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Project Reports
December 2006
2007
November 2006
October 2006
September 2006
August 2006
2008
REPORTS FROM THE VILLAGE
PROJECT REPORT: December 2006
World Aids Day was a great start to the month. We held a football competition in the morning which was very well attended and great fun. Luke and Ishmael acted as referees (at considerable risk to their personal safety). Thomas’s youth team did excellently and made it through to the final, and had the vast majority of the crowd on their side against eventual winners and pre-tournament favourites, the OB Stars. The DJ acted as commentator to the matches, and all in all it was a very popular event. Most people seemed to continue on to the rest of the World Aids Day events in the hall, where a huge crowd amassed (both inside and outside the hall). We were privileged to have some very distinguished guests in attendance from the District Council, and also the chief’s representative and his elders, as well as the chief of Kojina. School teachers and students from Bekwai and Muoho also attended. The afternoon was mainly focused on fun stuff, with dramas, singing etc, and just a few short speeches (Marcelline’s demonstration of a female condom complete with foam vagina and wooden penis had the hall in absolute silence!). So it was an exhausted but very happy GHEI team that went for a well-deserved beer at Sister Comfort’s that night. Christmas in the village heralded the arrival of Ilona’s parents in the village. They had a great time here, and we were visited by many people who all wanted to greet them. They enjoyed a tour of the village with Clement, a visit to Sister Comfort’s and the egg sandwich stall, lots of time playing with the kids, and lots of hand shaking! They were also very happy to meet the chief of the village who happened to be here over Christmas.
(BACK TO TOP)PROJECT REPORT: November 2006
The beginning of the month saw a nationwide anti measles / polio / malaria campaign. The community hall was used for the inoculation procedure and Marceline was very happy with the support we offered. The malaria campaign meant that all under 2 year olds in the village should, in theory at least, have a mosquito net to sleep under. The community hall was also used as a barracks for the night by a number of army soldiers who had come to mourn the passing of a former comrade who hailed from the village. This meant that the early morning quiet was disturbed not only by the ravings of the loudspeakerman but also by a rendition of ‘TAPS’ played on a trumpet. The preparations for construction of the new library complex are underway. Following a trip to Kumasi we have purchased all the necessary materials. We are now awaiting the inauguration of a new unit committee (with a new female assembly woman) before mobilization of the community can take place. We are excited about the possibilities of the new space and have already had lots of new ideas to involve the community in its use. Towards the end of the month we were pleased to welcome a new member of GHEI staff. Ishmael Abeyea is a graduate of the University of Legon and his thesis was on ‘community psychology and HIV/AIDS’. He is sure to be a valuable member of the team and we look forward to working with him. He will contribute his skills to both the education and health programmes and has already enthusiastically begun his work.
(BACK TO TOP)PROJECT REPORT: October 2006
GHEI met with the new Unit Committee at the mid point of the month. We explained the work of GHEI and introduced ourselves and were met with enthusiasm by the newly elected representatives of the village. The Phase 2 expansion was made a central part of discussions and the new committee woman and her associates all expressed their determination to make the project a success. The new unit committee structure is 10 elected representatives from the ‘north’ of the village, 5 from the ‘south’ and 5 political representatives from the ruling party. As the ruling party reps have still yet to be appointed, all work that the unit committee does is currently unofficial so we eagerly await these steps being taken. Once they have given their approval, we are all set to break ground on the new library building. Harvesting of cocoa has begun in earnest. As this has meant the villagers of Humjibre have more spare cash, the village has been enlivened. Funerals which had been put off for 3 months have taken place, the usual ‘hiplife’ music is played that much louder in the Libya bar, and the effect has even dribbled down to the kids, who have been indulging in crazes such as whistles, harmonicas, tiny red torches and firecrackers. On our part, we are looking forward to finding out the results of an appropriate technologies intervention we organized on behalf of cocoa growers. The association has retained a high turnout for regular meetings in the Community Centre and, adequate rainfall permitting, we are hoping for a bumper harvest for villagers to enjoy. The current interns, Luke and Ilona have been busy trying to create a vegetable/flower garden to improve the surroundings of the community centre and provide some variety to their diet. As they are using organic techniques, they naively hope that the considerable interest that their efforts have generated in the village will translate into others adopting similarly sustainable methods. Although pretty amateurish, they are hoping that enthusiasm and willpower will enable a good crop for them as well.
