Final Thoughts

 

Final Thoughts

 

I found it very difficult putting into words my experience in Ghana after returning home. When people asked me how my trip was I found myself using words such as interesting, insightful, and eye opening. Before leaving for Ghana, I tried not to do too much preliminary research, because I wanted to avoid arriving with too many preconceived notions. I am so glad that I did, because I had enough trouble getting over the shattered misconceptions that existed just in the general public. What did I expect in Ghana? I think I expected a more rural environment, such as that is shown on discovery channel. I did not expect to be dropped in the middle of a busy thriving city. I do however, recognize the fact that I only got to experience a very small portion of Ghana, however I feel that it was such an enriching experience because we were shown all of the elements that you naturally wouldn’t associate with Africa. We saw industry and commerce and technology, all of which are left out of main stream dialogue when discussing Africa. A term that our group coined was T.I.A.A., this is also Africa, which is a play off of T.I.A., this is Africa. This is Africa refers to so many of the stereotypes that exist amongst mainstream society, This is also Africa, refers to everything else that often gets left out of the dialogue, but that which plays an integral role in formulating African society. T.I.A.A. for me mostly meant the people of Ghana. I have never felt so welcome anywhere in the world. Everywhere we went we were met with warm embracing smiles and genuine inquires about ourselves and our trip to Ghana. I can not say enough great things about the people of Ghana, all I can say is that the Western world could learn a lot by embracing just a few of the communal practices that exists in Ghana.

 

My trip to Ghana also played a significant role in developing my global sociological imagination. Although my time was brief, I could see how my short stay affected those around me, whether it be by spending surplus capital at the market, or by sharing knowledge with colleagues at the Human Rights Advocacy Centre or Echoing Hills. I left with the feeling that I not only was able to give to those around me, by sharing my experiences, but that I was able to take so much back with me. I will forever be grateful of my time spent in Ghana and feel that this trip will impact several decisions in my future.

 

Most importantly, when referring to my global sociological imagination, I hope to have affected the lives of students that we gave scholarships too. Hopefully those students will be able to look back at our visit and state that we played an integral role in aiding them in achieving their academic and career goals. As well, I pray that we have inspired an idea of paying it forward, whereby those that we were fortunate enough to help will in turn help others. With technology and globalization it is ignorant to think that our actions do not affect those on the other side or the world, I am just glad that for once I can refer to globalization as a positive influence.

One of the things that really stuck with me on this trip was something that one of our lecturers said. She said that when traveling, we comment on what is different, not what is the same. I found this to be a very powerful statement and saw how by recognizing this fact I could change my perceptions. One thing that I tried to do on this trip was look for similarities amongst Ghanaian and Canadian societies and use that the form by opinions rather than constructing the “other” by focusing only on the differences.

Another important achievement, one which I think is important for all world travelers, was the process of deconstructing fears that had been built up prior to arriving in Ghana. Before departing for Ghana, people kept warning me about infectious bugs, food poisoning, and theft. From my experience, I can say that, although I was careful, none of these things were an issue for me and in reality they were built up far more than reality. I do think it is important for individuals to go out into the world to experience life outside of their little box and not allow other people misconceptions shape how we view things. If I had let those who talked only of the bad parts of Africa shape my view of the world I would have never have left Canada. The world is a beautiful place but it must be experienced in order to truly be appreciated.

Lessons Learned

 

Lessons Learned

 

Cumulatively, I must say that my trip to Ghana has engrained a few very important skills in me. First of all, I have learned to be far more adaptable. Coming from the Western world, where life moves in almost fixed and predictable cycles, I found it very difficult at first to adjust to the forever changing schedule which existed in Ghana. Contributing largely to this, was the fact that time is a completely different concept in Ghana. I was raised in the industrial world, where time is money, and therefore move, and expect to move, at a quick pace and according to plan. After one day, however, I realized that this was not how things operated in Ghana. Time in Ghana is, to put it lightly, very flexible. Playing a large role in this is the fact that traffic around the cities is very unpredictable, whereby a trip that usually takes 30 minutes can easily take upwards of two hours due to congestion and construction. Instead of becoming frustrated by the delay, Ghanaians simply adjust, they adjust their schedules, or simply their plans all together. A second contributing factor is that amenities, such as water and electricity are not always reliable in Ghana, which can cause delays in ones schedule. It is very difficult preparing meals without power, or getting ready for work without running water, therefore Ghanaians have learned to adjust their schedules depending on what roadblocks were placed in front of them. A third contributing factor, was the weather. In our short time in Ghana, I experienced two particular weather conditions which could easily grind any plan to an absolute stand still. The first was extreme heat, which thankfully we didn’t receive too much of since we visited during the rainy season, and the second was torrential rain, which flooded the streets and inhibited movement of all types. Several times throughout the trip I found myself getting frustrated, whether it be because we were several hours behind schedule or be because we were left waiting for three hours to be served lunch. It was challenging, and I won’t claim to have mastered my patience, however, I tried very hard to adapt to the situations. One such example of us adapting, was while waiting several hours for lunch, a few of us students took the opportunity to ask our photographer some pointed questions about his experiences growing up and living in Ghana and gain some local insight into the problems facing the country. Because time doesn’t have the same meaning in Ghana, I got the impression that people there were not as rushed, and therefore they were able to enjoy simple pleasures in life more, and actually took the time to talk to one another, rather than disingenuously barking greeting at one another, as is often the case in the Western world. Coming back home, it was comforting to fall back into a particular routine, however, I hope that when faced with roadblocks in the future, I will adjust and adapt accordingly instead of throwing my hands up in the air out of frustration.

