The Hello Brigade

Every morning I am greeted by about 7 children under the age of 4 that live just outside my guesthouse. I originally thought of them as a choir, but upon further encounters with the children I’ve decided to call them the Hello Brigade.

Upon spotting my terribly white skin exiting or returning to the guesthouse they proceed to yell, “Hello!…hello!…hello!,” each child competing with the other to see who can scream the loudest and longest until I am no longer in sight. It’s really more of an, “ello!...ello!...ello!,” than, hello, just to give you an idea.

The shrieks are typically followed by the children running after me as I say hello and wave. No matter how many times I answer them, there is no stopping the Hello Brigade. I sometimes consider it a success when I can escape unseen!

Reasons I should not share a bathroom with someone. .
So I had a next door neighbor two nights ago, with whom I share a bathroom. This is not usually an issue because I am the only one here in my little house outside the main house. I never met my next door neighbor because he arrived after I went to bed and left after I left in the morning.

However, I was greeted this morning with three things that pissed me off, in increasing order of anger:

1. My neighbor pissed on the seat. Now, why did you have to do that? Can’t you learn to lift the seat? Is that too much to ask?
2. My neighbor left the bathroom door open all night, which means that there were hordes of mosquitoes present in the morning. Not really a problem for a man who can pee standing up, but a big problem for my butt when I have to sit to go to the bathroom and proceed to get bitten.
3. My neighbor took the remaining roll of toilet paper. Now I know you’re asking, how do you know that? Well, number one- the roll was almost entirely brand new the night before. Number two- I did not hear my neighbor going to the bathroom all night with a case of the runs. Number three- no empty roll left on the toilet paper holder. And finally, number four- no empty toilet paper roll in the trash. Yes, I checked the trash.

These are all good reasons why my tolerance for sharing a bathroom has reached an all time low. I used to have a lock on my latrine in the DR so no one could use it. I sure hope I don’t get any more unfriendly neighbors before I leave, because I might be forced to say something..or passive aggressively place a sign over the toilet that says:

• Please lift the seat
• Close bathroom door after exiting bathroom
• Take the toilet paper and die!

I take my life into my hands every time I cross the Bolgatanga Road....

I witnessed my first road traffic accident this morning. I'm surprised it took so long when trucks, buses, taxis, private vehicles, bicycles, motorcyclists, and pedestrians all share a small two-lane highway with a wide shoulder. A taxi was pulling out of my street into on coming traffic and hit the back of a motorcycle that clearly had the right of way.

Luckily, the motorcyclist was not injured and both pulled over on the shoulder to try and settle the dispute. Of course the taxi driver leaves half his vehicle still in the middle of the main road making it difficult for traffic to pass and for bicyclists to pass on the shoulder. Genius, I assure you.

It's no wonder that road traffic accidents are a leading cause of premature mortality in developing countries. Emergency care is certainly not the same caliber as in developed nations and the streets are not capable of handling the flow of increasing traffic.

On another note, we were disappointed yesterday when Ghana lost to Brazil. Not surprising, but the streets were terribly quite after the game finished around 5pm. The country is still proud of their Black Stars and is anxiously awaiting the African Cup (held in Ghana in 2008) to prove their football achievements.

Quick Note on Dad. . .

I just want to say thanks to those of you who were thinking about my Dad this past week. He had a very successful surgery on Friday morning- meaning they repaired and did not replace the valve, two bypasses, and a procedure to try and regulate his irregular heart beat. He should be moved to a regular room sometime today and then home by mid-week. I appreciate your words of encouragement and support. It helps to know you have supportive family and friends when you're so far from home. Thanks!

Ghana Football

It's pretty exciting to be here in a country of such avid football fans. The children formed a parade line and marched around the neighborhood with drums celebrating the Czech victory. And now Ghana will play Brazil in the second stage of the tournament.

People are extremely optimistic about the matchup on Tuesday, although I'm a little doubtful as I've picked Brazil to win the tournament. And I realize that soccer will dominate all conversations from now until Ghana is no longer part of the World Cup.

Honestly, it's pretty exciting to see this country be the token African team that has made it to the second round (thus far). I've found myself to be cheering on the team with just as much enthusiasm as the Ghanaians.

Go Black Stars!

