While we were in the Ashanti region, Abenaa took us to see her pilot program – finally we would get to see a school feeding program in action!  After six months of working on the project we were keen to see how one actually looked and operated.

We drove a few hours north-east of Kumasi to the Sekyedumase district, a fairly “standard” rural district of central Ghana.  We visited a local pre-school in the village which had implemented a voluntary feeding program – it was staffed by local mothers and paid for by the parents of the children.  They used this money to buy fresh goods from the local market, but also needed to supplement the meals with food aid.

   
A local pre-school.                                Soccer after school in the twilight.

We were greeted at the school by tens of children singing a song.  The only word we understood was the word “obruni” – we’d heard it everywhere we went – which is a non-offensive word for “white man”.  When we asked our translator what they were singing, he answered that they were signing “the white man is coming!”.  Apparently our presence meant that larger-than-usual meal rations would be issued (so that we would be suitably impressed), and so the kids were happy that we were visiting.  How sad…  🙁

The kids were a delight to be around, and we had a wonderful few hours there with them.  We also met with the school’s committee (teachers, headmaster, community leaders etc.) to discuss the program, and we gained valuable insight into what works and what doesn’t.

   
                                                            Saying goodbye.

Kumasi is the capital of the Ashanti Kingdom in central Ghana, and it was our home for the second week of our trip.  We were there to work with Abenaa, another member of the UN Hunger Task Force, a senior staff member of the Ghana Health Service and the woman responsible for the pilot school feeding program we were in Ghana to develop.

We spent a few days in Kumasi, meeting with several agencies and discussing the project with Abenaa.  We also visited a hospital for malnourished children which was really depressing to witness but extremely relevant to our project.

   
Learning everything you need to know    A malnourished child. The hospital
about milling grains.                             also educates mothers on nutrition.

Kumasi is also home to West Africa’s largest market, and we disappeared into its depths for a few hours to explore its labyrinth of alleys, shacks and sheds.  It was an amazing experience!  Unfortunately they didn’t like us taking photos much so the camera stayed away for the most part.

   
Indeed.                                                 How do you like your snails, sir?  Big!!

    
Closing down sale – everything must go!   I have no idea what these are…

I didn’t know it before I picked up a guide book, but Ghana was at the centre of the slave trade from West Africa to Europe and the New World.  We’d been told that we HAD to go and see the remnants of this dark chapter in Ghana’s history, so for our first weekend we caught the bus down the coast to see the slave forts at Cape Coast and El Mina.

    
The slave fort at Cape Coast – a sobering experience.

    
Hundreds of slaves used to be crammed into the dungeons.

    
The fort is surrounded by the fishing community of Cape Coast.

   
The smaller village of El Mina a few kilometres down the coast.

While we were in the region we also took half a day to take a canopy tour through the rainforest in one of the nearby national parks.  This is a new eco-tourism project and the only one of its kind in West Africa.

   
Self-proclaimed “tree-hugger” Kirsten enjoys the canopy walk…