After two long flights, we landed in Accra, Ghana's capital city. The plan was that we were going to overnight in Accra and then drive to Kumasi (a 5 hour drive north) the following morning. Unfortunately not all of our bags made it, so we were forced to spend an extra day in Accra to wait for the bags that would be arriving on the next flight in. Spending one more day in Accra actually worked out well, since we were all able to have a little bit more time to adjust to our new surroundings (and get over a little jet lag). We decided to take in some sights and travel west to Cape Coast (3 hour drive). As the name suggests, Cape Coast is a small coastal city that has a rich history in the European slave trade. We visited the Cape Coast Castle, one of the largest slave-holding sites in the world during the colonial era. Seeing the claustrophobic dungeons and the "door of no return" was a sobering experience.
The following morning, we were off to Kumasi. The first 10 days of the trip, our group partnered with a non-governmental child-based organization called Light for Children. Light for Children works in several areas of Ghana to promote a healthy development for vulnerable and disadvantaged children. Light for Children has many projects that volunteers can get involved with, including a Preventive Child Sexual Assault Program, a School Health Program, and programs that provide opportunities to teach English in local schools and care for HIV-positive children in orphanages. Our involvement with Light for Children was focused mainly on providing public health education on the topics of hand washing and oral hygiene to school children, and conducting several community health screenings in small villages. Light for Children also coordinated for us to spend three days shadowing and assisting the medical staff at the Mampong District Hospital, a government-funded hospital located about an hour north of Kumasi. More on the hospital later!
The major language spoken in the Ashanti region of Ghana (Kumasi being the capital of the Ashanti region) is Twi. It was a lot of fun learning some Twi phrases, and the locals absolutely loved when we spoke to them in our broken Twi. Here's a quick little lesson in Twi:
Good morning. Maa chi.
Good afternoon. Maa ha.
Good evening. Maa jo.
Thank you. Medasi.
How are you? Ete sein?/Wo ho te sein?
I am fine. Eh yea.
What is your name? Wo din de sein?
My name is... Me din de...
Foreigner. Obroni. (A favorite name we were called by little children!)
Seems like we could get by with just fine by only knowing those few phrases! Greetings are very important to Ghanaians in the Ashanti region. We learned that if you fail to greet everyone when you enter a room, the other people in the room will be insulted. So we got the hang of this very quickly!
We began our work with Light for Children by visiting the village of Jansu. This small village contained a primary school that was built by Light for Children several years ago. The school had around 62 students and 4 teachers. We visited the classrooms and demonstrated the proper way to wash your hands, stressing the importance of soap and running water. In some of the classrooms, the teachers had to translate from English to Twi for us, as we wanted to ensure that the children really understood what we were explaining to them. We explained that it is important to wash your hands properly before and after preparing food, before and after eating, and after using the toilet. We then sang a song with the children to help them remember how long they need to scrub their hands!
(To the tune of Frere Jacques)
Soap and water! Soap and water!
Wash your hands! Wash your hands!
Rub them both together. Rub them both together.
Clean them well! Clean them well!
While we had the kids' attention, we also taught them about how they should be brushing their teeth. In Ghana, we saw toothbrushes and toothpaste being sold in the markets, but a lot of people in the smaller villages use "chewing sticks" to clean their teeth. They chew on these short pieces of a special type of wood containing antimicrobial properties. We distributed small toothbrushes and toothpastes to the children, and informed them of the benefits of toothpaste and how a toothbrush can clean your teeth very well. Due to the young age of the children, we didn't go into much detail about gum disease, gingivitis, or plaque...but we got the message across that it's really fun to brush your teeth twice a day!
During our time in the Kumasi area, we also got the opportunity to explore some of the city. We stopped into the Kumasi Culture Center, where we got to watch people carving drums out of a block of wood, weaving kente cloth, and making batik clothing. We also traveled out to Lake Bosomtwe, Ghana's largest natural lake. It was absolutely gorgeous!
