Chapter 76...The final Ghanaversary countdown (for 2011)!

As most of you are aware today is my last day in Ghana as a VSO volunteer and what a mission it has been to complete everything before my flight back to the UK tonight, but finally after some last minute packing I am ready for home. Obviously anyone who has read my blog throughout this emotional rollercoaster nine and a half months (think I've had more ups and downs than a pregnant woman) knows exactly how my VSO experience has been. That said, I have reverted back to my good old Ghanaversary countdowns one last time to give a few summaries of the adventure that was... 

Five things I am looking forward to going home to:

1. My loved ones - friends and family who I have missed dearly throughout this time, but who have remained constants in my life
2. The cold! Not spending 24 hours a day with a sweat on
3. Toilets. Everywhere having a toilet, and a flushing one with running water at that!
4. Feeling clean and being able to run my fingers through my hair
5. Cinemas, restaurants, country walks, road trips, nights out, nights in (OK this one is cheating slightly as clearly I am cramming a lot into one point, but I guess the general vibe would be 'socialising and doing new things')

 Five things I will miss about Ghana:

1. Walking down Commercial St and around Bolga market where people greet, smile and know my name.
2. All year round sunshine. It really is hard not to smile when the sun is shining all the time!
3. The freedom of hopping on my moto and feeling the breeze dry my sweat as I ride.
4. Jana. The little village outside Tamale that has worked its way into my heart.
5. GMT. At first it was frustrating, but really it has allowed me the time to do everything I want to do.

Five things I will not miss about Ghana:

1. Mosquitoes, ants, bugs, insects! Anything that can land on me, crawl on me, bite me!
2. Sweat! I will not miss sweating all day everyday and sometimes even finishing a cold shower drenched in sweat!
3. My moto breaking down on me ALL the time!
4. MTN internet when on green light.
5. Waiting for tros to fill - arriving at the tro park to find a tro has just left and the next one to fill is a 37 seater! 

OK a few contradictions there, but the lines are so blurry it's hard to distinguish the likes and dislikes sometimes...oh wait...I'm going and coming so I'll be back in Ghana for six months next year (visa permitting), back onto a positive note...

Five things I am looking forward to going and coming back to:

1. VSO friends. For keeping me on the straight and narrow (somehow)!
2. My best Jana friend Aminatu. I cannot wait to spend six months watching this little girl grow and in any small way I can, shaping her future.
3. Three ceiling fans in the main room of the house. Come March and April when the heat is scorching, these will be much appreciated!
4. Taxis and push bikes. No more wearing combat trousers and trainers in the boiling hot sun because I need to ride my moto everywhere! Sun dresses and skirts here I come!
5. The challenge.

And on that note it is now time for me to start my journey home, Ghana I will go (small time), England I am coming...

Chapter 75...The second giving of thanks

The sleepy town of Lawra in the Upper West region of Ghana did not know what hit it last week as Upper East, Central and Accra volunteers descended on Lawsec Secondary School all in the name of American Thanksgiving. The week was fun filled, food filled and friends filled, perfect for my last few days in Ghana (for 2011)...

Part I: S'mores ("I want some more" - "I want s'more")
Tuesday evening saw us starting a fire in the driest season known to Ghana, probably not the smartest of moves, but we (G-dog) managed to keep it under control and not burn down the entire school campus. The two Americans gave the three Brits a step-by-step run through on how to melt marshmallows and create the perfect s'more 'sandwich' using honey made Graham crackers as the 'bread' and Hersheys chocolate as the filling. Having chomped our way through plenty s'mores, we then set the World to rights over a few beers...

The pledge!

Team UK and team America, united for a photo!

Happy s'mor-ing!

Part II: The slaughter!
Wednesday we witnessed the murder/killing/slaughter of our Thanksgiving turkey - SMW! The Abster and Kelly were in charge of slaughtering the 20lb turkey and I think the only way to best describe the event is through photographic evidence...

The chase for SMW!

SMW's moms and aunts!

The walk to death!

The Abster questioning her murder skills!

Some may say Enoch to the rescue!

The fight!

The tears!

All hands on deck for the gutting!

The 'Sunlight' clean bird!

The washing of evidence!

Part III: Thanksgiving Day
Following the trauma of the previous day, Thursday the long awaited thanksgiving day arrived, as did our cooked golden turkey...

