Good Governance Project

Just a bit of information about the project I'm working on.

Up until a couple of weeks ago I was part of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture(MoFA) team, I was going to be working directly with Farmers, teaching them basic business skills, finding out what techniques they used and looking to improve both EWB's knowledge of their methods and at the same time 'when possible' try to get them to incorporate different techniques to diversify their crops and hopefully improve the stability/sustenance provided by those crops.

I received a phone call from Ghana, with the option of choosing between the MoFA placement and one with the Good Governance(GG) team. It was partially a choice given to me, but mostly a request made of me. I switched teams, and will now be working in the Kpandai district of Northern Ghana (little purple bit on the map above).

With the GG team, I will be gathering information on the needs of communities within the district, specifically focusing on the presence of bore holes, schools, hospitals and other related information. This information is to be analyzed and then presented to the Ghanaian government and NGO's looking to do work in the district. The hope is that with an accurate mapping/database, the efforts put into development will have a greater effect. I will be working directly with the District Planning and Coordinating Unit (DPCU); partnering with a District Planning Officer.

The switch from MoFA to GG has lessened the amount of time I will have working with farmers, switching me over to office based work with a few excursions into communities. I feel some loss, I am concerned that I may walk away with less understanding of what happens on the ground in Ghana. At the same time I am more suited to the GG sector, as a returning JF Ryan Brideau told me, he was expecting me to be placed with GG the entire time. I'm not a farmer, I am an analytical person studying electrical engineering. I'll probably be able to provide more to EWB and the people I'm working with through data interpretation. We shall see.

Part of my job is to teach some of the computer skills I've gained at school. I can remember back when I was learning how to type using mavis beacon. My father would bribe us, whoever could get over 30wpm would get a buck, it was effective. I only wish he used it himself, it's odd seeing someone with as much technical expertise typing with a single finger. I'm hoping to use a freeware typing tutor provided by Ryan. Any ideas of how to go about teaching adults some of the computer skills we have here in Canada without coming off as demeaning would be appreciated. I'm sure it will all work out, these things always do.

Packing up

I'm still here in Fredericton, going through the junk that has accumulated in my apartment over the past couple of years. It's odd, between myself and a roommate we have filled two large garbage bags with old clothing to donate to the salvation army. So much misfitting, worn out or gaudy clothing. I've been told that Ghana is filled with the stuff, clothing of a wide variety from all over, available for next to nothing being sold in stalls along side produce and sundries. Maybe that is our legacy as human beings, the excessive amounts of unwanted t-shirts and boxer shorts which float around from continent to continent.

Pre-departure training starts on Tuesday. My flight from Fredericton leaves at 6am. I've been told to expect a week of non-stop case studies (for those of you fortunate enough to have not experienced a case study, well I hope you never come to understand why I dread the thought of seven days worth). I can see the use of case studies and I appreciate what I've learned through them, I just feel as though it may be hard to concentrate on random case studies while attempting to prepare myself for the mental shock of landing in Ghana.

If I am correctly interepreting the information sent to me the other day I will be travelling through Rome on my way to Ghana. It will be a six hour stop, it'll also be the first time I've set foot in Rome. When in Rome? Buy a trinket from the airport? Gawk at strangers?

Intro Post?

Hey,

Just trying to get this whole "publishing opinions in a public forum" thing down, I'm not entirely convinced my thoughts should be posted online, but what the hell... It's not like I can't erase them from the web(damn google cache).

The prospect of traveling to Africa as a volunteer is not frightening, it is interesting, very very interesting. It should be noted that I am not an altruist and I am not a selfless person, I am not a bleeding heart and I do not believe I can single handedly fix the problems that exist in our world. In fact I have long had trouble justifying/understanding the existence of humanity, I see no divine will or logic in our continued existence as a species. Love, laughter, drugs, friendship and music are great(especially music and laughter), but someone messed up and I don't know if we should be here.

I am driven by a desire to understand why people live, what life means to people in another part of the world and just how/why they keep on living. Maybe through understanding how others interpret life I can see a bit clearer, it never hurts to have a shared experience.

Imagine living in a shared apartment, there are only two parking spaces to be used by three people. One parking space is continually cleared by the first person, the other two people share the second space. Over time the second space becomes filled with trash, debris, snow, whatever. One of the two people sharing the space continually complains about the mess but never lifts a finger, the other becomes annoyed with having to always clean the space up and eventually that person becomes apathetic and lets the space fill with old shopping carts and dog shit to the point no-one wants to use it. I hope to never be the complainer, and I am trying to fight the apathy this world invokes in me. Our world is messed up, I can ignore the problems or I can try to understand them. Once I understand the problems I will know whether or not I have anything to offer.

I am going overseas to learn and to disperse what little knowledge I have, I am hoping that I will provide something(anything) to the people I meet in Ghana and bring back as much knowledge as I can stuff in my shiny bald head.

The thing that strikes fear in my eyes, that rattles my hypothetical soul and sends quivers of dread down my spine is the heat. I am going to melt, to dissolve into a mass of pasty white flesh(well it'll be red with sunburn). What will I do without constant access to purified water, without snow? It is not something I've ever had to experience, it'll be interesting.

Serious fears revolve around being overly judgmental; who am I to walk into another country and tell people how to behave? I know I have my reservations, I know my beliefs and I'm an extremely judgmental person. I just hope I am not put in a position which requires maturity beyond mine. My beliefs on gender equality will no doubt cause problems, as will my beliefs on the use of physical force. We shall see.