By jamfanous
February 4th: What challenges are you facing and how are you/planning
to overcome them? What are the benefits and do you feel like you are already making a difference, if so how?
There are numerous opportunities to serve in the Greater Accra area and beyond. Fortunately I have been offered the opportunity to work with an organization dedicated to sustainable development called Community Directed Development Foundation(CDDF). CDDF is a non governmental organization determined to improve the health, education, environment, agriculture and socio-economic well-being of communities. The organization works with other NGO's and community organizations to devise positive sustainable futures for many struggling communities. The organization facilitates an endless number of outreach programs, those currently in the works include: Women For Africa(CDDF-wFa) and Brempong-Twum Initiative for Good Health.
The Women For Africa program, works to promote gender equality through empowering women to gain greater economic roles in Ghana. CDDF does this through assisting women to acquire more economically sustainable business plans. The program works to help women reach their full potential and disregard the negative influence of gender roles. Women have devised creative ways in which they can acquire a sustainable income, for example many women use sashes to weave bags and other useful accessories. CDDF works with other organizations in the community to education women and connect them to the right markets, so they can begin to generate profitable income. These projects began several months ago and have not only been successful but environmentally friendly and provide a sustainable income for women. Additionally, the Brempong-Twum Initiative for Good Health works to prevent malaria in less educated and rural areas of Ghana. This initiative organizes events catered to providing proper education and materials to communities in Ghana. I will be closely working with the malaria outreach program but I have also been given the opportunity to create my on research and community outreach program. Currently my outreach project is still in the research and outline stages, however: I hope to be working in the agricultural sector. My project ideas span from school beautification and garden education, to pesticide and herbicide usage health research, to protective herbicide and pesticide equipment funding. With some help from others in CDDF, I will determine which project is most feasible and useful to those I am working with. Each of these project ideas have separate problems and challenges needed to be tackled. For example, the school beautification project requires a lot of money for supplies, labor, and plants. Acquiring a grant for such a project will be difficult since beautification is not a necessity or priority to many in Ghana. Thus the other projects related to limiting herbicide and pesticide usages might be a better idea given it simply requires communication and research. However, the project might be difficult given potential language barriers(many rural farmers have poor english), therefore properly educating farmers on safety and usage of pesticides could pose many obstacles. Although each project pose difficulties they are not impossible and I am hopeful for the future of one of these ideas and what it could become. The adverse health concerns regarding over application of herbicides and pesticides in Ghana are constantly mentioned in the newspapers and other media outlets. Overuse of many chemical pest controllers have negative effects on the produce sold in market places in addition to the farmers themselves. With that said, I plan on researching the levels of pesticide and herbicides used by farmers in a local community, and if applicable, work on a plan to better educate farmers on proper quantities necessary. In addition many farmers are unaware
of health benefits of wearing protective gear while applying pesticides and herbicides. Thus, I hope to research those uses and determine if education and materials are needed in those regards.
Since school just began this past week my participation has been minimal with CDDF, my class schedule is still a work in progress but thankfully this week I will be visiting potential communities I could be working with! So more will come on my progress with CDDF in later weeks!
In addition to CDDF, within the next week or so I will begin volunteering with the Kisseman Children's Foundation. I believe I will be volunteering with an after-school program in the Greater Accra region. I will be assisting students with homework and various after-school programs the foundation has planned. This foundation is extremely beneficial for the community whereas, schools in Ghana end around 3:00pm everyday which is much too early for the average Ghanian parent to end work. On top of that, many schools either charge or donot offer after-school care. Which is where the Kisseman Children's Foundation comes in, it is helpful for those parents who cannot afford to leave work at 3:00pm or pay for after-school care. Providing free after-school assistance motivates students to complete homework before dark and keep kids from roaming the streets and all forms of trouble.
Now that my class schedule is finally sorted out I am extremely excited to get to work! I couldn't have picked two better organizations to be dedicating my time too. I plan on spending every available second working with either of these organizations and truly making my experience here in Ghana worthwhile.
Until next time!