Addicted To Impact

Why Entrepreneurship?

2011-11-29T08:26:00.002-05:00

I am pretty passionate about the role of entrepreneurs in driving social change in Ghana, and I'm not alone.

"The potential benefits from entrepreneurship and innovation for developing countries are enormous. To this end most of the countries in sub- Saharan Africa champion the development of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) as a conduit to the alleviation of poverty, the generation of employment, and the promotion of national economic development" [Small and Medium Industries Development Organisation (SMIDO) 2004; Chipika and Wilson 2006].

"Fostering entrepreneurship is vital in every part of the world, especially in urban areas, and should be considered a key mechanism for development. Supporting young entrepreneurs in the developing world with education, financing, mentorship and encouragement is a critical pathway to foster the creation of sustainable livelihoods." Dr. Anna Kajumulo Tibaijuka, Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations and Executive Director, UN-HABITAT

And again:

"Mrs Sedina Tamakloe-Attionu, National Coordinator of the National Youth Authority, said the potential of the youth as catalyst for societal development had been proved empirically thereby attracting the attention of politicians, economic development planners, social engineers and development partners.

Mr Seth Oteng, Executive Director of the Youth Bridge Foundation explained,
"If indeed the population of Africa was projected at two billion by 2015 with majority being under 25 years, then Africa could boast of about 1.2 billion young people who would be better educated than their predecessors with better access to information technology and renewed confidence and resolved to push the continent forward."

I am passionate about building entrepreneurial skills in Agricultural College students in Ghana because I know and believe that we must invest in the youth as change makers if we want to catalyze a more prosperous future. Not just that, I believe "It is easier to build strong children than repair broken men"- Frederick Douglass.

Please consider supporting the work we are doing in Ghana, and exploring our perspective of development; https://perspectives.ewb.ca/robinstratas and https://perspectives.ewb.ca/marielleflottat

Thank you!

Food: The Good, The Bad, and The Nasty

2011-10-16T10:29:00.005-04:00

Today is World Food Day, Food is the theme for Blog Action Day 2011 and if there ever was a unifying theme for humanity, food would be near the top of the list. Some eat with their hands, some with cutlery, some with chopsticks, but who doesn't love food? Ice cream on a hot day? Chilli in the winter? Turkey dinner with family at thanksgiving?
Every person, everywhere, needs and loves food. The problem is that it is becoming increasingly difficult for people to consume the quality and quantity of food needed to lead a healthy, productive life.
Instead of writing an academic piece about food, malnutrition, poverty, or agriculture, I decided to share from my experience why food is so important, and a few different sides of malnutrition.
In coming to Ghana, I expected to see small children with bloated bellies, begging for food all over the place. I do see this sometimes, but more often than not the poverty I have experienced has been a poverty of malnutrition, not always hunger. Many have the basic food, but they lack money, and opportunity. Most Northerners in Ghana are farmers and thus, produce for themselves staple crops like maize and rice, and most compounds have at least a few animals; goats, sheep, chicken, cows, or more. Yet still, I have seen first hand that people may be able to eat every day, but it is often not nutritious enough.
Not enough protein, not enough fruits and vegetables, not enough variety.
Fufu with lightsoup is great, TZ with bra is not bad, but eating the same thing day in and day out is not the most exciting for your palate or your development.
Worse than this is eating nasty food. Nasty food may not appear to be nasty at first,it may actually be quite tasty and likely cheap, but the outcomes are nasty. Whether vomiting, or diarrhea, your body will try to reject whatever bacteria or parasite accompanied the other ingredients down your throat. I'm sure anyone who has been to a developing country has likely experienced this. It sucks. But even this state is manageable; you pop some meds for travellers diarrhea, likely Cipro, and before you know it your stomach is back to normal. But for some, this is a persistent lifestyle, and buying medicine is likely not high on the priority list, or just too expensive. And diarrhea remains one of the leading causes of death for children globally.
I think about children I know who look years younger than they are, children who miss several days of school every month because they are not well, and children who walk to school in the heat, hungry, without 5 pesewas to even buy water to drink, let alone food. For some, the dry season (or lean season) means they only get 1 or 2 meals per day. As the rainfall becomes more and more infrequent, they know their daily food habits are about to undergo significant changes.

The problem of food, hunger, and malnutrition is surely a global one but I hope we also see it as a very personal problem. I am grateful for the food I have each day, and that I have the luxury to invest in my health and nutrition. I pray for those who are hungry today, those who are malnourished, and I hope that with increased awareness and efforts by donors and development partners, 2011 and 2012 can be marked by significant strides in the direction of global food security.

The need to look again

2011-09-30T08:06:00.004-04:00

In development, in Ghana, in life; I believe we need to take time to look again.

Often times, at first glance we see something and from there we begin to draw conclusions and make assumptions that forever influence us. We can end up reinforcing perceptions that are actually not true. Some call it Confirmation bias

In the context of my life here, I see it so often. I realize I may sound like a broken record, and I've likely blogged on this before but it can be very frustrating when people don't take the time to analyze, to reflect, to check if what they believe is actually true. I believe in Development we need to move towards more thoughtfulness, openness, and humility. We need to be ever ready to question ourselves and our work. Question our assumptions, the hypotheses that are underlying the projects we are implementing. Especially when working in a culture that is foreign from your own, you need to have the humility to recognize when you've misjudged, and the courage to go back and try something different having assimilated the learning from your failure.

I have always been fascinated by this photo, but just recently discovered that it potentially dates back to 1888! It seems people for centuries have been fascinated by the ability to comprehend 2 contradicting perceptions at once. When you first glance at the photo, you can be so persuaded that it is a picture of an old, ugly woman. Someone can try to convince you that it is actually a beautiful young lady and you will think they are a fool, until you really take the time and suddenly AH HA! You have seen that it is true!

Our perceptions in the world are often like this. Sometimes it is so hard to see the other side of the picture because you are fixated on the image you first saw. However, seeing only one side does not negate the fact that the other side exists. This co-existence of 2 contrasting realities is so intriguing to me.
Something you deem to be so beautiful, may upon further scrutiny and new eyes reveal something more difficult to look at. Yet still, we cannot be satisfied with the young beautiful girl, and be blind to the reality that is the old woman.

It is my hope that the development community can strive to always bear in mind all that is poverty and development; the good, the bad, the ugly. I hope that we can take the extra time to step back and re-examine, and be willing to put aside the initial perception, even if it is exchanged for something less romantic or beautiful.

2 Years Down

2011-09-12T08:35:00.004-04:00

Rather nonchalantly I recently told a colleague that I guess I've passed my 2 year anniversary of being in Ghana; I arrived late August 2009. Not exactly sure which day I arrived, but I nevertheless thought it an appropriate time to step back, give thanks, and share my plans for the coming year.

I am excited to inform you that I will continue to work with EWB in Ghana for a 3rd year, until Aug 2012.. I will continue to work with passionate people to create change in MoFAs Agricultural Colleges to develop entrepreneurial, farmer first graduates, and committed social entrepreneurs. In addition, I will continue working as Team Ghana's Human Resources Director to build and retain effective, motivated change agents in Ghana, and finally I'll be working in Accra to support National level changes in the Agricultural sector… all of this, so that at the end of it all I can see in our trail throngs of people who are better off now, than they were before, as a result of EWB's interventions.

You might be asking, "but why?"

Well, I'm excited to be staying because:
• EWB is an incredible organization built by and on outstanding people. People who are brilliantly intelligent, and ridiculously passionate. Hard work ethic is an understatement, and its matched with a striving towards humility, and an ultimate commitment to our bottom line- the rural poor. These people support me, and push me to be smarter and more thoughtful- its a privilege working with and for them.
• In this organization, we are given a lot freedom and input into the directions of our work. My work has been carved around my passion/skill/interest while balancing the strategic needs of the team and the broader changes we are striving for. I appreciate that my employers recognize my passions and interests and consider this as we co-create my work plans each quarter.
• I know enough Ghanaians that love EWB and our work that I believe we are on to something great. We are self critical, and we want to achieve more. Our ambitions for systemic, transformative change are great; we're not there yet but believe we are going about it the right way. We admit failures, celebrate small successes, we co-create with Africans, and continue to ask ourselves tough questions. I think we are on the right track, and hearing that from Ghanaians is reassuring.
• I keep growing in the person I'm becoming. I'm learning to love more. To be intentional. To connect and support. To empathize. Beyond the professional growth I have had- the greatest part is looking back and knowing I'm a richer human being, and that I have been truly alive. Its truly been an amazing experience for me as a person.
• I love Ghana. Many of you know this. I feel right here. The people are incredible. I have made countless friends and family in the last 2 years. They have taught me about sacrifice, giving, community, life, co-dependence, joy, purpose, perseverance... so much more. Thank you Ghana!
• Apart from missing sushi, my cottage, starbucks chai lattes, and the abundant opportunity in Canada, The hardest part is obviously being away from family in Canada. Special shout outs to my mom and Holly for their endless love and support, and to Tiki Bear (my dog). Tiki is just as happy to see me if I've been away for a day or a year. She doesn’t resent me or judge me, but just bubbles with excitement, joy and love when I see her. She is forever happy and living in the moment. She inspires me and brings me lots of smiles. I really do miss her.. and all the other amazing people I love in Canada.

This job and experience has to be very powerful to keep me from Canada. I am so grateful for the support, understanding and encouragement of my family.

There are many more reasons why I'm staying- but these are the main ones I'd like to share with you today. Thanks to all of you who have followed me and supported me along the first 2 years in Ghana.

Here's to an even more transformational 3rd year!
Love Robin

I have a few things on my mind: Nbapoka

2011-08-07T08:58:00.003-04:00

Excuse me, I have a few things on my mind.
My name is Nbapoka, but many people in Sapoor call me Chairwoman, or Ma.
I am the leader of Pupelum Women's Group, and I really love farming. I believe in hard work. God helps those who help themselves, you see?
I keep quite busy. I'm fetching water; 3rd time today.
I've been thinking about the rain lately, praying that it will fall. Praying that it will come at all.
I'm a Catholic, see my rosary? My husband still holds traditional beliefs, same with his first wife. But I keep praying that one day he'll also be a Catholic. I'm his third wife. The second wife died just a few years ago. I also take care of my granddaughter, and she cries whenever I put her down. My last born is 6 year and he is a good boy at school.
I woke up around 4:30 and soon I'll head to the market, once I've finished preparing lunch for the compound.
We don't have electricity, but the clinic not too far away does, so sometimes my son charges his phone there. The politicians say they will bring lights to our homes soon but I doubt it will happen. But next year is election year, so maybe this will be the time.
I really wish we could get a loan though. For farming. Maybe we could process Shea oil. I heard if you sell it abroad you can be rich. I am proud of our group. The women are serious, and now when we call a meeting, almost all of them attend. We sit under the tree and discuss challenges and ideas and when we need help, we can always get it. The women are good. Now, the men even say that we the women are more serious about farming than them, and now its easier for us to get land.
You see things are just okay. Mostly we are managing and doing our best. The small money we make from farming together can help when the kids cry out for pencils and school sandals.
In the lean season, sometimes we struggle. But we are okay, by God's grace. We know things will improve small small, and we are just doing our best day by day. If only the rains will come, I hope we can have a good harvest this year.
These are just a few of the things on my mind..

Class, Culture and Concepts of Community

2011-06-23T09:01:00.003-04:00

As a Canadian working in Ghana, I am confronted with a lot of differences that I have to reconcile. One of the greatest mistakes I have seen myself, and others make, is to attribute a lot of these differences to culture. You hear of a woman being beaten in a village compound and say well, its cultural. You see people spend money as soon as they have it, with little tendency towards savings, and you think this is cultural. "In Canada, we…..", "but in Ghana, they….". This, I purport, is a very slippery slope, and also inaccurate in many cases.

I found myself saying these thing a lot, particularly the first year I was in Ghana living in Wamale, in the Northern Region of Ghana. It is easy to get into "we", "they" mentality as your mind struggles to make sense of things that are foreign, different, uncomfortable. In the beginning of living in a new culture, the differences are blaring- they jump out and you can't ignore them. I tried to take a stance of understanding; they are from a different culture, so a lot of what I do and believe will be different from them. It's okay to be different. But this not only emphasizes the "otherness" of the people and nation you are working in, but can also blind you to the complex, holistic nature of situation.

I can admit that I come from a middle/upper class family in Canada. We always had enough to get by, we were well educated, and had a comfortable lifestyle. When I come to Ghana, and live in a village with subsistence farmers, some people who are just scraping by, there will definitely be a lot of differences. In Canada, we all had cars; in Wamale, people are struggling for bicycles. In Canada, my cupboard was always full of biscuits, chips, cookies, fruit, vegetables, juice, milk. In Wamale, if you don't eat when everyone is eating, you'll be left behind and have to wait for tomorrow to be satisfied. Yes, there are cultural differences. But a lot of the differences I just mentioned are a result of differences in class, economic status, not culture. Perhaps I would have been better prepared for village life in Ghana had I spent time in "slums" in Canada...

I don't doubt that there are communities in Canada where people are barely getting by. Poverty looks different in Canada; surely. But having worked with some of the most disadvantaged children in Windsor, Ontario, I had my eyes opened; wow; there are Canadian families that can't afford soap or toothpaste!?! Many foreigners who come to Ghana are ignorant or blind to poverty in their own countries, so when they are confronted with poverty in Ghana it is seen as cultural. I purport that many (most?) foreigners living in Ghana are well educated, and at least middle class, in their home countries. Most who come to Ghana come to volunteer through a University program, or work in development (many with Masters degrees), or invest in business in Ghana (wealthy people from China). Let's not forget that merely getting to Ghana is a great expense (flight). I believe it would be hard for a very poor Canadian to find him or herself in Ghana.

As I've started working in more affluent, "developed" parts of Ghana, I have seen that there is wealth in Ghana! I have seen mansions and cars in Accra that I've never come face to face with in Toronto.

