Study Trip to Ghana with 5 Family Members

SHOKOLA's Japanese Family came all the way to Ghana last October. Mother, two young brothers, aunt and cousin!! It was quite tough to manage our schedule considering their requests and Ghanaian sightseeing circumustances. But that was sooooo precious and marvelous moment and I can not appreciate enough that they went out of their way to Africa!!

SHOKOLA's mother presented her study trip in a ceremony and her comment were inserted in our news letter. I also translated her article to introduce her survival adventure in Africa, led by her daughtor!!

After 22 hours of transited flights from Japan, we landed at the airport in Accra with much excitement. My daughter welcomed us with all sunburnt smiles and braiding hair, seemed to enjoy local fashion as well.


She brought perfect and colourful study trip plan for us! It might be a hard work to please us five family members including her two junior brothers, her aunt and cousin. The hotel in Cape Coast which we stayed two nights was aesthetic and satisfied us with the flaming sunset beyond the horizon and beautiful daybreak in the following morning. We could not help feel much grief at slavery history in Cape Coast Castle. After 6 hours of transportation to Sunyani, where my daughter lives and works, we greeted her host family in Chiraa. People were surprised to see sudden appearance of OBRUNI group and welcomed heartily. We will never forget chopping FUFU with BUSHMEAT by hand, which neighbours served up in a hurry.
It does not matter without water and electricity power. When in Rome, do as the Romans do. I do not have enough words to describe how wonderful the starry sky expanded above us during the lights-off. The milky ways were flowing, the falling stars were pouring, so you could see the real planetarium there.The next day, we participated in the class of JHS, which my daughter have once a week, and went the recipient agency, Forest Service Division Sunyani District Office, to interview with some officers. My daughter negotiated and quarrelled toughly with a good command of English and Twi. We accepted Ghanaian time that we took for 2 hours to eat since we had ordered at the restaurant!

Half a year passed since her assignment, looking for what she can do now, she endeavours to implement environmental activity involved with stakeholders in the area. I believe that she will find something through living with local people.

I was deeply impressed with lively smiles and shining eyes of other JOCV we met in Ghana during this study-trip, and encouraged by their close relationships like Sisters and Brothers. I also heaved a sigh of relief and appreciated JICA stuff for their good care about our children as if they are family.

My daughter leads me a whole new world which I can not experience me alone. This study-trip was highly survival and touching, which motivate me to cooperate with her activity as much as possible, in the rest of her period, half and a year. Medaase paa!!

Christmas Music Concerts Tour in Ghana 2009!!

YAA & AFIA, Ghanaian local names of SHOKOLA & AYU who is a JOCV in youth activity, we love music. We like to sing, listen and play the instruments. Afia is very good at playing the Saxophone and Ukurere, which is small Hawaiian guitar. Shokola likes to play the piano and Sansin, which is Japanese traditional guitar.

Last December, our wishes were realized by lots of helps of other volunteers and stuff who supported our dream, to share joy and happiness with children in Ghana through MUSIC.

The following article appeared in our news letter,which was written by Afia, then translated English by Shokola:

My recipient agency is Junior High Schools (JHS) in Akim Swedru. I go my rounds four JHS all and have music classes. This time we held Christmas concerts at the end of the term in December. This year has been a second time since former volunteer had started. Not only recipient JHS, neighbour Primary Schools and Kinder Gardens also joined, each of schools were reading the Bibles, singing Christmas songs, and performing the instruments of glasses in two hours program. For taking place the concerts, because of inadequacy of class time once in a week, other teachers gave me classes and thought together about program, then finally preparation was being made with much cooperation. Among the teachers who experienced the last concert, some took the initiative to arrange the program. On that day though some schools cancelled suddenly and schedule delayed vastly, THIS IS GHANA, you know. Performance before the audience was perfect! Even an teacher who did not expect to be a MC evoked a burst of laughter. volunteers coordinator and other volunteers running for my help, we performed a Japanese folk song ‘FURUSATO’, and played with Saxophone and SANSIN which is Japanese traditional guitar as a guest performance. It was quite hard schedule that we played in two churches, I mean, schools, one in the morning and another in the evening on that day. But the next day, teachers and students were greatly delighted and eager to succeed next year. I feel wonderful that concerts which had been started since former volunteer take root like this★

