"Filthy water cannot be washed." -West African Proverb

Pure, drinkable water has always bubbled from the hill near the village of Humjibre. This clean water source has sustained generation after generation of villagers through severe dry seasons and periods of drought. The town elders wisely decided to establish a perimeter around the coveted water inside which the discarding of trash, farming, use of pesticides and even the wearing of shoes are forbidden. 

These same practices continue to this day.

 As the community grows, so does the need for more efficient ways of retrieving and transporting water from wells to homes within the community.

During early morning and evening hours, you will see parents and children transporting water in large basins perched on top of their heads from the wells to their homes. All the water that is needed to carry out daily activities (such as cooking, washing, cleaning, showering...etc) is transported in this manner. In addition, most wells have not yet been motorized and require hours of hand pumping to fill these basins.     

GHEI has undertaken a project of raising funds to install motorized pumps and polytanks to supply Humjibre residents with fresh water. This past week GHEI staff and community members helped install a motorized pump to transport the water from a borehole into a polytank which will then be easily accessed by a row of facets that the villagers can use to easily fill their containers with instead of hours of hand pumping.

As the Humjibre community grows so does GHEI's efforts to help support and develop the community.

Photos by Mandy McConaha

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World Malaria Day 2012

Music boomed from the Humjibre Community Center and warm light spilled out of open windows and doors beckoning people to come and join the festivities. The day is World Malaria Day and in Ghana, Malaria is one of, if not the greatest health risk accounting for nearly a third of all deaths in children under 5. The most dangerous malaria parasite, of the 4 that infect humans, is by far most prevalent in Ghana where it accounts for up to 98% of infections.

These facts combined make this an extremely important day to spread the word in Humjibre as well as in the neighboring communities of Soroano and Kojina about preventative measures that each individual can take to protect themselves and their loved ones. Slowly people began to trickle into the Community Center and the seats began to fill with young mothers carrying babes on their backs, old women with lined faces hunched over from years of hard living, and the excitable, squirming bodies of young boys and girls. The music ebbed and members of GHEI's health team, Aggie and Mensah, stood before their community as role models and leaders explaining the causes and effects of Malaria. Nurses from the local clinics were invited to give animated talks about detecting early symptoms and the audience was encouraged to participate in a bednet demonstration as well as a question and answer session. The evening drew to a close with the showing of a short film, featuring a number of GHEI's health staff, that illustrated the symptoms and appropriate treatment of Malaria, and the importance of a proactive approach.

Malaria prevention is a main focus of GHEI’s Health Program and they have tackled this pervasive problem since 2006 by distributing insecticide treated bednet throughout Humjibre and neighboring communities. The beauty of working at the grassroots level is the ability to adapt and hone a program to the unique needs and demands of each community. Knowledge is power and the GHEI health team found that just providing bednets was not enough. Intervention was needed to educate each household on bednet usage with culturally appropriate material and Community Health Workers were trained to be involved in every aspect from planning, distribution, promotion and community support. The combination of these outreach programs and the empowerment of community members were a necessary step to successfully integrate bednet usage into the daily Ghanaian life.

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Planting a Seed

For the past 3 years, the GHEI Health team has motivated the youth in Humjibre to become involved in their hand washing program as Hand Washing Monitors. The Hand Washing Monitor's job is to encourage their fellow peers to learn the best way to prevent the spread of bacteria and germs by encouraging them to wash their hands with soap at the appropriate times. This may seem like a simple feat, however in a village with as limited resources as Humjibre, finding clean water and soap can be quite a challenge.

GHEI has provided 5 local schools with Polytanks that hold fresh water for this very purpose and conducted educational outreaches to help prevent the spread of illnesses caused by lack of cleanliness. Over the years, the program has increased to 13 Hand Washings Monitors who are selected by the head teachers of each school. These children make sure the schools provide both hand washing basins with fresh water as well as soap each day and act as role models to their peer groups, demonstrating the correct way to wash their hands at the correct times.

 To evaluate the success of this peer based program, the GHEI Health team conducted interviews with 129 students selected from each school to see if they could name the correct times to wash their hands. 96% of these students knew that after going to the bathroom was a crucial time, 75% of the students were able to list before eating as also an important time, and 25% said before cooking.

We here at GHEI believe that the best way to promote true change in a community is to plant a seed and cultivate it into fruition. We invest in the smallest individual to empower an entire community.