The other day, as I sat in a home in Accra, a group of people came to the door to talk to the father of the house. They sat down and discussed how they are starting a neighbourhood committee to address challenges in the community, namely; improving the roads and sewage system. He started by apologizing that he has never come to greet him before, and remarked that these days, we don't know our neighbours. Unless there is a problem we don't enter the homes of our neighbours. He vowed that from now on he would be a better neighbour and visit just to see how the family was doing. As I heard them talk, I thought wow; this could be Canada. Truthfully, I don't know or "care for" my neighbours in Canada. We are all busy doing our own things, leading our own lives, as we happen to coexist in the same geographical area. But I was part of "community" in other ways, beyond the physical neighbourhood, and I know that urban Ghanaians too have "communities", but they are likely not tied to neighbours based on physical proximity.

When I first came to Ghana one thing I loved about the culture was community. Everyone greets each other, knows each other, cares for each other. Everyone in the community is the mother/father of the children. In Wamale, I have never had any theft. Whereas in bigger cities, theft can seem inevitable. In a lot of villages, there is a strong sense of community; and even if someone does steal, within a matter of hours you will find out who did it. I have always loved the sense of community in Wamale, where everybody truly does know your name.

As I listened to these middle/upper class Ghanaians talk about the fact that they are now isolated from their neighbors, I smiled to myself thinking about the days I boasted of Ghana's community culture. I believe this difference is in fact more a result of class, and not culture. Yes, those in Accra are still Ghanaians and part of Ghanaian culture, but as a result of their jobs, education, and lifestyle, their sense of community is quite different from a rural village who is deeply intertwined, interconnected, and often times interdependent.

All this is not to say there are no cultural differences between Canada and Ghana; clearly there are. Nor is it to paint a simplified North versus South picture of Ghana. What I have seen is that villages in the south aren't entirely different from villages in the North, and that there are similarities that cut across cultures but may align along class difference. Further, it is not to say that there is a universal culture of poverty*; that all people who are poor have the same values or behaviours. I have merely noticed that many differences attributed to cultural clashes may in actual fact be class clashes.

Instead of painting Ghana as all beautiful, or totally different from Canada, I am striving to see people as people, continue to check my assumptions and biases, and live lovingly among people wherever I find myself in this complex intersection of culture and class.

**For more information on the culture of poverty, have a gander below.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Culture_of_poverty
http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/apr08/vol65/num07/The-Myth-of-the-Culture-of-Poverty.aspx
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/18/us/18poverty.html
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=130701401

Chocolate covered licorice, and other frivolities

2011-05-28T08:49:00.002-04:00

Hmmm.. Personal hypocrisies are hard to come to terms with, right?

I find myself torn sometimes..

I came to Ghana with EWB because I care about people who are poor, or merely subsisting with unfulfilled, untapped potential. I hope and trust that the actions EWB Canada staff are undertaking in Ghana and across Africa are impacting the rural poor in a positive, lasting way.

Great.

But I'm still a partaker of this consumer society. In a discussion with my colleagues about "the things we love and hate about Canada", I shared that what I hate about Canada is how materialistic I am when I am in Canada. Oh the thrill of shopping on boxing day!

At first I wanted to hate Canada for excessive materialistic, consumer drives and obsessions. But I have to face the fact that as much I as I am trying to live out my beliefs and values- I want to lead a simple life- I am not perfect and I get sucked into it all and I have no one to blame but myself.

My mom recently came to visit me in Ghana which was amazing. Apart from all the memories we made and great discussions we had, I enjoyed gifts from Canada; my favourite purse- how I've missed it! A curling iron! Maple syrup! Chocolate covered licorice!

After she left, after a week of beautiful hotels, sightseeing, and tourism in this country I've been calling home for the past few years, I am back to normal life. No more air conditioned rooms; back to the heat.

I sat there, sweating under the fan blowing hot air at me, eating off the melting pieces of chocolate covering the sweet, chewy red licorice and I thought to myself wow. What a world. What a life. What a challenge.

I had hoped that after knowing so many impoverished people, after living with people who literally have no money, after seeing sick person after sick person who do not seek medical attention…. I had hoped I would be different. I hoped to be some kind of saint. I remember after coming back from Ghana in 2008, I vowed I wouldn't buy new clothes unless I actually needed them, and if I had to they would be second hand. I vowed I would use my money to support others and invest in transformation, not selfish, pride- driven indulgences. I wanted to become a type of modern day Mother Theresa; one who is selfless and sees the world for what it really is… merely a place filled with opportunities to exude love.

And yet I find myself still wanting to buy unnecessary things. The fact that we have a term "disposable income" is so telling of the middle and upper class reality. We have more than enough, more than we need for ourselves, and we dispose of it.. This is not an attack on anyone person or any one group, or a tactic to solicit guilt; this is more of an attack on myself, and a shared reflection on my personal shortcomings to live the life I want to and know I need to.

I believe that there is enough food and opportunity on earth for everyone, and that with an increase of compassion and love the world can and will be transformed (beware; idealism!). When I take off my "more, more, more!, me, me, me!" glasses and put on my "empathize! Love!" glasses I see that money spent on chocolate covered licorice and other frivolities could be better spent to invest in opportunities and people that will cumulatively become change and transformation.

Sincerely yours, with love, from recovering consumerist and aspiring revolutionary.

Development Work; A Wild Ride

2011-04-19T07:29:00.005-04:00

I have been working with EWB Canada in Ghana, partnered with the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA) since August 2009.. A short while, compared to some, but when I look back on the past 20 months, it's been quite the ride.

People ask me what I do, and I still hesitate and take a deep breath before trying to explain. Being a "Development Worker" is not as easy to explain as a teacher, a lawyer, an engineer, a nurse. Maybe because we (are privileged to) have less first hand experience with "Development Workers" in Canada. It seems to be an elusive job to many, and when I look back its hard for me to concisely articulate what I've been doing onto a compelling CV… it seems like I've had 3 or 4 different jobs.

As I looked through random childhood pictures from my mom, I fell upon a picture of me on a rocking horse (don't I look happy?) and it struck me that much of what I'm doing in development can be compared riding a horse..

It can be a lot of fun. But it can also be pretty scary. Sometimes you fall down, and if you're like me; you cry. But hopefully you get back up again. I think about "successes and failures" in the past 20 months and can confidently say I've been on a rocky journey.

Sometimes I've felt in control of the horse I was riding; like I knew where I was going and how to get there. Working as Human Resources Director for EWB in Ghana has been like that, at times. I've gotten used to training new staff, to organizing retreats and team meetings and am feeling like I finally have the hang of it. This is fun. I can do this.

But other times, you're riding this horse and no matter what you do, nothing seems to be working. You're kicking the horse with your heel for it to stop, please let it stop; I've had enough, but you find you are still moving. You are pulling the reins back, the pace is too much to bear and you feel if you don't slow down you might have to jump off. A difficult part of my job is the goodbyes. In this work, there is incredibly high turnover, and yet a strong family culture. Staff can be here for just 3 months, a year, 2 years… at almost every point new staff are being integrated and old staff are departing.. In the past 20 mths I have said goodbye to over 30 (incredible) staff. This is hard.

Most of our staff, thankfully, leave Ghana but don't get off the development horse, per se; they continue this type of work somewhere else, still contributing to creating positive change. But many others in development can't take the turbulent path. They overdose on cynicism and pessimism. They can be frustrated for different reasons; the horse is just moving too slow, the pace of change is far too slow and too frustrating; does this horse even want to move? Are we standing still? If this horse doesn't want to move, I'll get off and ride a different one; one that is more willing and ready to move. Others ride so long, so far, continue to jump hurdle after hurdle after hurdle until they realize they are out of steam and can't take the pressure any longer. They give up riding the horse and move to something more stable, less demanding, more predictable.

Truly I look back and see that at times I really was running; working in MoFA's Agricultural Colleges has been a great source of motivation for me, and I feel great about how far we've come with promoting Entrepreneurship and equipping the youth for greater success post graduation- though I still smile more as I face forward, where we are going, than where we have come from.

Other times I look back and I was just trotting, maybe even trotting in circles, finding myself back where I started from. Working in a MoFA district office, trying to institutionalize the Agriculture As A Business Program was trying- and after so much effort, the field staff still ended up being pulled in far too many directions for the program to impact farmers in the way I hoped for; they were pulled by projects and in directions with more incentives than ours. The pace of change was frustrating. Maybe that’s why I was so happy to jump on the College horse, of course its to be expected that the younger, more motivated people will be easier to work with and create change through. And I get more energy trotting down the "invest in the youth" path.

In development, I've also seen that sometimes its hard to teach old dogs, or old horses, new tricks; maybe it’s a special gift that some people have, or particular types of tricks. Maybe we have to keep pressing on to work on some of those bigger, deeper challenges. Maybe we can't always hop off when things are difficult and every other avenue looks more expedient. Maybe we don't always see accurately all that is left in our wakes. Or we don't take the time to look back before planning the way forward.

My overall feeling is that I'm still happy to be riding the horse; I'm still looking forward, and though I can't see very far ahead, with what I can see I am excited, and with what we've already overcome, I am assured that every success and failure ahead is a necessary part of this journey.

Social Entrepreneurship: "the last thing a fish would ever notice would be water"

2011-04-12T08:21:00.003-04:00

Last week I was blessed to be back at Kwadaso Agricultural College. My work with the colleges, with youth and entrepreneurship, continues to be a great source of motivation and inspiration for me so I decided to share another glimpse into my day to day life.

I have spoken previously about the fact that I am not a teacher in the colleges, but more of a consultant. I aim to collaborate with existing staff, co-develop and co-implement interventions that are important and have lasting effects beyond my immediate presence. My focus has primarily been on an Agribusiness and Entrepreneurship Project, but for the sake of this post I'll entertain a side interest; Social Entrepreneurship and building of pro-poor agriculturalists.

This semester we have started working with a new group of students; mature Extension staff, with a minimum of 5 years field experience who have come to upgrade their education. They are quite different from the other students and it is always refreshing to visit them, and discuss issues of extension and farmer behaviour change. The last time I was here, about a month ago, I mentioned in passing "Social Entrepreneurship" only to receive a wall of 50+ blank stares. I then repeated it again; maybe I was speaking too fast. Still nothing. After a brief explanation, they were very intrigued to learn more, and the lecturer himself was curious; so we agreed to do something I don't often do; I would come back to facilitate a guest lecture on Social Entrepreneurship.

I agreed with reluctance, not because I don't love teaching; because I am hesitant to merely fill temporary gaps. I am more motivated by building Ghanaian capacity to create change. Nevertheless, knowing that the students were equally as passionate as I, and that the lecturer was not in a position to learn and teach this topic before the close of the semester, I agreed I would come back to facilitate a discussion on Social Entrepreneurship..

Am I ever glad I did. The discussion was incredibly interesting; we didn't want to leave the classroom. I find it hard to summarize the main highlights of the discussion, but needless to say the extension staff were engaged and intrigued. I will briefly quote that: A social entrepreneur is a person with innovative solutions to society’s most pressing social problems. If there is one thing I believe deeply, it is that Ghana needs social entrepreneurs. Across Ghana I see people who are very rich, and people who are very poor.

Interestingly, I don't often see a lot of agriculturally driven youth who I would define as "pro poor" in their innovations. Many student projects are centered around making profit, which surely is important- we need job creators, not job seekers. But I began asking myself; why is Ghana defined by immeasurable numbers of foreign NGO's, short term volunteers, and Development Partners… why aren't there more Ghanaian change agents?

In speaking with this group, asking about challenges they see in Ghana, not one mentioned poverty; the very reason I came to Ghana. Another phenomenon I've seen is a level of "Ghanaian blindness" to poverty. Suddenly this proverb came to me: "The last thing a fish would ever notice would be water" -Ralph Linton. After sharing with the class, I delicately pointed out that I found it interesting that none of them mentioned the fact that Ghana is an impoverished country and that many, many farmers are suffering. We explored that social entrepreneurs do not wait passively when the public and private sectors are failing to address social problems; they take initiative to create systemic changes.

Through the course of the discussion we also explored the skills needed to be an effective social entrepreneur, the important role in society (and especially developing countries) of social entrepreneurs, opportunities and success stories within agriculture, and finally each person reflected on what is holding them back from being a social entrepreneur.

After reading through the Ashoka website in the recent past, I continue to be inspired by the concept of "everyone a change maker". Diana Wells, President of Ashoka states, “Aligned with Ashoka’s vision of forming an Everyone a Changemaker ™ world, this partnership underscores that the most important change must be to empower humans from passive recipients of solutions to initiators and champions of innovation in the social sector. I am confident that the people in that room are well positioned to create meaningful changes for and with farmers as they graduate and re-enter the workforce. This is my hope for them.

Our discussion also included how change agents understand their spheres of influence and spheres of control, and take action.. I believe that becoming "a change agent" is a process, and does not take place over night or as a result of 1 lecture; but maybe it starts somewhere with a mindset shift; a renewed awareness that we as limited human beings are still capable of creating positive, lasting change in our communities.. And a belief that change is needed, and that change is possible.

Though my work in MoFA's Agricultural Colleges is focused on promoting Agricultural Entrepreneurship more generally, I would be dishonest if I said I am not deeply passionate about social entrepreneurship; about raising a generation of Ghanaians committed to using their skills and creativity to address systemic social problems plaguing this nation.

This opportunity was a privilege. Another great day in Ghana.

Another day in the life..

2011-03-27T14:54:00.004-04:00

So today I had what seemed to be a very normal day for me in Northern Ghana. But at one point it dawned on me, and I heard a voice in my head say:"this wouldn't have seemed so ordinary before".

Hope this gives you a taste of what some of my days look like here in Ghana. Enjoy.

6 am. I wake up after snoozing my alarm one too many times. I just got back to Wamale last night after an 8 hour bus ride from Kumasi. Still a bit sluggish. I wake up Rahama, my dear little sister who slept on my floor last night, and tell her to go to the compound house before her mom comes looking for her. I read and write for some time in my room before heading to the compound for breakfast.