Scholarships

 

Scholarships

 

Throughout our three and a half week trip in Ghana, our group distributed one time scholarships to needy and deserving students in three different regions. The more time that I spent in Ghana, the more I realized just how many barriers stood between a child and obtaining an education. Unlike in Canada, where education is provided free of charge to everyone, most of the schools operating in Ghana charge for attendance, and considering that the majority of the citizens of Ghana live off of less than $2 US a day, it is understandable why many can not afford the tuition, which usually amounts to just over 1.2 Ghana Cedis per day. In addition to the financial barrier of paying tuition, the students were also challenged to buy uniforms, school supplies, food, and of course were also expected to arrive at school on time, which according to Ghanaian traffic, was not always feasible. Long story short, the look of gratitude on the faces of the scholarship recipients, as well as their parents and teachers, was unmistakeable. Although, the monetary amount was only a modest scholarship, it was still significant enough to alleviate the financial pressure imposed upon the individual for a few years. It is my hope that these recipients will make the most of the opportunity they have been provided and will peruse an education in a field of their choice. After each ceremony, I couldn’t help but feel minor resentment towards those students back at home who take their publicly funded education for granted and choose not to use the opportunity to their advantage. If nothing else, my time spent in Ghana has shown me just how privileged I am to come from a country which provides so much to its citizens. As a future teacher, I hope to share this knowledge with my students and guide them to making the most of their education.

Echoing Hills

 

After several days experiencing the operations of the Human Rights Advocacy Centre, I was granted the privilege of moving on to work at Echoing Hills, an orphanage and home for people living with disabilities. I can not say enough wonderful things about this organization and the selfless individuals working there. The morning was spent in the classroom, where we worked both as a group, and one on one. It was heart warming watching the supportive nature of the group, as each student got up to identify numbers, colours, and shapes. Regardless of each individuals performance, the group collectively provided a warm cheer for their effort. The smile on the face of each person will forever be engrained in my memory. During our one on one sessions, we were instructed to aid the students in their activities. I found it amazing to watch as students, who we were told were only able to colour, performed basic arithmetic. What really hit home for me was just how important extra aid was needed in homes such as Echoing Hills. Through one on one sessions, a luxury only afforded by our groups presence, we were able to help students develop skills that no one even realized they possessed. Echoing Hills, as I unfortunately learned, was somewhat of a lone entity in Ghana. People with disabilities are for the most part disregarded in Ghanaian society. It was hard for me not to get angry, however, I forced myself to stand in the shoes of a Ghanaian citizen, many of whom were barely scraping by in poverty, and then it became understandable how and why individuals with disabilities were often left behind. Until Ghana has developed to a stage whereby it can provide social safety nets it is hard to expect society to provide for those in need. In the mean time, I see the importance of NGO’s, such as Echoing Hills, in ensuring that individuals with disabilities are not only provided for but also empowered.

Internship Day 3

 

On my third day at the Human Rights Advocacy Centre, I got a good understanding of the diversity of the issues that the centre handles. With July 22^nd quickly approaching, the centre was asked to make a statement at the Gambia Day of Action. The Gambia Day of Action is an international demonstration, which raises awareness of the human rights abuses in the Gambia. At first, I was a little perplexed, wondering how researching human rights abuses in Gambia would enrich my Ghanaian experience. After all, what did enforced disappearances, extrajudicial executions, torture, and inhuman conditions have to do with Ghana? What I quickly realized was that, as we had learned earlier in the semester, that human rights issues, and social justice was a global issue, after all injustice anywhere is injustice every where. I was very touched by the fact that a NGO operating in Ghana found it necessary to raise awareness about issues in other countries. As a history student, I found this a very important exercise. People have often asked me, what good is it to learn about the past? Of course, the answer, in part, is so that we, collectively, don’t make the same mistakes in the future. I think that this concept transfers wonderfully to the promotion of human rights and therefore it is very important to study and spread awareness about human rights abuses, regardless of where they take place on earth. Just because human rights abuses don’t exist in a particular area at a particular moment in time does not mean that they can’t! If we work globally as one people, we can hopefully eradicate human rights abuses from the planet.