We made 'turkey thanksgiving hands' under the supervision and guidance of the Americans.  It did remind me of a primary school class back home, especially when we had to put our hands up to speak and check whether everyone was safe using scissors, but was a very fun kick-off to the days activities. We then proceeded to write on our turkey hands what we were thankful for both in Ghana and at home. Some examples were 'flushing toilets, seasons and raid bug spray to mute all the cockroaches.' 

Our thanksgiving dinner was a feast of delights cooked up by the two Americans. It included turkey, stuffing, gravy, roasted veg with...cornbread and biscuits...huh!? This was a challenge for us Brits to comprehend and earnt me a telling off (and deduction of points) when I tried to cut mine with a knife and fork (a new concept to the Americans)...

The table after we were through with dinner!

Following dinner we were all thoroughly fit to burst so spent the rest of the afternoon  on the sofas (imagine hard wood here and not comfortable at all) watching 'the game.' Thanks to GB we had a projector to display the bears (cubs) v eagles (penguins) game that Kelly downloaded from a couple of weeks ago. Two and a half hours later the game was over and we were ready for more food...

Part IIII: The morning after...
The last day of our marathon thanksgiving week saw more volunteers arrive for round two. We crammed into one day all the fun we had spread across three and managed to enjoy three times the laughter and happiness as well. With more turkey hands, food, the game, s'mores and camp fire sing-alongs, I don't think any of us could have asked for a better ending to the week...

Our second day of feasting!

With THE Americans!

Some late night leftovers!

As you may be able to tell already, it really was an absolutely brilliant introduction to American Thanksgiving (Ghana style) that wouldn't have been possible without the packages sent over by Abbie and Kelly's families...we owe a finger on our turkey hands to all of them for making it possible. Also to the Abster for hosting the week long event, to Kelly for being American and to the others for somehow including me in team UK, although we all know it was team Togo that won the race!

Chapter 74...The Jana farewell (for 2011)

The taxi pulls up to the compound I now know so well in the little village of Jana, Tamale. As I look out of the window I notice there are no children around. They are not sitting by the sides of their mothers as they prepare food and order the children to run small errands. They are not playing and fighting with each other in the small space in front of the compound gate. They are not returning from one of their many roaming trips. They are simply nowhere to be seen. Then I remember it is Friday morning and they are in the school situated just behind the compound. My heart sinks a little, for as much as I enjoy the company of the adults in the compound, I much prefer that of the children, mainly because we find a way to communicate and have fun with each other despite the fact I speak very little (read as: no) Dagbani, the local language of Tamale.

We step out of the taxi as I beg for some last minute Dagbani revision and as if by magic, the children of Jana come running around the corner of one of the huts and flood the compound with noise, laughter and life. They are a swarm of bees darting in different directions, whirling around in a hurry, each with their own agenda for their short break from class, mainly chopping food.  After the usual ritual of greetings, we settle on a bench in the shade and I wait for the children to calm down and rid themselves of the initial nerves they feel whenever I visit. Soon we are back on familiar turf with me mesmerised by all of them, and them as equally mesmerised back. This time though there is a new area of fascination that we haven't experienced before - my hair. For some reason pulling my hair out and attempting to attach it to their soft bald heads is the entertainment for the morning. 

Break time is soon over and the compound clears to just Mustafa, Al Has, Amina and myself. These three are among the eldest children in the compound and should also be in school today, but are unable to attend because their father cannot afford their tuition fees. They spend the next hour explaining their situation to me and how it makes them feel, my heart bleeds. All three of them have passed their end of year exams and been accepted to Junior High or Senior Secondary schools, which started back in September, meaning they have missed two months of the school year already and are set to miss even more. Tuition fees are 300 GhC (£125) per child per year and currently there is not even enough money to send one child to school, let alone all three. I dare to ask the question "who would their father choose to send to school if he only managed to raise enough funds to send one child?" They answer in the most adult manner, with a thought-through analytical explanation that it would probably be Al Has. 

The rain was scarce this year in Tamale, it came late and left early. As I understand it, this left many farmers with very little to sell on, for example to market traders, meaning their income for the year is low. Mustafa, Al Has and Amina walk me through the process of harvesting and selling, telling me how much they are expected to make from the little they have managed to farm this year. As Amina turns the rice that has been laid on the ground to dry under the African sun I realise that this is their everything. They explain that once farming season is over their father will use the money to pay off some of his bank loans, then take out a further loan in order to subsidise their low income. My head is spinning with numbers of bags, costs to buy, costs of schooling, costs of living, but even my non-mathematical brain can figure out that the chances of these children attending school this academic year are extremely low. 