Health Messages

From what I’ve seen so far including radio, television and billboard advertisements, the public health messages in Ghana are in full force. I’ve seen HIV/AIDS billboards- messages about condoms and abstinence. I’ve seen the Guinea Worm Eradication Campaign’s efforts here in the north to rid this country of a debilitating water-related disease. One of the most interesting messages I’ve seen on television is a warning to Ghanaians about the rise in cardiovascular disease in the country.

This is more evidence of the growing dual burden of disease in developing countries. They have to confront both the infectious disease burden of malaria and water/sanitation related diseases while building their health system to support the growing number of people with what have been typically considered “Western” or developed world diseases such as cardiovascular disease. This shift to a dual burden is the result of changes in both diet and an increase in sedentary lifestyles. Much of this can be attributed to growing urbanization in developing nations as people from rural areas move to get access to electricity, water, health services, etc. and change their lifestyle accordingly.

While this is a growing concern in developing nations, Americans have been faced with cardiovascular disease as a major cause of death for decades. It seems that my family is not exempt from this disease as my father is to undergo heart surgery on Friday to repair a leaking valve and perform a few bypasses as well. I would be lying if I didn’t say that I’m bit a nervous being so far away. I seem to have a poor track record for leaving the country and people passing away at home. So, I would ask that you keep my father in your thoughts and prayers this week- that he may have a successful surgery and quick recovery.

Religious Notes

I consider it a success that some mornings I am able to sleep through the 5:00am call to prayer from the megaphone just outside the guesthouse. It was easy to tune out the roosters at 3am in the campo, but this singing megaphone has been slightly more difficult.

It’s estimated that 56% of the Northern region’s population is Muslim. Driving between Tamale and Savelugu (where the World Vision office is located), I have noticed that most villages have a small mosque. The boy who runs the guesthouse here will surreptitiously exit the main house and pray the requisite five times a day. This is my first experience living in Muslim culture and from what I can tell the men seem to be very devote.

I have enjoyed attending mass with Hamdiyah on Sunday’s at the Kamina Barracks just north of where I am staying. Hamdiyah converted to Catholicism from Islam before marrying her husband. I didn’t realize this until I arrived, and it was a nice surprise. If I had to describe the mass here in one word, I would choose the word joyful. Mass is two hours long- probably because the gospel and homily (final reading and reflection by the priest) are recited in both English and Twi- the major language in the southern part of the country and most widely spoken throughout the country. There is also a significant amount of singing that extends the mass slightly. The choir is quite impressive with just 4 women and three men they harmonize and fill the church with their voices. It is celebratory. And let’s not forget that when it comes time to give tithes (pass the basket to collect donations) the entire congregation files in front of the altar to place their money in the collection basket up front. Two hours is probably a bit on the conservative side- I would say it’s closer to 2.5 hours.

Field Laboratory 101

I had my first day of field testing yesterday and it went quite well. We went to visit the Ghana School Dam on the southern side of Tamale. A dam is typically a large hole that has been dug in the ground to collect water during the wet season and store it during the dry season. It is what we would consider a man-made lake.

We asked the women and children collecting water at this site whether or not they would drink it, and they responded, “Yes.” No household treatment, maybe a little sedimentation, but this water will be consumed practically as is. There was a small field on the side of the dam with grass and I asked whether animals graze there. The answer was, “Yes.” It was pretty unbelievable.

I am impressed by these women that are able to carry water to and from their homes each day. This cannot be easy.
I love that my taxi driver didn’t want me to get dirty, so he kicked off his sandals, rolled up his pants, and filled my water bucket.
I just met my 3 hour time limit for testing the water and made myself lunch in the house around noon. I come back to my room and realize that the power has gone out and I had just put my samples in the incubator an hour before. This is the first time the power has gone out since I arrived and I thought what perfect timing! To my relief, power was restored about 15 minutes later and I don’t believe my samples were harmed!

Here’s a quick view of my little laboratory in my room. Unfortunately, I have to suffer the heat b/c I can’t have the fan on with a lit candle during the testing. Oh well…the joys of doing field work!

"Would you like to be engaged before leaving Ghana?"

