CRAN CESS Program

So at work the past few weeks I have been working closely with the social projects head on his Childhood Education Support Scheme or CESS. CESS is a program where CRAN (the social development side) pays for gifted yet needy children to attend school, beginning at the primary school level all the way until the first year at university. The funding for the school fees comes from donors around the globe, most are in Germany and some are even here in Ghana.  The only requirement is that each child is in fact needy and can perform well in school.

A while back CRAN had a staff meeting where they were discussing some policy changes to the CESS program because they were being contacted by angry donors who were not receiving positive reports about the child fund and not much was being done to correct the situation. From the meeting, it seemed like my co-workers were debating on whether or not they should stop funding these children, or come up with some new way of evaluating their performance in school. This is where I come in.

I discussed some ideas with the director of CRAN along with the accountant and the CESS program head. I proposed that a benchmark of some sort be put in place, for example a minimum GPA they need to meet each term, if they fall below have a meeting with them and their parents, if they fall below again then their school fees would no longer be covered by CRAN. This became a bit tricky though once I started working with the records. I quickly realized that the schools’ methods of grades are much different than in America, and the records kept by CRAN were mostly incomplete and not up to date or as my co-worker put it, they “keep records in their heads.” This is a struggle I had previously dealt with, the reason being that most things are done by hand here and not on a computer, so records are often misplaced or just simply not filled out correctly.

We also tossed around the idea of measuring attendance rates. There is not a compulsory school attendance law here, so a child could easily just stop showing up to class without any reprimand by parents or teachers. This seemed to spark more interest, but I was still pushing for measuring grades.

So it came down to a mixture of both, they would need to be measured side by side. I was informed that here it is not uncommon for a student to be viewed as a “serious student” but still receive poor grades; if they are showing up everyday and doing the work then they should still be considered for the program. Since I don’t have much experience with the way grades are given here, the grade minimum has yet to be set as the Director and the CESS head will decide on that later. But the recommendation has been accepted and implemented into their new policy. (My Pepperdine MPP strategy peps will know what I’m talking about J, definitely used PICORI on this)

Most of this process was very simple and people back at home would realize that using common sense would have gotten us to the final decision. But I have learned that everything is not so straightforward in a foreign country, especially a developing country, and beings an outsider, sometimes your ideas aren’t as easily accepted, no matter how logical and simple they may seem.  I was confused at first about why this wasn’t the policy from the very beginning, but the more I learned of the culture here and the way the system works the more I realized that this was a slightly harsher policy than they were used to. The culture here is very forgiving and trustworthy, they would never want to take away a child’s opportunity of access to education, but (as I tried to make them understand over and over again) this type of program needs to have effort from both sides. Yes, children are initially accepted into the program because they are gifted and needy, but they also need to prove that they are committed to it as well and not just take the money for granted. Overall, I think I made an impact, even if very small, for CRAN to have a better and more efficient program that donors are happy about.

Just a few thoughts on Ghana’s government and current political scandal

Ghana is often referred to as one of the most peaceful countries in Western Africa. However, political turmoil since the November 2012 elections are causing a major divide between the people here and tensions are running high. Just today, we have heard rumors of a revolutionary movement against the New Patriotic Party (NPP) by supporters of the National Democratic Congress (NDC). (The two major parties in Ghana) The NPP have been in power in Ghana since 2000, but are currently under fire as the NDC has brought forth accusations of cheating at the polls.

President John Drahami Mahama was elected in November 2012, but shortly afterward irregularities at 11,138 of the 26,002 polling stations in Ghana were being reviewed. The Pink Sheets, which are “Records of the Statement of Poll Declaration of Result for the President and Parliament”, allegedly show instances of over voting, identical copies at different stations and failure of officer signatures/approval. The NDC has demanded a through investigation of the NPP and of the election outcome as they claim the NPP has “stolen the government”. The Supreme Court is handling the case, but it has been close to seven months since the accusations have come out and nothing has been solved. Furthermore, promises made by the NPP have not been fulfilled nor has any progress even been made towards reaching the goals outlined in the campaign.

Everything revolves around politics here, though few people realize it. For example, a new football (soccer) stadium has been in the works for quite a few years now but a friend has explained that the NDC, prior to losing control of the government, proposed building the new stadium to win votes, but now that they are no longer in power, little progress has been made on the stadium. It just seems backwards to spend money on something like a new football stadium (when the old one is perfectly functioning) when the general welfare of the people here is far below where it should be. Yet nothing is being done to change the way the government works here. This same friend, when asked about a potential revolution, stated that it would be good for Ghana to restructure the government, but “Ghanaians don’t know what a revolution is”, disregarding any rumors and undermining the determination of those who actually do care.

