9/17/11 Thoughts on Ghana

OK.  The comments I made about not seeing much overt poverty in Ghana were proven absolutely wrong yesterday.  I saw one of the most poverty-stricken communities I've seen in any of my travels.  We went on a trip to visit an orphanage yesterday.  In addition to housing, feeding and schooling the orphans, this organization has taken on providing some food to the above-mentioned impoverished community.  We finished our day handing out boxes of food to this population, mostly to the children.  It's very difficult to describe the conditions in which they live, but I will try.  For about 7-8 cidi's (~ $5.00 USD) per month, these families (mostly single women with children) can rent a box of a shelter that is made out of cement blocks or plywood left-overs nailed together.  These "rooms" are about 12 feet x 12 feet. Some have an uncovered window, some don't.  There is no running water, no electricity, no garbage pick-up (it's everywhere, piling up all over the ground), and the floors are dirt.  How do they end up here, you may ask?  Often a woman will leave her community to follow a man to Tema, get pregnant, get deserted by the man, and find herself destitute, too embarrassed to return to her original community.  Many contract HIV along the way.  These women then become very vulnerable to the next man that comes into their lives, and the cycle often repeats itself.  Because they often end up with more children than they can support, they sometimes sell some of their children into slavery within the fishing industry.  The fishermen need labor, the mothers need money, and so the cycle continues.  It's terrible for the children.  They learn quickly to take care of themselves and usually sleep by themselves in the fishing boats at night.  When they grow up, they become the head fishermen (because that is all they know) and they buy more children to help them.  The orphanage we visited is trying hard to provide education to all the parties involved on what that cycle ultimately does to their communities, and why they should stop it (never mind the fact that it is illegal).  They believe that the only way they can change this practice long-term is to change the cultural perceptions of it, so the communities begin to see it as immoral.  They seem to be making progress in that direction, because people will at least try to hide the fact that they are enslaving children now, rather than openly discussing it.

Other Ghana Observations:

1)  It is a polygamous society. Many men have only one wife, because they are expected to be able to provide equally for all their wives and children.  More wives and children equals more prestige.

2)  Trash pickup is not good.  There is one garbage company that monopolizes the industry in the area. Suffice it to say that they do not take their job at all seriously. There is garbage all over the place, especially alongside the major roadways.

3)  The people are very nice.  Everybody smiles and calls you their "friend." Ghana feels safe.

On a totally different subject, I am 44 years old today!  I was served a huge birthday cake in the dining room and had 3 separate variations on happy birthday songs sung to me.  One was a beautiful serenade sung to me by one of the waiters.