Fire..... An ever present danger....

An unexpected bush fire is keeping us all rather busy.   Keeping the fuel depot cool is priority.

Harmatten brings dust and more......

Harmattan cloaks us, and flights are stopped for the first time this season. This pushes us more into the offices to clear up the paperwork for the year and the design areas as we work on the new engineering challenges for 2013. The dust is everywhere and people are falling sick with sore throats and 'Apollo Eye' a sort of conjunctivitis that runs rampant at this time of year. This is also the Meningitis season, especially in the Northern parts of the country.

Bigger and better drop system...

Work on the new drop system its underway in earnest.  As part of our push into 2013, we are looking at a completly new drop system and with it, a much larger opening in the bottom of the passenger floor.... First trial of this new system are expected in February, and it will be the basis of the Afram Plains outreach in second quarter 2013.

It's not tea leaves but it can predict the future....

Oil filter cutting and interior inspection is done after every service. Looking inside the filter, after 50 hours of oil cascading through it, allows us to see if any metal fragments or other debris is building up - it is an early warning system. If only we could pass on the understanding to the communities of the importance of ensuring that microbial, parasites and other nasties are removed from drinking water before consumption!

In 2013 we plan a major campaign in the Afram Plains related to a variety of behavioural issues...

Do you ever wonder what your oil filter is catching in your car? Hmmmm, you probably take it for granted - much as the people in the rural communities fail to consider the challenges they raise through poor potable water and sanitation control methods....

Termites.....Lessons to learn???

Termites are a challenge wherever they exist in the world - they are incredibly organised creatures that can consume wood faster than Mr Solo (and that takes some doing!)

Here we see the effect of termites on a panel of wood that fell to the ground, and was there for about three days... If only we could all be so organised as to take advantage of an opportunity and to make such 'short work of consuming it'!

The key thing with Termites is that they work as a team - much like our Medicine on the Move family - let us work even better in 2013 as we seek out the opportunities and, together, work towards making an impact in a sustainable manner.

When Mavis is away ...

When Mavis is off, catering forcibly becomes a time limited activity. Noodles and eggs are not only quick, easy and cost effective, but they are both available locally!

With the girls on break, Patricia and Jonathan have to take on extra roles. It is also a time when they miss the hustle and bustle of a busy airfield people wise. All the same, it its good to have a change of schedule...

Tomorrows forecast... your guess is as good as mine?????

It rained yesterday. The Harmattan is in today... Visibility dropping fast. We never mow in December, rain in December is rare.

Today we are mowing for the third time this month...unbelievable!

The daily effort to keep the site operational seems to be increasing, especially as the abnormal climatic conditions appear to be lasting....'Abnormal' and ' unpredictable' are the new normal, so we had better get used to it!

The Belle of the ball...

The girls at Kpong love the new John Deere sit and ride mower, and have taken the responsibility for mowing to heart. Here they wanted to pose with the new 'worker' at the airfield at the end of year party. The love for the machines, the care for the machines, the desire to use the machines as they are meant to be used and to maintain them, is key to the overall success of all that we do. These girls are empowered and they are taking that empowerment back to their communities as the travel home for the end of year festivities...

When did you last see young people (boys or girls) taking so much care of a machine and realising the real use - the use to establish, maintain and make sustainable, facilities that change lives, one flight at a time!

Please Moo-ve on....

Not all of our days are good days. After all of the work to repair the fence, this afternoon a cattle herder, seeking greener grass for his cows, broke down the fence to the safety area and threatened one of our staff. It is a long time since we had issues like this, but the post election sentiments are raising the stakes in some parts of the country. Including, it seems, our airfield and the ability to take down our fences at will.

Our staff member called us and we responded rapidly with the truck. We wanted to talk to the cattle herder, but he was already clear of the fence line and refused to come back to 'discuss' the situation. We will be increasing our security patrols, and alerting the Police to the situation. There is a growing challenge of 'free range' cattle herding in the area, and much as we respect their rights to roam, they must also respect fence lines that are in place to ensure safety for our aircraft as well as to prevent people putting themselves in danger.

The local Cobbler

The local cobbler sells second hand shoes and also repairs any shoe using the available resources.... Glue, thread, nails and some leather strips..

The ingenuity of the local people working from 9 sq feet of roadside shop always amazes me...

Meet Winnie....

Winnie, an occasional volunteer from Tema is helping clean up some wheelchairs, walking sticks and crutches ready for distribution next week.

