Week Thirteen

Saturday 26th September
One of the pleasures of travelling in Ghana is reading the names of the roadside stores and chop bars as you drive past. Often religious, unintentionally funny and littered with grammatical errors, these are a few of my favourites that have amused or tickled me:

 Willie Vision Ventures
 Cak Sportswear
 Fear God Mobile Phones
 Three Pees Fast Food
 Highly Inflammable (written on the back of hundreds of oil tankers)
 Only Jesus Can Change Your Destiny Fashion Centre
 Master Moses Exhaust Pipe Specialist
 The Wonderful Finger of God Information Centre
 Baby Lovers Hair Care
 Jesus and Sons Electrical
 Nob Guest house
 Nothing Bad Furniture Store
 Respect Police Phone Doctor
 Nana Yaw – Rim Repairer
 Respect Rice Chop Bar
 Revelations 7, Verses 9-14 Enterprises
 God Provides Provision Store


Sunday 27th September
After saying goodbye to Bridie at four a.m. on Saturday, it was time to part ways with Big Paul today – he got word this morning that he will need to travel with work from early tomorrow, leading to a hastily arranged farewell.

Paul’s got his faults, he’s prone to exaggeration, religious fervor and can be about as subtle as a heard of elephants, but he’s never been anything other than a warm, sociable host ready with a big smile/, a joke or a debating point. He took to me in particular as the only man in a succession of female volunteers and I enjoyed his friendship, camaraderie and confidence. I’ll miss the old fella.

Despite the heavy rain we had a last beer together to toast both departures and walked to the other side of Achiase to pick up some locally weaved cloth that Paul had commissioned as a present to me.

Now that the goodbyes have started in earnest, and I know that my stay is coming towards an end I’ve really started to look forward to returning home, and can almost taste that first sausage sandwich and a real coffee – hopefully enjoyed over the morning paper.


Monday 28th September
I think Helen’s twigged that it’s my final week and she’s determined to cram as much into it as possible, which is fine for me. So, after the Monday morning meeting we went on a whistle-stop tour of local school, hospital and even prison to set up a series of meetings or presentations for the week ahead. Enough to keep us very busy.

We only found an obstacle at the local Achiase school, where always on the lookout, the headmistress wants us to fill their first aid box before we can hold any presentation. I think some of our predecessors may have promised this previously and not delivered leaving us to bear the brunt. I think we’ll have enough bits and pieces lying around to make a peace offering at least though.

At the prison we arranged a presentation with the officers for the only time they were able to give us – seven thirty on Thursday morning, which might prove a bit of a struggle considering my planned leaving drinks session for Wednesday night…


Tuesday 29th September
A bit of experience of Ghanaian hospitals all round today. We have a small, relatively new institution near us which caters for both private and health insurance patients, and as such is permanently franticly busy. But long waits in hospitals is one thing we are used to at home.

There is no clear structure for what constitutes a hospital, clinic or surgery, so they all tend to end up much of a muchness and become a one-stop-shop for all of the community’s ailments or complaints around the clock. Hence Julia’s five hour wait to be seen for suspected malaria today. Hot, crowded and airless, its no fun at the best of times, let alone when you’re not well.

It was our turn in the evening when we returned as Tiyah to request permission to carry out some educational one-to-ones with their collection of pregnant mothers. A one hour wait to see the doctor only to be told that we need to speak to his superior before anything further could be discussed, so a bit of a waste of time really.

I do though have renewed respect for the doctor himself, we left at around 6.30 in the evening and he was still going strong having been there since 9.00 a.m. seeing to a non-stop stream of patients often fighting amongst themselves about whose turn it is to be seen and piling into his office three at a time… yet he still found the time to receive us in a friendly and open manner.


Wednesday 30th September
It’s always nice to be appreciated, and I was genuinely touched by my going away ‘presentation’ tonight.

Trying to keep things understated I’d invited a few of my good friends from Achiase round for a few drinks tonight to start saying goodbye. The small cast included Bernice, Ahmed, Charles, the USA girls, Helen and her daughter Naa, Prince from the fried rice stall and Mr Xhu as well as the guys from the house. Keeping it simple I just got in a stack of beers and we took it from there.

What I wasn’t expecting was for Helen to hijack proceedings and turn the evening into my official going away ceremony, so her gushing speech was delivered in front of everybody which made me feel more than a little bit embarrassed, but proud and a tad emotional…. She said some very nice things, before moving onto the gifts, I was presented with and immediately dressed in an African shirt, and big piece of cloth and various beads, as well as being given a certificate and Tiyah desk tidy. The regional assembly HIV focal person also turned up to present the certificate which was a nice touch.

