Out in the field again (and swiftly developing a pink v-neck tan!)

I was invited back out into the field today, for more pit-latrine building demonstrations, urinal inspections, and relationship building in the communities. Although this is not directly my area of work, simply going out and meeting some of the communities has been very valuable. Seeing how they live, and getting to know first-hand about some of the serious challenges they face in terms of every-day living, has given me some really useful insights and a much better idea of the context of my work. On a practical note I am now very aware of how much more Kusaal I will need to learn if I am hoping to engage with them in any way, and how much sun-cream and sweat-rags I will need to survive out there in the heat!

Today I met a really friendly man who was thrilled to find me looking curiously at hi house, and swiftly invited me in. He had a lot of different animals which all roamed outside including some very hairy pigs grunting and guzzling in a dirty pit, and some rabbits which he kept in a mud hut of their own They were very cute, but I haven't seen any rabbits here yet and so I didn't dare ask what he keeps them for. Seeing as they eat goat, donkey and even dog here, and are usually quite willing to demonstrate this and invite you along, I wasn't looking forward to the answer I might get if I asked that question!

He explained to me how he had built his whole compound from scratch over 30 years ago, and how it was all built with materials straight from the ground. It has withstood storms, bushfires, wind and heavy rain, and is looking pretty sturdy still. There were scriptures from the bible, and what looked like a letter to god etched on one of the walls in charcoal. All the rooms could be entered through low round doorways, and they were so dark and all I could think was that they must be like ovens in this heat! Certainly my house is like an oven, the walls are so thick they just radiate the heat inwards and when I take clothes from my close it's like getting hot cakes fresh from the bakery! But he assured me his rooms are designed to be cool in the hot season and warm in the cold (20 degrees) season. I found a tree with some very large round and shiny green ball-type things hanging from it, which I was told are what calabash bowls are made from (the yellow round bowls that I drink my hot locally made coco-porridge from every morning). He also showed me the Shea nut tree and how they make shea butter from the seeds of the fruits that grow there. With all of this here I am slowly realising how rich and diverse his land really is.

So the rest of the day was back to learining all about the technicalities of constructing a good and strng pit-latrine. And after that we went off to see some boreholes being drillied. It's the kind of scene my 5 year old nephew would absolutely love; huge big trucks everywhere with massive wheels, and tonnes of equipment to be lifted, lowered, pulled, pushed and fitted together to create the borehole drilling machines. There were workmen with blue workhats and overalls, doing this clearly super-demanding job in the 40 degree heat, I have no idea how they do it, but they did look like veeeeery strong men!!

Digging boreholes is a huge step forward for the communities that benefit - before they are created many families have to travel miles to fetch water for their household. Teams come out a few weeks in advance to 'site' where water can be located, using quite complicated technology, and then once they have an idea, they can bring in the machines, and start to drill. On this occasion they drilled down at least 50 meters before they struck water, and even then had to drill at least another ten to get a decent flow. The communities come out to watch, most of them sitting underneath the huge trucks to avoid the sun, and I wondered how it must feel to know that your life is about to change for the better, with fresh water a 5 minute walk away rather than 5 miles.

We visited one community where the site had been located but the borehole had not yet been drilled. My colleague was bringing the community together to discuss the pit latrines, but there was a tension in the air, and our interpreter explained that they had other issues on their mind; there was a huge disagreement amongst them as to where the borehole should be located. Some of the people here were very unhappy about the situation. Slowly the tension rose, and even though I could not understand what was being said, anger was certainly bubbling in the interactions between the two groups. Eventually this sparked into a fully blown row, and my colleague had to step in to carefully settle things down. It became clear to me how important the issue of water is in these areas. Unfortunately the groups had not understood that it is not a matter of choice as to where the boreholes will be drilled - but a matter of where the best water supply happens to be located. What was happening here was a process of negotiation where people were trying to take control over a situation where they had very little. This is the first time I had seen any hostility or animosity between Ghanaians and it did surprise me a little. However my colleague did an amazing job of mediating and bringing them to a mutually acceptable conclusion on the issue in the end, which was really interesting to watch.

My lasting memory of these trips so far though is not what was happening in the foreground, but the things I noticed in the background too. For example, I would see older women out under the scorching sun, some of whom looked to be way over 80 years old, working in steady and determined concentration on the strenuous manual tasks that are required to ensure their families are fed and watered as they struggle to survive through the dry season. None were too busy to greet me when they noticed me watching them, and each gushed with smiles and a babble of warm welcomes and wild gesticulations as they tried to explain to me what it was they were doing.

In the glimpses I have had of their lives so far what I am really seeing here, especially at this time the hottest and driest season of the year, is survival. I started reading a book recently called Gogo Mama, written by an Australian journalist about 12 different women in Africa, and how they live their lives in some of the most challenging circumstances in the word. Being out in the communities here I have started to see some of the things she talks about happening in real life, and it's bringing home to me the stark reality of the way some people have to struggle to continue living. I have so much respect for these people, and am in awe of how they handle their lives with such endurance without losing an ounce of their positive spirit. It really is inspiring.

With love from Ghana

xxx