Posts tagged ghana
Life is calling. How far will you go?
Harvesting honey during bee keeping training
Angelina’s Smile
Angelina comes running up after school yelling ‘Sister Johanna, Sister Johanna!’. I smile and can’t help laugh as she looks up at me in her faded school dress. She smiles the biggest smile you’ve ever seen and grabs a stack of nets to carry on her head to help. We’re in the middle of a net distribution as part of Ghana Health Service’s ‘Roll Out Campaign’.
As we distribute and hang net in every household, one per married couple and one for every two children, Angelina runs back and forth from where we store the nets, making the process go a little quicker. She’s one of my most favorite people in my village but her name can be deceiving. Asking for a coin to buy a water sachet because she’s thirsty, she comes back smacking on a piece of bubble gum. My counterpart George Atoanan and I try to scold her but end up laughing instead! Even though she’s devious, she our little helper for the day and puts a smile on our face.
I’ve visited with her family since the campaign and see that the treated mosquito nets are still hung and I can rest assured she’s sleeping safe every night. Because she’s healthy and malaria-free, she can continue to smile her mischievous smile every day.
- Peace Corps Health Volunteer Johanna Twiford
Peace Corps Health Volunteer Danielle Dunlap and Peace Corps Agriculture Volunteer Katie Woodruff team up while making neem cream during a demonstration in Cape Coast, Ghana.
Neem cream is a natural mosquito repellent made from inexpensive local resources, including leaves of the neem tree, shea butter and soap, that helps prevent mosquito bites which can transmit malaria.
University of Alaska Fairbanks: SNRAS student gets Peace Corps assignment to Ghana
Celia Jackson, 26, is a self-professed “volunteer junkie.” The UAF School of Natural Resources and Agricultural Sciences Master’s International student has just received her Peace Corps assignment to Ghana and could not be more excited and pleased.
“It’s going to be amazing,” Jackson said.
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Bismark, my small boy, and Kwame’s son, decided to jog with me this morning and do a lil yoga.
He doesn’t speak English and my Twi is terrible. But talking doesn’t matter when you lead through example. I’m just doing me and suddenly I realize I’m not just a Peace Corps Volunteer telling cashew farmers what to do, I’m a role model to kids.
Cashew nursery at the primary school cashew farm - Reality, most of these kids may become farmers or inherit the land of their fathers and mothers. Might as well start easy with some hands on lessons in tree nurseries and grafting. My hope is that the school cashew farm can be a leading example in the village for other farmers. We will see!
The LAWRA YOUNGSTERS ASSOCIATION is an organization open to boys and girls between the ages of 9 and 24. The objectives of the Association are to educate youth, improve the community, train youth to become future leaders, to sensitize the youth against diseases such as HIV/AIDS, to organize HIV/AIDS clubs in various schools and to reduce the stigma against HIV/AIDS.
Marching is a long-standing tradition in Ghana since 1957 when Ghana gained its independence. Schools and community service organizations organize their students and members to spiff up in bright new uniforms and freshly polished shoes for competitive marching. The Lawra Youngsters prepared a banner especially for this occasion with the motto “Save Lives - Be Responsible.”
Peace Corps Agriculture Volunteer Janette Ambauen
(Source: peacecorps.gov)
“Despite having a relatively large population of deaf in Ghana, there is still very little awareness about deaf culture and extremely high levels of stigmatization. The deaf experience isolation and discrimination in their communities and even their own families.”
Peace Corps Volunteer Lauren Corke
(Source: peacecorps.gov)
Neem cream demonstrations!! I’ve done five trainings so far at the baby weighings held monthly in different areas of Sirigu. So far, over 150 women have learned how to make it and took some home with them from the demonstration.
Celebrating my one year mark with a picture of a project that’s come a long way! I’ve been working on this with two women from the NGO and some of the trees will be planted soon.
