The Trip that Almost Wasn't: YLT

Youth Learning Tour 2014 almost did not happen. Just a few hours before we planned on leaving, our Education Program Manager received a phone call that the bus was broken. We had to postpone the trip. Then there was a hike in fuel prices and we no longer had sufficient funds to go.

Supreme Court

Since 2006, GHEI has been sponsoring an annual excursion for all of our Youth Education Program and Reading Club students. Youth Learning Tour is a highly anticipated and well-loved activity that provides many students with their first experiences traveling outside of our area. Unable to bear the thought of cancelling the trip, GHEI posted the last-minute fundraiser that ultimately allowed us to reschedule it.

As always, the night we left was a rainy one. Students arrived early, dressed well in neatly pressed uniforms, sporting their favorite coats and accessories. As they waited in the nearby Anglican Church before it was time to go, more and more people from Humjibre came to the roadside to see the students off. Families and neighbors of many of the students were present, as well as a group of GHEI Scholarship and former YEP students who had previously participated in the tour and many primary students who hoped to one day go themselves.

University of Ghana Legon Institute of African Studies

When the bus finally left, the songs began. Led by some of the older students and GHEI staff, the students sang and clicked thumb instruments for the first several hours of the ride. They worked through their repertoire many times and would have been happy to continue until GHEI enforced quiet for “compulsory sleep.”

A little before sunrise, the bus pulled onto the University of Ghana’s main Legon campus at the northern end of Accra. As students woke up, they stepped outside and got their first glances of the school’s immaculately landscaped colonial campus. The day’s first stop included guided tours of the museums at the Institute of African Studies and Department of Archaeology, where students were shown artifacts from West Africa’s rich cultural history.

Terminal at the Accra International Airport

Moving on, our next stop was a tour of the Accra International Airport. Students were brought through immigration and security to the terminals where they could view planes loading and taking off outside. This was a very new sight for Humjibre’s students and when it was time to go, many of them had a hard time leaving the window.

Transitioning to a more traditional field trip venue, we next went to the Supreme Court. The students were given a tour by a particularly interesting and humorous law librarian. They learned about the Court’s history, different courts in Ghana, and types of cases that can be tried. After the Supreme Court, we went to the Accra Sports Stadium. The stadium tour included the tennis courts and a gym for indoor games. A table tennis tournament was underway. Afterwards students were brought down to the national football pitch where they learned about Ghana’s team, the Black Stars, and were given a talk by the engineer who designed the pitch.

Accra Sports Stadium

Finally, it was time for the much anticipated last stop. We walked the last few blocks from the Sports Stadium, across the street, past Ghana’s historic Independence Arch, through Independence Square, to the beach. Many students stopped at the top of the last hill before the water’s edge. In either direction, the coast extends as far as the eye can see. In front of us were clouds, the sea breeze coming in, and the Atlantic Ocean. As their surroundings sank in, many students ventured down to let the waves roll over their feet for the first time. It was early Friday evening and the beach was a popular place, for countless students from nearby schools, photographers, food vendors and others. Many of our students took advantage of the photographers and got their pictures printed posing by the water.



Almost everyone agreed that while the other stops were more educational, the beach was by far the highlight of the tour. Sandra, one of our Form 3 students, who has now been on three GHEI Youth Learning Tours, explained that this one was her favorite because the two previous tours did not include a chance to touch the ocean. Although they live in a coastal country, most Humjibre students have never been to the water. This first interaction was exhilarating, awe-inspiring and reminded students of the opportunities that lay in front of them.

After an exhausting day, it was time to find something to eat and head home to Humjibre. In just a little over 24 hours, the students traveled from Humjibre to Accra and back. Their trip included a diverse range of stops on the way, learning about higher education and culture at the University of Ghana, the wonders of aviation at the airport, government and history at the Supreme Court, athletics at the Sports Stadium and, all of the glories of the beach.



Each year GHEI hosts a Youth Learning Tour excursion to a different location in Ghana. This year, the tour would not have happened without the help of those who supported us. Boarding the bus to travel home, it was clear that we pulled off a near-perfect trip that our students will not easily forget.

Share |

Traditional Birth Attendant Training 2014

Traditional birth attendants learn their skills through on-the-job experience and the advice of old songs passed down to them by their mentors. Working with GHEI and our partner UCLA pediatric residents, their trainings are rooted in discussions emphasizing an understanding of the local context and how to work best within it. Being realistic is a priority in encouraging better healthcare and the use of modern practices and facilities while simultaneously acknowledging local resources and desires. Traditional birth attendants are key healthcare providers in this community and last week, proved themselves to be extremely capable.

