Home sweet home

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I'm finally back in France after an 8-month deployment. The second part of my mission was mentally tough because the cultural differences—both in life and at work—got harder and harder to deal with. My stay in Ghana was a good experience, but it feels amazing to get my marks back and enjoy the comforts of a developed country again.

Hopefully, I managed to complete my microfinance project, although it didn't go as planned. It turned out that the water source in the first community we chose wasn't reliable enough to move forward with. So, we had to find a new one. We ended up working with a neighboring community called Tumahi, a community full of good energy. I was always happy to meet with them. With their input, the project shifted from providing a water pump to providing a water hose. As it turned out, they already had a pump, but the hose connecting it to the cultivated land had been broken for a year. Because they were short on funds, they hadn't been able to replace it. Therefore, the second component of my microfinance project wasn't setting up new market options, but rather developing a savings habit. They decided to save 5 GHS after each harvest. Given that there are about 60 farmers, if they stay committed, they'll be able to save enough money in less than two dry seasons to buy their next hose. They could even start planning small investments for other necessities, like fencing the land. I learned a lot from working closely with them about community struggles and their vision for development projects, even though I'm sure I still have a lot to learn.

Tumahi farmers cultivating ayoyo

 


Monitoring session in Tumahi

Last meeting in Tumahi

 

My second activity during my deployment was coordinating a goat donation from Mondo to three communities in Northern Ghana, in collaboration with CLIP, a close partner of GDCA. Thanks to this program, 17 women received a goat, which gives them another source of income, especially during the dry season. Basically, when you have goats, you can let them multiply and sell the new ones later. Goats can also be a way for the household to improve their status in the community, as it shows they are able to offer a goat to their guests.

Veterinary information for the goats beneficiaries


 

Hajia receiving a goats named.. LRJ 25

My volunteering experience didn't meet my expectations, but I'm glad I had the opportunity to run these two projects. Thanks to them, I got to meet local communities, which gave me field experience and upgraded my project management skills.

Between the cultural differences (the position of women in society, how locals perceive Westerners, etc.), the difference in living conditions (power outages, the food, the lack of things to do for hobbies), the lack of work, and the huge difference in work culture, it's hard for me to qualify my stay as a positive one. However, I don't regret the experience. It was an experience worth having, and I feel lucky to have had this chance It broadened my horizons, and I'm glad I discovered a new culture and met so many different people.

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