“I was a coca farmer at Soroano the first time I heard about GHEI. Some Obruni’s [foreigners, originally meaning is ‘the ones from over the horizon’] came and surveyed the community about malaria in Soroano in 2007. We were a little scared with these Obruni’s in our village, but that’s when we heard, ‘There is a NGO in Humjibre and that is why we are here.’
You see, in Soroano, because of the river, we have so many malaria cases. If it rains, and if the river comes forward, you will even have small water in the community. Mosquitos like the dirty extended water, and they will reproduce, and bring Malaria.
So, later, I was at Soroano, just farming, and the Community Health Worker leader CK asked if I would help them with hanging nets and do the malaria program with them. CK involved me and we worked together for some time. Then Clement came to the village with some volunteers and informed everyone that these people, the volunteers, are here to help you with your bednets. They brought 500 bednets, this was enough for the whole community. ...read more.
This was really the first time that we had bednets. The government gave bednets to pregnanat mothers sometimes, but usually they were torn, or a poor quality. Many people did not even know why they should sleep under bednets. So, we helped the volunteers, and through the education we were giving, we said that is very important for mothers and children under five to sleep under bednets. It helps a lot.
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| October 2011 - GHEI Staff and Mensah (2nd from Left) at Mensah's son Kwame's engagement ceremony. The bride and groom are in the middle. |
When people are just farming cocoa, they cannot afford bednets, but also, if you they have malaria, people will spend their money for medicine. Because of this, they cannot even afford for their children to go to school. Now, we have found out that if you sleep under a bednet it will help them stay healthy, but people are also not spending their money going to clinics or hospitals. They can use their money for other things, like education.
After all the bednets were hung in 2008 and we did the education, many of the volunteers like Rebecca and Lisa were speaking with Clement and Diana saying, ‘Oh! Mensah is doing good, you should invite Mensah to do more work.’ They found that I had done well in Soroano. I was interviewed by Clement, and he asked if I could stop what I was doing in Soroano and come and work with GHEI in Humjibre. Clement said, ‘Mensah, would you like to work with GHEI?’ I said, ‘Yes!’ ‘But can you come and stay in Humjibre?’ I said, ‘Yes!’ ‘Can you leave your wife and kids in Soroano?’ So I had to ask Joyce. My wife thought about it, and said ‘Okay, if Clement asks you and it is important.’ But, I was sure to send my stipend directly to her so she can hire some help on the farm. But she is glad, and visits often. It is not too far from Soroano to Humjibre. [It’s about 8 KMs.] Even now, when I’m in Accra, I call Joyce and she says, 'Hey Mensah! Because of these Obrunis you are going everywhere!' I try to bring long term volunteers and coordinators to my house in Soroano, because Joyce will cook wonderful food.
I like travelling to Accra for Serve and Learn and working with volunteers. I can now go places in Accra and people know me. Especially at the airport, I’m a very popular guy there now, and even at the hotel they stay at, they greet me when I come and say, 'Oh! Mensah! Are the volunteers coming?' I say, 'Yes, they are coming! Even now!' One time, a volunteer missed the plane, and the father called me on the phone. I had to chase to the airport and when I got there, I called the father back and said ‘No trouble will touch this person until they get home.’ He said, thank you. I take it very seriously to work with the volunteers. You have to work gently and take good care of them, because when they go home and their friends ask them, ‘Oh! How is GHEI? How is Ghana?’ you want them to speak well.
It is difficult always saying goodbye to volunteers, but that is why we have the internet. Everything has it’s time, and I can’t say to someone ‘Please stay’ if it is their time to leave. I have to say 'I don’t want you to go, but because of email, I will not see you, but we can have a conversation.'
Living in Humjibre has also been very great. The people here welcome me and my landlord here is a very kind man. When my daughter died this year, he came and he talked with my very gently, and he accompanied me to the funeral and everything.
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| August 2011 - GHEI Staff at Aburi Gardens for their annual retreat: Christina, Mensah, and Aggie with baby Nata |
In Soroano and in Humjibre, now, I think people understand what GHEI is doing. Because of the education we give, people know that bednet usage is good for them. At first they said, ‘What? A net? Give us money? We don’t need a net’ but now they are thankful. I think about how GHEI has helped my home, Soroano, so much, and then I think about the other places that need our help. I think the future for GHEI is that we help new communities. Like Dansokrom, it is a small community, but there they have a small lake. And you know, because of the river in Soroano there was so much Malaria, but there in Dansokrom, they have water that is bringing even more mosquitos and Malaria. Mosquitos like still water, so all the problems we had in Soroano and in Humjibre, they are having now in Dansokrom. Who will help them? I think we should.”
