Blogs from Accra, Greater Accra, Ghana, Africa - page 9

Today was a day of endings - my last day of maternity, our last day at Military 37, and, amazingly, the 2/3 mark of our clinical placement in Ghana. Maternity has been quite the experience here. I feel as though I’ve learned a great deal (although a bit of it has been what not to do). The maternity unit (also called Yeboah ward) consists of antepartum, labour and delivery, and postpartum. It is primarily for women with high-risk conditions such as hypertension, or those requiring c-sections. In Ghana, low-risk pregnancies deliver at smaller clinics with midwives. Yeboah primarily uses midwives, with the exception of very complicated births. The staff was very friendly, and always looking for learning opportunities for me. Ghanaians are given names based on the day of the week they are born, so I ... read more

NOTE: no pics due to slow internet, sorry. -RR As I mentioned in a previous blog (9th of February??), I have started my internship at the UN University's Inst. for NR in Africa. Here's a brief account of my most recent activities.... On the trip to the central region, we ended up working with three schools in the area; one in Elmina, and two in Cape Coast proper. My boss (and probably the coolest lady in West Africa!), Yvonne, and Samuel, the director of a partner NGO (Centre for Environmental Analysis) talked with teachers for students as young as 6 up to about 6th grade level. In some cases, we got to speak with the students directly. We talked with them about how to form environmental clubs on their campuses, what kinds of impacts they could ... read more

Day 5, Friday, Jan 29st After Breakfast we went to the money changer. I changed $400 at a rate of 1.37. On the way there, my new friend, James, made a ‘free’ bracelet for me. I asked Colleen how much I should pay for it. She said 1 cede. When I came out of the exchange James approached me with another present, a key chain. He asked me the names of my children. I gave him 1 cede and said I didn’t want any more. He was not happy but greeted me later in the day with a big smile and a “Hi Norm”. Around 10:30 we drove to CUA to meet the staff there. The meeting took place in a large room and about 20 CUA people and our 12 were there. We all introduced ... read more

We're all a bit sad about going home today. I think we all have similar feelings about our experiences and acomplishments while at the various credit unions in Ghana. We have helped and we have learned a great deal. This moring we will present shortened versions of our reports to CUA (Credit Union Association of Ghana). But first we must have a lovely breakfast under the canopy and show off our "Casual Friday" attire.... read more

I awoke at 4 am and was unable to get back to sleep. I started thinking about the last two weeks, the people I've met and the new friends I've made along the way. Today will be a very big day. We have our final de-briefing at CUA House this morning and then spend the rest of the day with the group. The Irish coaches fly out around 10 pm and our flight is at 11:45 pm. Last night we continued with the tradition of going to the Dynasty Restaurant for our last big meal together and what a big meal it was. At one point, for about 30 seconds, the power went out. As we were in a room with no windows, it was very, very dark. I took a picture and the only way ... read more