Above is the smiling face of a recent graduate from our Hand Washing Monitor Program, Godfred Gyening. With the help of the other Hand Washing Monitors, we bid him a happy farewell and all the best in the future. Enjoy!

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From Ghana with love...

I rolled into Humjibre one golden evening, drooping from the heat and trailed by an impressive dust cloud, disturbed by our taxi driver’s superbly honed pothole avoidance skills (or lack there of). A group of smiling children came to greet us and like any dutiful welcoming party, they demanded to help carry my assortment of dusty, mismatched luggage…on their heads!

  
“Akwaaba to Humjibre!”

In just 5 minutes of arriving in the village I will call home for the next year, I've already met a handful of adorable children and discovered a new skill set that just begs for countless hours of practicing! (I’ve already envisioned myself strolling through the airport, coffee in one hand, sweet pastry in another with my carry-on luggage exquisitely balanced on top of my noggin!).

My first week was one of orienting myself to a new community and learning the names and roles of each of our in-country staff. I was welcomed to the GHEI family with drinks at a local watering hole and had the chance to taste my first ‘tot” of the local ginger brew, Burukatu (Warning, the stomach calming medicinal values of the ginger root does NOT transfer over to the alcoholic uses of this plant). 

Our ECL (Early Childhood Literacy) graduation took place this past week and I had the fantastic opportunity to witness it first hand. Our ECL class is one of the newer additions to the GHEI Education Program and offers supplemental classes to primary school students who are falling behind in school.

Photos by Mandolyn

This group of rambunctious munchkins received congratulatory storybooks for excellent attendance and recognition for their hard work. The event concluded with some of the children’s favorite games: Dancing Chairs, the Ghanaian version of Musical Chairs where the children dance instead of run, and Alphabet Floor Tag, where letters are randomly scattered across the floor and the children must run and locate the correct letter that the teacher calls out. The afternoon sunlight streaming through the Community Center windows, illuminated the running feet and smiling faces of our lovely students. 

All in all, my first few weeks in Ghana have been…hot! But also stunning, thanks to my new GHEI family!

Stay tuned for more lively stories, photos and GHEI updates!

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This dynamic duo, who single-handedly change the world through books, blogs and beards, just celebrated their big THREE-OH! Chad (raised in Chad coincidentally), is our almost former Communications Director (almost gone but never forgotten!) and Lawrence (who just welcomed a new baby girl to the family!) acts as our fantastic librarian. These are some of our stunning in-country staff here at GHEI!

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Progress and Patriotism in Humjibre

Pictures by Mandolyn McConaha

On Tuesday, March 6, Ghana celebrated 55 years of independence.  Everyone had the day off except all students in Humjibre, who gathered in their cleanest school uniform (and nicest shoes) at the top of the hill.  Martial drumbeats were heard since early morning and by time Jen and Mandolyn and I made it to the street to watch the parades, students were assembled in rigid lines and were beginning their marching.  Even the very youngest ones, in their purple preschool uniforms, attempted a lock step march, but their big eyes mostly wandered to the raucous crowds lining the street. Teachers rushed alongside, scooting the straying ones back in line.

We followed alongside as the various schools began their marches through town to the football field.  The early morning clouds had lifted, and everyone was in a fantastic mood.  I kept running into people I’d met months back, now back from school or from working in the city and home to celebrate.  I kept getting further behind the festivities, and it began to sink that I am leaving this great place really soon and I have not taken any pictures of these kids! How am I supposed to blog about this?

Fortunately, Mandolyn was there.  Mandolyn McConaha is GHEI’s new communication director, replacing yours truly.  She has spent a lot of time abroad, and even worked in a communication director type role with an NGO in southeast Asia.  She also has a background in photojournalism, so her pictures were going to be way more awesome than mine that day anyways.  Remembering this, I went back to slapping hi-fives with rowdy dudes, and finding food (including someone cooking a “Flying Rat”.  Did you know that rats fly?  They do in Humjibre!)