In just a few discussions with the locals it became clear to me that many don’t have faith in the political system as it is and therefore pay little attention to the situation at hand. Another reason behind political disinterest is the overwhelming lack of literacy. Most people don’t pay attention to elections and outcomes, but are persuade to vote in favor of the party that offers the most appealing bribe. Some coworkers of mine enlightened me on how elections work, but basically people in rural villages and fishing villages (which is a significant part of the population) would not turn out t vote, but party affiliates will go into the villages and purchase votes for as little as 5 cedi ($2.50 US). Corruption and bribery are a way of life in the political realm, so distrust and lack of confidence in the government are common attitudes in Ghana.

Updates on work I’ve been doing at my internship coming in my next post.

Thanks for reading! Until next time…

Batik Fabric Making

Batik fabric is traditional African printed fabric made by hand using stamps and dye to make the different designs. We found a lady in Cape Coast named Agnes who works for a local NGO and has lessons for anyone who wants to learn how to make their own batik.

Our lesson started with her showing us the different ways to fold the fabric to get cool designs once we dye it, much like tie-dye but with a few variations. Then she showed us how to make different designs using stamps.

We started with about two yards of white fabric. Then we chose any stamp we wanted and how ever many we wanted to use. Some are made from wood, others cut from foam and there were also different materials like brushes and sponges that also make neat designs on the fabric. I chose elephants, suns and a square design stamp. We then dip the stamp into hot wax start to stamp the fabric. It looks and sounds much easier than it was though. The stamp will dry if we don’t use it quick enough, and it really only stamps once, then we have to go back for more wax. Also if you push too hard (especially with the foam stamps) you just end up with a big blob of wax, my batik has a few of those, gives it more character… J

Once we finish our design, we fold it the way Agnes showed us in the beginning. Then we put it in the dye, I went for a blue and green design. After the cloth soaks up enough dye we hang it out on the line to complete the dye process (the colors will change a bit and lighten up once it hangs out).

The last step in the process is to clean the wax from the cloth; this is done by dipping the fabric in boiling water. Once we finish cleaning the wax, we wring out the excess water and hang to dry again. The wax keeps any dye from getting on the fabric, so the design we made with the stamps is left white.

We were proud of our finished products, even though they were very basic compared to the fabric Agnes makes. She also sells hers at the local market, where people make clothing and other things from them.

Thanks for reading! Until next time…

Village visits

Hello again, 

We went into the field a few times with work the past couple weeks. It’s really an eye opening experience going into these villages and talking to the people about their loans. It really lets you see the other end of things and how such a small amount of money could make such a huge difference in their lives.

On our trips into the villages we accompany a loan officer at his repayment meeting. There are weekly repayment meetings per each group and a loan officer can have anywhere from just a couple groups to 10 or more. The group organizes a meeting spot and a time where they will start paying back a portion of their loan. The program is called Credit with Education, so the loan officer will also give a short educational talk on different subjects such as financial responsibilities, repayment procedures, and health. Although this meeting is completely in Fante (the local language of the nearby villages) we don’t really have a complete idea of what they’re actually saying. Another aspect of the meetings are to collect “susu”, which is a traditional method of savings, where the loan officer will collect a small percentage of the member’s income (usually about 10% of the loan they take out) and put it away for them. The reason they do this is because the amount they save is very minimal and modern banks will not take such a small amount to create an account for them. The members are welcome to take their “susu” at any time, but most continue to save up for big things like buying land or building a house.

Then our job is to interview each of the members of the group and ask them questions about their business, how the loan has improved it and what their plans for the future are. Many of the clients are very excited to talk to us and they are extremely grateful of the money they’ve received. We will then upload a short journal entry into Kiva’s website for the donors to see how their money is being used.

I really enjoy this part of the internship because you really get a glimpse into the other side of a microfinance organization that many others don’t get to see. Yes, we know what these MFI’s are intended to do and we assume the money is being put to good use, but rarely do we actually get to hear from the recipients themselves and see how much it actually works. Some of the stories are amazing, for instance, I’ve spoken to numerous women who are single mothers who have 6 or more children and will still strive to send each and every one to school. This is a big accomplishment for these families, especially in rural villages where school attendance is not viewed as an important aspect of a child’s life.    

