Another voice heard from! This is Susan blogging. I have been nothing but delighted this trip with the progress that World Class has made in Amasaman, Doblo Gonno and Fise. We have been greeted warmly in all places and our work, especially in Doblo Gonno with the wells and the latrine, have had an enormous and measurable impact on the quality of life there. We are doing good work and it is clearly most appreciated.
Especially heartening has been the giant leap forward that our office staff has made developing and implementing our operating systems. Judy has done a fantastic job of keeping the finances on track with her weekly reports from Mike and he in turn has used all the office technology that we have put in place here to the max! Between scanning, Skype, e-mail, cell phone, and computers, the office in Amasaman runs efficiently and well. Both Mike and Rita are engaged and move comfortably through their days with grace and warmth and, especially in Rita's case, a developing self confidence that is quite evident. Professional development for them both is paying off well for World Class and for them, and they appear to be thriving.
I have spent a bunch of time this trip with Rita working on basic addition and subtraction math skills. Heaven help us if the calculator fails. I secured from the third grade teacher at the school where I work several math workbooks, and it has been fascinating to see what Rita knows and what completely flummoxes her. We have worked on number sequences, adding and subtracting large numbers carrying tens and hundreds. It has culminated with us working together to understand a business plan for her new entrepreneurial venture. She has purchased a metal container - about twelve feet long - from which she plans to sell fabric and sewing notions. Containers are ubiquitous here as shops as they are easily "erected" or set in place and are, with a good padlock, easily secured. The plan was all basic addition and subtraction that we had been working on for the last week and it was good for her to use her knowledge in a practical application that impacted her so completely.
That we are choosing water and sanitation projects in this area of Greater Accra is an extraordinary gift to the people of our communities and shows a sensitivity, flexibility and level of engagement to which most organizations can only pay lip service. That we have been successful with TWO wells, have built in maintenance margins for those projects and are able to keep them functional is no small feat. In reality it is AMAZING. This area is one of the only areas in all of southern Ghana that is home to the brulia cyst (sp). This is a flesh eating bacteria that is found in standing water and has plagued Doblo Gonno for a long time. There is an NGO in Amasaman that caters solely to people with this terrible affliction with a small clinic. There is not another clinic of its kind around because there is no need for one. The wells we have bored in Doblo Gonno have gone a long way in eliminating the need for people to get water from still water pools that breed this bacteria.
World Class is about to embark on its FIFTH YEAR. We have accomplished a tremendous amount in a very short time. An exceptional accomplishment for any organization much less of our size. Our loan program is working for a group of committed clients and we are moving forward with wisdom and a healthy regard for what it takes for our clients to repay their loans in this economic environment. Many of them, at this economic juncture, are the sole source of support for households that include husbands who have lost their jobs and extended family members who are down on their luck with the global economic downturn. We are working with them to weather these challenges. We have excellent repayment (100 percent from several large groups) thanks to our staff and the relationship building that has taken place over the last three years.
Our next well will advantage the women of Fise where the source of water for the community is a polluted pond ringed in latrines. It gave me shivers to watch a woman collect a bucket full of the brown, opaque liquid that came out of the pond. Our well will be sited in the older section of the town where the concentration of poverty is greatest.
Per usual, traveling with Judy has been great! Lots of laughter and great conversation. We have watched a couple of movies on her iPod sharing the ear plugs, and just marveled together about Ghana, its women and how anyone can accomplish anything in this HEAT. OMG it has been hot. But, with a little planning we have enjoyed rum and tonics with fresh limes at the end of each day (Susan carried Caribbean rum and Judy brought the ice cube tray!!!!) The quinine and limes are available here. So we get on. The work could not be more satisfying and the measurable successes keep us coming back.
To all of you World Class supporters - you owe it to yourself to visit with us here in Ghana just once!!!!!! You will be amazed at how far your contributions have gone!!!!!!
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