(BACK TO TOP)PROJECT REPORT: September 2006
This month saw the changeover of western volunteers. Thanks and praise must be heaped upon Katie and Chris for their sterling work in the service of GHEI over the past 7 months. They will be greatly missed in the village, not least for their patronization of the local egg sandwich and red-red stalls. Following a month of orientation, the outgoing interns were given a farewell party at Sister Comfort’s drink spot. They have been replaced by two British born volunteers called Luke Caley and Ilona Johnston. Wide-eyed and eager, these two have set about their work by recruiting a mangy pup called Mr Scruff and starting work on the area in front of the living quarters in order to convert it into a vegetable patch. As well as providing some home-grown succour, they also hope to use their experience of using organic farming practices, such as composting and crop mixing, to good use in the education of the village’s farmers. The exit of Chris and Katie coincided with the departure of some of the villagers involved with the project, namely those students who have graduated to Secondary School, starting next month. Despite some initial confusion regarding the students’ status due to an 11th hour change in the schools’ selection criteria imposed by the government, we were sad to say goodbye (for now) to a number of committed students. The outgoing English programme students and Youth Peer Educators were honoured in a ceremony, to which their Parents were also invited. As well as certificates and t-shirts, the students were given some timely words of advice as they set off on their new adventure. The ceremony was also used to welcome their replacements in the English and YPE programmes. We hope they perform as well as our new alumni. The election of a new Unit Committee took place on 26th September. Interestingly, the two candidates for the post of Assembly person were both women. The first meeting with the victor, scheduled for Wednesday October 11th is awaited with some eagerness. Part of our eagerness to meet them stems from our exciting news. We plan to break ground on the new Library building as soon as we are able to solicit the support and assistance of the community, so hopefully in the next couple of weeks. The library is currently full to overflowing almost every night so this is a necessary as well as ambitious next phase in the GHEI project.
(BACK TO TOP)PROJECT REPORT: August 2006
Over the past three months students in their final year of Junior Secondary School have been out of class as they await test results for admission into Senior Secondary School. During this time students in the GHEI Supplemental English Program have been doing a series of community service projects around the village. These projects included the cleaning and re-roofing of a local well, beautifying the community center by rebuilding a fence and planting grass, and donating some dustbins to the three government school in the village. An even greater accomplishment though, was that these students planned and implemented these projects entirely on their own! At least once a week they held meetings to plan their projects and diligently worked to achieve their goals. The students have also internalized the concept of service by their decision to continue their relationship with GHEI by doing occasional upkeep on the grounds around the community center whenever they return to Humjibre. Clearly these students deserve congratulation and they have set a great example for future GHEI students.
To mark the end of the school year, a health quiz was organized by the Youth Peer Educators to assess primary school children’s knowledge of basic health issues of concern to the community, such as malaria, puberty, HIV/AIDS and worms. These topics were addressed in some form or other during the school year, either through events or YPE health outreach in the schools. Each of the three primary schools (Anglican, DC and Deeper) selected two of their best students to represent the school and compete against the others in the quiz. A big audience of teachers and students turned up to encourage their team and cheer for them. Deeper won the quiz, with DC and Anglican close behind. All students performed well, proving the extent of their awareness of health matters of crucial importance to themselves and their community. The outcome of the quiz also serves as a reminder that the good work of Youth and Adult Peer Educators has born its fruit.
On the 30th of August, the Adult Peer Educators successfully staged health outreach sessions specifically targeting seamstresses and hairdressers. These two groups of professionals, made up almost entirely of women in the late teens to late twenties, are deemed to be particularly vulnerable to Sexually Transmitted Diseases and unwanted pregnancy, as many are unmarried and easily manipulated due to their young age and lack of experience. Throughout the course of the day, the Adult Peer Educators held three successive talks in three different parts of the village, reaching out to approximately 40 seamstresses/hairdressers and their clients, as well as about 25 taggers-on who showed interest in the subject. Explanations on the transmission modes and symptoms of the different diseases were given, after which pictures were shown of what can happen to people’s skin (particularly the genital area) if they contract AIDS and/or other STDs. Condoms were also distributed. People were remarkably attentive to what their Peer Educators had to tell them. All in all, the event was a big success.
