Progress in the Kukuo savings group

The elected keyholders of one of a Kukuo Savings Groups convenes.

Lukeman, a Humanist Action: Ghana volunteer, visited the Kukuo savings groups recently, and was very happy with the progress. More and more people are expressing interest in the program. During his visit, there wasn't much for Lukeman to do, as the executives are on top of any issues that have come up. Still, the groups…

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Community members in Kukuo meet to discuss savings options

After a series of training sessions, beneficiaries of the Humanist Action: Ghana program, Agriculture and Economic Empowerment Project (AEEP), and the entire business community of Kukuo felt the urgency and importance of saving money. They asked for the early implementation of a sub project under AEEP that creates an avenue for small business owners, including…

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What alternative is there? Hope and resiliency in Kukuo Villiage

The people in my life who know me have always told me that resiliency is among my strongest traits.  In my family, we refer to it as being “German stubborn” because my mother’s father’s family hails from Germany and every last one of us is stubborn to the teeth.  If you want to get me…

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Kukuo medical project wrapping up, still in need of funding help

The medical project in Kukuo will be ending soon, probably within the month of May. The Humanist Action: Ghana wants to make sure that there are many benefits for locals who partner with them and with Songtaba to serve their communities. When asking the volunteers what types of skills would help them, many of the…

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Pathfinders Diary: Laughter amidst tragedy at the Kukuo witch camp

Pathfinders ProjectLast month, the Pathfinders visited the Kukuo camp for alleged witches in Ghana. Conor, Wendy, and Michelle all shared stories of the accused women and the hardships they face. According to Wendy:

Ghana’s camps for accused witches, more commonly called witch camps, are a depressing place. Here women who have been banished from their home communities, and often beaten and tortured on the way out, find a safe place. They are safe because they are purified in a cleansing ritual performed by a traditional priest at the camp shrine. If they had powers before, now they are gone. Here they are safe from violence and further accusation that would likely come from their neighbors or their own family. But in the camps they struggle to live.

At the camp we visited, Kukuo, women must walk miles for water each day. In the wet season the walk is farther and steeper. At Kukuo, the women cannot afford to rethatch their roofs, which needs to be done at least every three years, so many cannot find a dry place to lay their head. Until the rain stops, they have to sit up or risk pneumonia. When they left their homes their possessions were taken or destroyed. They are forbidden to take anything with them. So at Kukuo they do not have the capital to start a new business or farm. Simply acquiring food is a sometimes insurmountable obstacle. Often a granddaughter lives at the camp with an accused witch helping her to survive. Without a helper, for these accused witches, some of whom are in their 70s, 80s, and 90s, the task of survival becomes exponentially higher. But, merely being at the camp, for the granddaughter, increases the likelihood of an accusation of her own. Guilt by association—or inheritance. Kukuo is a safe place, not a carefree place.

 
 Accused witches in Kukuo sing as they beat corn kernels off the cobs.

…Action Aid Songtoba, which advocates for the rights of the accused witches, had donated three acres of corn to the accused witches. For some of the women, all their food comes through these kinds of donations. The corn was delivered and left in a large pile in one of the larger, non-witch huts in the community. (One of the unique things about Kukuo is that the accused witches are not segregated into their own area. In Kukuo they live among, and as part of, the larger community.) To get the dried kernels from the husks the women begin by beating the corn with sticks. They work rhythmically together singing to keep time. Our guide and translator told us the songs were thanks to the Kukuo community for not abandoning them and for recognizing their humanity.

The beating does not rid the husks of all the kernels, so behind the beaters is a second line of women manually removing the holdouts. Some do it with their hands. Others rub the cobs together. A couple had pieces of metal that looked like large cheese graters that did most of the work for them. I sat with these women to remove my share of kernels. The old woman on my left was laughing, smiling, and singing. She gave me some smiles that I returned and she tried to talk to me. Unfortunately, I don’t speak her language.

Fortunately, we got over our language barrier to communicate when Conor took a turn beating the cobs. She loved it. She giggled and slapped my knee and shook my shoulder indicating that I should take in this sight. Her giddiness probably had something to do with the color of his skin, but I think it mostly had to do with his gender, which was conspicuous in the room full of old, accused witches. When he finished he had half a dozen kernels stuck in his beard.

When there was a lull in the action—when we were waiting for a fresh supply of cobs—I would run my hands though the kernels looking for buried cobs. The old lady next to me was doing this too, but she also threw kernels at me. At first, a few at a time, but she quickly started throwing handfuls. Laughing I threw some back at her. During another lull she buried my feet in the kernels. It was wonderful to interact with an alleged witch in this way. So many of our other meetings with them were about their tragedy—how they came to be at the camp and their conditions now that they are there. This meeting was playful and joyful. This interaction was so at odds with the rest of our visit. I am so glad I met this woman. Without this woman our visit to Kukuo would have been full of only tears and frustrations. But if she can laugh and sing and play inside a camp for alleged witches, I can leave with a little hope.

The Pathfinders are now in the Dominican Republic working with Children of the Border to build latrines, which will help to stop the spread of cholera. You can support the Pathfinders’ global yearlong service trip by donating here

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Thank You from GO Humanity

We’re sad to say we’re closing… Dear Supporters of GO Humanity, We have very heavy news. As of October 1st, 2023, GO Humanity must dissolve as an organization and cease to operate.  In 2009, we planted a seed which became the sapling of Foundation Beyond Belief which became the tree of GO Humanity. Now our…

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The Radical Past and Present of Mutual Aid

In the past couple months, you may have noticed an explosion of mutual aid societies responding to the COVID-19 pandemic—groups which share housing, food, health care, goods, or transportation while drawing attention to the politics of inequity. The idea is nothing new. Frequently-cited historical examples of mutual aid organizations include unions, 19th century Friendly Societies,…

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Ecuadorian Exchange (part 2 of 3): Learning from Tandana Foundation

For a long time this trip was just a dream. Although multiple people at Foundation Beyond Belief had put a lot of hours into its planning, in the end it seemed impossible. International laws and foreign immigration systems made it extremely difficult to get to Ecuador. It didn’t matter that Ecuador is visa-free for 90…

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Humanist Action: Ghana Update Part 2

Ghanian family home

To read part one click here.  Last December the 2017-2018 HA: Ghana team (volunteers and FBB leadership) mutually decided to leave Yendi. The HA: Ghana program faced some unexpected challenges in 2017 that forced several big location changes for our volunteers. While these challenges were entirely outside our control, we want to remain transparent about the…

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Humanist Action: Ghana Update

Ghanian family home

You may have noticed that the Humanist Action: Ghana (HA: Ghana) has been silent on social media in the first months of 2018.  We want to bring you up to date on an eventful few months. As you may know, HA: Ghana launched in Ghana’s Northern Region in support of Songtaba, a grassroots women’s rights…

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