My Favorite Memory: I have a lost of favorite memories. It was a very positive experience. My memories center on the children. If I had to pick just one memory, I suppose that I would pick the day that the cook at the School became ill and the students did not have lunch. They were dismissed early and Letty and I went with 10 of the students and bought each of them a loaf of bread which they promptly ate. We then went to a local drinking spot and had cokes. I think it was a real treat for the children.
I was surprised that…. Malaria was universal among the inhabitants of Kpando. There was virtually no one outside of the volunteers that did not have malaria. I was also surprised at the poor state of the educational system in Kpando. It was rare to find teenagers who new there multiplication tables. There does not seem to be much learning going on in the public primary schools. My only hope is that it is better in the population centers of Accra and Kumasi.
The most difficult thing I experienced was…. I had a somewhat difficult time with my stomach. I always do initially but this time diarrhea was followed by the most severe constipation I have experienced. There were very few vegetables in the diet. I was able to obtain a bag of prunes from one volunteer, and a bottle of “Benefiber” from another volunteer and the problem was solved with some difficulty in a few days. After that, I found a woman in town that sold popcorn and that also helped.
My best received lesson… As with most third world countries, poverty is pervasive and the level of poverty is astounding. We were told that while a government worker might get up to the equivalent of $200 per month, most people subsisted on the equivalent of $1.00 to $1.50 per day. This made relationships more important than property. The Ghanians live in extended family situations which eases the burden on any one individual. Most families have a plot of land on which to grow fruit and vegetables. Because of this most people had enough to eat but had little else. My previous impression, that it is often those who have the least who will readily share what little they have with those in even greater need, was reinforced by this experience.
Tip for future volunteers… (Clothing, travel, personal items, donations, sightseeing etc)
Take medicines for constipation as it is difficult to get fiber into your diet. Especially if you are an old guy like me. Volunteers should probably take an umbrella. If you are fair-skinned, it will help shield you from the intense sunlight. If you go during the rainy season, heat is interrupted each day by periods of strong rainfalls and the umbrella would be of use then also. One weekend, we took a day trip to Wlii Falls. It was well worth it. Very beautiful. Some volunteers may find the Grotto at the Immaculate Conception to be inspiring. It had life-size stations of the cross scattered throughout a jungle mountain terrain and huge statues of St. Bernadette and Mary. Even if the volunteer is not religious, the display is impressive. We also went to the monkey sanctuary that is located about 30 minutes from Kpando by taxi. I did not feel that was time well spent. The tour lasted about 10 minutes and a few monkeys came down from the canopy and took a few bananas from our hands. Considering the time and expense involved, I could not recommend it.
Personal Paragraph (Testimonial):
Even at 65, I learned a lot from this experience. I formed close bonds to 2 men while I was there. Peter, who is ABV’s country coordinator’s (Edem’s) father, and Prosper, who was Isaac’s right hand man and a teacher at the School. Both men became my mentors and taught me much about the history, culture, and political landscape of Ghana. I also formed a friendship with the children I met. The people of Kpando are used to seeing North Americans and Europeans in volunteer roles. They have one of the major hospitals in the region that attracts many medical volunteers and they have 3 or 4 orphanages that also attract many volunteers. They are, however, not used to seeing a male my age volunteering in these positions. Since we were busy at the hospital, the home, and the school, we walked around town a lot and soon everyone knew us. We made a great effort to learn a little more Ewe than the basic greetings, and our ability to respond correctly to several different greetings and phrases, seemed to both amuse and please the people we encountered.
How would you rate your experience working with the ABV staff, both in the USA, and in-country? Sarah was great. She responded in hours, if not minutes, to every question or concern we had. Edem was very busy while we were there. But he did have us stay in Accra for a day and personally gave us a tour of that city. Once we arrived in Kpando, for the first part of the stay, he would visit with us at least a couple times a day. At the time his major focus was the construction of a new home for the orphanage center. After a few weeks, he was off to Europe for speaking and fundraising activities and his brother, James, was available whenever we needed him. As stated, we also had Edem’s father and mother to help us with any problems we might have encountered. I am fully satisfied with my working relationship with all ABV staff.
How would you describe your accommodation ( ie: host family, on-site, shared housing etc) We were with a host family. It was an extended family compound. We had a large room to ourselves and we took our meals on the porch. The room was somewhat Spartan by U.S. standards, but more comfortable and roomy than that afforded other Ghanians or family members in that compound. The shower was enclosed and was private enough so as not to offend our western sense of privacy. The latrine was a squat hole and but had locks on it so that no one could see you or burst in on you. It is, however, the one facet of Kpando life that I will not miss at all. Meals were great and always on time. We were often served more food than we could consume. Mary, took great care to serve us only things that we liked. If she made a meal that we did not eat much of, we did not see it again. I was not eating much meat while I was there, but she made sure that I had eggs for protein instead. I really liked the host family experience and felt that, because of it, we got a more genuine experience than we would have had we been assigned to a volunteer house apart from a family setting.
Are you willing to speak to other potential ABV volunteers? Yes.
Timothy Volunteer in Volta Region, Ghana (Kpando)
