School Building Project in Ahyiaem

    Since I have started to go the rounds Afrasu, I also visited New Wench Local Authority School in Ahyiem regularly because children in Afrasu go there and environmental education in forest fringe community is a part of my activity. Through regular visits to schools in Sunyani District, I found several distinctions among their environments; collapsed school buildings, massive students who don’t have shades of trees in the field, no school feeding program, inability of parents to let their children go to school, disadvantage of the location such that most inhabitants are settlers from the north and indigenous people are minority though the school is named as Local Authority, which is located on the boundary of the Wench District.

School head mistress and teachers were seriously concerning about suffered students and have already contributed to improve the school environment. And assembly man of this area is the one who was former community facilitator in Afrasu in PAFORM project, namely my precursor and he is knowledgeable about community development.

My mentor, Mr.Prince. We held a stakeholder meeting, with the School Management Committee which is organized for development of school environment and management based on community.

I have been consulted by them about school issues since March 2010 and introduced Japan’s Grand Assistance for Grassroots Human Security Projects (GGHSP scheme). They have organized the stakeholders meetings, which invited influential persons in Ahyiem such as elders, women group, some of chiefs who live in area, the chairman of School Management Committee and Parents and Teachers Association. I also attended as an observer, and witnessed noteworthy outputs. Parents knew the severe environment and reconstruct the collapsed structure the very next day of the meeting. This convinced me that the process of application will definitely improve to their capacity buildings, promote the relationship between teachers and stakeholders who live in community and generate more interest and commitment of parents in community, as well as that they will collaborate toward the school building project though we will have a lot of difficulties.

The next day of the meeting, parents came together and repaired the roof of structure for J.H.S 

   We submitted proposal summary in following purpose, though gradually, our project is in progress.

Objective:

   To offer students proper environment to study and grow up safely, they apply for GGHSP scheme to construct the school buildings of Primary for New Wench Local Authority School in Ahyiem to supplement with Kindergarten and J.H.S. In addition to that, we also consider about furniture, toilet facility, library, and so on.

Business Trip To HOHOE, Tourist Site in Volta region

I visited in Hohoe, Volta region, to cooperate with my colleague JOCV since Hohoe Municipal Assembly asked for visual data of tourist sites in order to improve public relations. I took the leave from in April 2010, and photographed Likpe Todome, Liati Wote, Monkey Sanctuary, Kente Village, and Wli waterfall. It was certainly enjoyable to visit these tourist sites, rather stimulating to look round colleague’s activity in rural community development as well.

You go up the steps and then reach TOGO over the mountains, the eastern neighbour of Ghana. EWE, the ethnicity and language in Volta region, are much effected those in Togo more than Ghana.

   Ms. Aki is a JOCV in rural community development who has been attached in Tourist Office under Hohoe Municipal Assembly since March 2009. We are same group in JOCV and this time her recipient agency requested me to take photographs of tourist sites in order that Ms. Okoma makes DVD-ROM as a collection of visual data and Assembly uses the data to make calendar for next year.

   We shot pictures of the beautiful landscape in Hohoe, portraits for executive officers in Hohoe Municipal Assembly, and daily scene in local market. We climbed the mountain and the grand caves, visited the secret waterfall and community in Likpe Todome. In Liati Wote, we were satisfied with the view of Mount Afad Jato, the highest mountain in Ghana, and the secluded Tagbo Waterfall. Interaction with Peace Corp. Volunteers there was also fulfilled one. Then Municipal Assembly provided us the official car to visit to Monkey Sanctuary and Kente Village. Finally we reached Likpe again and hiked Wli Waterfall.

   The most impressive experience was to inspect the community development activity which she promotes in Likpe Todome. She facilitated women group to produce the souvenir, which recycled the water sachets of Pure-Water, for visitors especially foreigners. The women group is ordered the products regularly on a small scale by the souvenir shop in Hohoe. Now they improve their skills to make the recycled purses. Her activity as community developer stimulated me a lot. Though we do not have specific tourist site here in Sunyani, I will definitely contribute to connect production of soap in forest fringe community of Sunyani with outside market opportunity for expansion of palm soap business. 

Site Training of Bee Keeping

In April 2010, we practiced site training of beekeeping in Adantia. The trainer, Mr. Sarkodie Alexandor who runs beekeeping and mushroom cultivating in Yawhema, lectured and demonstrated the process of harvesting. Unfortunately honey was not enough to harvest, but participants learned the skills and swept away their fear against bees. Then we gained some learnt lessons.

   In Adantia, we started the site training at five o’clock in the evening because bees are active during day time. Three IGA members including chairman and secretary of the beekeeping group took part in it and one joined demonstration. Bees have entered the hive in palm farm since last dry season in 2009 but they never knew how much the colonies were grown because they feared to open the hives. Before the site training, the trainer lifted the hive to measure whether the height was enough or not. Then he facilitated members to wear the suits, which has not been used for one year after exist of the PAFORM project. First they hesitated to wear it, but the trainer convinced them and one of them wore the suit and followed him. He advised how to wear and showed how to use the smoker, and closed to see the bars of colony. The one brought the torch, stood next to the trainer and the hive and assisted the trainer. Unfortunately colonies were not so matured that we could not harvest. But community members learned the skills to harvest and deepened their confidence.

