Funding Abomosu

     We have been in Ghana for over a month now. Time has been flying by. There is something new to learn or see every day. Stephen told us the other day that we should know twi by now so we are finding new ways to improve our language skills. The pronunciation is always a challenge and it seems like Ghanaians have a fun time listening to us try and speak their language.

     We were finally able to get enough money from collections to fund a group of people in Abomosu. Funding this early was a good opportunity to prepare for funding our own classes at the end of the summer. It was an adventure like many of the things we have done in Ghana, and we learned a lot. Thanks to Douglas funding went smoothly, all things considered. This particular group has been waiting for some time so they were very happy and grateful to receive their loans.

     Often simple tasks that we take for granted in America will take us hours to do here in Ghana. To prepare for the loans we needed to print out the loan agreements.  The print shop here in Abomosu downloaded a virus  the last two times we tried to print and it deleted everything on the flash drive. We had to travel to Aniynam to print the documents and because of bad roads it is an hour drive away. When we got there the computer was not set up for a PDF. Luckily we had a backup plan and had brought a hard copy; we copied it and returned to Abomosu. Each day is an adventure but we have found that there is always a way to get things done.

     The rainy season has started and the river has risen about seven feet already. The best part about the rain is that it cools everything down. It makes travel much harder though. The roads are already much worse and the wet clay makes driving a challenge. Many people will stop everything that they are doing while it is raining. We found out from Stephen that when the British were here in Ghana they would have people stop working when it rained because people would get sick when they worked in the rain. He said it is something that has become habit. When we walk in the rain we are almost always the only ones on the road.  

     Here in Ghana there are a lot of challenges, but being here gives me hope for the future of the country. When teaching classes I see great drive in the demeanor of many of the Ghanaians. Everywhere I look there are new buildings being built and roads being improved. I do not fear for the future of Ghana because the people are working to improve their situation and their country. Everywhere I look there are more opportunities. I have gained so much from the month that I have been here and hope to continue to learn and grow.