Internship Day 2

 

Day 2 at the Human Rights Advocacy Centre was very interesting! I was tasked with the assignment of looking into Ghana’s current Family Planning program and to formulate a survey on emergency contraceptive. As a woman, who had been bombarded with sex education since the second grade I was very interested in the general state of awareness regarding pregnancy in Ghana. To my amazement, women’s issues, pregnancy and contraceptives, in particular, stood as a major road block to the empowerment and advancement of women in Ghanaian society. I found myself lost in articles, explaining how pregnancies were tied to other social, economic and environmental issues such as resource allocation, access to water, and land planning. In addition to these issues, the lack of contraceptive use in Ghana contributed to the current state of poverty and low level of academic and economic achievement. What I found most shocking, however, was the prevalence of illegal abortions. I found it very sad that many women in Ghanaian society were putting themselves at risk simply because they either did not know about contraceptives, both daily and emergency, or their beliefs prevented them from using them. I therefore, found it very rewarding formulating a survey which would be used to test the local knowledge of emergency contraceptives. Although time constraints prohibited me from conducting the survey, it is my hope that the survey will serve to get a better understanding of the local level of knowledge, and will also open lines of communication to empower women to not only learn about their rights, but to also use these rights to empower themselves and their communities. After completing the survey, I found myself curious about the level of knowledge of emergency contraceptives back at home. I would like very much to conduct a research project comparing the two countries views and opinions on contraceptives. Hopefully I will be able to find similarities and make suggestions for Ghana’s future development.

Human Rights Advocacy Centre

 

Unfortunately due to circumstances out of our control, my internship was changed from A Rocha to The Human Rights Advocacy Centre in Accra. At first I was a little disappointed that I would not be working with environmental issues, however I quickly embraced the idea of getting to work on human rights issues in Ghana. The Human Rights Advocacy Centre (HRAC), is a not-for-profit, independent, non-partisan, research and advocacy organization set up to advance and protect human rights in Ghana. The team at the HRAC consists of a few lawyers as well as many interns and volunteers working on many diverse human rights abuses that are present not only in Ghana, but worldwide. Some of the focus projects that the HRAC is currently working on it promoting freedom of information, and promoting women’s and children’s rights. In addition to promoting human rights in general, the HRAC also works to aid individuals in court cases where they have had their rights violated.

 

The first day that I spent at the Human Rights Advocacy Centre, I was given a brief orientation, which familiarized me with the history of the centre and exposed me to some of the projects that the centre was currently working on. After that, I was given several binders of newspaper clippings, which were used to expose me to the current situation of human rights in Ghana. I am not going to lie, I was a little shocked by the number and extent of human rights issues which were still occurring in Ghana in the year 2011. Before arriving in Ghana, I had heard so much about the success of Ghana, and the state of democracy in the country. I guess that I automatically assumed that democracy equated to rights and a standard of living which I had been accustomed to in the Western World. What I realized, however, is that Ghana is still in a developing stage of democracy, and some of the fundamental rights and freedoms which I enjoy back in Canada are still not recognized nor respected. A few of the examples that I came across while doing my preliminary research included such issues as: people being denied the freedom of expression and association; people being unlawfully detained and tortured; fathers raping and impregnating their daughters; people being denied access to medical treatment; children been exploited for labour; and people with mental disabilities being treated as witches. These were just a few of the many examples that I came across in just a few hours of research. Not only were the number of issues vast, there were also multiple examples of each issue. While this assignment opened my eyes to the state of human rights abuses in Ghana, I also cautioned myself about making gross generalizations about the country as a whole. Being a criminology student, I am well aware of the fact that human rights issues exist even in the most developed of countries. If anything, I gained a greater appreciation for the statement that a little bit of knowledge is a dangerous thing. If I had formed opinions based solely on what I had heard prior to arriving in Ghana I would not recognize the fact that human rights abuses do occur in Ghana. If I formed opinions based solely on the little research that I had conducted on day one, I would deduce that the human rights situation in Ghana is abysmal. Instead, I have learned that I really need to dig into some of these issues much deeper; I have to understand some of the traditional practices; I have to understand the social, economic and political atmosphere in order to grasp the contributing factors; and I have to map out the human rights situation in Ghana, looking at where it has come from and where it is going in the future.