We will be getting a much as possible directly to those in need, and the balance will go out via the hospital.

Many of those in need do not attend the hospitals, thus the more time consuming distribution method.

Field maintenance.. sometimes it's a balancing act...

With a constant need to maintain a secure site, the 4km of fencing needs constant checking. Lydia its sending fresh supplies to the fencing crew- water, binding wire and a chunky hammer, which will remain perfectly balanced as she walks the 2 km track to where the supplies are needed...

Travel... the Ghanaian way ....

Four of the young people supported at the AvTech Academy are from Kete Krachi, a strategic location in the Volta Basin, and one that is not easy to get to. Krachi, as it is referred to, is about 14+ hours drive from Kpong, or less than 2 hours in any of our aircraft - or about 13 hours on the ferry (yes it is a bit faster now!). Fortunately, the Volta Lake Transport Company help to support these girls and have provided transport solutions on the lake ferry.

The Yapei Queen Ferry took them Northwards a little over a week ago, to speak in the schools and check the condition of the runway in Krachi, as part of their placement duties. Getting Krachi airfield open is key to future MoM outreach activities in the isolated communities around the lake itself. Yesterday they reported for the ferry, only to wait till the early hours of this morning for it to dock, due to unexpected delays. They boarded and slept.

When they woke up, expecting to be nearly back to Akosombo, they found that they were still in Krachi! Such delays are not unusual, and in bright spirits the ferry has now started its 200km southwards journey - and will dock around midnight tonight. In order to avoid travelling in the night, the girls will then remain in the security of their cabin till dawn, whereupon we will collect them for the 30 minute drive back to Kpong. The good news is that the four girls are all in great spirits and enjoying the journey, planing to give their report on Krachi and to completing the balance of their placement time at Kpong in the coming days...

These challenges are indicative of the day to day challenges the Volta Lake dwellers deal with. A great deal of investment is planned for the coming years to improve the infrastructural capital of the lake areas, and we are busy preparing solutions towards the much needed health education necessary for the people around the lake to be able to participate in the potential socio-economic opportunities that they will be presented with. Training these girls from the heartlands of the Volta Basin is a part of a long term strategy that will certainly change many lives, one flight at a time, sustainably.

These boots were made for ...working....

Thanks go to Michael in Germany for his fund raising and donation of support to purchase new safety boots for the young women in training at Kpong.

It is wonderful to have such support from all over the world and it makes our jobs such a pleasure, changing lives one flight, and one pair of boots at a time.

Getting ready for 2013

Now that the national elections are over, and declared, life begins to return to normal.

Later this week we will release our year end news letter, so if you are not registered for it do so now at ........http://www.medicineonthemove.org/..... once on the page *scroll down *

Ghana has, once again, demonstrated its peace loving stance and the atmosphere in the country is predominantly positive and inclusive. We are proud of the people of Ghana, their clear demonstration of tolerance and a desire for development.

Meanwhile, the harmattan has started to lay the grey blanket of dust in the sky and with it we will be focused on workshop activities ready for our major drop campaign in March/April 2013.

Big rocks and small planes.......

Maintaining runways and manouvering areas is a constant challenge. As part if their placement duties Emmanuella and Lydia are working to remove a large stone that has emerged near the apron.

The stone is squeezed out by the contraction and expansion of the Akuse Vale Clay, a unique soil in this area. It may take a day or two to remove but it us satisfying work that increases our pride in the airfield.

Finally everybody got involved as the stone resisted efforts...it will learn that resistance is futile!

Election day.....

Today, the 7th December 2012, Ghana goes to the Polls. The General Election has the whole country focused on one word 'PEACE'.

Today is a national holiday, and we will not operate the airfield. The gate is closed. All of the staff are off, free to stand in the queue to vote. Only those resident on the airfield are present, and we will provide the security and oversight of the facilities for the day.

Those who live on site and are elligible to vote left at 05:40 this morning, heading to the nearest polling station - only to find over 1,000 people already in the queue.

Footballers, Pastors, Imman and Celebrities have all made their calls for peace. The temperature in the country is outstanding - and the tolerance of others appears to be at an all time high. As the day progresses, we may see some hot spots, but we are hopeful for a peaceful election and that the Electoral Commission will, as in the past, do its duties and the results, which reflect the will of the people, be accepted by all.