This gets me thinking...how many people back home could afford £125 or part of £125 to help one of these children further their education...plenty is the answer. If a school in the UK sponsors a child through a year of the Ghana education system, both parties would benefit. All those school children back home learning from text books could be given the opportunity for a more interactional learning experience by following the case study of a Ghanaian child. They could send letters to each other, photos, videos, they could Skype and form a friendship and relationship with someone living in extreme and often harsh conditions in West Africa. In return a Ghanaian child could be given the chance to do the only thing in the World they want to do, become educated. It is a fight here that plenty of children are willing to take on in order to save themselves and their families from further hard times. These three children tell me they do not want to be farmers like their father, but instead aspire to work hard to better their lives and those of others, and I totally believe them. I do however, question the sustainability of giving a helping hand, because the same farming and lack of money issues will no doubt arise again, and then what will they do? If only there was some work for Hussain during the dry season when farming stops, then there would be less dependency on the short rainy season to supply funds for the entire year. But, life is too short, and these childrens possible education is passing them by, which is a huge injustice, because they are all fabulously intelligent and brilliant human beings who deserve that chance. So when I return home I will be on a mission to raise as much money as possible for at least one of these future stars of Ghana to become the person I know they can be...

Our last Jana visit for 2011 is coming to an end and although I am hot, sweaty and covered in tiny, red dust footprints I am sad to say goodbye. Even though I will miss everyone, I will definitely miss my little buddy Aminatu the most. This one is fiesty, trouble-making and a little terror, but deep down she is unbelievably vulnerable and a softy at heart. She reminds me of someone I know...

Aminatu rocking out the shades!

So much will happen in my life over the next two months before I return to Ghana at the end of January - I will see friends and family again, I will spend two weeks in Canada, I will pack up my things to return and I will say the next round of goodbyes. I can't help but wonder how much will occur in Jana during that time, but I cross my fingers it will all be good!

Chapter 73...The letter!

VSO...you have brought me the most turbulent 'working year' of my life, which I didn't think was possible after my time at GEO. In the UK you assessed and accepted me to volunteer overseas, you sent me on two long weekends of pre-departure training and you found me a placement that on paper suited my skill set ideally. To put it bluntly, you set me up for what was to be the most incredible, life-changing (mine and others) experience of my life, one that I would look back on for eternity with fondness. In some ways you and I set my expectations high, which excited and motivated me to step foot on that plane knowing what I would lose as a result! And to be fair, in so many ways you have given me experiences to look back on with an unbelievable amount of happiness, I just wish that was enough, and I question why it is not...It would appear that seven weeks of holiday, finding a man to fall in love with and who loves me back, as well as making some wonderful friends isn't enough! Evidently I need more in my life to feel fulfilled, that more is work. Something to not snooze my alarm for in the morning, something to feel great about when clambering into bed at night. Something to talk endlessly to others about. Something to feel proud of. VSO you have not succeeded in giving me any of these things!

You have however, brought me a better understanding of organisational structuring and development, something I was passionate about before ever meeting you. The way you work VSO, it's not for me, it doesn't work with my brains programming. I'm not chilled out and relaxed enough, for you are the most laid back organisation I have ever met. And now the time has come for me to tell you, honestly, all the things that frustrate me about you, and be prepared for there are many...

