.

 

The Food is Chicken and Rice or Rice and Chicken

Yes, there is a difference.  One has chicken with a side of rice and the other is rice with a side of chicken.  Got it?  It doesn't matter if its lunch or dinner.

 

Menus Are For Reading, Not For Ordering

Nothing cracked me up more than going into a restaurant and seeing a big menu.  It would get exciting to see the options.  You would order and they would tell you they didn't have it.  Okay, I'll go for the local items.  You would order off of that area a few times until you realized it was better to just ask, "What do you have?"  You know the answer....Chicken and Rice.

The Jungle Is Amazing

Ghana was much prettier than I expected.  It truly is a jungle with beautiful mountains and waterfalls.

 

 

The People are What Make It Special

The real treasure are the people of Ghana.  Everyone I met was happy and helpful.  They put up with me asking them funny questions and trying to learn how to balance things on my head or staring at things I'd never seen before.  Plus, I'm jealous of how beautiful their smiles are with their straight teeth!

You can find these pictures and more from my trip posted in the NEW gallery until my next post. After that, you can find them under their respective "location" or "type" gallery. You can view additional pictures in my Public Gallery or by clicking on the Photo Gallery Tabs above. All pictures are available for purchase.

"Ghana" try to do good in Ghana

As an engineer I've always been jealous of my medical friends who go do volunteer work in third world countries.  I was always asking if I could go carry supplies or do something but was always rejected.  It kind of hurt my feelings.  I've been looking for a long time to find something where I could volunteer and actually use some of my expertise.  I finally found it in Empower Playgrounds Inc. (read more here: http://www.empowerplaygrounds.org/).  This is an extremely cool organization which improves educational opportunities through providing light and innovative learning for remote villages.  For two weeks I looked at processes and hardware as well as trained teachers on the use of simple microscopes for their students.  It was an AMAZING experience.  Below shows some of the impact from EPI. (and another post will be coming just on Ghana itself so stay tuned!)

The schools lack facilities:  From not enough desks or chairs to rudimentary buildings.

 

But, the students are resourceful and make do.  With some small contributions a library and building are born:

The schools lack equipment:  A stick is used for a pointer, for a measurement device, as a scale and I'm sure lots of other things. 

But, the teachers figure out ways to teach as many of the principles as they can.  And, with a little help they have been given the ability to look at things microscopically and start to introduce such concepts as the scientific method, observations, conclusions, comparisons and data gathering.  My favorite was having teachers look at another teachers hair and then my hair.  They thought my hair was so funny looking! 

The schools lack water:  When asking about how close water was they would routinely indicate that it was close. When you would pry it would come out that the closest water source was over a mile away!  With little to no motorized transportation it is a significant chore to get water - especially clean water.  When it would rain anything that could hold water was used to gather it - even plastic bags.

But, a borehole can provide clean water with just a pump of a handle and start the community towards better hygiene and health. 

The schools lack toys:  First world countries take for granted even something as simple as a ball or toy to play with.  It was always heart warming to see how the kids shared everything and made due with what they had.

But, with a small donation a merry go round not only provides fun and enjoyment it also has the ability to generate power.  Between the merry go round and a few solar panels lanterns are charged so that students can have light at night (it is typically dark between 6pm and 6am - and I mean pitch black dark) to read and do chores so that they may have time to go to school.  The community is over joyed when these are put in and many times join in playing on them.  Oh, wait, that's me!

The schools do NOT lack promise - we can make a difference!:  Many of the teachers, although lacking in education themselves, strive to help their students and communities.  The children are excited about learning and everyone has a smile on their face.  It is amazing to see how such small items can make such a lasting impact on these children's future.  I was blessed to be a part of it for a few weeks and will continue to be involved.

You can find these pictures and more from my trip posted in the NEW gallery until my next post. After that, you can find them under their respective "location" or "type" gallery. You can view additional pictures in my Public Gallery or by clicking on the Photo Gallery Tabs above. All pictures are available for purchase - a percentage of the proceeds will go to Empower Playgrounds for pictures from this trip.

To learn more about Empower Playgrounds or to donate please visit:  http://www.empowerplaygrounds.org/