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!