As we approach the end of our placements we are beginning to
prepare our final reports and reflect upon our achievements. Every volunteer launches into his/her
assignment believing that he/she can move mountains and change the world…and
then reality sets in and you begin to realize the difference in outlook and the
pace of life!
At this point in time I realize that it has taken until now
for us to become part of the furniture here.
We are just about trusted and relied upon. In fact, at this minute we are the busiest we
have ever been; I have finally got out my “phonics” message and have been
delivering INSET far and wide. Paul is
propping up various aspects of the data collection that is becoming more crucial
for corresponding with the GES in Accra.
Likewise, we have fostered relationships with staff and teachers so that
we can greet many by name and have a chat with them and often pick up the odd
new chore.
With the benefit of hindsight I believe that longer placements
are better. I think that with a further
year to prop up our initiatives using our now stronger foundations, we might
move more speedily and more effectively.
However, I would never have come in the first place had the placement
been for longer and I am in no way tempted to extend!
I’m not really sure that I’m the best volunteer material. Whilst being ready, willing, able, I’m at
heart pretty introverted and being here requires social skills way out of my
comfort zone. I also like to be well
planned which is definitely not a Ghanaian trend. I have become a good actress! Having said that, I consider it a real
achievement to have stayed the course; after all, 6 weeks away was my initial
bargaining point.
Looking at the statistics, I’ve now led Inset/training on
phonics and reading for well over 100 teachers.
With the Special Needs Officer I’ve screened 942 pupils and trained 130
teachers to conduct the same screening programme independently in the future
(though I think they are going to need further support to do the job well);
coverage should now reach all government primary schools and is in a
sustainable position. The numbers look
good. The reality is that I could have
achieved the same output in less than half the time left to my own devices. The frustrating thing is that “doing it
yourself” is not really the name of the game; the locals need to develop the
skills to “do it themselves” and the work
ethic in Ghana is both limited and frustrating.
There is a very relaxed attitude to work, particularly with government
staff; and the government has an equally relaxed attitude to paying salaries to
its staff. One of our Head teacher
friends has not been paid since October, 2012!
For me, my time would have passed more quickly if I’d been
busier and more productive. Fortunately
I have been able to find myself work to do; the phonics, for instance, has
never been part of my remit. I have
re-vamped the phonics booklet, re-written the impairment manual, written a
manual for identifying and supporting special needs in the classroom, helped
Paul with his database, and so on. I
would have loved to develop the role of the District Special Needs Officer with
whom I work but unfortunately, he was not/is not sufficiently open to change
and spends very little time in the office.
Of course, I have also learnt a great deal; patience being
near the top of the list. I have learnt
a huge amount about Ghana, developing countries and the problems they
face. The cultural differences are very
real and, from my western point of view, very frustrating. It seems to me that progress is hindered by
such simple things as spending half the morning greeting your colleagues! But I’ve had to accept that the western way
is not necessarily the best and Ghana does not want to be, and should not
become, a carbon copy of the west. You
can debate endlessly (and we have) about the pros and cons of imposing/
introducing western ideals here.
However, you can’t have your cake and eat it; in our bleaker moments we
conclude that Ghanaians want to keep their laid back way of life but still have
western mod cons. We have tried to
demonstrate that a more productive work ethic is possible and could improve the
standard of living here but I don’t know if I’m right.
Over the last few weeks the country has been experiencing very
considerable price rises on everything from fuel to tomatoes. July is supposed to see the beginnings of
more prolific rain and although we have had rain, it’s not been nearly enough. Put these two factors together and the
outlook for the poor rural farmers doesn’t look too good; a poor harvest
coupled with rising prices. Add to that
a government which is not living up to its commitments and paying its way and
you begin to wonder why Ghana is ranked a middle income country and aid is
being reduced.
I’ve had my eyes well and truly opened when it comes to corruption. I was trying to solve a problem at the
hospital – some children I’ve referred for medical assessments to get into
schools are having difficulty obtaining the doctor’s signature on their form. The administrator told me something along the
lines of…if the patient likes what the doctor has done then “it’s up to
them”…meaning, when you cut down to the chase, that the doctor will sign the
form for a payment…a bribe. Although I
don’t really have much concrete evidence, I feel fairly confident to say that
this kind of thing goes on all the time.
This example is small scale. It
happens big time too. It’s a major topic
of conversation. I’d so love to find a
solution to the problem. The money would
go so much further. The rural poor in
the north would benefit substantially from just getting their fair share.
One question I’m expecting when we return is did I enjoy it
and this really is a question I can’t answer.
Coming to a developing country is certainly no holiday but then, you
have to expect that. The nearest I have
come to an answer is summed up in the famous words of Mary Poppins: in every
job that’s to be done there is an element of fun….a spoonful of sugar helps the
medicine go down…And my spoonsful of sugar have been:
Paul, the support of my girls, family and friends, meeting
other VSO volunteers, getting the screening project into a sustainable position,
singing to lots of teachers (for phonics purposes you understand), getting a
wheelchair to my little girl so that she can start school in September...
Would I do it again…er probably not!
See you soon. :)