“WANNA SEE A LOT OF SMILES!” our wishes fulfilled Christmas Concerts Tour 2009. We peacefully ended seven concerts including recipient JHS in Akim Swedru. During the vacation period, we celebrated singing Christmas songs with children in Primary School, JHS and orphanage in Sunyani where Yaa Shoko  works, and two hospitals in Nsawan where Abena Mai works. With interested volunteers who brought with piano, Sansin, saxophone, tambourine and castanets, we played the medley of Christmas songs, Christmas song in Twi and Furusato. Besides, we made them surprised by magic and enjoyed dancing with Ghanaian people. Above all, we were very glad to see a number of smiles and became one unit through music. Now my aim is to go around whole Ghana to see more smiles during the rest of one year. At last I appreciate for much cooperation of volunteer coordinators and other volunteers. Thank you very much♪

BORGA

I like to introduce you to my favorite artist in Ghana.

SARKODIE

the greatest & shining Rapper of HipLife in Ghana.

In his song BORGA, it means travellers in Twi language,

he asks us SO WAHT?

Here in Ghana,

people see BORGA as the symble of success or the rich,

then many emigrate illegally.

But ONE TIME FOR YOUR MIND.

Do you think that to be BORGA makes you really happy??

Employing low cost, Alcoholism, Intoxication...

we can find more traggedies and miseries
in unhappy and unconscious BORGA.

How many BORGA are there who contribute to your homeland

and take good care of your children and parents?

I can tell you another that you are not necessarily be happy in Japan,

though all Ghanaian guys ask me to marry me & take him to Japan!!

He does not merely whisper loving words, 

actually his sweet tune BABE lead me addictive,

but critisizes our world with much sense & reality.  

Lastly

That is all what I report in mid-term, many thanks for your reading.

I like to send one proverb in Twi language.

'Kakura, Kakura, Akoko Benom Nsuo'

-small small, like a chicken will drink water-

It means that if you make an effort diligently,

as if chicken drinks water, you will achieve something.

Our 2 years are too short to tackle everything reflected in our eyes,

but we can work on one by one in front of us.

And lastly,

I wanna say thank you my sister & brothers,

Sunyani members & 20-4 colleages and other JOCVs,

my precious Ghanaian friends and community members,

my family forestry stuff,

then express deep appreciation for JICA stuff

who always support our activity,

including emergency case such as motor accident!

Medaase paa!!! Nyame sirawo!

Challenges & Way Forward

  One thing I tackle now is how I should connect community inside resource with outside opportunity for the maximum benefits of the community without any much stress or pressure. For example, the soap made in community and outside market, interested individual persons in community and resource farmer, NGO especially concerning about mushroom and small animal rearing.

   Another problem is how I can assist forestry office and forest fringe communities collaborate with each other. Some senior officers are understanding and I always reported bushfire information to them because they operated their field officers effectively. Then they will hopefully monitor IGA and inspect community from now on.


   The last is my way forward. As for IGA, I will focus on development and expansion of soap making group activity. I will also promote individual IGA with help of outside resource persons, such as training teacher of honey and mushroom, and agric officer specialized in small animal rearing.
   About GB, I continue to monitor GB members and activity then will contribute toward cooperation among forestry office and community members to prevent annual bushfire in TAIN1 FR for the sake of sustainable forest management.

   I also continue my school activity. My aim is to have classes of environmental studies and fire education with all of JHS students and Senior Primary students in forest fringe community. Then I definitely interact with more children to offer more possibility and opportunity in their lives.

   Now I plan some projects; one is Sports Balls Project, which is to provide some volley balls and footballs to forest fringe schools with cooperation of my Japanese family:

   Another is the School Bus Project form Germany students and one Ghanaian man living in German, who came from Chiraa in Sunyani, where I live now. One Germany teacher let me know this wonderful and heart-warming story through this SHOKOLA blog then it is now in progress!

my mission in Ghana 3 -extra-

In addition to those core activities, I highly engaged various activity such as cross-cultural event, skill-up worlshop in community development, participation in HIV/AIDS dance, Beach Cleaning with UNV, and SCHOOL ACTIVITY for environmental education which I had dreamed in Japan.

In 2009, I had cross cultural classes several times through family visit and Christmas concerts with other JOCVs in schools, orphanage, hospitals to see more and more shining smiles of children.