GHEI welcomed back local traditional birth attendants for a refresher training and continuation of the pilot we started last year. The goal for this year’s training was to refine our curriculum to more closely reflect the needs of the local community. UCLA pediatric residents Jay Joo and Andy Newcomer led the program, working to keep the training’s focus on the most appropriate topics.

Familiar faces entered the room and proudly came around to greet each of us there. It was the same women who attended our training last year, and they were clearly excited to be back. Traditional birth attendants are part of a long-established practice that is still commonly relied upon. They learn how to deliver through apprenticeships, and now for the second year, have worked with GHEI staff and UCLA pediatric residents to broaden their education. Our training is focused on administering neonatal resuscitation, identifying danger signs during a delivery, and most importantly, knowing when to refer to a health facility. Based on conversations throughout the training and an oral evaluation the women took at the beginning, it is clear that last year’s training was successful. The TBAs retained a lot and had even incorporated much of it into their practice.

Cards distributed to the TBAs early in the training

Our trainings work to genuinely integrate the knowledge and resources of two very different groups to improve health. The residents spent a lot of time asking the TBAs questions like “have you ever referred a woman to the hospital and she has refused to go?” They opened the conversation to better understand the position of the TBAs, then tailored their lessons accordingly. They created a workshop environment that fostered a fruitful and productive discussion about how to best attend to home births in a place like Humjibre.

Similar to last year, they had few difficulties communicating, joking around, and learning to trust each other. At one point, Andy held the doll low and asked one of the ladies “What if the arm comes out first?” She shook her head and waved her hands as if to say “I don’t want it!” Jay chimed in “That is correct. Refer!”

There was discussion of not training the TBAs on using the bag and mask to stimulate breathing. This piece of equipment is needed in about one in ten births, and many of the TBAs only do a couple of deliveries each month. They will not need the bag and mask often, and may never fully be in practice using it. However, without any prompting, every TBA showed up to the training with the bag and mask she was given last year in hand. Not everyone had used it, but they always kept it ready and many were excited to share their experiences with it in the past year.

The women paid close attention during their bag and mask refresher training, and then each took turns acting out what they would do in various scenarios presented by the residents. The TBAs each knew their procedures well, and according to the residents, could “use the bag and mask as well as anybody.” At the end of each scenario, a small noise maker was used to imitate crying, signaling that the baby was properly breathing. Each first set of squeaks from the noise-maker was greeted with a smile and cheers from around the room.

A few weeks ago we blogged about GHEI’s new Health Facility Delivery Incentive Program which is designed to increase skilled birth attendance and facility-based deliveries. This program is designed to draw women away from home deliveries and the use of TBAs. If nothing goes wrong, a TBA can provide a comfortable, caring and affordable delivery. However, TBAs are not well prepared to handle complications and there is never an ambulance waiting nearby. In 2011, about 33% of deliveries in our region of Ghana took place in the home, according to the most recent survey.[1] With such common use of TBAs, the two programs complement each other; GHEI encourages delivery at a health facility, but also provides for the best possible care for those women who will inevitably choose to deliver at home.

Be sure to check out our Facebook where more photos will be posted in the next few days.

[1] Ghana Statistical Service, 2011. Ghana Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey with an Enhanced Malaria Module and Biomarker, 2011, Final Report.

Share |

Update on World Malaria Day: the Kojina Sweep

As we reported last week, GHEI celebrated World Malaria Day 2014 a different way in each of our malaria prevention catchment communities. Each event was specifically designed to best match each community’s individual needs. The final event, World Malaria Day Kojina, took place yesterday.

There was no large presentation in Kojina. Rather, GHEI community health workers (CHWs) split up to conduct follow-up visits in each Kojina home. They reached the majority of households, and offered demonstrations and personalized flipchart education to each family they met. The CHWs also carried extra bednets to sell at GHEI-subsidized prices.

5 Steps to a Successful Follow-Up Visit

1. Find the house. As a CHW, your first task is to consult your house list and determine where you are going. If you do not know the house, you will have to ask around to find it and the people who live inside.

2. Check bednets in every room. Introduce yourself then ask how many sleeping sites and bednets are in the household. After this, check every room and take stock of the nets you find inside. Next, go back and hang or rehang any nets that are not properly hung, and using a needle and thread, mend any tears. Invite household members to join you and explain the steps you are taking.

3. Ask for a demonstration. Ask a member of the household to show you what they do with their net before going to bed. Make sure they are properly tucking the net into their sheets or that the net touches the ground, ensuring that mosquitoes cannot get inside.

4. Offer education. Sit down with everybody present and go through each page of your bednet usage and care flipchart. End the session with a discussion and give everybody the opportunity to show their knowledge and ask questions.

5. Voila! Your follow-up visit is complete. Every bednet in the household is ready, and every person is motivated and knowledgeable about proper use and care.

Share |