Road Rules

Let me take this opportunity to describe ground transport in Ghana. If you're lucky enough to have a car, you're probably not lucky enough to have one with air conditioning. Even the car we rented for our tour had problems. The AC died by the time we got to Kumasi and the car itself threatened to die along with it as we sat in bumper to bumper traffic. With windows rolled down you risk black lung from all the exhaust!

None of the cars I have been in have had back seat belts and only one of them was I able to dig out from under the seat. Even if seat belts were available, no one would use them. This means that I've spent days flying down 2 lane, potholed roads without a seat belt. Imagine me bouncing around the back seat as we weave between dump trucks and road debris. Worse is that there isn't much attention paid to right of way or general driving precautions. Tro tros are flying on and off the shoulder, honking their horns all the way, bikes are teetering along the edges. Add this to the pedestrian traffic and you have a high likelihood of injury. It's simply a matter of time and I hope I'm well free of Ghana before my time comes. Everyone remember now, road rules are there for our safety!!! It's never been more evident to me.



The tro tros are really quite a wonder. These are privately owned vans which run up and down the main roads transporting people to and fro for relatively little. What that means though is that service is a bit hit and miss. The vans are packed to the gills with people, small children and any number of personal items. The drivers have set up extra seats in the general aisles, so when you need to exit at your stop, half the van has to unload in front of you and then reload once you're off. Each tro tro has a driver and a mate. The mate is the person you interact with. He calls out the stops, wrangles passengers and baggage and collects the money. If you're not careful (and particularly if you look like you might not know what you're doing - like me) they will tell you the price is double the actual. Usually another friendly passenger will correct them and make sure you're not overpaying. There are far more people looking out for us than trying to take advantage. Another highlight of the road is the display of religious fervor. Most taxis and tro tros have a few words of wisdom pasted on their back window. I've enjoyed looking out for new variations.



The last piece of info on ground transport I'll share is how awesome the taxis are. They're considerably more expensive than the mass transit of the tro tro system, but they will take ANYTHING. I have seen taxis brimming with one passenger and 7,000 eggs or pineapples pouring out the windows. No kidding. FULL of pineapples! At home we get dirty looks if you try and take too many items home from IKEA.



In short, getting from point A to B is a wild ride.

There is no escape

I was hoping to come to Ghana and be able to take a break from the political world for at least just a few weeks. Turns out I was wrong.

Ghana is closing in on their presidential elections that will be held on December 7th. There are posters, billboards, commercials, traveling announcements and rallies going on every day! The election is coming down to three presidential candidates.

Professor Atta Mills is running on the New Democratic Congress (NDC) ticket. The NDC was in power during the Clinton years when their party leader, JJ Rawlings, took over the country in a "non-violent" coup. They are trying to make a comeback and are pointing many a finger at the current party in control even though they had plenty of corruption of their own 8 years ago. Atta Mills was the vice president to Rawlings and this will be his third time running for president ('00, '04, '08) Third times a charm?




Nana Akufo Addo is the nominee for the New Patriotic Party (NPP). This is the party currently in power here and he fought his way through a 17 way fight in the primary. He may have a leg up in terms of campaign infrastructure but the economy in Ghana, like the rest of the world, is not doing well right now (better than most African countries but still worse than a few years ago). The party is also having some problems with awarding big importing contracts to family members and has focused on imports rather than building Ghana from within.


Dr Paa Kwesi Nduom is running under the Convention People’s Party (CPP). He was thought of as a long shot a year ago but is very well respected. He has preformed very well in the last few debates and is building momentum. The CPP is the original political party here in Ghana and was in power when the country gained its independence in 1957. His platform is one of free and compulsory education through high school, putting more taxes on imports to help develop the country's infrastructure/economy and to clean up the environment which thus far has been ignored. Needless to say, this is my man. I don't have a good enough feel for the environment here to say who might be ahead and there are no credible polls either. We will just have to wait until Dec. 7th.


So much for my vacation away from politics...