After a few days in Kumasi, we traveled about an hour north to the village of Nsuto. We were based in Nsuto for 8 days, where we spent time in the Mampong District Hospital and went on medical outreaches to villages in the surrounding areas. While in Nsuto, we stayed with a host family. We really didn't know what to expect as far as accommodations went, but when we arrived to the house we were completely blown away by the niceness and hospitality of the family. The house was very simple and basic, with semi-reliable electricity but no running water. The house was arranged in a square with a large open courtyard in the middle where most of the cooking and eating occurred. The host family we stayed with was very large, with a lot of extended family also living there. At first it was a bit overwhelming with so many people in the house, and it was a bit hard to adjust to the lifestyle. But after a day or so, we became immersed in the simple living, and it actually was very refreshing to experience a new side of daily life. The electricity would go out quite often, so we spent many nights in the courtyard eating dinner by headlamp. With the lights being out all across Nsuto, the star gazing was incredible!
One of the many highlights of our time in Ghana was the health screenings we did in several rural villages. At each location, we set up several tables and chairs and organized ourselves into three stations: a vital signs check (blood pressure, pulse, respiratory rate), a blood sugar check, and a consult area. Many of the patients we saw expressed their sincere gratitude for our presence, as the villages are so rural that it is difficult for them to get to a hospital. Each day we saw around 75 patients. The most common things we saw in the patients was hypertension, arthritis, dehydration, body pains, headaches, and minor cuts and rashes. While we could not directly treat the patients we saw with high blood pressure, we were able to consult with them about monitoring their diet (the local staple food fufu is loaded with salt and lacks any good protein). We also encouraged patients to go to the hospital if their current state of health dictated a doctor's visit. It was incredibly moving to see some of the patient's faces light up when we were able to inform them that their blood pressure was normal and their blood sugar was good! We also brought with us several medications that we were able to use and distribute to patients - including ibuprofen, pediatric pain reliever, antimicrobial wound cream, anti-itch cream, anti-fungal cream, etc.
During our free time in Nsuto, we got to experience many cultural things! We attended two funerals (you would think this would be a strange thing to do while traveling, but in fact this was one of the most interesting events!), church services, and played football (aka soccer) with the local kids at the town football pitch. In Ghana, a funeral is a huge celebration where everyone from the town attends wearing red and black. The event is very festive with a lot of music, dancing, gift-giving (goats, food, drinks). When you arrive at a funeral, it is customary to go around and greet everyone. Even though there was a language barrier, we learned that a smile and a head nod go a long way. The first funeral we visited we introduced ourselves to everyone in attendance, and then it wasn't long before a group of women approached us and invited us to have a drink with them at their house. Out of courtesy, we agreed and ended up enjoying our nice, cold coke with the extremely kind and friendly women. The second funeral we attended was the same drill - shake hands, sit and watch the performers, get invited to a house. This was at the time that the World Cup was just getting started, so it was easy to find some common-ground with complete strangers. Everyone loved to talk about football, especially the upcoming Ghana vs. USA game!
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| Cannons at the Cape Coast Castle |
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| Fishing boats in Cape Coast |
The following morning, we were off to Kumasi. The first 10 days of the trip, our group partnered with a non-governmental child-based organization called Light for Children. Light for Children works in several areas of Ghana to promote a healthy development for vulnerable and disadvantaged children. Light for Children has many projects that volunteers can get involved with, including a Preventive Child Sexual Assault Program, a School Health Program, and programs that provide opportunities to teach English in local schools and care for HIV-positive children in orphanages. Our involvement with Light for Children was focused mainly on providing public health education on the topics of hand washing and oral hygiene to school children, and conducting several community health screenings in small villages. Light for Children also coordinated for us to spend three days shadowing and assisting the medical staff at the Mampong District Hospital, a government-funded hospital located about an hour north of Kumasi. More on the hospital later!
The major language spoken in the Ashanti region of Ghana (Kumasi being the capital of the Ashanti region) is Twi. It was a lot of fun learning some Twi phrases, and the locals absolutely loved when we spoke to them in our broken Twi. Here's a quick little lesson in Twi:
Good morning. Maa chi.
