One lives to find out

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Wed, 20 Mar 2013 10:56:49 -0400

"I am not an advocate for frequent changes in laws and constitutions, but laws and institutions must..."

Thu, 17 Jan 2013 12:42:15 -0500

““I am not an advocate for frequent changes in laws and constitutions, but laws and institutions must go hand in hand with the progress of the human mind. As that becomes more developed, more enlightened, as new discoveries are made, new truths discovered and manners and opinions change, with the change of circumstances, institutions must advance also to keep pace with the times. We might as well require a man to wear still the coat which fitted him when a boy as civilized society to remain ever under the regimen of their barbarous ancestors.””

- Thomas Jefferson

"Change is the only constant"

Mon, 07 Jan 2013 13:01:08 -0500

“Change is the only constant”

- Proverb

Audio

Fri, 28 Dec 2012 23:13:00 -0500

"The only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved,..."

Fri, 28 Dec 2012 22:21:26 -0500

““The only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones who never yawn or say a commonplace thing, but burn, burn, burn like fabulous yellow roman candles exploding like spiders across the stars.””

- Jack Kerouac

Before and after!

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 15:24:17 -0500

Before and after!

For those of you just tuning in

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 15:22:00 -0500

This Janplan, I applied for a Fellowship with an organization called Community Water Solutions (CWS). CWS is an NGO based out of my hometown, Medfield, Massachusetts, focused on implementing sustainable water businesses in communities throughout the Northern Region of Ghana. Although a young organization, CWS has already made an irrefutable impact on the people of this region, as well as their health, productivity, and overall quality of life. Since its inception in 2008, CWS has established water treatment centers in 35 villages; in doing so, they have provided nearly 16,000 people with access to clean, safe drinking water. These water treatment centers serve a dual purpose in that, along with providing the communities with clean water, they also help to empower women. The water treatment systems CWS implements are, in fact, water treatment businesses, which are owned and operated by women in the communities that they serve. These women are responsible for using simple, affordable technology to treat, distribute and store the safe drinking water for their entire community. In return, they charge a small fee for each bucket they fill with this water. In summary, CWS not only provides these villages with clean drinking water; it also empowers local women by providing them with a business and an income to support their families.

If you have the opportunity, please take the time to read through my blog for a first-hand account of CWS in action. If you would like to learn more about CWS itself, check out their website at www.communitywatersolutions.org

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Wed, 25 Jan 2012 14:45:51 -0500

A big thanks to the CWS staff (Kate, Kathryn, Sam, and Stef),...

Mon, 23 Jan 2012 17:27:56 -0500

A big thanks to the CWS staff (Kate, Kathryn, Sam, and Stef), the wonderful translators, and each and every Fellow for making this an unforgettable experience. You are my favorite salamingas!

"The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but..."

Mon, 23 Jan 2012 17:15:27 -0500

“The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands in times of challenge and controversy”

- Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr

Home

Sat, 21 Jan 2012 10:15:20 -0500

4 days, 3 books, 2 flights, and 1 layover in Heathrow later…I have finally arrived stateside. The best thing I’ve done since I got home? Take a hot shower. Still working on trying to get all the Saharan dust off everything that I own, though. I am beyond exhausted and so happy to be home, but cannot express how much I already miss Ghana. This has been one of the most amazing experiences of my life, and I have so many people to thank for this opportunity. As previously stated, however, exhaustion has won out and these thanks will have to wait until later. In the meantime, here are links to my Facebook albums:

Salaminga HELLLLO - A general collection of photos from around Accra and Tamale. The title of the album reflects a common greeting we would receive all day, every day, no matter where we were in Tamale. FYI, salaminga is the Dagbani word for white person

Team E in Kpaniyili - A more in-depth look at my team - Team E, aka Team Most Likely to go to Ghanaian Jail - and the work we did through CWS in the village of Kpaniyili. Thanks to our hard work, 95 households now have access to clean water!

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Sun, 15 Jan 2012 03:38:53 -0500

Working away at the completed water treatment center

Sun, 15 Jan 2012 02:39:53 -0500

Working away at the completed water treatment center

Monitoring

Sat, 14 Jan 2012 18:23:00 -0500

For the final three days in our village, we have been doing household monitoring in which we visit each of the households and check to make sure that they are following all of the rules, enjoying the taste and quality of the water, and asking us any questions they may have. We began this process Friday and will continue through Sunday. So far, our monitoring has been very successful! Nearly all of the people with whom we have chatted agree that the clean water makes them feel strong and healthy; a few told us that the water has helped to relieve many of the stomach issues they have developed due to drinking dirty dugout water (alliteration, anyone?).

We have also been monitoring sales at the water treatment center. We ran into a few problems because one of our women, Filua, had to assist with a birth in her household and the other woman, Zfau, had to help clear a nearby field before seasonal burning. As of today, things are up and running, and everyone will come to refill their buckets tomorrow morning when we arrive. For Filua and Zfau, working at the water treatment center allows them to collect a small income because the villagers pay a small fee for each bucket of clean water. Hopefully this income will allow them and their families new opportunities in the future.