Whatever the outcomes, MoM is here for the rural people of Ghana, and looks forward to being able to return to our airborne activities that change lives, one flight at a time for many years to come.

To give you an idea of the commitment to peace that exists at all levels, last night, the President issued the following speech:

STATEMENT READ BY PRESIDENT JOHN DRAMANI MAHAMA IN AN ADDRESS TO THE NATION ON THE EVE OF THE 2012 PRESIDENTIAL & PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS Thursday, December 06, 2012

Good Evening, Fellow Ghanaians

Over the past twenty years, Ghana’s democracy has become a beacon of hope for the entire African continent and in the process, drawn useful lessons for the rest of the world.

Tomorrow, for the sixth time in our fourth Republican journey, eligible voters will step out to deepen Ghana’s democracy by choosing our leaders through free, fair and peaceful elections.

On such a historic occasion, it is worth reminding ourselves that whatever our political differences are, Ghana’s stable institutions, democratic culture and the fortitude of its people have at each election, collectively risen to the occasion and made us proud as a nation.

Fellow Ghanaians, an election is a contest between competing policy visions and must never set families, ethnic groups and religions against one another.

Out of this contest of ideas shall emerge a President and leader whose character embodies and reflects our collective aspirations as a nation towards peace, unity and accelerated socio-economic development.

In all this, let us remember that Ghana is bigger and more important than any of us. The surest way to sustain and enhance our enviable image is to go to the polls tomorrow in an atmosphere of peace.

All registered voters are also encouraged to be an active part of the decision making process by exercising their franchise.

I further urge all of you, particularly my dear youth, to be law abiding and do nothing to obstruct the functions of lawfully mandated state institutions and bodies, that are all currently poised to discharge their duties professionally.

As President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, I have done what is necessary through our very capable Security Services to achieve this noble goal of national Peace and Security; before, during and after the polls.

Let us all play our individual and collective roles to make Ghana the winner again tomorrow.

Indeed, I have every confidence that another significant positive milestone will be chalked.

We thank the Almighty God for the favour he has bestowed on us already as a nation, and further pray that he will see us through the election peacefully.

God bless our homeland Ghana and make our nation great and strong.

Thank you.

It only takes a trip to the market to remind us why Healthcare education is important.

Today we made a trip to the market. An opportunity to remind ourselves of the basic conditions of even those in medium sized towns and a reminder of the day we first met Lydia.

The strong smell of urine alternates with raw food smells, making for a challenging time of when to take a deep breath!

The Field is quiet today......

Emmanuella and Lydia are the only Av Tech students at the airfield this week, since the others have travelled to their home towns for the election on Friday.

It is nice to have a smaller family for a change and a chance for some more relaxed moments. It was these two who were the catalyst for many of the developments at the airfield, and they are still as committed as ever to be role models and agents of change for the rural people of Ghana.

Without the willing and dedicated inputs from these young people much of our current success would not have happened.

Take a look over some older posts with these two in and enjoy the positive differences that can be seen in them today. Then realise that you are a part of that development. Thank you.

Learning to drive while cutting the grass

Learning to drive whilst cutting the grass on the apron has many challenges, and for Lydia this is a moment of great joy.

After a morning of cleaning and preparing the machine, work has begun.

learning to cut in a straight line will be a bonus!

Emmanuella finally managed to get Lydia to yield the seat for her to also gain experience on this new tool.

A new Green Machine on the field....

Skill building with a purpose. Thanks to a very generous donation from a friend of our operations, we were able to obtain a small John Deere mower at an excellent price by local standards (thank you AgriMat).

This little mower can mow the r runways and manouvering areas in around 20 hours, and will take some load off of the tired tractor... More than that, it will be used as the intro to driving for the girls, since they must look after it and operate it.

As part of that ownership, Emmanuella was entrusted with the cash, and supported by Lydia for the transaction. Much can be learned from a few simple adjustments to the perceptions of a simple, daily, necessary task, just with a bit of thought.

Tomorrow the girls will' enter to service' the new tool at the airfield.

World Aids Day

1st December is World Aids Day. Fortunately, world wide awareness and treatments are on the increase. Sadly, in many parts of the world HIV/AIDS continues to ruin lives.

Kpong Airfield lies just a few kilometres from the reported highest levels of the disease in Ghana.

Clearly, changing behaviour is key to reducing infections. We continue to fly regularly near schools and villages, waving to the young and not so young alike, working to change lives and perceptions on every flight we make.