The schools gathered on the football pitch to march once more, this time past the seated VIPs. As they passed, they delivered swift little salutes.  I asked a spectator, if he did this when he was in school. He told me, with a touch of patriotic nostalgia, that he was the lead drummer during his Junior High years.  I recognized some of the GHEI YEP students, leading their schools.  I spoke to an older gentleman who remembered Ghana’s very early years till now, “Fifty-Five years and not enough progress!”  He didn’t have much hope for seeing a drastically better Ghana, but he thought the kids marching today will. Ghana is still a young country, and people are proud of it.

by Mandolyn McConaha

As you can see if you take a look at our facebook photo album on Ghanaian Independence Day, Mandolyn got some really great shots that day.  I’m excited to see what she does with the blog, and excited for all of you to get a fresh perspective on GHEI’s work.   Even if you know GHEI’s daily grind as well as I do, and you have an idea of what life is like in a progressing Ghana, there’s always a new way of looking at it.   

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Youth on a Learning Tour of Ghana

Leaving in the dark

If you’re a North American, it probably wasn’t until your very late teens that you truly loved the roadtrip. With visions of a high tech Kerouac, you would spend more time excitedly making the ultimate Roadtrip Mixtape than packing...(for you young ones, that’s like an iPod playlist)…But if you’re eleven, and your family decides they’re spending two and a half weeks of precious summertime traveling in fumes of gas, McDonalds, and seat sweat to British Columbia, it’s not so awesome. 

So, on Friday, February 24’th, when GHEI YEP students were assembling for the Youth Learning Tour of this year, a daylong roadtrip across Ghana to see the Akosombo Hydro-Electric Dam, I was a little shocked to see their enthusiasm. Nothing much registered though because I was numbed by the outrageous hour we were meeting.  The night was dark and cool; a serious rainstorm had beat down Humjibre the night before.  Power was out and the moon and stars were blanketed out by thick, lingering clouds.  

Humjibre Athletics and Football Gala 2012

By Saga.  All photos by Saga.

A player on Muoho Primary Football team and Anglican Supporters behind him

The Humjibre schools athletics and football Gala competition was held on 20^th – 24^th February 2012 and consisted of 4 primary schools and 3 JHS. Many peoples were there and excited about this event.  The best students in athletics and football school winners will go to Bekwai to also meet the best students in athletics and football from other schools. 

The schools are as follows:  Anglican primary school, Christ Redeemer preparatory school, Muoho primary school, D/C primary school, Anglican Junior High School, Muoho Junior High School, Christ Redeemer preparatory Junior High School.

Here are the results from the Athletics:

Careers! Opportunities! Lectures! 2012!

This past Friday, GHEI staff and volunteers presented the annual Career Opportunity Lecture Series, a chance for students in their second year of Junior High School (JHS) to get a look at what sort of careers are out there, how you can achieve it, and how to properly register for Senior High School (SHS). 

I was a bit surprised when we started this event on time, but not a bit surprised when I heard us starting this event as we do all, with pulse-pounding dance music, even at 10 am on a weekday.  The JHS students lining up to register for the event didn't seem to notice.  Were they too cool too dance?  The sullenness of adolescence is a universal truth… 

When all 86 students from the schools in Humjibre and Muoho had taken the bright, plastic chairs, Happy began explaining what the purpose of the day was, and the minute details of the schedule. Happy had assured me the day before, there would be no delays! He even pounded his fist into his hand, like he was striking a gong...it scared me a little.

We're Still Accepting Applications for Serve and Learn 2012!!

...but hurry! Spots are filling fast!

You can still apply to spend meaningful moments with young women from Humjibre, learning about their lives and sharing your own, while encouraging them to achieve success these girls never thought possible but is so clearly in their grasp, in the Girls Empowerment session.

You can still apply to get a taste of the enthusiasm and joy that young students in Humjibre take in reading and being read to, while supporting the education system in Ghana by lending your own enthusiasm to literacy themed lessons in all local public schools, in the Read and Play session.  

You can still apply to catch a glimpse of what team work and community building can mean to young people here and help organize one of the most highly anticipated sporting events of the year in Humjibre, in the Kickin it in Ghana session.

You can still apply to take part in our effective malaria prevention program that protects entire villages from Malaria through bed nets and education, in the Malaria Prevention session.  

But in all these sessions you get a chance to live life in rural Ghana, and work with people from Humjibre, for Humjibre.

If this and the chance to tour some of Ghana's most culturally significant spots interests you, don't think too long on it!  Apply now!

Learn more about Summer Serve and Learn

Session Descriptions / FAQ / Application 

Email Application to Tabatha at apply@ghei.org

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