Week 1 Pictures

Ghana loves Obama! When we meet a new person and they learn we are Americans they exclaim, "Obama! Hey!". This shot of Charles' car is proof of global Obama mania.



Zappo is up and running and has been full everytime we stop by. Ghana is ripe for investments. Zappo at least will be keeping Ghanaian money in Ghana.



Smoked fish in the Kasoa market place, where you can find just about anything...but sunglasses.



Araba and Anti Aba, Charles and Becky's neices. They just take a little warming up and then they're climbing all over you!



Anti Aba is four but is as tall as her older sister and much more outgoing.



Children who gathered around at the local school volleyball tournement.




Becky teaching Amy how to cook banku, which is a bit like sourdough. It's harder than you think!

The hunt for a school begins

We started our hunt for schools in desperate need for reconstruction around the Kasoa area here in Ghana. Charles said he knew of a few around the area so we decided to start with those.

The first school we looked at was once built by a mining company that was using the area to extract granite for export. The area is called Fete Kekrebe, it is near the town of Fete so the meaning of the name is "little Fete". This school was by far in the best shape. There were some major problems with it like holes in the walls and broken roofing sheets but it just wasn't in dire enough condition to be the next school for Framework International to build/rebuild. One of the interesting things however was that the floor of the school was made up of crushed granite and cement! It kills me to see crushed up granite for as expensive as it is in the US, but I guess you use what you have...





The second school we looked at was the best, or "worst" school that we saw today. It is called Zion Primary and Nursery school. It was very similar to the school in Amanfro before we reconstructed it. It has dirt floors and no solid walls to keep out the wind or rain. The worst part of the school is the Kindergarten "KG" classrooms which are not classrooms at all. The school has constructed a network of sticks and branches that hold up palm branches that make up the roof of the school. This is the classroom designated for KG 1 and 2 because they are considered the least important. So the youngest and most vulnerable have to learn their ABCs outside.







The third school we looked at was a mix. They have a primary school as well as a junior high. Both of those schools are well built and fully sheltered but like the previous school, the KG classes bear the worst conditions. The KG portion of this school was in the same condition as the main Zion building.



All of these schools are "community schools" which means they were built by the community members but are staffed by government teachers and therefore the education is free.

I look forward to searching for more schools next week. I wish we could build them all, but because we have to start somewhere, I want to make sure the one we choose will have the greatest impact.

The Ghana Expedition> Day 2

Seth and I are here in Kasoa, Ghana doing some field work for Framework International. As this is Seth's fourth visit and my first, we are combining work with pleasure. We will be here in town for the next few days, visiting friends and checking on the internet cafe, Zappo, which Seth set up last year. We are depending on our friend and local tour leader, Charles, for transportation and introductions, but everyone who knows Seth from his previous visits are very excited to see him and welcome him back to town.

We arrived a day and a half ago and are getting accustomed to the environment. It is certainly hot, but it's not as bad as I expected. The humidity is more noticeable. We are just above the equator, off the coast of West Africa. Luckily it has been breezy and last night there was a big rainstorm that cleared the air a bit. When the sun came up this morning though, it just steamed the moisture out of the ground.

Yesterday we visited the Amanfro school (Linfield Primary, depending on who you ask) which Seth and Charles built. It's a nice solid school with 6 rooms and small patio area. They are still working on building the washroom and are hoping to add a veranda for the students to study during the heat of the day. Charles told us that Amanfro is the only school where lunch is served to the children dependably, though it is supposed to be available at all the public schools. It's very lucky that they have been able to maintain that service, as nearly 500 students attend the school.

We also stopped by Mary Star of the Sea, the private school where Seth taught fourth grade and where Charles' son, Kobe attends. It is much larger, with a gated entrance. It's very nice and recently received the ranking of #19 of the best private schools in the country. I believe there are over 300. The head mistress is very proud of the achievement.

Today we will do some more exploring around town and tomorrow we plan to visit the funeral for Charles' aunt in his hometown.