1. There is no substance behind you. You are an international development charity working all over the World, but what do you even mean. Your recruitment countries appear to have no consistency in their assessment process, their messages, their communication with volunteers. Your placement countries appear to have no idea what VSO stands for, what it means to be a volunteer and what the overall strategy of the organisation is. Do you even know this VSO? Do you even know what you are trying to achieve anymore and how best to do that?
2. The way you partner. This is my biggest gripe because it is so unbelievably obvious little or no work is done on this prior to flying volunteers out to placement. Do you actually try to figure out what an organisations needs are with an international volunteer? Do you ask the right questions to ascertain if they know how best to use a volunteer and their skills? Do you ask them what they want from a volunteer? Do you know what the organisations strategic plans are and how the volunteer and their placement fits into that? Do you know how motivated the staff are to work with a volunteer? I don't think you do!
3. Capacity building, well isn't this just a load of fluff if the partnering isn't done right in the first place. If the organisation are not in a place to have their capacity built, as a whole or on an individual basis, then how is placing a volunteer there going to change anything? Volunteers would be better utilised if placed with people who are keen to create a change in their field, rather than placing volunteers where motivation first has to be built, before any work can then be carried out. Or if this is the case, make that the placement, that is a big enough task on its own surely. There are plenty of people in your placement countries who would make the most of a volunteer, so why do you not partner with these people?
4. Your placement objectives. These just go to show that you are doing everything back-to-front and inside-out, because you have a set of structured, rigid objectives for a number of placements rather than individual placement outlines. If you did some ground work prior to placement then the objectives would be specific to each role, rather than stating that all volunteers in the CASO role should be doing x,y and z. Surely each CASO's objectives are specific to where their GES office is at with that piece of work. And don't even get me started on the MSO role where a volunteer is told to carry out a Guided Self Assessment Process on an organisation. Whose capacity does that build? What happens to that GSAP document after the volunteer has left? Nothing, because no-one in the office has ownership of it, no-one in the office knows what it is and no-one wanted it. If it is a baselining activity then use it as that, rather than just letting it sit doing nothing once complete.
5. The way you run programme offices. Is it not a little ridiculous that you send volunteers out to a country to build capacity of organisations, yet employ locals who have never worked in this field before to run VSO programme offices and programmes. Now don't get me wrong, this is obviously the ideal situation, but you appear to have slipped off the stepping stones to get to this stage. Programme managers who are unable to develop long-term strategies, to communicate with their volunteers, to assess and monitor placements and partnerships, are not ideal. Why has no capacity building with your own office staff taken place? Surely this is a group of motivated and engaged people right there for volunteers to work with?
6. I told you there were plenty, but finally...the cohesion of your volunteers. You have around 60 people in country at any given time, all working independently from one another. You make no effort to draw these people together, to share their working ideas and best practices. You are perfectly happy to leave them floating along with no encouragement, no accountability, no montioring, no strategy, nothing! Do you really care about what work these people are doing? Well I can answer that one, because from first-hand experience I know that the answer is no! Volunteers roam wherever they like, whenever they like and they know that not a soul will care or even know that they have been roaming, or that they have returned!

So VSO that is it and it appears I am not the only one feeling this way... (click here for recent VSO volunteer survey results)! I have learnt so much more from this experience than you have from me, and that saddens me. But you have given me an amazing amount of knowledge on myself and organisations, that I will ensure stays with me for the rest of time. You have brought me closer to myself than I ever thought I could be and that's impressive because I already thought I knew myself pretty well before embarking on this journey. Or maybe you have allowed me to identify with a 'new' me, a different me that has emerged over the past nine months. You have made me question what drives me and why I struggled to be proactive in the environment I found myself in. You have allowed me to meet some Ghanaians that I have not enjoyed the company of, but who have made me look inwards to myself and my own morals. You have introduced me to some of the friendliest, warmest people I have ever met, who always greet me with joy when I return to the office from one of my roaming adventures. You have shown me through a handful of hard-working people what it really means to be human and motivated in one of the most de-motivating environments I have ever experienced. These people keep at it no matter what is going on around them, and I envy those people, because if I had managed that then this chapter may not be ending as quickly as it is.

However I am me, and that means I got weighed down by the six points above and I allowed them to take over. But that happened for a reason, as did immersing myself in the world of other organisations where the contrast in organisational operations couldn't be greater. I believe it happened this way, because at some point in my life I will be deeply involved in the operational systems of an organisation and I can draw on this experience to direct my actions. So VSO I thank you. It has been a totally incredible chapter that I will no doubt keep glancing back at for the rest of life. But now the page is turning as the sun sets on you and wakes in the morning with a whole new adventure ahead...

Chapter 72...The lasts!

This week is a week full of lasts for me in Bolga...

• My last day at the GES office.
• My last moto ride on my big red mean machine.
• My last stroll around the market.
• My last stop-off at the local shop on my way home to buy all my daily essentials.
• My last chat with Sister Akua at lunchtime while I munch on fruit.
• My last sleep in my room.
• My last bit of baking in the oven.
• My last egg 'n' bread at Travellers. 
• My last hold of the adorable baby (whose name I can't spell) at work.
• My last tro ride to Tamale.

I am super excited about the adventure that lies ahead in starting a new Ghana life in Tamale, but I am also deeply sad about leaving Bolga behind. The biggest reason for my sadness is that somehow I managed to live my life for nine months not realising just how much this place has touched me. How much the people I see on a daily or weekly basis mean to me and how emotionally challenging it will be to say goodbye when I get on that tro to leave. Doing all these 'lasts' really is closing the chapter on 'Hannahs Volunteer Story' leaving the big question...what next?