There are two things you need to ride on the back of my colleague James' moto. The first is a good set of strong hands, to hold on for dear life. The second is a big fat bottom, to protect you from the bumps and potholes ahead! Seeing as I have neither, I was in for a bit of a shock whizzing out to far-out communities at 70km per hour up and down dirt track, through rivers and over hills, some 50km away from town! The only good thing about going so fast was at least we got there quicker. The problem was, when we did get there, I could hardly sit down! Ouch!

The one thing I can say about volunteering with an INGO, is that it is always going to be busy! The break with Hannah was definitely much needed - on reflection I can't believe how many different aspects of work I have been involved in since I started, and it just continues to multiply!

On my return, I was swept into a week of community advocacy - going to different rural communities with staff from the Commission for Human Rights and Justice, the National Consortium for Civic Education and the District Assembly's Social Welfare. Yet another eye opening and interesting experience out in the field!

The aim is to firstly sensitise and educate communities on the rights of the child, and secondly discuss with them the negative impacts on some of their cultural practices, in order to convince them to adopt practices that support the wellbeing and rights of both children and adults. It sounds pretty serious, and in many ways it is.

The most eye opening thing for me, especially now having been here for a few months and having a better understanding of the differences between more developed towns and cities and more rural ones like those here - is seeing the traditional cultural practices that still exist, and how embedded they are in community life. I was therefore starting to really understand the real risks that many of the children and women face here, and how difficult it can be to encourage changes to what are held as very strong traditional practices.

Arriving at the communities, it was a familiar sight... a small bundle of people gathered under the shade of a tree, old, young, men and women, all simply sitting and waiting as though time just stood still. As we arrived, the calling began - high pitched noises that the locals make to inform the other people that a meeting is to begin, and slowly but surely, one by one, people began to appear on the horizon from all directions, small colourful bodily shapes, often balancing strange objects on their heads, and moving slowly towards us in swift but steady movements. Before you know it, a hundred people are gathered, in their wraps and robes, their headscarves and shrugs, caps on heads and hoes in hands, some lifting the stools they brought with them fro their heads to the ground, sharing with others and squeezing all the bottoms into the strange shapes of shade provided by the tree.

Once gathered, the meeting begins, and with a translator by my side I'm ready to take my role as 'sponge', soaking up as much as I possibly can from each meeting, learning so much along the way. I also have to give a talk on behalf of World Vision, and I have learnt that the communities really listen to what I say, placing so much more interest in it because I am white. I need to therefore make sure I know what I'm talking about!

I hear about early forced marriages, for girls as young as 12, because the girl is a burden on the family. I hear about high dowry prices that encourage families to hurry their girls into early marriage, sometimes 10 or 12 cows for a young girl, a huge amount for a poor family, and a constant temptation.

I hear about the challenges of sending children to school versus keeping them at home to farm - a common theme of discussion in all events I have been to, and clearly one of the biggest challenges communities face. Having heard this so any times form so many children, parents, families and communities, I can sympathise with the problem they face daily - you need food to eat, so do you send your child to school for an education, benefitting the whole family in the long run, or do you keep them at home to farm, so that there is food for the family to eat today? When we are talking about only one meal per day for many of these families, it gives you an idea of the desperate choices some are making.

I listen to discussions about elopement - something that is apparently happening more and more frequently in some of these communities. One man explained with sheer frustration and worry that his daughter has been a victim of this. It happens to young girls, who are targeted by young men after school, and taken by force to their homes, where they lock and keep them in a room. The men then go to the girls family and they agree for her to marry him. She then becomes owned by him and has not choice to stay there, often either running away or becoming pregnant. It's not clear how many communities are affected by this, but I was told no less than 12 girls were affected by this in one community alone recently.

I watch as the women become really animated when the topic of widowhood rights comes up. They holler loudly - those resounding rural African noises the women make that can be heard for miles - to show they support what is being said, and that they want change for their women. Traditionally, when a woman's husband dies, they have to go through a series of cultural practices that shame them as widows, and mark them out not to be married again. In communities like this it's not just about having a loving relationship with someone, it's about practical and financial aspects of life. Without a husband to help with the farm, the house and the children, life is tough. And in this environment especially so. The widows are made to wear widowhood ropes around their neck and waist, to show that they are now alone and definitely not available to marry. This is hard on any widow, whether young and facing a life of loneliness, or old and facing deteriorating health.

I hear the familiar discussion around funeral practices - whole community events that are 12 days long and place huge burdens and stresses on the family. Not only have they lost a family member, but they have to prepare food and drink to feed the hordes of people that come to the funeral for days on end, and provide entertainment for the whole 12 days. Music 'jam's go on all day and all night, keeping children awake and unable to study. Many children are taken out of school to attend the funerals, and are given menial jobs and work to do there. There are a few outcomes from the funerals, many of which are not positive - the families become poorer, the children suffer from missing their education, and teenage pregnancies increase.

These are all really interesting discussions and debates, each of which taking a different slant in each community, with different layers of complex issues intertwined in this challenging context.

The good thing is, that sensitizations like this do work, when they are done in the right way. It's not about going to the community and telling them how things should be. Communities have the right to practice their culture. This stands in law and in the conventions setting out human rights. However, when these practices harm individuals, or impinge on their other human rights, then there is a case for this to be challenged. It's about engaging with them on these issues and carefully sensitizing on key points. Here, the communities respect the people who come to speak to them, and welcome them in, trusting them and keen to listen - this is I think one of the main reasons why positive change is possible.

Female genital mutilation (FGM) used to be a major issue here, but through community sensitizations supported by changes in the law at national level, the figures have drastically dropped. When I asked why, I was told that when people saw the law actually being practically put into place, and some people practising FGM were arrested, then they knew it was time for change.

What strikes me too from the discussions is that many people in these communities clearly want the best for their children, and are open to attempting to make sure they get it. Just seeing the pride on the illiterate parent's faces, when they talk about their children that do attend school, for me says it all.

So, I was witnessing change, as people in each community stood up, and committed to reducing dowries, to not practising forced marriages, to stopping the widowhood rite of rope-wearing, and to sending their children to school. They seemed to be genuine proposals, and so we can only hope that this is another step towards positive change for these communities.

With love from Ghana,

Xx