After the site training, they discussed that one who joined demonstration is going to build the cropping house for mushroom. The trainer is also mushroom farmer, so the training linked their activities together.

    I gained some learnt lessons from this site training. The trainer who proposed to hold training for the community and demonstrate in the community sacrificed his effort from his volunteerism. Community members should have appreciate for what the trainer has done for them, but what they said after the training was that ‘it is simple, no more fear, so that we can do without any help’, though they did never experience harvesting. I learned my commitment might somehow have led compulsory workshop instead to generate their initiative and facilitate them.

Study Tour of Soap Making

Study tour of soap making was carried out in April 2010 in Afrasu, the isolated forest fringe community beside TAIN1 Forest Reserve in Sunyani Forest District. We welcomed four visitors from two communities and one observer of Assembly Man of New Wench Area. Though it was the first joint tour collaborated among communities since JOCV have been attached, all the participants learned one another successfully and practical site training seemed to give them certain confidence.

To arrange the meeting, prepare materials, exercise...everything takes their own flow. What we, outside strangers, can do is just to adapt their way, time and mind. Only these lead cooperation and ownership.  

The background was that Afrasu Soap-Making members has succeeded in regular production of soap with PALM OIL, the reasonable local product, since the PAFORM project has ended in March 2009 which had introduced them the soap making method with coconut oils as a part of Income Generation Activity for poverty reduction. This time, the soap making groups in Kofitumkrom and Amoakrom beside NSEMERE Forest Reserve as well as participated in the PAFORM project launched reorganization and readied to restart the activity. Innovative soap making way with palm oil was demonstrated by experienced Afrasu members to give the practical site training to Kofitumkrom and Amoakrom members.

   The purpose of this tour was that participants remind the process and make sure the effective use of palm oil in making soap. The interaction among the communities is expected to bring out chemistry to lead further self-effort and development of the groups.

Participants were from Kofitumkrom and Amoakrom, led by my colleague Afia Naomi who is JOCV in community development. These communities are located beside NSEMERE Forest Reserve and took part in PAFORM project as well. Two representative women attended from each community. And we welcomed one Assembly Man represented New Wench here, Mr. Prince, who engaged in PAFORM project as a community facilitator in Afrasu 1 & 2. Unfortunately he could not observe the demonstration but gave the compliment at last part of the workshop and discussed community internal issues such as broken borehole.

My precursor & Successor, Mr.Prince. His enthusiasm and facilitation encouraged and taught more than any other lecture or textbook about community development. 

Demonstration started with praying at 10am and closed with discussion at 12am on that day. Afrasu members showed the process to boil the oil, add chemicals, and pour the soda step by step. Visitors questioned each procedure and functions of ingredients because Afrasu members did not recognize the names of the chemicals which each shop sells different kinds of. Four visitors also practiced to stir the oil with soda instead of demonstrators, and helped last process to run it into the form. Then we discussed the way of producing palm oil by manufacture and its costs in comparison with purchase it, and so on. Demonstrators successfully performed with enough attention, and visitors showed much interest and participated in practice actively. The process of making soap is followings;

   PROCESS to make the soap of 1 box (about 60 pieces)

*Mix caustic soda (sodium hydrogen) with water and leave more than 3 days to steady

* Measure temperature less than 1275F with 1 gallon (1 loca bucket) of the mixed soda water and adjust it with water

*Boil 2 gallon of palm oil about 10 min until the colour has changed from turbid red to clear dark yellow

* Put each 200cc (2 tomato tin cup) of chemicals (foaming agent and builder, this time)

* Stir perfume (1 cap of plastic bottle) and colouring (proper amount) sufficiently

* Add the measured soda water (1 gallon) to the mixed oil carefully and stir completely

* Run the mixed ingredient into the wooden form with plastic

* Leave more than 1 day, cut the soap and stamp neatly (done in the next morning)

We gained some fruitful outcomes from this site training. One thing is that this site training proved the effective and economical way to use palm oil for making soap. Second is that all the participants deepened confidence with what they had done, that is to say demonstrators performed successfully and visitors learned the process through the practice. Third is that interaction among the communities surely accelerated and stimulated the activity one another. This chemistry will definitely push up each group activity of soap making into next stage forward further development.

Lastly, I state way forward and challenges of soap making activity in the community. We continue to produce soaps and practice calculations to make sure costs and profits. And I also introduced them  AMONKYE, which is the potential local soap made in traditional way without any artificial chemicals. We have several challenges such that members are not conscious of cost effectiveness and importance of appearance, and imbalance of each members’ contribution can somehow trigger another problem. To connect new market outside such as foreign consumers who prefer natural healthy product with interest in poverty reduction, we have to tackle these matters.