Blogs from Volta, Ghana, Africa

Wli (pronounced Vlee, like glee) is in the highlands on the border with Togo, 137mi/212km north of Accra. Getting There The 2pm bus left Accra’s Tudu bus station half an hour late and we passed our airport hotel an hour and a half after that, so I was relieved when the traffic subsided and we hit the open road. This was short-lived, though, as there were more potholes than asphalt on the road to Hohoe, presumably caused by heavy rains, that the two rotating bus drivers somehow navigated without breaking an axle, which made for one of the worst long journeys I’ve ever been on. We finally made it to Hohoe at 9:30 p.m. and then found a taxi to take us the rest of the way to Wli. Accommodations We spent 3 nights in Wli ... read more

Two days of flying and we are in Accra. It's dark, hot and humid. We are greeted by Armstrong, brightly dressed, helpful and smiling. The hotel is cool, the bed soft. In the morning we are greeted by more smiling, helpful people. In the hotel, in the street, in the market. We wander through the city to the coast - no real beach in Accra, just a rocky shore. Everywhere ladies sit on the roadside selling food, stationery, hardware, clothes. Ancient minibuses rattle past, hooting and belching diesel smoke. It is over 30 degrees and the humidity is near 100%. We don't so much sweat as melt. The next day we are off to the Millet Festival at Odumase. We arrive just as the parade of chiefs is starting. First come the lowest ranking chiefs, walking ... read more

Friday afternoon, we left for the weekend trip. 13 of us went, and a few stayed behind as they wanted to chill and go to the pool rather than join us hiking. We were staying at a place called Roots Yard, which was a Rastafarian run vegan restaurant and hostel, up in the Volta region, in a place called Peki. The trip there in the Tro-tro took about 3.5 hours, as we were stuck in really bad traffic jams on the way. That wasn't too bad though, as Hawkers weave their way through the lines of traffic, selling stuff. Some of it is just what you want, e.g. water and snacks. Other things are the most random things you just wouldn't expect, such as plug sockets, toy dolls on strange little bicycles (quite freaky), and shoes. ... read more

Here's a compilation of our final week at Sacred Heart Hospital. While we returned for a night at the Sitsope lodge, our rooms on the actual compound were finally completed and ready to move into. This would make our lives slightly easier to be on the compound most of the time. - Hartropp and Rosalind resuscitating a baby. Once saved they named him Brian Benjamin, although his Apgar score was initially zero, several relexes have yet to return. - Outreach to a small nearby village, more intimate setting with far less people, we weighed the babies and checked vaccination records. - Consulting room with Ebeneezer going through cases ranging from minor trauma, fibroids, malaria, typhoid, pneumonia, fungus, diabetes, hypertension, etc. His diagnostic skills were really impressive and he allowed me to participate in many assessments. - ... read more

We walked to the hospital in the morning and saw some very cool village scenes. On we arrived, rounds involved following up on the patient with the chest tube and we taught patient and staff members how to properly use an incentive spirometer. Then Rachel and myself proceeded to the consulting room where Dr. Kugbey seemed to be seeing an endless hoard of people who had piled into the OPD clinic and then awaited consults for a variety of potential medical issues. When one person was finished being seen and walked out, the next would immediately enter. This went on for some time and we got to see cases of pneumonia, bowel obstructions, malaria, etc. The doc did his best to help explain certain diagnosis he made with rationales. After this we got some toothbrushes out ... read more