We are told that the young women in these communities are inspired when they see our aircraft, built by african girls, flying overhead, and that it is changing perceptions, and behaviours.

Next year, after the harmattan, we are working towards a health education drop related directly to HIV/AIDS, and to find a monitoring process to establish the levels of behavioural change that our air drops are having.

The Clinic pays off again....

Unexpectedly, I needed the clinic today. Each week we have at least one need for the clinic just from our own visitors and crew. Today, unexpectedly, I became the most serious trauma case to date.

Lele pulled up with the tractor complaining about the mower. So, we got the mower off and the blades were really blunt. So we decided to remove and sharpen them. Seeing that they were so blunt that they were worn as smooth as a bald man's head, I took hold of the blade and applied the socket set. What I had not seen was that the blade had shattered on the other side and was sharper than a razor blade. The slice into my left palm was deep, and the pain shot up my arm.

With Lele and two of the new students watching the blood spurted, and started to pour. I immediately applied direct pressure and called for the vehicle to take me to the MoM Helen Himsworth Mini-Clinic on the other side of the airfield.

The option to got the nearest hospital, and taking a four to six hour round trip ran through my mind. However, Patricia opened the clinic and as I released the hand pressure over the sink - the blood ran thick, deep red and in rivers. It was probably the second worst cut I have ever had. In an ideal world I would reach for a suture, but we do not have sutures in stock yet. We only have the 3M brand self adhesive butterfly type stitches With the hand cleaned and the flap of skin and tissue looking like a fresh baby butterfly steak, it was time to try to get it all together. The first two butterfly stitches simply washed off as the blood oozed under their adhesive. A bit more alcohol to clean the skin and six more stitches applied quickly and the skin looked like it would hold.

Fortunately, we also have some op-site in stock, not only would it hold it all together, but also provide a sterile environment to the wound site - especially since the TV crew from ZDF Germany had just arrived too, and those blades needed sharpened still... and the show must go on! Two pain killers, a clean bandage over the hand and some tongue depressor splints to prevent the hand flexing... and the rest of the day ran as normal (but the ZDF film shows me with a big white bandage on my left hand!)

The availability of appropriate supplies, in a clean environment without the time delay, and associated risks, of getting to the nearest hospital, seems to have yielded a positive result once again.

The best moment came as I returned to the workshop and Deborah came up to me and stated 'You should have worn gloves - you need to remember your appropriate PPE (Personal Protective Equipment)! At least we provide practical training and real life incidents (but wish to avoid any more personal injuries!) and for a student from the village to have the confidence to tell me that I did it wrong, after less than three months, is amazing!

It is clear that the mini-clinic is going to be have a massive impact next year, as Marcel, and others, come out and provide the extra training to ensure that it provides a service to those in need in an even more timely and efficient manner.

Thank you to all who have helped get the clinic ready - I personally appreciate it today!

Your bags can't hold what you'll take away....

The airfield represents a great deal of effort, just keeping it operational is a challenge that goes beyond our original expectations. Mowing, fencing, approvals, repairs and more - just to ensure that we have a safe place to operate from. The airfield is also the engineering base and test site for drop solutions and other aspects of our many-faceted outreach.

Just seven years ago this airfield opened.... today, it is the Headquarters of Medicine on the Move and the AvTech Academy, and is beginning to take shape. Our future plans include much more expansion... Our basis is 'if we got this far in the past seven years, how much more can we achieve in the coming seven!' But it takes a bigger team than just those of us permanently on the field...

Tony has just completed a seven week stay with us (third time in Ghana), and he has made a real difference, moving us forwards positively, in that time. Tony also completed his conversion training to a Ghanaian National Licence and is already planning his return visit, where he plans to participate actively in drop missions!

We received word this week that Donna (USA) is coming over in February (her second visit to Ghana, but first as a volunteer) to spend a month with us, training on sewing and upholstery skills - this will improve our aircraft upholstery capabilities as well as add a new skill to the team - and making of some uniforms! (Donna also hopes to demonstrate her building skills, as an active Habitat for Humanity volunteer in the USA)

Rex and Melissa hope to come over, from California, for their third visit to work on documentary filming and EMT training skills.

Franz, from Switzerland, is planning a first visit to help with 'anything I can' and team building skills.

Ute (third visit), Onni and Angelika (second visit), from Germany will return to help with aviation related and pastoral care skills during their two to three weeks stays.

