Ghanian family home

Humanist Action: Ghana Update Part 2

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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 status of the program and how we have adapted our 2018 schedule. Even though we were all disappointed to leave Yendi, we are proud of our accomplishments in the north, and are optimistic about the program’s future.

HA: Ghana_ghana_learningtomakesheabutter_july2017We decided to start the next phase of the HA: Ghana program in January instead of July. This phase will use an evaluation and improvement process to determine how best to use knowledge gained from the Northern Region as we transition to other parts of Ghana. Although we planned to expand to other parts of Ghana, we never expected it to happen so quickly. We are continuing our partnerships in the Northern Region to build on our accomplishments remotely, but do not plan to have anyone there at this time. We expect one or more volunteers will return at some point in the future. 

Establishing HA: Ghana in Cape Coast
After extensive research we chose Cape Coast, the capital of the Central Region of Ghana, as the location for our team to begin the next phase of the HA: Ghana program. Yvonne moved to Cape Coast in January and has spent the intervening months re-registering the HA: Ghana program with the Ghanaian government, getting to know the region better, and building relationships throughout the community.

In Ghanaian culture, relationships are the cornerstone of society. Building a strong relationship with every person with whom you interact on a daily basis is of the utmost importance. We cannot succeed in Ghana without having these relationships solidly in place. In many ways, this is part of why we struggled when the HA: Ghana team was forced to relocate so quickly in 2017; we did not have adequate time to establish strong relationships in Yendi.

Establishing Partnerships
Now that the HA: Ghana program has officially been re-registered with the government and the bulk of her relationship-building efforts are completed, Yvonne will begin to meet with NGOs operating in the Cape Coast area. She will be using the knowledge gained from our past experiences with partner organizations as she evaluates potential partner organizations.

HA: Ghana GhanaYvonne is also looking for a second person to help vet the Cape Coast NGO's – two people will have a much easier time evaluating an organization than one person alone could have, and offer multiple perspectives during the evaluations. They plan to spend approximately 4-8 weeks shadowing 2-4 organizations that seem like a truly promising fit. She explained that in Ghana, it can be challenging to get someone to answer a question if the answer may be perceived negatively or to admit to not knowing an answer, which added to the difficulties we faced in earlier partnerships. By spending two weeks onsite with potential partners, we will have firsthand knowledge about how an organization operates. 

The HA: Ghana Advisory Board & Website Updates
The Foundation Beyond Belief HA: Ghana Advisory Board is not only committed to the HA: Ghana program, but we are also committed to ensuring that the program moves forward in the most sustainable way possible. This program requires a serious commitment of time, energy, and financial resources, and we have no intention of spending any of these frivolously. The HA: Ghana Advisory Board last met in March. The date for the next meeting is still being finalized, but is tentatively planned for September.

We have also been working to update the HA: Ghana portion of the FBB website. With the many changes to the program, it has been challenging to reflect these changes on the website. Yvonne has put in a number of hours updating the information, and the changes are 80-90% complete.

Program Continuity in the Northern Region
HA: Ghana1Although we left the northern region of Ghana, the programs and projects that were established have continued to improve women’s rights. This is exactly what we hoped to achieve: partner with the local community to establish sustainable solutions which will lead to real improvements.

As you may recall, Lukeman Domba is a Ghanaian who worked with our Non-Ghanaian volunteers in the Northern Region during the 2016-2017 service year. He continues to work with the women in the Kukuo camp for alleged witches, and communicates regularly with us about his progress. Lukeman is facilitating best practices training in henna farming for women at Kukuo. Henna is a staple crop in the northern region of Ghana, as it is used heavily in traditional and religious practices. He is also working on a savings program: the women contribute money into a joint account each month and are able to take turns borrowing funds in an emergency.

The tailoring apprenticeship program has been more challenging to track, partly due to cultural barriers. Yvonne Nyahe, (HA: Ghana Ghana: Program Coordinator), noted that the perception is that NGOs come to the northern region, set up a program and distribute funding, and leave with no expectation of follow-up or reporting. Despite these challenges, Yvonne has been able to collect some information regarding the program’s progress. 

HA: Ghana-donating-sewing-machines-and-materials-to-vocational-training-participants-2Among the women who were initially selected for the program, one chose not to participate in the program at all, and the trainer was asked to select a new participant. Another woman chose to train with a family friend rather than the assigned trainer; this is a perfectly acceptable compromise as far as we are concerned. Yvonne has asked the trainers to send photos and other information about the training itself, but this is as much information as she has received despite repeated efforts. She notes that this is simply to be expected to some degree when we’re attempting to get information regarding projects in the north. She will continue to push for more details so we can evaluate the ongoing results of our work in the north.

We’d love to hear your questions and comments. Thanks for your ongoing support!

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