As usual, I am greeted by many children, and proceed to greet each of the women, one by one. We ask the usual questions and wait for the usual responses, in Dagbani. I sheepishly tell them, half Dagbani half English, that I will be traveling again today- to the Upper East. They tell me I travel too much and need to rest. I smile, tell them it's true. I grab a wooden stool and sit beside one of the mothers to drink some delicious Nescafe and eat some bread- same breakfast I've always had in Wamale, since October 2009. Still satisfies.

I'm already sweating and its only 8am.

Fast forward to me hopping out of a sweaty taxi in town, as I venture into the Tamale Central Market. I am coming to pick up a new dress that my seamstress, Auntie Fausti has made. As usual, I am always a bit nervous- "will it turn out the way I envisioned? Will it even fit? Will it make me look fat? Will they tell me I'm fat?".

But this time, it’s a success! The dress is great, she really is an amazing seamstress, and Erin picked out a beautiful cloth. Fausti and her young female apprentices remark at how well the dress fits, and before I know it I'm walking back through the market. Turn right by the high heel shoe seller. Turn left by the groundnut paste seller.

I'm walking through the crowded aisles and then I hear "whack. Whack. Whack!" A ha; I see a butcher chopping some meat.
Whack. Whack Whack.

And just as I am passing by, WHACK and chunks of meat and meat juice splatter on me. "That's a first!"- I think to myself, as I flick a piece of meat off my shoulder. The ex-vegetarian in me cringes a little bit.

I head to the Transport Yard to catch a Tro Tro to Bolga for another wonderful West Africa Retreat, with all EWB staff currently working in Ghana and Burkina, as well as some staff coming from Canada, Zambia, and Malawi.

I buy the ticket, 5ghc, and wait on a bench in the shade; it is incredibly hot and sunny these days! I am wiping sweat off my face but it doesn't seem to help much.
Just when I thought this was bad, I'm squished into the Tro tro, with no air conditioner but the natural hot breeze that passes through the windows. I enjoy the time to think, though. I think about the weekend. Think about all that has happened in the past week in Accra and Kumasi. New ideas come to me; I jot them down. I listen to music. I make a few calls.

After nearly 4 hours, I arrive at the Guest House and greet familiar faces- we have come here before, and I remember the warm staff just as much as they remember me. I love that. After some discussions, confusion, and finally clarity, we've sorted out all the logistics; meals, rooms, conference halls, drinks. I get to talking with Mary, one of my favourite staff, as I'm playing with her son. I ask innocently, "Where is his father?" and she replies, "He is dead". I stop. I feel horrible. Try not to make a big, obvious reaction on my face. I ask calmly, coolly, "What happened?". She goes on to tell me that when Damien was just 2 months old, her husband died in a moto accident. Suddenly I see her so differently. I see Damien so differently. A little boy who never got to know his father. A woman who may never marry again. Imagine becoming a widow with a 2 month old. Wow. ...

They bring me to my room- a "special one" with an air conditioner and a hot shower! They tell me that, since I'm "the organizer", I get this nice room for free. And for once, I'm not complaining about special treatment and hierarchy in Ghana but enjoying it. Just a little.

After a delicious, refreshing shower, I put my MTN Internet Modem into my beautiful little laptop (thanks Mom!) and get down to business. So many emails to reply to. So many things to finalize before everyone arrives tomorrow.

Just another day.

The Myriad of Faces

2010-12-23T02:19:00.003-05:00

If there ever was a faster transition from Ghana to mass materialism and excessive consumer culture than an AIRPORT, I haven't known it...

The airport truly is a fascinating bubble of society. As you rush out of the plane, you are immediately lured left and right by shiny, beautiful things. Designer purses, designer watches, designer perfumes, and you can't even get a bottle of water for less than $5. Notwithstanding the overwhelmedness this facilitates in me as I guiltily window shop, and browse the aisles of deliciously enormous chocolate bars, bestselling books, airbrushed magazines, sparkling watches and crystals, and spray myself with perfume I will never buy, I am almost equally enthralled with the beautiful people- not just the products- that flood the airport.

As I sit here in Amsterdam, enjoying a cup of green tea and 1 hour of free wifi, there is an endless rush of people walking to and fro, coming from one flight, moving to the next. The myriad of faces is enchanting. Woman wearing 5 inch high heels, men carrying babies, couples holding hands, couples arguing, children sleeping, flight attendants walking, always smiling- like mannequins. Some people are fat and some are quite thin. Some look African, others European, some look Asian, some you can't really tell.. some carry with them enough hand luggage to throw a flight attendant into a fit, and others simply carry themselves. Some are dressed for this cold weather, others clearly come from warm climates. Some have small fancy laptops and blackberries, while others look humbly, innocently lost in the airport- first timers? Some are sneezing- a cold from Canada, other look weak and tired- Malaria from Ghana? Some carry more wealth on their fingers than entire communities have collectively, and most seem at the very least comfortable, if not "well off". Where are they all going? Where are they all coming from?

I suspect that the airport is comprised of a specific, select range of people, with some nearly excluded, or in a serious minority. With recent experiences of qualified, educated Ghanaians being rejected Canadian visas to come to EWB's National Conference , I know that for many, many people in this world, travel is a luxury and one that vast numbers will likely never enjoy in their lifetimes.

As Christmas Carols and decorations begin to swamp my world, I am finally coming to the realization that Christmas is just a few days away now... and Christmas is always an opportune time to show gratitude for all the grace, favour, and opportunities that we enjoy.

When I see this myriad of faces I marvel at a world so vast, so diverse.. and yet, we are all one.

I love you all. May this Christmas be an exceptionally memorable one.

Seeing every disability as a mere challenge

2010-12-10T11:06:00.003-05:00

Meet Salifu Sandow, and join me in congratulating him. In Ghana I have seen countless people on the street begging for money; granted likely fewer than many other developing countries, but it is still commonplace to see beggars on the street- often in wheel chairs, blind, limbs lost, etc..

Though Salifu is in a wheel chair, he is not one of these "disabled" Ghanaians. His innovation, commitment, and work ethic haven't been paralyzed by his disability, nor caused him to revert to begging.

Last week, I visited him in his home, with the family he is supporting, as a result of his farming activities. We came to inform him that he had been selected as the Regional Best Physically Challenged Farmer for MoFA's Annual Farmer's Day Celebration.

Meeting Salifu reminded me that though every person has "disabilities"- flaws, weaknesses, and shortcomings... we should perceive them as mere challenges.. a challenge can be overcome. Through perseverance and commitment, you can still succeed. He is the kind of Ghanaian I revel in seeing, knowing, and learning from. He inspires me that change is possible.

Never forget that you can beat the odds, and no matter how difficult change may seem; remember that you are ABLE....

A Microcosm of African Brain Drain

2010-11-30T06:03:00.003-05:00

Brain Drain: the unfortunate reality that most of Africa's most intelligent, educated people end up leaving Africa to work in a country that is richer and more profitable. From the outside, it is easy to say that they should stay in Africa. Invest in their country. Use their skills to benefit the next generation of their people. But in many cases, a job abroad can pay more than quadruple their home country, not to mention living conditions, infrastructure, etc. But.. Can you really blame them?

I knew about this phenomenon, but have more recently come face to face with a microcosm of brain drain here in Africa. Ghana can relatively easily be divided into two; the North and the South- though this oversimplification often frustrates me, I confess that in many ways the North and South of the country are vastly different. The North is characterized by a drier, more extreme climate, poorer quality of education, higher prevalence of Islam, and perhaps are about 50 years behind the development of the South (as a result of slave trade, gold, cocoa, and general colonization all along the Souths coast, on the Atlantic.)

Some people in the South talk generally about "Northerners"; about how they are backwards, rough, aggressive, etc. Similarly, Northerners can have oversimplified perspectives of those in the South- as unfairly privileged, rich, full of opportunities, etc.

Because the best schools are in the South, any Northerner who is fortunate enough to complete their primary education in the North, and is brilliant, is almost guaranteed to further their schooling in the south. After graduation, how much do you think they are pulled back to the North? This is like a Zambian-educated Doctor who finds work in London...

A friend recently told me that Ghana's best lawyers are Northerners- but you'd never know it because they are all based in the South. It is very likely that these few, top "Northerners" are sending back money to their family in the North, it is probable that they are helping to pay school fees of some of their siblings/relatives, and that they visit on holidays; but it is highly unlikely anyone could convince that person to come back to the North to settle permanently.

So you see a picture where all the brilliant, educated, trained, exceptional Northerners end up contributing to the economy in the South, and the North remains closer to stagnant as vast numbers go uneducated, barely literate, or merely basic education. Some Southerners may come to work in the North- but this is almost always a temporary situation; and not something they are proud of. I can't count the number of southern Ghanaians I know that have never even been to the North- not once, "Why would I go there?", they ask.

Quite often, someone of the street will be greeting me jokingly, and say that I should send them to my country. More seriously, people I know well in Ghana often state that they'd love to go study abroad. I have often told people my very biased opinion quite openly- "I wish you would stay here." Or, "fine, if you go to do your masters in the UK, come back to Ghana. Ghana needs people like you." Is this arrogant of me?

I ask the question again- can I really blame them for wanting a better life for themselves? If you knew you could double, triple, or quadruple your salary by moving- would you stay where you were, out of the goodness of your heart, to sacrifice and give back to your community?

I am inspired and touched by the Ghanaians I know who are entirely committed to staying in Ghana. Even some have been abroad, to UK or US, and have come back and are still convicted that they should stay in Ghana. This is promising. The future of Ghana lies heavily on the shoulders of Ghanaians. Though westerners will come and go, and foreign aid and charity may abound, real, lasting change and transformation - I believe- will be borne out of a generation of Ghanaians who want to see change in their country and are ready and willing to enact and ignite that change for a better Ghana.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brain_drain

What have your hands got to say?

2010-11-28T10:25:00.012-05:00

Take a minute, and look at your hands. What colour are they? How do they feel? What (if anything) is on your fingers?

Prior to coming to Ghana, I never thought much about my hands.. except that I didn't like them. They were too big, somehow not feminine enough. I'd been told they were long and would make me a good pianist- but I still have yet to learn the piano. Apart from being a fast typist on the computer, which helped me in writing papers during University, I never really thought twice about my hands.

On several occasions, I'll greet someone in Ghana and we'll shake hands and then snap together (I'll have to show you this in person). And many a time, the person will remark; "You have such soft hands!"

My host brothers in Wamale often want to just hold my hand or rub my palm because "it is so smooth"..

This post is not to brag about my hands, but to ask; what have your hands got to say? What do your hands say about who you are? What you do? What you can do? What you have done?

If you look at my hands, apart from being big, I have long nails. Mostly because I am not consistent with cutting/filing them, and they grow fast. I have never worn acrylic nails but have almost always had relatively long nails. In Ghana, especially rural Ghana, this shows people that you are wealthy, and that you are not a farmer. Long nails mean you don't do a lot of physical labour, and certainly don't weed, plant, or harvest. You probably don't wash your own clothes or weave baskets or braid hair or wash bowls.. you probably have an office job, "real work"... Some in Ghana, even males, will keep their pinky fingernail long intentionally...

My point; the length of your nails says a lot about your position and lifestyle.

Having soft hands and white, white palms is like icing on an already luxurious cake. Your hands are soft: you probably- no, you definitely!- haven't been washing dishes by hand or scrubbing clothes by hand your whole life. It's clear I've been blessed/spoiled with dishwashers and washer/dryers my whole life in Canada.

And I think it's self explanatory, the perception of you when you have a huge diamond ring on your finger, or even silver ones..

I remember shaking Amos' hands, after he had been working in the mines for several months. They were swollen, with blisters, and almost as rough as sandpaper.. I almost felt embarrassed to shake his, knowing what he would say about mine subsequently.

Just another example of how something so insignificant to me growing up, is now something I am conscious of, almost every time I greet and shake someone's hands.

What do your hands say about you?

This is my perspective..

2010-11-23T08:55:00.005-05:00

Hello my dear friends, family, colleagues, distant acquaintances, strangers..

I'm taking part in The Perspectives Challenge this holiday season to raise funds for Engineers Without Borders and get people asking important questions about the way we approach development in Africa. After over 14 months in Ghana, I am more passionate and hopeful than ever.

I've shared my perspective on an important part of Engineers Without Borders' work and beliefs, and I invite you to read it here:

If you like my perspective, and/or the work EWB is doing to alleviate poverty in Africa, please donate generously to Engineers Without Borders today and help me achieve my personal goal of raising $3000. It's simple and easy - all you have to do is click the donate now button.

I assure you your donation will go to a reputable Canadian charity doing important work in Canada and Africa. 87% of every donation goes directly to that work - EWB has one of the lowest overhead budgets in the country thanks largely to thousands of volunteers (students and professionals) logging unbelievable hours. Take a look at my perspective and feel free to ask me any questions you might have - this isn't just about money. And when you donate to EWB you are helping to create lasting change, not ongoing charity.

Thanks for your continued support,

With love and immense gratitude, Robin Stratas

From the diamond mine to the classroom.. an update on Amos

2010-10-25T11:00:00.010-04:00

Amos continues to be an inspiration to me. Even now.

As you may remember, around this time last year I stayed in Abokobiisi and spent time with an amazing boy, Amos. When I came back from Canada, this August, I was setting myself up for the next year ahead.. what did I want to do differently in my second year in Ghana? How have I changed? What and who did I need to reconnect with?

This led me to take some time away from the office and get back to Abokobiisi. In the past year Amos and I continued to speak, mostly through the phone, just 1 visit in person, but I was eager to actually get back to where it all began for me, when I came here a year ago and started my placement with EWB. I wanted to see what had changed. Have those deep conversations with Amos again.. the kind that can't happen on 5 minute phone calls, text messages, but always happen as you sit together for hours each day in Abokobiisi.