Good afternoon. Maa ha.
Good evening. Maa jo.
Thank you. Medasi.
How are you? Ete sein?/Wo ho te sein?
I am fine. Eh yea.
What is your name? Wo din de sein?
My name is... Me din de...
Foreigner. Obroni. (A favorite name we were called by little children!)
Seems like we could get by with just fine by only knowing those few phrases! Greetings are very important to Ghanaians in the Ashanti region. We learned that if you fail to greet everyone when you enter a room, the other people in the room will be insulted. So we got the hang of this very quickly!
We began our work with Light for Children by visiting the village of Jansu. This small village contained a primary school that was built by Light for Children several years ago. The school had around 62 students and 4 teachers. We visited the classrooms and demonstrated the proper way to wash your hands, stressing the importance of soap and running water. In some of the classrooms, the teachers had to translate from English to Twi for us, as we wanted to ensure that the children really understood what we were explaining to them. We explained that it is important to wash your hands properly before and after preparing food, before and after eating, and after using the toilet. We then sang a song with the children to help them remember how long they need to scrub their hands!
(To the tune of Frere Jacques)
Soap and water! Soap and water!
Wash your hands! Wash your hands!
Rub them both together. Rub them both together.
Clean them well! Clean them well!
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| With some of the students and staff of the Jansu Primary School |
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| Ryan teaching the kids how to brush their teeth |
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| Wearing Kente cloth at the Kumasi Cultural Center |
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| Sunset over Lake Bosomtwe |
After a few days in Kumasi, we traveled about an hour north to the village of Nsuto. We were based in Nsuto for 8 days, where we spent time in the Mampong District Hospital and went on medical outreaches to villages in the surrounding areas. While in Nsuto, we stayed with a host family. We really didn't know what to expect as far as accommodations went, but when we arrived to the house we were completely blown away by the niceness and hospitality of the family. The house was very simple and basic, with semi-reliable electricity but no running water. The house was arranged in a square with a large open courtyard in the middle where most of the cooking and eating occurred. The host family we stayed with was very large, with a lot of extended family also living there. At first it was a bit overwhelming with so many people in the house, and it was a bit hard to adjust to the lifestyle. But after a day or so, we became immersed in the simple living, and it actually was very refreshing to experience a new side of daily life. The electricity would go out quite often, so we spent many nights in the courtyard eating dinner by headlamp. With the lights being out all across Nsuto, the star gazing was incredible!
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| Our host family's house in Nsuto |
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| Lauren learning how to make fufu |
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| Hanging out with our host family's children |
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| Fun times with the kiddos! |
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| Doing laundry (in scrubs...the only clean clothes we had left!) |
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| Dinner time |
One of the many highlights of our time in Ghana was the health screenings we did in several rural villages. At each location, we set up several tables and chairs and organized ourselves into three stations: a vital signs check (blood pressure, pulse, respiratory rate), a blood sugar check, and a consult area. Many of the patients we saw expressed their sincere gratitude for our presence, as the villages are so rural that it is difficult for them to get to a hospital. Each day we saw around 75 patients. The most common things we saw in the patients was hypertension, arthritis, dehydration, body pains, headaches, and minor cuts and rashes. While we could not directly treat the patients we saw with high blood pressure, we were able to consult with them about monitoring their diet (the local staple food fufu is loaded with salt and lacks any good protein). We also encouraged patients to go to the hospital if their current state of health dictated a doctor's visit. It was incredibly moving to see some of the patient's faces light up when we were able to inform them that their blood pressure was normal and their blood sugar was good! We also brought with us several medications that we were able to use and distribute to patients - including ibuprofen, pediatric pain reliever, antimicrobial wound cream, anti-itch cream, anti-fungal cream, etc.
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| Blood pressure and blood glucose screening |
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| Treating children for a fungal infection |
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| Football...balls generously donated by HappyFeet Soccer Club, Omaha |
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| The kids were so excited to have a ball to play with! |
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