The Ghanaian perspective

Submitted by Michaela Sholes

We are so appreciative of the local partners who work with us to help us do what we do, who give us insights into the Ghanaian perspective in general and the Krobo perspective in particular, and advise us on how to create partnerships/avoid missteps. After her travels overseas during the last few weeks, I was glad for the opportunity to visit Manye Esther in order to check up on her health and discuss some logistics with her regarding the upcoming training. Although she has had some challenges to her health recently, she was in good spirits and we shared a productive discussion. We look forward to having her representatives join us to help with translation for next week's session and hope Manye's health allows her to join us. Local collaboration, in our opinion, is the only way for efforts to be both effective and sustainable.

Meeting with the Queen Mothers

Submitted by Michaela Sholes

Yesterday marked the first work day that Ben and I faced on the airfield while Pat and Jonathan are in Europe and I have to say…I’m pretty pleased with us at the moment =) I realize this well-oiled machine is the product of much TLC and the infrastructure put in place by those two…but it’s hard not to pat yourself on the back a little bit when you reach the end of what felt like a really long, busy, crazy but productive day and realize “Wow…I didn’t fall on my tush as hard as I was scared I might! I could do this again tomorrow…and maybe even the next day”

The highlight of the day was the visit to Manye Esther’s office to both pick her brain about some of our proposed health education topics and to introduce the concept of Fly Me Day to 20 or so local Queen Mothers. She had some great insights, not only on some of the topics that we should include, but also the presentation methods (i.e. a combination of posters, small flyers, booklets, balloons, etc). We had already identified health topics (i.e. water and sanitation), but she was particularly helpful in breaking the categories down and providing culturally relevant advice about specific areas (i.e. parents should be active role models and involve the children in the community in maintaining trash awareness and proper disposal)..

Although we had talked with Manye Esther about inviting the Queen Mothers and some of the children in their communities, this was the first opportunity I’ve had to address them directly. I’m not going to lie, my knees were knockin’ a bit under my kaba and slit (remember, traditional skirt/top outfit) as I’m seated in front of all these rather regal looking women. It’s a humbling experience but also an exciting one when one realizes that you are actually addressing royalty in the local sense. These women hold great respect in their communities and the effects of their support are irreplaceable.

They were very kind, both in their willingness to allow me to speak with them during an official meeting and in their patience with me as I bumbled my way through greetings in both Krobo and Twi. All meetings with the group are rather formal affairs in the sense that there is protocol to be observed and maintained, such as who to address when speaking (don’t address an aide instead of one of the Queen Mothers) and not to cross your legs while sitting with them (you cross your ankles, as it is considered highly rude and disrespectful to do otherwise). I was officially introduced to the group by Manye Esther before speaking to introduce myself and my purpose again. One of the Queen Mothers (Manye Makutsu: pronounced “Mah-KOO-choo”) was kind enough to translate for me as I introduced the concept of Fly Me Day and the purpose behind it. They were thrilled to be invited and promptly began planning group t-shirts and head scarves for the occasion (Here in Ghana, many events, regardless of whether it is a festival or funeral, are celebrated by ordering specialized T-shirts to commemorate the event. As I understand it, it’s almost about a sense of solidarity, of coming together as a group…and you show you are a part of it with a T-shirt or other specialized item such as a cap or scarf.) By the time I left, Ghana time true to form, what was supposed to be an hour’s meeting had become almost 4 times that. It makes me smile and I enjoy the fact that no day is ever alike.

We have a few challenges ahead of us as some of the communities are rather far, particularly those that we are hoping to target for project ETCHE, but we will put our thinking caps on!

Michaela’s Blog: February 9, 2012

Submitted by Michaela Hayes

I would be tempted to say that it’s hard to believe we’re finally here…if it weren’t for the thick Harmattan dust, bucket baths, and spiders the size of trucks which remind Ben and I on a daily basis that we are most certainly NOT in Oz anymore. And yet, it is SO good to be here! It’s what we’ve been preparing for over the last year or so and what I’ve been hoping for ever since I left Ghana in 2002. We are so excited at the opportunity to have an active field-based role here at MoM and can’t thank the team here enough for their thoughtful preparations and tireless efforts to have things as in place as they can be. By the way, to give you an idea of just how heavy Harmattan is, note the difference in the photo we took of Krobo mountain last year and a similar shot just yesterday.

This week has been a bit like trying to drink from a fire hose! If you are familiar with the expression, good for you…if not, it just means that we hit the ground not so much running as we were sprinting. In addition to battling jetlag on my part, settling in, getting a feel for airfield and MoM-based operations, we have already had so many opportunities to network within the communities and continue building the stage for all that is to come in 2012.

Some highlights from the week:

We visited the port on Monday and had the chance to explore the Yapei Queen, upon which we will be traveling next week. This ferry transports people and goods in a North/South manner along the majority of Lake Volta. It takes almost a full 5 days to travel all the way up to Yeji and back to Akosombo. During that time, we will be talking with passengers and collecting demographic and health-based information to help guide some of our programs for 2012.

On Thursday, Ben and I had the pleasure of being

introduced to one of the sweetest supporters of MoM when we met Manye Esther of the Queen Mothers Association. For those of you who, like me, weren’t sure exactly what a Queen Mother is…she is a person who would have been chief if she had been born a male. She commands a great deal of respect and influence in her community and after meeting her, I understand why. She is certainly a character and I look forward to building a relationship with her as we explore how to best support the local communities. She has become an invaluable ally in our efforts to gain support for our health education programs and is teaching me things already (i.e. the reason why, when asking about marital status of a participant, I need multiple definitions for “married.” Apparently, there is simply a live-in where the man can’t afford the dowry, a situation where partial dowry has been paid, and finally, where the full dowry has been paid and traditional rites have been performed)

This coming week, Ben and I will spend most of our time interviewing passengers on the Yapei Queen and we look forward to sharing our findings upon our return. Stay posted, there’s lots on the horizon for MoM!