So this experience began when I picked him up in Kumasi and we took at 7 hour bus to Tamale. From there, we spent the night in Wamale- and for the first time, my "Dagomba family" met a member of my "Fra Fra family" (they still eagerly await the arrival of my CANADIAN FAMILY!). We rose up early the next day and took a bus to Bolga, then a taxi to Sirigu, then a 90 minute walk to Abokobiisi.

I could write for days on my time there, the conversations we had, my reflections as I left them once again.. but instead, for now, I'll just narrow in on Amos. What has happened in the past year that has brought him to where he is now- what I consider to be a much better place.

When I left Abokobiisi September 2009, Amos had been out of school for nearly 2 years. Not because he wasn't brilliant; because of money. (In Ghana, though there are technically no "school fees" for primary school anymore, there still are for JSS and SSS). He was home, helping people farm, in attempts to save for his own school fees. He had nearly given up, but I encouraged him to keep preparing, hoping, and praying, and maybe he would get to go back to school. He was just too bright to be out of school.

There were several communication gaps in the past year, due to the fact that he didn't have a cell phone so every so often he would borrow someones phone to call me- but I could never reach him. At one point he called and said he was no longer in Abokobiisi- that he had gone South to make money..

This, for better or for worse, is very common for Northerners. At first, he was weeding. Whenever he could get work, he would weed for some money- and he said he was still saving for school, hoping that this year, 2010, he could finally go to Secondary School (SS).

He then called me and asked where I was. I said Kumasi.. before we knew it, we were both in Kumasi, having lunch together face to face. I learned that he was no longer weeding because it was less profitable (about 5 GHC per day), than Galamsey.

I have come to understand that Galamsey refers to mining in Ghana, often gold or diamonds, and is illegal.

Now, I see him face to face in October, and the first thing I notice about him is a wound on his face, and the stunningly swollen nature of his hands. He too, like many others, was injured during the job, in addition to the normal physical effects of the work. And his mine is the one where several Northerners just died. It is widely known that this work is dangerous, and yet many young, rural Ghanaians (often Northerners) willingly go into this work.

Amos explained the painstakingly laborious nature of the job, and that he saw diamonds almost daily.

He said the average working day was 7am to 5pm, and that on a good day they would get 9GHC, but depending on the amount of diamonds found, they could receive as little as 4GHC, or even nothing at all for the whole day's labour.

Through his work, he came in contact with a Pastor who was amazed by Amos' English fluency. He asked to see Amos' school results, and was shocked to see how a boy so brilliant could be stuck in a mine.

Though Amos' story continues to haunt me. Though his challenges and continued hardships always pull on my heart strings.. I am still, more than anything else, amazed by him. Despite the fact that I am sad that he is orphaned, with no parents alive, and the extended family members he has are unable to send their own children to school, let alone him. Though I experience waves of discomfort to think of how I was, how my days were, when I was his age. Still- more amazing than anything else is his heart, his wisdom, his perseverance, his kindness and gentleness, and his intolerance of failure, his refusal to give up. We are both so similar. And yet, there are vast differences.. though both our hands have touched diamonds and school books, the contexts have been completely and entirely different...

I am glad to say that as I write to you, Amos is not mining, but is in school.. in Accra- learning and expanding his knowledge. Putting his hands and his head to the books, not the mines.

(To find out more about Amos, or to offer any support to him, please feel free to contact me: robinstratas@ewb.ca.)

BABIES: books, breasts, bums and bias..

2010-10-15T13:50:00.006-04:00

This blog is in response to the documentary BABIES. (http://www.focusfeatures.com/babies, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1vupEpNjCuY).

For those who haven't seen it, I guess it's worth seeing... if only so that you can make your own judgments and see whether or not you agree with my perspective. And to be fair, there were some interesting moments, and hilarious clips... yet...

The problem with pictures of Africa is that they show a 1 dimensional image of the poor, rural, hopeless African.

This image is often disempowering, if not outright offensive and inaccurate. This documentary unfortunately is no exception. Through my time in Ghana, I have come to realize, time and again, that there is no one- type of Ghanaian, or African for that matter. There is no one generalization or stereotype that can apply to all. Just as in Canada, you have people who are shy and loud, fair and dark, rude and compassionate, I have seen the same spectrum of diversity in Ghana.

I have experienced first-hand that many Ghanaians are poor. Many live in mud huts, without electricity, without cars or even bicycles, without running water or even accessible clean water, without sanitary latrines, toilets, or any bathroom facility at all. This is probably the image of Ghana that you already had in your mind as soon as you learned that it was in fact a country in Africa.

But what many do not know, and what this documentary didn't show, was that there are also Ghanaians who are educated, and some who are quite wealthy. They live in houses, some even in mansions. Send their children to private schools. Eat icecream, burgers, fries. Dress in suits and high heels. Not only have televisions, but iphones, and blackberries, and SUVs and personal drivers and househelps.
Not to mention the vast number of Ghanaians who live in between these two extremes I've mentioned.

[This is a hot topic for me (quite obviously) and one I may have to beat like a dead horse before I feel I've expressed myself. Earlier you may have seen I posted several pictures showing these different sides of Ghana, the people and places I interact with here. Those pictures were trying to capture my rant above. ]

Watching Babies, a so called documentary about babies all around the world, was supposed to be a nice afternoon. Take my mind off work and stress and enjoy a movie about babies. Who doesn't like babies? I love cross-cultural documentaries! Well.. It wasn't long before I realized that, in my view, the thesis of the movie was actually more about wealth and poverty than anything else and incredibly biased (pro-rich white America). Not a bad idea entirely. More people will probably go to the theatre to watch babies, than if you called the movie POVERTY. But I wish, oh how I wish, that they used this opportunity to reach the general public and show them a different side of Africa, even a different side of America.

Throughout the movie, they go back and forth between 4 families from America to Namibia. But the essence of the documentary was showing how the rich, white, American family cares so attentively for the child, reading from her bookshelf with countless books.. All the while, showing the poor African baby who rolls around in the dirt, mother walking around half naked, smearing his dirty bum on her leg and using a piece of maize to wipe it clean.

I do not purport that some Africans do live in such conditions- incredibly remote, illiterate, impoverished.

I also do not purport that we should show rich, potentially corrupt and selfish, Africans so that viewers walk away thinking that Africa is just fine and we can all rest comfortably at night because poverty is gone.

What I would have loved to see would be a documentary that flips our presumptions about poverty on our heads, while still highlighting the commonalities of childhood worldwide. Instead of showing the wealthy, white American family, show the impoverished, underprivileged Mexican or African American family living in the slums of New York. Show Natives living on reserves in Canada. And show a Ghanaian family that has two working parents, 2 cars, children that go to school, come home and do their homework with the assistance of their attentive mother by the laptop with wireless internet, eat nutritious food, cry for more candy, and sleep in a comfortable bed at night. The same message of the universality of babies could have been portrayed, but without reinforcing cultural stereotypes.

My guess is that people went away from watching BABIES feeling grateful for their upbringing, because it was likely on the wealthy end of the scale. This is not a bad thing. Let people be grateful, see that things are quite different around the world, that materialism has become excessive in the West. But my guess is that people may also have went away thinking that "Africans are backwards" and that there is no hope investing in them, at best-give them aid.

Until Westerners see pictures of Africa that exemplify potential, not hopeless tragedy, Africa will always be seen as a patient not a partner, weak not strong, backwards not advanced. My prayer is that more and more, people will have exposure- either through personal travel experience, family or friends' experiences, or authentic media- to an Africa that makes them think twice about what social change needs to take place so that deserving Africans can fulfill the vast potential available inside themselves, and be respected and given the dignity they deserve. Then maybe the bridge of compassion and commitment will be formed across the Atlantic and we can intelligently work at solving world problems of inequality and injustice.

http://www.seeafricadifferently.com/

Are leaders born, made... or simply promoted?

2010-09-06T10:27:00.005-04:00

I think we can all agree that North America is entrenched in leadership and management techniques, tests, and lingo.
Personally, with a mom working in IBM in "Leadership Development", a background in Education and Social Sciences, experience working with EWB and other volunteer organizations in Canada, and job experiences in Management in Canada, I deeply appreciate the need for a person to develop in their leadership/management capabilities.

Though I recognize that some people are "natural leaders", I believe that all people can and should focus on personal development, grow in their self awareness, and their ability to work effectively with people... especially if they are in management positions.

With HBR articles, countless books, and personality tests readily available, it seems like there are abundant ways to develop as a leader in Canada. But after some time in Ghana, I have recognized that these resources are not as readily available or promoted, and that there isn't as much of a conscious effort to DEVELOP people into managers.
For example, in the Ministry of Food and Agriculture, I was discussing with one of the Principals of the Colleges the challenge of management in MoFA.. how the manager plays a central role in setting the organizational climate, in motivating staff and encouraging high performance. I asked him what happens when someone becomes a District Director of Agriculture (Manager of a MoFA District office), he said... "not much".
In MoFA, promotions tend to be based more on seniority than any other factor, which results in technical experts becoming managers. It's great for a staff to excel in their technical knowledge- in crops, livestock, etc...and by all means, over time they deserve a raise and opportunities to grow in their career. However, I am unsure that merely promoting a technical officer to become a Director is the recipe for district success. Becoming a great manager is more than just getting a new title.

It's not so unlike Chieftancy, where much (if not all) learning takes place "on the job". I remember entering my Chief's room one day to hear him breathe deeply and remark: "Njallawuni, it's not easy being a leader!". He went on to explain some of the conflicts and challenges community members were bringing for him to solve. He certainly didn't pass through University, a 6 week course, or any formal educational structure to learn how to manage such situations effectively.

Many people quickly point to Leadership as the key solution to Africa's problem. I don't think it's as simple as that but don't entirely disagree... I do feel that developing people into leaders and managers will result in stronger leaders, and I acknowledge the important role of leaders in creating social change.. we need leaders who can catalyze change within their spheres of influence. Because at the end of the day, it is determined, intelligent, inspired, committed Ghanaians who will transform Ghana.

"Are you fasting?"

2010-09-03T07:16:00.004-04:00

Living in a country that is not your own requires a buffet-style approach to dealing with differences that arise.

Having lived in Ghana for over a year now, I still find myself approaching the buffet of options... do I adapt, adopt, or object to this situation?

When you first come, in hopes of "integrating" into the culture, you do a lot of adopting. You observe what others do, and adopt that behaviour. Whether it is the way Ghanaians dress, greet, interact, etc...
But over time, you will definitely come across things you don't want to adopt, and some you may strongly object to. You might encounter reckless driving, sexual harassment, physical abuse, etc.
And then, many times, as a foreigner you chose to adapt. You take what they are doing and make it your own. You can't let compromise, compromise your own values. I am quite happy and comfortable living in Ghana, but that doesn't mean I act completely as every Ghanaian I interact with does, or that I still behave like a 100% Canadian girl...

Take this example. As you may know, I live with a Muslim family and right now is Ramadan- a month of prayer and fasting for Muslims.
Yesterday, a man came into the family compound and was greeting me in Dagbani. I was responding alright, and then he said something I'd never heard before in a greeting. I turned to one of the mummy's beside me- who is fluent in English- and asked what he said. She said, "He asked: "are you fasting?".

I responded: "well... somehow..." And they all laughed.

Typically, I always eat with the family.. whatever they eat, I eat. But during this month they only eat at night, and very early dawn.. the rest of the day they fast. I knew I didn't want to adopt this behaviour, as I am not a Muslim, and I know that in order to be effective at work I need to eat and drink and sleep well. But I didn't want to completely reject what they were doing, and isolate myself (any further). So in the morning "I fast".. when I'm at home and they are not eating, I too do not eat. But when I'm in town working, I eat and drink as I would. Then when I arrive home at night, I wait and eat dinner with them once they break their fast.

In this case, and in many others, I have chosen to adapt cultural practices of Dagombas here in Northern Ghana in a way that lets them know I respect them, but that I am also different, and I need to ensure I am happy and comfortable in Ghana. The longer you're away from your home country, the more conscious you have to be of who you are.. of not losing who you are in the midst of integration, compromise, and adaptability.

Its a delicate balance.. and its all part of this journey I'm on...

My daily life in Ghana: 6

2010-09-03T06:31:00.002-04:00

My daily life in Ghana: 5

2010-09-02T13:02:00.001-04:00

My daily life in Ghana: 4

2010-09-02T12:58:00.001-04:00

My daily life in Ghana: 3

2010-09-02T12:46:00.003-04:00

My daily life in Ghana: 2

2010-09-02T12:32:00.000-04:00

My daily life in Ghana: 1

2010-09-02T12:19:00.001-04:00

Ghanaian: 2

2010-09-02T12:10:00.002-04:00

Ghanaian: 1

2010-09-02T11:57:00.002-04:00

This is Ghana: 2

2010-09-02T11:45:00.001-04:00

This is Ghana: 1

2010-09-02T11:33:00.002-04:00

Loss: reflections on 2 different boys, from 2 different countries

2010-08-06T18:09:00.004-04:00

Meet Ashiraf, a 12 year old boy in Northern Ghana. After his parents divorced, his dad left Ghana in search of a better job, in Sweden. After a second marriage, several calls back to Ghana, and countless promises, he said he would be coming back to see Ashiraf, and, amongst other things, bring him a laptop.
1 week before his expected arrival, a phone call reaches Ghana; Ashiraf's dad has been killed in a car accident..

Meet Pat, A 23 year old Canadian boy; an economics graduate from McMaster University. Walking along the road, late in the middle of the night. He is hit and killed..

After the loss of Ashiraf's dad, the family was incredibly sad, and beyond the tragedy that he would now grow up without a father, there was a deep sadness over the loss of opportunity for the boy.. Ashiraf- currently being cared for by family and a mother struggling to make money by selling items in the market- dreamed of a better life, out of poverty, and thought that as soon as his dad came back everything would be different. And his life probably would have change, drastically. Maybe he'd even get to go "outside" (leave Ghana) for his education, which his dad promised him. Now, he's like so many other boys in Northern Ghana, struggling, hopeful, for something better in their future. But lacking opportunities to see those hopes come into fruition.