Then in 2010, I finally started to have classes for environmental studies and fire education. I experienced fire attack at first time in my working field. Then I noted that to give caution is crucial to prevent fire because it is said that the fire attack are sometimes triggered by misconduct or carelessness. From my experience, I took in fire issues to my topics.

my mission in Ghana 2 -GB-

Green Belt is fruit farms which was established in boundary of the FR as for fire belt to prevent fire attack from forest.

I also met the members and went to see the sites then reported the status quo to the office through the year.

Last December, we had wonderful news that one of the GB group received best farmers group award for outstanding contribution in development agriculture in Ghana. And it was known in our internal News Letter. I printed the article and handed out community members and my colleagues. Especially community members were delighted very much.

But unfortunately, the fire attacked GB sites at the beginning of February 2010. 2 groups out of 6 groups had stopped the activity then almost all of the sites were burnt. 2 groups which were highly active were also damaged some seedlings. Other 2 groups are active and still in good condition without any fire in this dry season.

my mission in Ghana -IGA-

What have I done so far?

To improve Income Generation Activity in forest fringe community is my main purpose as a community officer in Forestry Office. It is a promotion of alternative livelihood for people who live with forest, both to reduce too much dependence on the forest, and to benefit from the forest in a right way.


I visited communities regularly and inspected each IGA and talked to the community people.
I could never do those without who helped me voluntarily. Some helped me to enter the community, some worked on community members to organize the meeting, and some contacted me to work with. These relationships will definitely continue further development in the rest of my year.

The highlight of my one year was soap making activity. I observed some groups making the soap.

One group succeeded in regular making. I gave them one note to be aware of figures. We calculated the number of soaps we made and we sold, to compare cost and profit. Now I do one by one, then try to make clear the impact of how they earn by their own.

Another group did experiment to find new economical method and succeeded in making soap with used palm oil and few chemicals. My colleague volunteer gave me technical advice about chemical agent of ingredient then we found that palm oil, which is familiar and reasonable local oil, is one of the most quality kinds of oil for making soap. And we also noted that we need only oil and soda ash for making PURE SOAP, I mean, additives free. Now I research variety of local soap and it is quite interesting process because I myself was suffered skin trouble when I lived in Japan.

where I work

Where I work?

I work in the official agency in charge of management of forest resource.

Main purpose of this agency is to protect, manage and develop the forest resource. To achieve these ideas, it operates on & off Reserves and supervises the area and plants trees. But what it focus on the most is to produce timber as national revenue. For the sake of this, illegal chainsaw operation is strictly were taken action day and night. Also bush fire is the biggest threat here in transitional zone. So fire education in forest fringe communities is also important role of it.

As for TAIN1 FR where I am attached, it operates stream planting which is to protect and enrich the soil along the river side. I inspected the Forest Guard planting and accompanied on monitoring with senior officers.

where I live

Where I live?

I live in CHIRAA, quite big & old village near forest, in SUNYANI district which is the capital city of BRONG AHAFO region.

BRONG AHAFO-midland of Ghana-

 BRONG AHAFO region is first settlement place our major tribe Akan, who speak Twi language, they came dawn from the north. Later migrations led to southern forest area and developed to Asante, Fante, Denkyira, Akim, Akuapim in present Asante, Central, Eastern, Western region.

 BRONG & AHAFO stand for two names of kingdom. The Brong state and the Ahafo state were there once upon a time before Asanti empire emerged one unit.

 Major production of BA is crops and timber, such as cocoa, cashew, yam, plantain and so on.
 This agric belt located between northern savannah area and southern tropical forest area. We call it transitional zone.
 In this transitional zone, Brong Ahafo has 6 Forest Districts in 19 administrative districts.

SUNYANI-capital city-

  We have 7 Forest Reserves in Sunyani Forest District. I am working in forest fringe communities around TAIN1 FR in blue. My colleagues of volunteers are also working in TAIN1, TAIN2, and Nzemere FR as a community officer, fruit growew and surveyor.

 We don’t have outstanding tourist point but it is very comfortable place cuz climate is calm and cool, so one volunteer said Sunyani is like a Switzerland in Ghana!

many thanks for visiting here

Hi everyone

Many thanks for visiting this poor updated blog!!

one year will have been passed since I arrived in Ghana.

Then I like to update my activity record

cuz recently I organized some English materials for yearly presentation 

Please enjoy the articles;

where I live

where I work

what I have done

challenges & outlook

Let's gonna start!