(BACK TO TOP)PROJECT REPORT: July 2006
As part of their enrolment in the JSS Supplemental English Program students in Form 3 (their last year) are expected to do a significant community service project. Since this year marks the inaugural class of Form 3 students we are happily pleased with the projects that the students have undertaken and the example they will set for the future. Their first project was to clean up around the traditional well/spring. Besides extensive weeding and sweeping of the overgrown area, they also replaced several roofing sheets which were slowly collapsing and threatening sanitation. In addition to this project they also have repaired the fence around the Community Center and planted grass which they hope will take root in newly turned soil. Just as impressive as their actual projects, is that the students have been able to hold their planning meetings entirely without supervision. All of the ideas have been their own and they have demonstrated an ability to organize and plan which will serve them well in their future careers.
The Second Summer Serve and Learn session held the first annual Malaria Day event in the village. Taking place in the Community Center, the day’s activities began with a group of JSS summer camp students singing a song in Twi about the dangers of malaria. Afterwards numerous educational materials were put on display and people who brought their bednets from home had the opportunity to retreat them with insecticide free of charge. The highlight of the event, however, was the distribution insecticide treated bednets in a lottery targeting pregnant women and women with small children. Although hectic, the event did succeed in distributing in over 50 bednets to people in need within the village which will undoubtedly have a positive health effect in Humjibre. Adam, one of the volunteers also made a sizable donation of medical supplies to both the Bibiani hospital and the Humjibre Clinic
The month of July also saw the Adult Peer Educators back at Unique FM, the local radio station, performing their Family Planning drama on air in the local Sefwi language. They were accompanied by Katie, Clement, and two of the Serve and Learn volunteers, who were all impressed by the ease with which the women (and our one male peer educator!) delivered their dialogue. The peer educators also made use of the occasion to explain what GHEI does, to send greetings to family and friends in Humjibre, and to inform the general public of the upcoming Malaria Day events. They were much congratulated the next day in Humjibre by fellow villagers who had been listening to the radio at the time.
(BACK TO TOP)PROJECT REPORT: June 2006
On June 6th George Danso came to speak as part of GHEI’s ongoing Career Opportunity Lecture Series. These events are designed to provide information about what sorts of possible careers exist as well as well as introducing students to successful role models from their community. As a successful entrepreneur George spoke about his career doing graphic and textile design. He also stressed the importance of hard work and never giving up and related several example of his past failings before he became successful. The example of when he placed 30th in a class of only 29 students was especially well received. Later in the month George returned to Humjibre and instructed the first session of summer Serve and Learn volunteers about how to do Batik tie and dye
The first session of Summer Serve and Learn was a great success. Their project was to distribute 600 deworming tablets to students under ten years of age at the three primary schools in Humjibre. This program was assisted by the efforts of eight Form 3 Junior Secondary School students who worked with the Serve and Learn volunteers throughout their stay in the village. During their two weeks in Humjibre the foreign volunteers were always accompanied by Ruth who has taken on responsibility as a local Serve and Learn coordinator and guide.
In the early hours of Sunday the 25th of June, four Adult Peer Educators clambered excitedly into a bush taxi, and were soon heading away from Humjibre towards the PPAG training centre in Ofoase-Kokoben, near Kumasi. The week spent at this pleasant, breezy place together with about 90 other educators-to-be was by all accounts an unforgettable one. Not only has the experience provided them with a good understanding of reproductive health matters, it has also given the recently recruited peer educators a better sense of their own mission within the village, besides placing reproductive health issues inside a more global context, of concern to people and villages throughout Ghana. Needless to say, Yaa, Rose, Lydia and Richard returned from Ofoase full of motivation and ideas on how to improve the Adult Peer Education program.
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