Losing any loved one, no matter what the age or circumstance, is incredibly painful and life is never the same again. Every human being, no matter what country or what economic status, has experienced some kind of loss.. Losing a grandma, a sister, a mom, a dog, a best friend, a brother, a boyfriend, a daughter. Unfortunately, to some death and loss are more commonplace, a frequent visitor to normal life.

I remember one of Ashiraf's "brothers", while others were crying, stoically saying: "Life is like that.. people enter. And people exit."

1 family loses a boy. 1 boy loses a dad.
2 different countries.
1 unfortunate, unexpected connection..

Loss.

Why I don't look like a hippie... anymore.

2010-07-20T13:26:00.005-04:00

After nearly a year in Ghana I am temporarily back in Canada, and as I walk through a shopping mall, I'm surprised by how much I seem to fit in. Yet when I converse with strangers, people are often intrigued, if not shocked, that I've been in "Africa" for so long.
When you see me, I might be wearing jeans and a top, with matching accessories, or on a good day I'm in a pencil skirt, heels, some makeup and highlighted hair. When most people think about "volunteering to Africa", they are inclined to pack baggy, beige pants, flowing floor length peasant skirts, tank tops, hiking shoes, and beaded bracelets. And that's exactly what I often see in Ghana. Sometimes I cringe to see other ex-pats dressed in oversized, wrinkly clothes in professional offices. But I mean come on, its terribly hot, sunny, and this work is so much deeper than vanity is concerned, right?

After wearing birkenstocks, pony-tails, and wrinkled tops for probably far too many months, I now look different in Ghana. As much as my job has changed over the past year, my appearance (and vocabulary) too have been altered.

As I work more in Accra, attend conferences, and meet with MoFA staff at the National office in attempts to share the field realities we observe and influence in a more systematic way, I realize that I ought to dress the way I'd dress walking into an office in Toronto, not like I'd dress for a yoga class. Though this is Ghana, this is West Africa, its not all mud huts and eating food with your hands.. Ghana is a multifaceted country filled with professional, intelligent people.

The Ghana you might imagine may include images of poor children, poor education systems, malaria, crowded buses, and villages with no electricity or running water.. and this is accurate. This is tragic. But just as Toronto has both homeless people and lavish mansions, Ghana has as many cell phones as mud huts, as many high heels as wellington boots.

When I went to the field to meet with farmer groups teaching them business skills, I wore flip flops or wellington boots-depending on the season.
Now, as I work more in offices and less in the field(for better or for worse), I wear skirts and high heels to demonstrate credibility, professionalism, and respect.

As I continue to transform internally throughout this incredible experience, there will likely be continued observable external improvements, refinements to the person that "Robin" is.. some more visible than others.

And that my friends, among many other reasons, is why I don't look like a hippie..

anymore.

Keepin' cool in shades of Ghana

2010-03-01T11:54:00.001-05:00

Underneath it all..

2010-03-01T11:47:00.000-05:00

I love Ghana and I am overwhelmingly happy here. Most of my blog posts depict an optimistic picture. Most days I laugh and smile excessively. Most days I go to sleep so grateful.

But underneath it all, I still experience a great deal of frustration and sadness inside.

Life is hard in Ghana. Life is so hard in Ghana. I'm not referring to how hard it is for me, as a white, in Northern Ghana. No, not for me; life is hard for the average Ghanaian. A common response to the question: "how are you doing" here is: "Oh, we are managing... Small small". This really summarizes the situation of the vast majority of people I interact with here in Northern Ghana. They are just managing, and hopefully for most, "small small"; gradually- little by little- things are getting better.

Some days when I am feeling demotivated it is easy to blame it on the sweltering heat, blame it on lack of sleep, blame it on overwork and lack of time off., or maybe its because I haven't been eating well, haven't been exercising.. but really, days like today, I have to acknowledge that underneath it all, sometimes the daily tragedies just get to me.

In lieu of the fact that I want to always present an honest picture of my personal experiences here, I share these feelings openly and candidly with you- wherever/whoever you are. I respect and appreciate the time you take to connect to my life and I send you my love and gratitude as I sit here, blessed fan blowing on my face, thermometer telling me it is 35.5 degrees, Sulemana sleeping beside me with his hand on my lap.

I really love you all.

Oh! the places you go!

2010-03-01T11:45:00.000-05:00

As explained in the previous post, my current role in Ghana has required me to travel a great deal throughout this nation, (been to 7 Regions in Ghana), and even beyond these borders briefly.
Instead of providing an in depth summary of my movements, I thought I would write a few key words that come to mind when I think of my time at each of the various places.
Burkina Faso- real fresh amazing yoghurt, baguettes, children dancing and singing, feeling ashamed of my inability to speak French, bathing and sleeping in the open with the sun/moon right above you.
Ohawu Agricultural College- (Volta Region, Ghana)-Eating too much Kenke, huge dam that everyone claims they own, power outages, being aggressively challenged on the relevance and sustainability of EWB's work.
Nigeria- Amazing ice cream parlour that even had banana splits, nicely paved roads and street lights, Western clothing and lifestyles.
Pong Tamale Animal Health and Production College (Vet. College, Northern Region, Ghana)- Sheep everywhere, great food (spaghetti!) and connections with female students, dedicated principal who I know will facilitate transformative change at this college.
Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (Kumasi, Ashanti Region, Ghana)- passionate Christian youth worshipping God, beautiful tropical gardens, trees, forests everywhere, coolness!
Bolgatanga (Upper East Region, Ghana)- rastas wanting to "be my friend", great beaded jewellery and vibrant Ghanaian cloth everywhere. Spending too much money.
Kwadaso Agricultural College (Kwadaso, Ashanti Region, Ghana)- lots of cows roaming around, magnificent, enormous trees, projector that didn't work, amazing professors and principal, missing Carissa (past volunteer).
Accra (Greater Accra Region, Ghana)- watching Avatar in an amazing movie theatre while eating popcorn!, Airport- filled with mixed emotional memories, eating too many scoops of real ice cream, packed streets and traffic like you can't imagine, gaining weight.
Tamale (Northern Region, Ghana): friends everywhere I go, a great ("great" as in: wonderful, and as in very large) family, comfort in knowing where to buy things I need and how to get around, riding on my moto, eating dried pineapple, greeting people in Dagbani, great Canadian friends/colleagues.

"Surname: STRATAS, Given Name: ROBIN REBECCA... Occupation: ___________?"

2010-03-01T11:30:00.001-05:00

As a group of Canadians (all Africa Program Staff from Ghana) travelled across the Ghana/Burkina Faso border, in addition to pathetic attempts at bilingualism, we filled out the necessary forms. Mostly straightforward... I filled in my name, my passport number and expiration date, my current mailing address, and the reason for my visit to Burkina.. but then, just when I thought I had it covered, just when I thought I was almost finished this mind-numbing activity, I became stumped: "Occupation:_________". My immediate reaction was to peak on my colleague's sheet, as I had done for some other parts of the form, to see what they had written: "ENGINEER". Well okay, my engineering colleagues have it a bit easier. That won't work for me though. So I sat and thought: okay, how can I summarize and describe what I do in about 20 letters?
I settled on the most general, vague, indistinct title I could: "Development Worker".
Upon further thought, I realized that just in the same way I found it difficult to tell a border official- who doesn't care at all- what I do, I haven't been able to effectively communicate to Canadians about my work here.
I know that blog posts like these can become long, boring, confusing, so I will do my very best to be concise. If you have further questions- please ask me. I really appreciate all comments and questions on this blog.

So for simplicity's sake let's say that my work is focused in 3 general areas:
1) Working at MADU- a Ministry of Food and Agric (MoFA) District office. Here I have primarily been training Field Staff (a core group of 10) on implementing a curriculum with farmer groups, that EWB developed called Agriculture as a Business. Main goals of this practical curriculum are to 1) strengthen existing farmer groups, and 2) develop farmers' agribusiness skills and abilities to increase profits. Here, I've also been generally building the capacity of the staff: trainings and workshops on "Quality Extension", and Goal setting, individual etc. Here is where I have made some amazing friends with incredibly dedicated, underpaid field staff, and had the chance to interact face to face, on fields and under mango trees, with the farmers I am ultimately working on behalf of. The first part of my placement was mostly focused here, at MADU. I am now transitioning out of this position.

2) Working in Agricultural Colleges- This work was previously being undertaken by Carissa Vados, incredible volunteer who is now back in Canada. I am following up with her work at the Vet College (AHPC) on developing a course outline for a new class on entrepreneurship- designed to address the current challenge of unemployment in graduates, and to provide overall inspiration for students to be innovative. Further, I am now also working at Kwadaso Agric College (these are likely the 2 best Agric colleges of the 5 in the country), also pushing an Entrepreneurship course which already exists, and also enhancing the Extension curriculum to be more farmer-first, participatory approach, innovative, and inclusive of agribusiness skills. At this school I am also piloting an Entrepreneur Competition which, depending on success, could be scaled up to all colleges next year. I am super excited about this initiative, because after personally spending time at a district, and hearing of all my colleagues frustrations at various districts, I am excited about addressing one of the root causes by improving the quality of education, so graduates already have the key knowledge, skills and attitudes before they enter the workforce.

3) Finally, I work for EWB to support our staff here on team MoFA: this means that I am responsible for the Junior Fellowship Program in Ghana (this summer we will receive 8-14 University students who will spend 4 months in Ghana), as well as training new Africa Program Staff, coaching and supporting staff, facilitating workshops at team meetings, tracking health and safety, coaching and managing our (Ghanaian) National Service Volunteer, Adam etc.
You can see that the work I do is rich in diversity but there is still quite a bit of overlap. All involves people, and some form of education. All that I do is ultimately driven by a desire to improve the lives of Ghanaian farmers.. I believe that through building the capacity of field staff, agric students, and the Canadian staff who engage with Ghanaians, we can make a lasting difference for Dorothy. All of my work is also driven by a love and desire to work with people and help them grow from where they are to a better place; my desire is to help people become more joyous, fulfilled, and enriched; and to help them become better human beings overall. My blog is called Addicted to Impact because, like any addiction, I can't get enough. There will never be a day I say, "Okay, my work is done. The world is now perfect". I believe there will always be ways, in every single day, that I can be used to make an impact in someone's life.

"Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as ever you can."- John Wesley.

These are a few of my favourite things....!

2010-02-10T08:55:00.002-05:00

I often have Ghanaians and Canadians ask me "Why do you love Ghana so much", and I find its not so easy to articulate.
In this post, I will deal less with the work I am doing and more about the culture in Ghana. I recognize that although many elements of the culture didn't surprise me- as it's my second time to Ghana- you, in other places in the world, may be interested in what makes Ghana such an amazing country, and why I'm glad to call it my home.

So here are a few of my favourite things:

- Greetings are crucial. Every morning people ask you how you slept, and about your health, your family, your work, your tiredness, the coolness... its sweet, and touching, and definitely more in depth than what you hear in Canada.
-I have many "friends". Most people I buy something from tell me they want to be my friend. I now have many friends- Naima who I buy phone credit from, Mama Fatia who I buy juice and bread from, the guys at the internet cafe, guys at the gas stations, etc. Whereas in Canada, most times you enter a store, buy something, say "have a nice day" and leave. Here- I now have relationships with people, and when I travel they will even call and ask where I am and when I'm coming back!
- Local food is everywhere. I love to buy pineapple on the street, bananas, oranges, dried fruits, eat yams, local rice, tomatoes, ground nuts, and pepe! Mmmm! This is not to say that there isn't a problem with imported food- there is- but if you try you can eat deliciously local food any day of the week.
- Everyone has faith, and they are just happy if you have faith. People are not judgmental of other religions. They freely talk about and display their views- big stickers on cars/taxis, name their shops "By God's Grace", and openly ask you if you are a Christian or a Muslim.. but what I love is that they are just happy that you believe in God. There is little animosity between Muslims and Christians. Most Ghanaians have a strong faith in God and pray and worship very regularly.
- People of all ages are engaged in politics. Unlike Canada, where even 20 year olds are uninterested in voting, I can talk to my 12 year old Ghanaian brother for 30 minutes while he tells me every detail of the last elections- who won, the number of votes, the drama, the campaigns. Politics is fun and omnipresent here- they have songs, jingles and commercials, posters everywhere, and give away t-shirts like you can't imagine. You can't find a village without one Political tshirt being proudly worn.
- Ghanaians love foreigners- for the most part. Most people see me and immediately want to make sure I'm well, and offer their help- whether its helping me to carry a bag, get me a taxi, water, a seat, or a husband! I've been to other countries that are hostile towards Whites/Westerners.. so it is lovely that most Ghanaians are EXTREMELY hospitable and love to welcome foreigners.
- I don't use a lot of water. I wash myself with a bucket of water. I don't have a flushing toilet or a running tap. My water consumption is FAR less than I could dream of in Canada.
- People love to eat and always "invite you" to join them. The portions in Ghana are generally HUGE and are mostly carbs. Anytime you encounter someone eating, they "invite you" to join them to eat. Its a friendly gesture, and all of this has combined to help me gain some pounds since living in Ghana!
- People generally say what;s on their mind- pretty directly. People will call an Albino- Albino, a white person- a white person, they will tell you when you are growing fat, when your outfit is not nice, when you need to iron, they will ask you why you have pimples, and will tell you they are going to urinate. It's hilarious and refreshing. In Canada people can be so "politically correct" that they beat around the bush. It's both funny and shocking at times to hear people speak the truth in Ghana.
- People are very active. Especially in the North, MOST people walk or ride bicycles for great distances. It's rare for people to have cars- unless they work for an NGO or the Government.
- Ghanaians love to laugh. Almost every conversation includes some type of joke- either they ask you to marry them, or tell you they will "follow you" back to Canada- and from the Ghanaians I've met- they often have a full, hearty laugh. Most social interaction and even work meetings include many jokes and opportunities to laugh.
- People are free. You don't see many people who look stressed out. People have a good work/life balance, are not afraid to nap in the day time, to take a long lunch break, and deal with life's daily annoyances and challenges with peace and calmness.
- Ghanaians can be AMAZING story tellers. Many are naturally very dramatic, and so when they tell a story, they get their whole body into it, use gestures, various different voices and impersonations, and the end result is always a group of people bursting into laughing, shaking each others hands.
- Many Ghanaians love music and to dance. Every cultural event includes dancing- even funerals, and from age 3 children have rhythm and can dance better than me!
- Most food is eaten with your hands, and its not rude to lick or suck your fingers clean! I'm a pretty kinesthetic person and like to get dirty, so its fun to put some of our Canadian manners and etiquette aside and just dig in to a delicious meal!