The best part of monitoring has to be the tangible results of our efforts coming to fruition before us. In each household, we have heard positive first-hand testimonies about the clean water, which makes me feel as though all our hard work has paid off. All the early mornings and hours under the hot African sun seem distant memories when you look into the face of a child drinking clean water for the first time in his or her life. It’s a feeling no words can describe, and it’s the exact reason I came on this trip to begin with.

PS. I tried to upload pictures from the waterfalls, but that one alone took about 20 minutes give or take. More to come once I have a reasonable internet connection!

Photo

Fri, 13 Jan 2012 11:38:16 -0500

Don't go chasing waterfalls - or do!

Fri, 13 Jan 2012 11:13:00 -0500

Having finished with the implementation process in our village, we gave the village a day to adjust to the water treatment center and enjoy their new clean water. For this day off, a large group of us took a field trip to two nearby waterfalls with some of the translators. It was very relaxing, and a great change of pace from our busy schedules. I’ll upload as many pictures as I can, but no promises, as this Internet might even be slower than that at Colby.

Getting water to fill up the tank

Wed, 11 Jan 2012 10:31:01 -0500

Getting water to fill up the tank

The completed polytank stand

Wed, 11 Jan 2012 10:16:47 -0500

The completed polytank stand

Opening day!

Wed, 11 Jan 2012 10:00:48 -0500

Quick recap on the past few days. Monday we finished training the women at the water treatment center and filled up the polytank in anticipation of opening day. We then began distributing our blue buckets to each household. These blue buckets are only for drinking water that comes from the CWS treatment center. Each one is labeled with a number that corresponds to the household name on a master list for the village. We found out that our village has between 90-100 households; because these households are so large, our water treatment center will serve more than 1,000 people in this community.

Tuesday was dedicated to more bucket distribution. Unfortunately I have contracted some kind of bug and have been confined to my bed for a few days. Not wanting to miss the excitement of opening day, however, I sucked it up and made the journey to the village today. It was incredible. People were lined up at the water treatment center with their blue buckets, ready for the clean water. In fact, so many people came that we actually ran out of water. Although it was really hard to turn people away, it was also exciting that so many people had come out. We refilled the blue drums and treated it with alum, so it should be all set to go tomorrow and those who did not get water today will be able to get it tomorrow.

Opening day was a bit more than my body could handle, so looks like it’s back to snoozing. Fingers crossed I’m on the upswing!

Training and treatment

Mon, 09 Jan 2012 01:29:00 -0500

With the polytank stand construction complete, we have finally been able to begin training the women that will run the CWS water treatment center in our village. We had a long morning due to the fact that the elders had not yet selected the two women, despite us having reminded them multiple times each day. While we waited for the deliberation to end, the four of us played with the children. We made funny faces at one another, taught them handshakes, sang some songs, and (most importantly) practiced the macarena. It’s interesting how, despite our language barrier, we are able to play with one another and enjoy one another’s company. Too often, we shut down at the sight of language barriers for fear that the lack of verbal communication will inhibit a relationship. Quite the contrary. These children have taught me that nonverbal communication can be just as strong, if not stronger, than verbal communication.

Once the elders decided upon our two women, we all piled into the truck and drove out to the dugout. My understanding is that these women have no say in the decision; if they are chosen, they must agree to run the water center. As with many other aspects of village life, the elders have final say. After we arrived at the treatment center, we told them about CWS and our project, and asked if they would be willing to undertake such an assignment. Much to our enjoyment, they said they were excited to be the ones that would help bring clean water to their community. Many, if not all, of these people know their water makes them sick; unfortunately, they simply lack the resources to do anything about it. It’s awesome to be able to bring them these resources, as well as provide the women with a business opportunity that will greatly benefit them in the end.

The water treatment occurs in two phases, the first of which consists of filling the previously mentioned 250 L blue drums with dugout water. Between the two women, the four of us, plus a number of children that came along to help, the process of filling up the drums took about 15 minutes. I got to carry the water on my head and, trust me, it is so much harder than it looks. Honestly, the 8-year-olds helping us were infinitely better at carrying the buckets than we were. These women are incredible and do not get enough credit for the amount of work that goes into everyday life. Not to mention, not once do they complain about being tired or hot or sick of working; they work through it with the knowledge that their efforts are what makes village life continue each and every day.

Anyways, back to the blue drums. Once they have been filled, we treat the water with a chemical called alum, which makes the dirt particles stick together and sink to the bottom of the drums. Fortunately, the women explained that they had used alum before and were familiar with the chemical so that made our job much easier. Once we had made the alum balls and treated water, we agreed to meet with the women at the same time tomorrow in order to finish up training. I’m so excited that this is all coming together – opening day is just around the corner!