Finally Helen led everyone in an endless rendition of the classroom symbol of appreciation which involved rubbing hands together before ‘throwing’ imaginary fire at the recipient. Chucking fire at someone doesn’t sound all that nice, but I’m assured it’s an honour…

Suitably embarrassed I managed a few words of thanks before slinking back to my beer. I’ll have a proper chance to thank Helen over the next couple of days.

With a 7.30 presentation scheduled for the next morning we didn’t let the evening get too heavy and I went to bed with some mixed emotions about leaving. It was fantastic that I’ve got so many good friends that could come, but it’s sad to say goodbye in the knowledge that in all probability I won’t see most of them again. It was also a shame that two of my best buddies couldn’t be there with both Big and Small Paul out of town.


Thursday 1st October
I’ve spent a bit of time in a Ghanaian prison. That sounds like a pretty good thing to tell the grandkids one day.

We were half an hour late for our 7.30 appointment (Helen’s fault not mine despite last night’s drinking) which meant we missed the window to talk to the screws as planned. Instead in a interesting turn of events we were invited to give our hypertension presentation to a group of the inmates. Twenty minutes later we were in the pen sitting in front of around fifty Ghanaian convicted criminals.

In actual fact they weren’t the bunch of desperados that you might have feared. They listened, and asked a lot of questions at the end of the session when they came across as a likeable decent group of young men, although I’ve no doubt the presence of Hannah, a 21 year old white girl brightened their week and had something to do with their attentiveness. I also expect we were a welcome distraction – the men are serving hard labour, which much make an hour or so listening to us a much more attractive proposition…

Generally speaking the conditions in the prison were better than I expected, clean but sparse, and there was quite a relaxed atmosphere and a certain bond between the prisoners and their guards. I don’t know what level of crime they were all in for, but I’d guess its not too serious.

Afterwards we paid a few visits to hair salons in Asoufua and Barekese, and boosted our own sense of satisfaction by dropping in on our blind HIV sufferer with a donation of food.


Friday 2nd October
It wasn’t exactly how I’d pictured it, but I spent most of my final night in Kumasi sheltering in near pitch darkness in the pub store room – but I could certainly think of worse places to be stranded. I’d nipped up after dinner en route to Fresh’s to pick up a couple of lagers to see us through the night when the storm hit without warning. With the power knocked out by the storm we were forced to take refuge in the only covered part of the pub – the store room.

Spent the next couple of hours sitting on beer crates chatting to the landlady, Dora, her husband Rasta and the couple of other locals that had been left similarly stranded, and watching the dramatic weather unleash its fury.

Earlier in the day my final duties with Tiyah included a series of discussions with hair salons in Achiase that had a bit of an end of term feel to them, and attending the after school club at the local high school.

Despite the fact the days have been fast running out, and I’m continually doing the last something or other it doesn’t really feel like I’m actually leaving tomorrow.


Saturday 3rd October
My taxi was booked for 11.00 which meant a morning final packing and rushed goodbyes starting with Bernice who was hurrying off for a science exam in Kumasi. I then pitched up at the 9.00 meeting to say farewell to Helen and the Tiyah project in general, although I fully intend to remain in touch with the project and help where possible from home.

Strolling back through Achiase for the final time I dropped in on a few of the characters, Theo Walcott from the cement store, Florence at the local shop and Dora at the Spot were all on the route home to say goodbye and swap contact details.

I have to admit to being a little bit put out that the kids seemed utterly uninterested in my departure – Judy & Priscilla absorbed with their cooking in a tiny sauce jar barely registered my attempted emotional goodbye, despite being full of emotion throughout the stay – I guess they get used to the obroni volunteers coming and going while it’s a bit more of a bigger deal for me.

The kid I’ll miss most though is Enoch – he’s probably the most softly spoken kid in the world, but having gotten close to him he’s a cool little dude, even he ran off to play as soon as I’d given him his present of a football. The biggest goodbye though was saved for my brother Fresh who’s been a constant source of banter and friendship. The into the cab and leaving my home of the last three months…

After arriving in Accra I went on a night out with Nana, a friend of Roop’s from PWC and Sonia, her buddy from the London office. Coming back to Accra it strikes immediately as so much a more advanced and modern metropolis then second city Kumasi. Western style bars and catering to the tourists and ex-pats with inflated prices to match. Just from tonight’s experience though the idea of coming back here in a working capacity would appeal.

We drove around town and hit a number of bars, finishing in a club that in all honesty could have been transported from any provincial town in England.


Sunday 4th October
After a late start and a long walk in the sunshine I joined Sonia and a friend for lunch at a smart Italian restaurant with a pleasant sheltered courtyard in the Osu district – certainly not the kind of place you find in Kumasi.

The friend turned out to be a 50 something American called Mike whose here for three months helping his organisation spend some $13m on health aid in the country, which naturally enough made my ears prick up for Tiyah – there may be something we can do here…