Marcel, California, will come over for his second visit. He will run an EMT training session for us and a local hospital, and teach 'how to ride and maintain a bicycle' (none of the local team have those skills) as well as welding and general engineering (pus a variety of projects) over his three month stay.

Francis Norman, Germany, will return for the fourth year, and will lead a musical session - a skill that is as essential as any other - appreciation and self-creation, as well as fly some hours in our aircraft, thus supporting the operations.

Jake, UK, is thinking about spending some time between school and university, to open his horizons, to share some of his skills learned in school, and to start flying lessons.

Pablo, again from California, may well get to pop by for a couple of days again, on his next business trip to Ghana - he hopes to sit and chat with the girls about their training and to make a couple of flights to see the real challenges from the air!

David, UK, would like to come out and help with, and to teach: all aspects of construction, interior design and we hope he brings his guitar with him!

Clay, Iowa, had better get out here next year - he works EVERY day on some aspect of our activities from his home in the USA - and we hope that once he gets to Ghana he will be in the workshop, learning more about the final assembly of his own aircraft in build, as well as sharing recipes with Mavis and the team.

above all, these folks are interested in changing lives...

As more and more volunteers step up to the plate and put their energies into the training and development of the young people that make operations happen, it will grow and make more of a difference in the villages. Our focus remains on training the local people to help the local people - it is more sustainable than 'just doing' - but it takes longer, more energy and a lot more commitment in the short term

What skill do you have that you would like to share - or gain?

A long list..... not for Santa...

The Harmattan is in the air, light, but clearly on its way... with it, we will be restricted in our airborne operations until March. The wind is coming from the North, the day time temperatures are rising and the night time temperatures are dropping... Furthermore, with ten days to the Presidential Elections, and with Tony heading back to the states this week, plus the end of term for the AvTech girls, we have a long list of challenges to shake our collective sticks at.

1. Work on a new drop system (more details in the new year)
2. Preparations for a major drop schedule in March 2013
3. Ongoing work on the fuel system for our CH701 to ensure the long range capability that will be needed for the planned drop schedule in 2013.
4. Constant work towards our funding needs, and seeking alternative revenue streams.
5. Many meetings about collaboration around the Volta Lake for the coming year
6. Planning the training programme for the Clinic and air operations.

PLUS the ongoing, seemingly endless paperwork challenges that seem to be a growing burden in this part of the world.

In the next few weeks we will be sending out our newsletter, so if you are not yet registered - do so now

Thank you all for your support and reading about us, we value you all!

The Weather

We have the most incredible weather at Kpong Airfield, and our view of Mt. Krobo keeps changing………

Learning English

News-based English language activities from the global newspaper, The Guardian

Would you like to share the joy of learning English with others - and at the same time have the opportunity to share a little of what we do in Ghana?

This downloadable comprehension and discovery exercise is intended for school children/EFL learners, but may be a useful resource for others too.

We all feel highly complimented that the work we do can be used beyond our scope in changing lives and learning around the world!

Ghanaian girls take off with flight training opportunities

Getting a load….

We urgently needed to get some stones from the local quarry to make some concrete. So, Jonathan and I went off for a few miles down the road in the Trusty Truck. As we came to the quarry, which lies at the end of a horribly rutted dirt road, it seemed like an almost surrealistic place with monstrous conveyor belts clanking away all day. They were joined in their cacophonous symphony by a pair of (rather nice-looking) hammer mills banging away on some poor rocks, which they turned into stones for our concrete.

We were told to park the Trusty Truck for loading, and it looked dreadfully puny when a huge bulldozer approached. The vast shovel was full of stones which threatened to (a) pulverize the truck and then (b) to bury it. We stood with bated breath, but fortunately the skilled operator was pretty careful, and didn’t give the truck that almighty whack that we were expecting, but we could see the truck bed groaning under the weight of the stones.

Off we went, at a slow crawl, hoping that the tiny tires would not burst in the heat on that rutted road, but they held out bravely, and we arrived back home on the airfield with the Trusty Truck more or less unscathed.

You’ll find out more about the concrete in a future blog – coming soon!

So what on earth do I do at Kpong Airfield?

Your humble scribe is working as a volunteer for seven weeks with Medicine on the Move and the Avtech Academy. Fundamentally, I’m a general dogsbody and will do whatever is needed.