Another exciting aspect of this part of the job is that most of the villages that are located further from town have rarely seen an “Obruni”, let alone interact with them and they are excitedly waiting for us to arrive, as they’ve already heard we are coming. The groups also want to take pictures with us, and will argue with each other to be the one standing next to us or even just touching us for the picture. I had a few ladies literally sit around my legs just to be that close to me, it’s such a humbling experience and I always feel so welcome in a place is didn’t think I would. 

Repayment meeting, the members wait until their names are called

Interviewing clients

Fun group, super excited to meet us

School children ran from their classrooms to meet us

Collecting payments and "Susu" savings

Everyone wanted to be next to me!

After our meetings, Sampson the loan officer will make us a local meal

Thanks for reading! Until next time...

Some fun stuff I’ve been doing and a little about Ghana’s economy

I’m usually pretty busy during the week and make it home just in time for dinner. So I only have the weekends to travel and see the rest of the country.

The first weekend here was packed full of cool tourist things to see. We went to Kakum National Forest, where we walked along a series of seven rope bridges over the tops of trees. The bridges are safe but they shake and sway when everyone walks on them.  After that, we went to a drumming and dance lesson on the beach. I was already exhausted, so my dancing skills were even more horrific than normal… but it was fun nonetheless.

Canopy walkway

Ghanaian girls selling snacks and water

African Drumming lesson 

We also got to tour the Cape Coast Castle, where salves were kept until they departed to the Caribbean and America. The history is interesting yet very sad, and even to this day you can see the effects of the slave trade in Ghanaian culture. A few people I have come across are very polite and nice but are not shy about expressing their animosity towards whites about how they were treated during this time.

Since Cape Coast is located on the coast of the Gulf of Guinea in the South Atlantic, there are plenty of beautiful beaches to relax on. We’ve spent a few Saturdays and Sundays just lounging on the beach under coconut trees, and swimming in the warm but very salty ocean.

one of the many beautiful beaches in Ghana

This past weekend a few other participants and I traveled to the Western Region. We took a small canoe and paddled through the jungle and out onto a Lake Tedane where, about 45 minutes later, we reached a village called Nzulezo, it’s build completely over the water on stilts and platforms. The village has been around for over 500 years and has a population of around 500. They are completely isolated and even the children attending school above primary levels have to take a canoe back to the main land. The canoe ride though was my favorite; it reminded me of Disney’s Jungle cruise, but even better! Haha

Canoes we used to get to the stilt village

Through the jungle

Nzulezo stilt village

We spent the night at a very nice beach resort and even though it was raining, we didn’t mind because the temperature was very cool, enough to even be cold (we didn’t think to bring a light jacket though). It was a nice relaxing weekend, and we are already planning our next trip!

On weekends that we don’t travel, we usually spend time in the market. We shop for souvenirs and try to find new snacks. Everything is bought at the market, from fish, meat, veggies and fruit, to clothes, shoes, housing furniture and tools, pretty much everything you can think of that you would need on a daily basis.

We take taxis everywhere, but the market is so crowded that we usually get out early and walk the rest of the way. Haggling is also a must here, I’m not very good, but I’ve been able to hold my own I think, and I’ve made a couple friends at the booths that I can come back to and get a good price for things.

The market where food is sold

Most of the vendors in the market are from a lower social class and this is usually how they make their entire income. Many of the families cannot afford to send their children to school, so often you will see younger children walking around the streets selling items from the buckets on their heads.

Ghana is a middle-income country with a GDP of around 67 billion, but has a very high government debt of over 50% of GDP. Although it the GDP per capita is only $3,300 (US) it is one of the highest in Africa and is also one of the fastest growing economies as a rate of 14.4% growth in 2012.

With a Gini coefficient of 42.8 (2006), Ghana has an income distribution similar to that of the United States (measured at 45 in 2007). The income disparities can easily be seen though. For instance, the family that I stay with is relatively well-off, the children attend private school, we have running water and electricity. However, those families that sell in the market, as I have previously mentioned, struggle to purchase the most basic necessities and other important household appliances like a refrigerator or a stove and can’t send their children to school, even the less expensive government schools. Then there are much wealthier families that drive very nice cars (even compared to those in the US) and live in very large houses.

I have been doing some interesting stuff at work this past week, look out for it in my next post!

Thanks for reading! Until next time…