That's all for now.. just a few of my favourite things about living in Ghana! This post was not to insult Canada, but to highlight some of the differences I've come to enjoy. I hope you've gotten a taste of the daily moments of joys I experience here.

Love Robin

Becoming comfortable with the uncomfortable..

2010-02-10T06:28:00.002-05:00

These last few months have been busy, to say the least.
With plenty of travel, and time spent in 5 different regions of Ghana, hours spent on buses and semi-conscious states of mind have enabled me to really think about what I'm thinking about... and how far I've come since arriving in September.

And I realized 1 sad conclusion, amidst a dozen happy conclusions (look forward to next post on my favourite things!)... I have become comfortable with the uncomfortable.
When I first came to Ghana, many things caused some level of internal discomfort....
People on the side of the road with torn clothes, begging for money. Children walking around selling water for 5cents instead of being at school, mass piles of garbage being burned, farmers losing all of their rice due to bush burning, farmers losing all of their rice due to flooding, children being smacked on a daily basis, children crying and no one acknowledging them, women breastfeeding on the side of the road while begging for money, children not attending due to school as a result of financial difficulties, family members arguing with one another over 10 cents..

When I first came, poverty really upset me. Sometimes I wanted to cry. Sometimes I did cry. But recently, as I traveled from one region to another, the differences started coming back to me again- I was seeing things with fresh eyes, and realized just "how well I've adapted to life in Ghana".

I have become comfortable with the uncomfortable.

"There are villages, but no villagers".... What is poverty?

2009-11-26T08:33:00.002-05:00

As we transition into the Dry season in Ghana, I felt compelled to step back and examine what I have learned in the past months living in Wamale.
I ask myself: What is poverty?

A very broad, esoteric question- one you'd think I'd already have the answer to, considering the fact that I am here, in Ghana, motivated and driven by a desire to reduce this big word we call "poverty".

I wanted to live in a village to gain a deep understanding of rural life and poverty. That was my main motivation- and the other benefits, like having a loving, fun family around, were simply cherries on top.

However, I didn't intend to live with the Chief's family. Due to hierarchy and cultural formality, we first had to meet with the Chief to discuss that I wanted a place to stay in Wamale. I later found out that Chief took it upon himself and said that if I was to be in Wamale, I should live with them to ensure my safety and happiness. I am blessed to live here and am exceedingly grateful.
But at times I would ask myself- is THIS poverty? Being the Chief's family, they are the "wealthiest" in the community, and more importantly, they receive great prestige and honour- even the children have special privileges in the community because they come from "Chief's Palace".

Chief is an excellent farmer and manages to support a family that it too large to count (imagine 4 wives, plus 26 children, plus countless grandchildren and even great grandchildren- I am still very confused and longing for a family tree).
Nevertheless, I would say they are still in poverty. But you know poverty is not what you may think- it is definitely not what I had thought. Even after having been in Ghana previously, and working in development for the past years, studying and reading about it, only recently- amazingly- it truly struck me just how complex poverty really is.

I'm sure we can all sit back and picture EXTREME POVERTY: the type that is sickening and disturbing- people literally starving to death. (Please: I don't for one second intend to claim that extreme poverty does not exist in Ghana, that it is not an atrocity of our times and an issue that should have been adequately addressed decades ago- but for the sake of this post, I will remain focused on the poverty that I encounter face to face.)

If you came to Wamale, one of the first things you might note in your head is that my mothers are fat and the family eats well. The family is very well-fed, no one is going hungry. Ever. Another perception I had was that many "villagers" would be going hungry, but I've observed that because most "villagers" are farmers, the problem is often not food but capital- actual cash.

You look at a village like Wamale here, and you will understand what my colleague told me "Robin, there are villages, but there are no villagers".
Though you find many, many people sleeping in mud huts with thatch roofs, you will be hard pressed to find any village here that does not have it least one person with a cell phone. I was amazed one day when my Chief was talking about Global Warming. And the name/face of Barack Obama plasters shirts, bracelets, and even school notebooks across the region. My family in Wamale- due to radio and even a television in Chief's room, and proximity to Tamale- are very exposed to the outside world and technology, though they are in a village with no running water. Though they have never used one, they know what a laptop and IPOD are. Further, nearly every village will have it least one English speaker, and a swarm of children who can shout HOW ARE YOU!?

I look at my family in Wamale, well-fed, no car or moto but a few bicycles, a few cell phones, a TV, radio, and many children in school, and I can question whether THIS is poverty... but then I remember that this same family doesn't have money for toilet paper, tooth brushes, tooth paste, hand soap... things I have always taken completely for granted in Canada.

I look at someone like Mustapha, who went to harvest his field, slept there 3 nights to complete it before returning, and realized he didn't even have enough money for food or to pay for a taxi to return home. So he sold his cell phone for 25 Ghana cedis.

I think of my younger brother here called, Abie. I told him about a cell phone promotion where if you buy 2 cedis of credit you get triple the talk time. He became very excited. But then asked, what if you buy only 1 cedi? I said no, the promotion is for 2 cedis. His face sunk. "Oh, well I'll never have the money to buy 2 cedis at one time. Even 1 cedi would have been hard".

Sometimes, in mid conversation, as they are speaking to me very casually I stop for a moment, and tried to imagine what it would be like to sit down and realize that I have no money- I have to sell something on my person, or that I don't have even 2 cedis.

I think about one of my elder sisters who sits all day, if she tries to walk she uses a cane. She has been to a doctor. They know the problem. They know the solution: an operation. But due to lack of funds, she sits, all day every day, without reprieve.

I think of the alarming number of incidences of malaria in my family (weekly, it least one person has malaria) and the fact that I have yet to see a single one enter a hospital or a doctor.

I think about my brother who was playing football, 5 days a week, without football boots.

My other brother who missed a week of school because his uniform was torn and he didn't have money to buy more cloth and sew a new one.

I think of a farmer who expected to get 15 bags of maize from his field and, due to rains and flooding, only got 4. Can you imagine? Can you imagine working all year, expecting to receive $150,000 and in the end, you get a cheque for 40,000?

I think of a colleage who went to the bank to take out money so that he could celebrate a Muslim holiday with his family by buying some animals to slaughter, but went and realized there was nothing in his account- he didn't have the 20 Cedis he needed to provide for his family....

I think of the many, many different vignettes, snapshots or revelations I've come across in the past months and I know that this, too, is poverty. It may be a well-fed poverty, but they are still lacking the opportunities to thrive, meet their needs, be resilient to external shocks, and propel themselves to a more prosperous future.

This is why I am here. It is simply not fair. It doesn't sit well with me inside. That propels me to create change.

What does my life here LOOK like: finally posting some pictures

2009-11-17T11:05:00.002-05:00

Our Teams Strategy to Move Farmers from Poverty to Prosperity

2009-11-14T09:50:00.001-05:00

**When you think about TEAM MoFA's work in Ghana, what comes to mind??**

The Agriculture as a Business Curriculum??

Eat Ghana Rice Campaign?

Rice that is "so clean, clean, cleeeean"? (Ghana Rice Radio Jingle)

In my entirely unbiased opinion, I feel Team MoFA's strategy has **never been more sophisticated and exciting**, so I felt we just had to share it- hot off the press!

**WHY are we doing what we are doing?**

In the eloquent words of Sarah Grant: "We are driven by the injustices of poverty and by the untapped potential of humans in Africa. We are in this line of work for as long as this situation exists.
Specifically, for the farmers we work with, **we are driven by the idea of helping these farmers make more from their farm so that they can invest in their children and live the life they choose full of dignity and opportunity.**"

In my own words: we love and respect farmers and want to see them with more money in hand and more smiles on their faces.

**So... WHAT exactly we doing??**

We are now driven by 3 OUTCOME AREAS:

1. Quality extension services
2. Market level interventions
3. Learning systems within the Ministry

By **"Quality Extension Services"**, we envision AEAs (Field Staff) that have the capacity and resources to provide quality extension services to farmers; A quality extension program has AEAs enabled with the time to do extension work (instead of just fertilizer coupon distribution and data collection), a means of transportation (fueled up motorcycle) and the opportunity to continue developing the skills, knowledge and attitude to **do it well** (more than just technical skills, **a coach**, facilitator, linker wise in the ways of the market).

An example of what we are doing to achieve this outcome is the Agriculture as a Business curriculum which many of you are probably familiar with; we now see it as the BREAD AND BUTTER of our work- all OVS/JFS are implementing AAB within their districts because we feel the curriculum is a very tangible tool that AEA's can implement in the field with their farmer groups that truly helps farmers tackle farming as a profitable business venture.
However, we have recognized that we are capable of far greater changes within MoFA so we are moving above and beyond just AAB. Something I am very pumped about is our initiatives in Agricultural Colleges in Ghana. **On the Job Training with AEAs is great, but why not tackle the root cause- how AEAs are educated??** We are now working in the colleges to influence the curriculum to be more farmer-first, to equip graduates with business/market approach, and a teaching pedagogy that is more participatory- so we can see graduates enter the workforce with the skills and attitudes needed to best serve farmers.

The second outcome area, deals with MoFA implementing **""Market-Level Interventions""**... this stuff is super sexy in development- talk right now, but its still pretty intangible. So far, examples of this work include our promotion of the local consumption of Ghana rice, providing Market Information to AEAs and farmers so they know the most profitable market to sell their produce, and Ryan's Farmer Group Business Development Fund- as an OVS he recognized that AAB was great, but farmers still lacked the initial start up capital to implement new projects, so he is now providing small loans to qualified farmer groups.

Finally, lucky number 3 is institutionalizing ways for MoFA to be a **""Learning Organization""** . In order for MoFA to be a cutting-edge Ministry defined by revolutionizing extension that is bringing farmers from **poverty to prosperity**, they need to be reflexive, adaptable and innovative. We need to ensure that MoFA staff have the means (ie. Fuel Money to moto to field), opportunity (training on skill building), and motivation (internal and external) to perform.

Some of our new and exciting initiatives to accomplish this objective include experimenting with Performance Based Incentives - currently, rewards are non-existent so there is little/no external motivation to work hard; those select AEAs who are outstanding seem to be internally motivated... we feel that incentives linked to how an AEA actually performs, and public recognition and celebration of excellency in extension will drive higher motivation, pride and performance. Who doesn't love to be recognized? Be the Employee of the Month? Or receive a prize for their hard work?

Another really exciting initiative is the DDA Fellowship- a fellowship program to bring together District Directors from across the region to educate on leadership development, and diffuse best practices on how to lead a district to results, success and impact.

By developing and magnifying strong leadership at District offices, we feel **we are tackling the system from nearly every possible angle: with students before they graduate and become employed, on the ground with farmers being coached by well-trained, highly motivated and well-equipped AEAs, who are being led by outstanding Directors that recognize and encourage high performance!**

I could go on for 10 pages but for the sake of "brevity" (and so I don't further confuse you) I will end here! I hope this clearly outlined what is driving our work within MoFA in Ghana, and some of the new and exciting initiatives we are piloting as we head into 2010.

Please feel free to shoot us any questions/comments around this strategy.

With lots of love and warmth (literally) from Ghana,

Robin and the rest of Team MoFA

What did I do today?

2009-11-14T08:39:00.003-05:00

I feel the best way to describe an EWB Overseas Volunteer Staff's (OVS) daily life is that it is dynamic and full of contrast- Wayne and I were recently remarking on the fact that in one day you can go from the field- wearing wellington boots, knee high in water, working with farmers, to an office- in high heels, typing on a laptop. Our days are anything but "ordinary" (in Canadian terms), and this day is by no means indicative of what every OVS does, or what I always do, but I thought it might be interesting to share with you nonetheless.

Hopefully this helps to demystify what it is actually like to be living and working in a country foreign to our Canadian upbringing.