I spend a good chunk of time in the classroom with the AvTech students, and we use Computer-based Training (CBT) courses as a basis for teaching. Currently, we’re going through the CBT sessions on Meteorology (for pilots), and so we have endless opportunities to delve into critical topics like fractions, graphs, metrics, and physics. When we were discussing the physics of pressure, we talked about the effect of carrying a bottle up to 10,000’ sealing it and seeing what happened after coming back to sea level. It so happens that we have a few airplanes close by, so it was easy to do a real live test (at least to see the effect of 2,500’ pressure difference)! It’s so wonderful to be able to bring the academic and the practical side of things into such close proximity.

The AvTech students are great fun to work with! A few days ago, we were discussing metrics and talked about estimating distances. The girls guessed the distance to the picnic tables when walking over for lunch, and then they paced off the distance marching forward silently as a very determined group! The estimates were amazingly close and you can imagine the loud whoops of delight when the estimates and the measurements came within a few metres of each other!

At an active and fast-paced operation like WAASPS / MoM / AvTech Academy, junk easily accumulates, and it’s tough to keep the place clean and tidy and de-junked. AvTech students are (almost!) always willing, enthusiastic and smiling when we call on them to help out!

There is much work to do around the airfield and things break a lot in the harsh conditions of strong sunlight, humidity, rainstorms, insects, plus general wear and tear. When the tractor used for mowing the runway recently ran out of fuel, I had to spend an hour bleeding the air out of the system before it ran properly. Plumbing is a constant problem, and I’ve blogged previously about the fun and games we have with imported fittings! The current bane of my life is getting some cellular modems to work in the data centre. Our internet access is reasonable reliable but somewhat slow, and so everything takes that much longer. Other related tasks include getting computers with odd operating systems to work on the network, and getting that wireless printer to work with all the student computers.

 

Keeping up with e-mail, writing blogs and doing administrative work means that I spend a surprising amount of time on my computer. We’re building a bit more structure around the AvTech Academy programme with additional documentation of the academic and practical training – that means more typing!

Every night I do a quick check of the hangars and workshops when I turn off our trusty generator soon after 20:00. Since it’s located in the complex of buildings on the far side of the field, this entails a short walk across the runway in the dark, and I have a fond hope that I’ll spot the snakes with my flashlight before they decide that they don’t like me. If it’s been pouring rain (we’ve had a lot recently), I get a bit more exercise plus muddy shoes, and walk the long way around the end of the runway to avoid spoiling the soft runway surface..

You see, there is no rest for the wicked (or anyone else for that matter). There is always so much to – plus we have those almost weekly and not-so-much-fun trips to Accra which consume a whole day and which I’ll ignore in today’s blog. With all that goes on, I’m always thrilled if I manage to get in the odd bit of time in an airplane!

Fuel an everyday challenge....

Fuel shopping is not cheap. Not only does it take half a day, and at over 100 km of travel, it empties the wallet too!

Without fuel for the aircraft we clearly cannot fly. Getting and storing the fuel is not as easy as we would like, but we manage.

Fuel is then double filtered before going into the aircraft tanks with a special filter and water separator, then in aircraft systems are several layers deep... All for the love of safe operations!

Water, water everywhere, but not a drop to drink…..

Well, The Kpong Airfield Hilton is normally blessed with running water – yes real pure drinkable running water! Nevertheless, although we are right next to Lake Volta, the largest (in area) human-made lake in the world, and even though we had lots of rainstorms in the past few weeks, our poor water taps did no more than an occasional embarrassed dribble last week.

According to rumour, the main water pipe broke somewhere near the town of Kpong, and it took four days before it got fixed. The wise people (Jonathan + Patricia) who run Kpong Airfield had planned for this eventuality by installing a 3000 litre tank on our own private water tower. Unfortunately, seven AvTech girls, four facilities staff, two management staff, visitors plus your thirsty scribe mean that the tank lasts for three days of normal use. On the fourth day all taps again dribbled in that embarrassing way.

What next? Well, we’re all supposed to maintain a full bucket of water in our bathrooms and there are oodles of old mineral water or soda bottles with drinking water in the freezer. Those water bottles are kept nice and cold as long as there is diesel and the generator is working. When those bottles became dry, we had to go out and buy sachets of water. Sachets are little plastic bags of water that you can get all over Ghana, and if you buy a particular brand of sachet, you are likely to not get sick!

Fortunately, at the end of Day 4, the mains water got fixed. Having mains water running most of the time is actually rather nice and it allows us to have those deliciously cold showers each morning –brrr!!!