**Time** **Activity**

530-630 Wake up, go from hut to hut to greet my whole family, the chief, the 3 wives, and countless children. Eat breakfast, take a bucket bath.
630-7 Moto to meet Mustapha- a very dedicated and inspiring Extension Agent **(MoFA OVS get to ride motos!!)**
7-720 Travel to Taha (OVS spend a lot of time moto-ing here and there, which results in an incredible(?) moto-tan)
740-840 Coach AEA through the facilitation of Agriculture as a Business Card 2: improving group meetings
8:40-10 Moto to another community to monitor the harvesting of Expanded Rice program, walk through fields, observe farmers harvesting, thrashing, hear their concerns about the low yield, take a video of the AEA and farmer describing the effects of flooding. **(OVS get to work hand in hand with farmers, in beautiful fields, and try their best to relay these experiences to engage Canadians- and need SERIOUS patience to actually upload these videos)**
10-1045 Travel back to town, eat some egg and bread
1045-1110 Travel to MoFA district office
11-12 Greet everyone at the office, sit in on an emergency meeting re: the rice surveys, where Director informed everyone that the next few months will be extremely busy before National Farmers Day and that there are still no funds for fuel money- but they should all be encouraged and continue to go to the field as much as possible to complete projects **(OVS can (and DO)go from being dirty and sweaty in the field, to dressy and formal in an office meeting)**
1-2 Go home and wash some clothes by hand so I can be "clean" tomorrow when I travel to pong-tamale to work with Carissa (ProJF) at the Vet. College **(OVS can have poor time management skills, and often wear clothes that aren't entirely clean)**
2-3 Back at office, work on computer- set goals for the week- what do I need to accomplish by weeks end? what needs to happen to get me there? **(OVS placements are pretty self directed and you have to drive your own schedule and accomplishments)**
3-6 Meet with Sarah Grant-our team MoFA incredible Team Lead, for coaching and feedback on my current strategy and initiatives **(OVS excel when they have great coaches, and EWBers are overly reflective and OVS can think and analyze as much, (sometimes more), than they DO)** .
6-8 Moto home, greet everyone again, spend time singing and clapping with kids, have a quick nap with Sule- my fav. little baby boy, take a refreshingly cool bucket shower, and eat a big bowl of TZ with my VERY BIG (and incredible) family in Wamale. **(OVS, though they are physically separated from their biological family members in Canada, can form incredibly close bonds with their local family members)**
8-10 Work in my mud hut (that has electricity!) on some presentations, and talk on the phone to my best friend in Canada. **(Straddling Canadian/Ghanaian relationships is an interesting balance but allows for beautiful interactions with very unique and diverse people; a 2 year old Ghanaian boy who knows 10 English words, to a 23 year old Masters student in Canada)**
10- Fall asleep comfortably- with my fan blowing on my face and my mosquito net engulfing my still-sweaty body.

So what do you think? What have you been up to lately in Canada, or wherever you find yourself on this vast earth? Were you surprised by anything above or was this pretty much in line with your perception of what I've been doing?

Love Robin

"Planners aren't implementers": Development Wisdom from the Field

2009-10-12T12:48:00.002-04:00

I had the great privilege to spend a week in the field with Tahiru, an amazing AEA (Agricultural Extension Agent= field worker) at the Tamale District MoFA (Ghana's Ministry of Food and Agriculture) office.

EWB works with MoFA for many reason, one being that they have excellent reach and breadth- they provide extension services to most farmers throughout the entire Northern Region, and will likely be a sustainable actor in the sector in the long run. Unfortunately, for these same reasons, MoFA ends up being approached by many donor projects to implement in the field.

This week, Tahiru was completing a project called "The Good Life of Maize" (from a massive donor whose name I will not mention). Basically, his task was to come to various farmer groups in different communities to take attendance, and provide a poster to each person in attendance. The poster was pretty substantial, larger than Full Scap paper, colour, with many small pictures, and not just laminated- actual colour printed paper. The poster explained the good and bad practices of maize- bad practices down left, good practices down the right, all in all there were 15 key steps in the table, front and back.
Initially, being my first week in the field, I was mostly observing and taking it all in. But by the time numerous hours had past, and I was still asking people their names, and having them stamp their finger print (because they can't sign their name), I realized that not only was this inefficient and a waste of time, it was not achieving (what I assume to be) their objectives. Yes- people were thrilled to receive the poster, but looking at it, I felt that there was far too much text (all English), and the pictures were far too small to be understood independent of the text. I soon asked Tahiru, after seeing people holding the poster upside down, "How many of them do you think can read English?", Tahiru laughed..

"You see, Robin, planners aren't implementers" Problem number one.

In one statement, Tahiru succinctly addressed one of the biggest reasons trillions of dollars have been spent on development and we still live in a world with extreme poverty- those planning development projects are often sitting in nice offices in North America and Europe, while those implementing- working on the ground with an authentic understanding of the poor- are not consulted but merely execute what is instructed from the top; whether it makes sense or not.

Looking at the big package the posters came in, I saw the bill: $240 Ghana Cedis (just under $300 CAD) just to mail it from Accra to Tamale. Each poster, I'm guessing, cost between 6-10 Ghana Cedis, plus the labour to research and design the poster, potentially mail it from US to Ghana, and the time field staff spent distributing, and other extraneous costs.. what I'm trying to say is that A LOT OF MONEY WAS SPENT... and for what outcome?

It appears that the result is perhaps a few people in each community who can read, and hundreds of others who now hold posters they don't understand.

Further, Tahiru addressed another key challenge in development "But they love it, Robin. Look how happy they are to have the poster". Problem number two: Handouts are sexy. To farmers, receiving something, anything, is well pleasing, desirable, and creates excitement.

The challenge is a complex, multifaceted one; how do development planners gain greater insight into field realities to create projects that will actually help the poor? How do implementers, those with the deepest understanding of field realities, contribute their vast knowledge to the larger development sector? How do we make the intangible stuff (learning how to make a business plan, how to function as a farmer group and apply for a loan) as exciting as the tangible stuff (a colourful poster) to farmers?

Here's to hoping that the amazing Ghanaians like Tahiru continue to have an impact in the lives of farmers in Ghana and beyond, and that Canadian and other foreigners continue to leverage all they learn to create greater impact within our own sphere of influence elsewhere in the world.

"Home, sweet home": Wamale

2009-10-06T08:40:00.002-04:00

After a weekend in Tamale for our EWB Ghana Country Meeting, I was happy to return home, lay down my bag and recognize that nice, warm feeling: "it feels good to be home".

After explaining to Wayne and AEA's at the office that I was looking for a place to live outside of Tamale, a village with a family, but not too far from the office, on Monday there was a lead; Tahiru (an amazing AEA) informed me that we could go to visit the Chief of Wamale to discuss the matter; by the end of the evening, I had moved into my new home.

Wamale is a small village outside of Tamale, on the road to Yendi (for those familiar with Ghana's Northern Region, or those who love to examine maps). A few months ago, the village got electricity so I am happy to say that I am living in a thatched-roof mud hut, concrete floors, but I am capable of working on my laptop at night or charging my cell phone- it really is the best of both worlds!
I am staying with the Chief's family, not directly in Chiefs compound, but with his nephew, 1 min outside of compound. They are Muslim, so Chief has 3 wives, and 26+ children and countless grandchildren (new meaning to the term "large family"). He is a kind chief, very well respected in the community. I am learning so much about Dagomba culture. Formality, respect and hierarchy are very important- before anyone goes/does anything (including me) they come in to his "Palace" (a large, circular mud hut), crouch down, greet him, and inform him of their plans.
I really love him. He has been very welcoming and that makes a huge difference when the Chief is on your side- everyone else in the community follows suit. One morning, one of my brothers, Mohammed, was leaving and said "Madame, I am now going to school", and walked away. A minute later Chief called him back and said "Mohammed, don't call her "Madame", call her "sister". (And this was on my second morning in Wamale). He has been very clear on the fact that I am now part of the family, that I am his Canadian daughter, and so he treats me very well. He can speak some English which makes it nice for us to get to know one another.
The most helpful person in Wamale by far has been Mustapha- the nephew, a middle aged man, who I am staying with. He is educated, can speak English fluently, and he is teaching me Dagbani. Our mud huts are side by side, and we share an outdoor space where we can bath, and he also has a homemade latrine type of deal that we use to go to the bathroom. Water is fetched up the street from near the School by the young boys who go on their bicycles and return with jugs filled.
Culturally, in some ways, things seem backwards to family life in Canada: in Canada, the eldest often has to do more of the work and the younger ones are served and babied. In Wamale hierarchy is very important, so the older you are, the less housework you do: the more you are served by your juniors.
One of my favourite people and greatest sources of joy and laughter in Wamale is Sulemana- a 3 year old boy here (Grandson of Chief), who I adore! He is with me nonstop, as soon as I ride in on my moto from work he runs to me giggling, I carry him around everywhere, sing and dance with him, feed him, kiss him; he is too cute!
Finally, I am very excited because my birthday is tomorrow! And it is going to be amazing! In Wamale we are having a BIG celebration, and it's my official naming ceremony: Njallawuni (in- gel-LA-wu-knee, it means "I have laid myself against God")! I am so grateful- people from all surrounding villages have been invited, the youth are performing a drama, we are dancing, there will be delicious food and drumming; I'm confident it will be a birthday I'll never forget.
That's all for now: look forward to lots of pictures/videos to come!

Love,
Njallawuni.

"Rain, rain, go away" Abokobiisi Part 2

2009-10-06T08:37:00.001-04:00

Being in Abokobiisi really illuminated the fact that the rain is both a blessing and a curse for Ghanaians.

For a farmer, the rains- completely unpredictable and out of your control-determine your ability to thrive or suffer. Beyond this, the rains can be deadly.
In this post, I will highlight some few anecdotes to demonstrate how the rain affects the lives of some of the incredible Ghanaians I have met so far.
"The rains, Ah! They have been TOO much!"- (in Ghana-speak). None are unaffected; for the children, if it rains, they do not attend school that day. Can you imagine in Canada if school was canceled every day it rained or snowed? The amount of time and knowledge lost must be incredible, especially during the rainy season.

*Quality of education is greatly hindered by the rains.*

For the womens' group in Abokobiisi, when I inquired of the status of their Soya fields (funded by Ryan's Loan Program), they said things haven't gone as well as they expected. Due to the rains, and the fact that the field is a great distance from the home, they were prevented from weeding and applying fertilizer at the right times. The path to get to the field currently requires you to trench through rivers, puddles, and mud; not very practical for middle aged women, or anyone for that matter, and not conducive to high yields.

*So in this case, the success of this womens' group loan (a big business risk) is now in jeopardy.*

In Bongo, a woman's mud hut collapsed on her during a storm, breaking her leg. She returned from the hospital, feeling okay, and the next morning she was found dead. Similarly upsetting in nature, in Tugu a woman's mud hut was struck by lightning, setting fire to all of her belongings, and knocking her unconscious.
*With less than structurally sound housing, the rain can be fatal.*
Less seriously, the rain simply decreases the overall productivity of Ghanaians. Take this example: I was scheduled to go to the field at 5:45 am, and due to the rains, we could not leave until after 11. Further, many Ghanaians are petty traders eking out a living in markets and along the streets, selling from small stalls and shops. However, when it is raining, you are hard pressed to find a single place to buy any food or products. The success of any farmer's harvest is obviously dependent on the rains; when it is too rainy, fields flood and completely wash away all potential crops, or other fields are simply inundated with weeds, requiring farmers to weed more frequently if they are to prosper.

*The rain prevents Ghanaians from earning more money.*

I regret the fact that this post appears to be very negative; I merely wanted to elucidate how something that all humans experience- rain- can have a drastically variant effects on peoples' lives, prescribed only by your place of birth/residence. To me, it has been very eye opening... in Canada, the worst side effect rain has had on my life has been a bad hair day.

So the next time it rains, I hope you will join me in singing "Rain, rain, go away, come again another day"!

"Sharing Minds"- Abokobiisi Part 1

2009-09-23T09:25:00.003-04:00

I spent 5 days in a village called Abokobiisi, in the Upper East Region of Ghana, and it may have been the most powerful 5 days of my life.

When I returned, I thought to myself, “how can I communicate all of this learning back to Canada?” … I soon realized that just one blog post could never possibly capture it all, so decided to write a short series on Abokobiisi… welcome to Part 1, Sharing Minds.

When you think of a Ghanaian farmer, who do you picture? Previously, I probably would have thought of a middle-aged black man, wrinkled face, family man, working hard every day in the fields.. this isn’t completely false, there are farmers like this.

But I met many others whose profiles are quite different, many women here are farmers (more than 60% of Ghanaian farmers of women- see the women above from Abokobiisi’s Women’s Group) and there are also a lot of young farmers, many who farm because they have no other choice.

I begin the series highlighting the person who most inspired me: Amos. A 19 year old boy: young, lean but muscular, hardworking, kind, and he speaks English (one of the 3 in the whole community that I could communicate with), and did I mention exceptionally bright. He is currently a farmer by default, by unfortunate circumstances, but things are looking up for Amos.

Last year, he graduated from JHS (Junior High School) with excellent grades. He hoped to move on to SS (Secondary School), which is 3 years and requires you to board in another town, and pay steep school fees. When I asked why he didn’t go to SS he said “because of poverty, we are suffering”. Unable to pay the school fees, (hundreds of dollars), he had to stay in Abokobiisi- a village that is an hour bicycle ride to the nearest hospital, an our walk through rivers and streams to the nearest market, no electricity, no formal sanitation… probably the typical “African village” you see in your mind.

So for the past year he has been farming, and extensively helping the community. He is currently hoping that, with community support and help from the Assemblyman, he can go to SS this year. I am really hoping he is able, and am anxiously awaiting him telling me the good news.

Each day I spent with Amos, I learned something new about village life, something new about poverty, and something new about the human spirit.

More surprisingly, I kept finding out different roles he played in the community. It took 3 days for me to discover that every night, Monday to Friday from 8-9pm, he teaches night class (remember- there is no electricity in Abokobiisi). When I asked him why, he said “We don’t want our mothers to be illiterate”.

Then, I attended the Women’s Group Meeting, where he also sat in. After, I looked at his book and realized that the whole time he had been listening to the meeting in Fra Fra, translating to English in his mind, and writing in English- almost word for word- what was discussed at the meeting. In this same book, he records which ladies go to the field each day to weed the soya field, and much much more.

I can definitely say that all of my most fruitful conversations in the village involved Amos. He is so intelligent, would ask me great questions about life in Canada, and some funny ones (Can you open the window when you’re flying on an airplane?).

He really pushed my thinking. I had the mentality that I didn’t want to bring many luxurious items to the village because a) they are unnecessary and b) I don’t want to show people material things that they’ve never seen, have them become fascinated by them, and subsequently want to have their own (it is unlikely they will ever be able to afford them).

So I didn’t bring my laptop and didn’t bring many clothes, etc, but I did bring my MP3 player to listen to music in the morning/at night. I had no intentions of bringing it out. But on the third day, when I was fairly close with Gilbert and Amos, we were sitting out in the early morning- as we always did- and I decided to bring it out. Of course they loved it. They had never seen one or heard of it before- they initially thought it was a different cell phone. They loved the beats, wanted it really loud, and I soon realized they preferred the more upbeat, hip hop type songs so would put those on for them.

I went away and returned, grabbed the MP3 to change the song for them and realized that Amos had already been navigating through the MP3 and had changed things. I was very amazed- (minutes earlier, he didn’t know how to change the volume).

Later in the day, walking to the market, I confessed that I hadn’t intended on showing them the MP3 (for reason B mentioned above). And Amos said “No Robin. It is wonderful for us to see these things. Then, when I see it later, I will know what it is, how it works, and then I won’t just be a villager, again”.

Leaving Abokobiisi was difficult. I was happy to stay longer than intended- due to the rains. The night before I left, Amos said: “I’m praying it will rain again tomorrow so you can stay another day”, I said “I know, it’s very painful. But why do you want me to stay”, he said: “So we can converse. So we can share minds.”

Please stay tuned for more on the beautiful people of Abokobiisi, and how they have enriched my life.

Life in Bongo: motos, marriage and more

2009-09-11T08:12:00.003-04:00

I am currently staying in the beautiful town of BONGO, in the Upper East Region of Ghana, with Ryan (another OVS. At one point this was where I was going to be placed, but there has been a shift and now my placement will be in Tamale. So I am here in Bongo for the next week to job shadow and learn from Ryan. Yesterday we attended his MoFA District Office's weekly meeting where all AEA's give updates and they discuss pertinent issues. It was great to see the pride they have in the Agriculture as a Business Curriculum (AAB)- Bongo is seen as an "All Star District" where AAB is really flying, and they were all passionate and proud to tell me about AAB in their district and the successes they are seeing with their farmer groups.

It is so beautiful here. Picture this: dirt roads, and all around you green: 15 foot crop fields of millet, huge rocks, grass, animals all around, beautiful Baobab trees- it is just stunning. I don't miss city life at all. Mountains in the distance, sun shining, blue skies and perfectly white, fluffy clouds; it is truly a sight. Its very funny because I can't speak Fra Fra so without Ryan I would be totally helpless. Everywhere we walk people are staring at us, kids yelling "Salaminga" (white person), and after the normal greetings with all the people we pass, his local friends and acquaintances keep asking Ryan if I am his wife- it's a bit awkward because I know everyone is talking about me but don't know what they are saying and I can't respond. It's not too surprising they have questions about us; you don't often see a guy and a girl very close who are "just friends" here- and considering the fact that we're sleeping in the same room, I can't blame them for calling me his wife.
Still, it is very funny- they are so amazed to see the two of us walking through the market- it's like what Megan said- kids stare at you as if they are seeing a unicorn, and its even more entertaining when they see us riding on his moto! Picture this: its 40 degrees, humid, bright sun, beautiful greenery, crop fields, goats, and kids on either side of you, and 2 salamingas flying by on the moto! It's perfection with the breeze on your face- its like Ghanaian air con, the coolest you'll ever feel!)

Tomorrow I head to Abokobise (a-boko bee-see) for my Village Stay so I am very excited to really experience a life that is different from my own. It has been a very nice series of transitions out of my comfort zone. I moved from a beautiful house with my mom in Pickering, to the EWB house in Toronto (read- 20+ volunteers coming and going, crammed in a house with 1 shower), to a nice guest house in Ghana with running water and mattresses, to Ryans place where we "free range" (go to the bathroom out in the fields) and I sleep on the floor. What a great experience this is.

By next weekend I'll be in Tamale to begin my placement officially and I am very excited to start looking for a place to settle down and call my home.

Hope you are all well and enjoying each day as much, or more, as I am.
Love Robin

Happily Honeymooning

2009-09-09T11:12:00.001-04:00

After a week and a half in Ghana, I can confidently say that I am happily honeymooning.

For those unfamiliar with the typical phases of cultural integration, phase one is often described as the "honeymoon phase", much like a newlywed couple; everything seems perfect, exciting, invigorating; pure joy.
It has been a year since I was in Ghana but it feels like I never left. As I walk through markets, crowded with people and goats, sounds of people yelling, music blaring, sun scorching, sweat dribbling down my forehead, holding a sachet of water while greeting people, I couldn't be happier.

I love Ghana more now than ever and so glad I made this commitment- the food tastes amazing, and after a strangely cool summer in Toronto I am welcoming the heat, and loving every second of my cold bucket showers morning and night. And wearing my African cloth again, and seeing swarms of adorable African children who either excitedly ask me "How ah you?!" or run away scared of me, is just too much fun.

Don't get me wrong: though I am an energetic optimist, I am not disillusioned; I fully realize that this is a phase and that there will be times in the coming year that I may feel crappy, annoyed, frustrated, sick, but for now, I will soak in this time of honeymooning and pour all my love into this relationship between me and Ghana- I can confidently say that I vowed to stay in this marriage for at least 1 year!

(For those of you interested in details, and how an OVS (Overseas Volunteer Staff) placement begins: I am currently in Bolgatanga, in the Upper East Region of Ghana. On a personal note: I am feeling very healthy, have adjusted to the time, and am diligently taking my Larium, sleeping under a mosquito net, applying repellent and wearing long clothes at night! This past weekend I was at WAR- the West Africa Retreat- where all the incredible EWB volunteers working in Burkina Faso and Ghana come together on a quarterly basis to share, learn, relax, bond, and strategize. Tomorrow I'm heading to Bongo where I will be jobshadowing Ryan, and having my Village Stay to gain greater insight into rural life. After that I'm heading to Tamale which I will be calling my home for the next year! I am pretty excited to get started and into action with my placement; after months of independent learning and reflecting, and 4 weeks of pre-departure training in Toronto with the amazing Robin Farnworth, and in-country training with the amazing Alanna Peters, I am rearin' to go and apply some of this knowledge!
I am also motivated and excited because there is a beautiful amount of flexibility, and many opportunities for innovation within my placement- Sarah called it a sort of "choose your own adventure" novel. I will work with her to shape my goals and workplan in order to most effectively and strategically meet the needs of MOFA in Tamale, and utilize the skills I have to offer both MOFA and EWB. And this is an incredibly exciting time to be working with TEAM MOFA in Ghana; our team just doubled in size (!), we have a solid strategy going forward, a great relationship with MOFA staff across districts, regions, and nationally, a fantastic team of dedicated volunteers led by the amazing Sarah Grant, and 3 clear Outcome Areas we are all uniquely and innovatively working towards as we move beyond the Agriculture as a Business Curriculum to experiment how to improve MOFA's agricultural extension services with the incredible Ghanaian farmers we work with and for!)
So, in summary, I am happy, healthy, and HUNGRY for all that is about to land on my beautiful Ghanaian plate as I begin this working/loving/growing relationship!
Without further ado, I'm off to eat some RED RED (Fried plantains and beans!)
Please feel free to reply or call/email me with questions and/or comments: 011 233 279895359 or 011 233 540955865. Robinstratas@ewb.ca

Lots of love,
Robin

Thinking, learning, preparing... 2 weeks to go

2009-08-18T16:03:00.005-04:00

How does one prepare to work in Development for a year in Ghana??

With Engineers Without Borders Canada, we have 4 weeks of training/learning before we go, and I am currently in week 3..

In just 2 short weeks (to the day) I will be landing in Ghana. It is both exhilarating and frightening at the same time. Training is excellent: challenging, fun, difficult, practical, participatory.. so far we've touched on everything from rural livelihoods to the root causes of poverty, cross cultural communication to development interventions, gender and stakeholder analyses to safety and security, and lets not downplay the endless case studies and frameworks- all immensely useful.

One of the most exciting pieces of knowledge I've gained thus far- I have to say- has been the details of my placement!
I will be working in the Upper East Region of Ghana (see map to the left), in Bongo. I will be at one of MOFA's District offices, continuing Ryan's work with the Agriculture as a Business Curriculum, monitoring progress, as well as innovating new ways to improve extension services to Farmers... (all fueled by our passionate desire to alleviate poverty by increasing the profits in farmers' pockets.)

I find it so incredibly exciting to actually know where in the country I will be; strange how some small details can suddenly make things so much more real.

It is hard to grasp the reality that soon enough I will be saying goodbye to Canada and all the beauty, love and comfort it holds to begin a new life of ambiguity and uncertainty in Ghana...

Please stay tuned,

Love Robin

First video: Robin is heading to Ghana

2009-07-30T17:58:00.001-04:00

What can I do for you?

2009-06-29T21:03:00.005-04:00

After spending the past weekend at the Engineers Without Borders (EWB) Ontario Retreat, I have 1 main question to ask: what can I do for you?
I have realized that, specifically within EWB but even more so in Canadian society in general, there is a disconnect between Canada and Africa and I hope to do a little something about that.. one of the impacts I am aiming for.
I have also made certain commitments to myself. I commit to recognizing that being an Overseas Volunteer Staff for EWB is both a great privilege and RESPONSIBILITY.
One way I can feel positive about my being in Africa is knowing that some people in Canada have learned something new about "Africa", "Development", social change..

So in order to help me, please let me know what I can do for you. What types of things would you like to read/watch/learn about? Are you more interested in the culture, my work, my challenges, my reflections, funny stories, pictures, questions, videos,..?

Please feel free to comment, but if you would rather send me a private email, go for it: robinstratas@ewb.ca and you can also follow me on TWITTER: http://twitter.com/Robinstratas
Thanks so much,
love Robin

EWB Lingo

2009-06-16T22:39:00.004-04:00

Impact and Dorothy are probably the two most frequently used EWB buzz words; so lets clear those up as soon as possible so we can all speak the same language! (please let me know if I refer to something that you do not understand, use an acronym, etc). :)

Having a commitment to impact is having a commitment to "Dorothy"; the rural poor and the ultimate changes they will see. Being addicted to impact is constantly searching for ways, new and challenging, to create impact.

So who is Dorothy anyway? Dorothy is our boss. She is the one to whom we ultimately report, and she is the one with whom we partner and work beside. Our commitment to her is enshrined in our charter: "Notwithstanding the various stakeholders – members, donors, management, board, the engineering profession, partners and others – there is one stakeholder who must always come first: the people in the developing communities with whom and for whom we work." The name ‘Dorothy’ personifies the “stakeholder who must always come first and is a reminder to us of those caught in a cycle of poverty.” Dorothy was a real woman, that one of the Co-CEO's/Founders met while overseas. She now represents for us someone we can keep in mind as we make decisions.

Okay, so what does creating impact really mean? "The difference is a shift from thinking about what we want to do, to thinking about what we want to achieve." Impact focused is being outcome driven. It also means being willing to be critical of yourself, of EWB’s, and other people’s, work. This is challenging, because everyone who is doing development work is trying to “do good,” and one naturally doesn’t want to criticize them. But focusing on impact means moving away from the feel-good story, and asking the difficult questions. In the end all of these questions return not to what you’ve done but what has changed (the impact). All of your planning should start with your goals (impact) and move backwards to your activities.

Still unclear? Feel free to email me and we can chat!

Cheers; to having impact for Dorothy! :)

WELCOME!

2009-06-16T22:28:00.002-04:00

Hello, and welcome to my blog!
As you may or may not know, I am going to be an Overseas Volunteer Staff (OVS) for Engineers Without Borders (EWB) Canada, which means that starting this August I will be living and working in Africa (Ghana, Malawi or Zambia) for a minimum of 1 year, trying to create positive social change in the lives of rural Africans.
Why am I doing this? Basically, I envision a world that is free from extreme poverty; where all people have the freedom to live the lives that they value, and feel I have something to contribute in making this a reality.

I really do believe in the work that EWB does in Canada and in Africa to improve our world, which is why I am honoured to be able to contribute to EWB's work in Africa. After a few years of volunteering at the EWB Windsor chapter with some amazing people, I knew that this was an organization I could really believe in, with my head and my heart. Not to mention my experiences last summer in Ghana with WUSC, which definitely opened up my eyes, and passion, for working with people across cultures, working in development, being taken out of my comfort zone, and diving into life in Ghana; which is simultaneously very different from my life in Canada, and yet strangely similar at times.

I embark on this experience with the recognition that I have a huge responsibility. I look at the overall cost of this placement, roughly $18,000 (flights, training, living stipend, health insurance, vaccinations etc) and think WOW: what else could that money be used for?- something I asked myself when I was in Ghana. With this in mind, I take this opportunity very seriously, and am trying my best to be well prepared prior to our month of intensive training in Toronto in August.

I recognize that the work I am embarking on is very complex. I will not build a well, distribute mosquito nets or teach English, and no I am not an Engineer. EWB focuses on long term, sustainable development which is a lot messier; we aim to utilize the amazing resources that dwell in Africa, and hope to help preexisting African development organizations do what they do, better (capacity development). There is no "EWB Office" in Africa that I will be working in; we partner with African organizations, attempt to humbly learn from them, and provide creative insight whenever possible to unlock potential. Although our successes and impacts may be less tangible than a physical structure, we believe that the work we are doing is having a lasting impact in peoples' lives, and that in order for our work to be culturally sensitive and sustainable, this is the best way to operate at this point.

I sincerely hope that as I partake in this learning and giving opportunity, you too will join me for the ride; I hope that through this experience I will begin a ripple effect to my broader community of friends, family and colleagues; to help people to think twice about what "AFRICA" is like, and delve into the complexities of International Development work.

If you feel you are able to contribute financially to my placement, please see my page at http://volunteers.ewb.ca/robinstratas to donate online. Any amount of money is greatly appreciated. I hope that you can find a way to contribute in some small way, and take the first step in my direction towards Africa; a beautifully diverse continent I have come to love and admire.

Please follow my learning, questions, hard times, and triumphs and feel free to contact me at any time with any questions or comments, robinstratas@ewb.ca (please do: it can be a bit lonely overseas sometimes).

Thank you once again,
With sincerity and love,

Robin Stratas
www.ewb.ca