I love it! It didn't take very long, did it? Since being asked this question I've made an executive decision to "be engaged" for the rest of my time here. It is so difficult for people outside of American culture to understand how Americans go about marriage. There are so many places that cannot afford the luxury of looking for the "perfect" mate. Young girls get pregnant and marry because of convenience or consider the simple fact that women need a man to survive in much of the world. Without a solid education and job there are not opportunities for women to work as there are men and their roles are still clearly designated as household and family responsibilities. For that reason I find it a difficult discussion to have with women- especially women who did not have the opportunity to make their own decisions or follow their own paths.

Here I have learned that the bride price is still fairly high- 3 cows, 5 sheep, etc. And while the professionals have told me they are trying to modernize that practice in the newer middle class it has evolved to instead buying cell phones for your future mother-in-law. For this reason, many youth are finding it difficult and expensive to marry and have to save a significant amount before it is possible.

In case you were wondering, the answer to the aforementioned question was a chuckle and emphatic, "No."

Picture Time. . .

The gate to the guesthouse where I am staying. Maison de Sacre Mere

The busy road where I catch the bus to Savelugu where the World Vision office is.

The "neighborhood" in front of the guesthouse- it's set back from the road. There are lots of wandering animals including lizards, goats, and chickens.

The solar water bag that I'm testing. . .I guess one member of the team has named it Solaqua. You fill it at the top and open the valve at the bottom to discharge the purified water

A traditional housing complex that is on my walk to the main road from the guesthouse. They are made from clay with thatched roofs and each compound houses a family. The chief's compound is typically the largest.

More to come. . .next week!

I had forgotten what happens in developing countries when it rains. A huge storm with heavy winds swept in this morning around 6am and I remembered those days I used to spend reading in the hammock, mopping the floor of my poor campo house. My accommodations have certainly improved since then, considering that I no longer have a leaky roof. So I decided to stay home Wednesday and do some reading here at the guesthouse and then wait to see if my 4:00pm meeting would happen or not. I am assuming that if the day passes with rain then there will be no meeting.

Visitors arrived at the guesthouse last night and it’s a shame I was so tired and didn’t get to spend more time with them. They are a small, local NGO called Ibis (not reproductive health) that does community development with most of their funds coming from the Ghanaian government. It is always interesting to speak with educated people who have strong opinions about the US and opportunities to travel to the states.

I had an interesting conversation last night with a man from Ibis who spoke of an educated friend who was now in the states and working as a janitor at a hospital. I believe that people can make a difference by earning money in the states and sending it home, but I am more and more a believer of transferring knowledge and funds so that these countries are able to lift themselves out of poverty. Unfortunately, that is much easier said than done. At least I know that through improvements in health there can be some alleviation in poverty and an improvement in their quality of life. I suppose that’s what motivates me to work in this field.

After a few days of heavy reading this week I finally have a more substantial idea of how I’m going to spend these next 6 weeks before the rest of the team arrives in August and we shift modes to analyzing the “make” option for the ceramic filters here in Tamale.

Just a little background for those who don’t know- Pure Home Water is an organization that has a two year grant from the Hilton Foundation to investigate and attempt to implement a sustainable business that markets household water treatment technologies in the northern an most needy region of Ghana. Susan Murcott, Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at MIT is the facilitator of the grant and the woman with whom I am working. Pure Home Water is comprised of two social entrepreneurs, both young Ghanaian professionals, that are marketing and selling the filters in Tamale and two neighboring regions. The main product that is currently being sold is a ceramic filter that looks like a large flower pot sits suspended inside a plastic bucket, leaving room for water to be stored below the filter and has a spigot at the bottom of the container. This provides both water treatment and safe storage for a household.

In January, a team of engineering and business students from MIT came to Ghana for three weeks to do some background research as well as analyze the “buy” option. Pure Home Water has been buying the ceramic filters from a Ghanaian supplier in Accra and then selling them in the north. Unfortunately, with transport costs, manufacturing costs, and breakage in transport the ceramic filter costs too much for the average family- 180,000 cedis or about $19. The “buy” option will not be sustainable without significant grant assistance for years to come.

As a result, two other team members will be arriving in August and a third in September to fully analyze the “make” option. Can the business be sustainable if there was a facility in Tamale that could produce the filter locally? I will be working with an MIT business student, Howard, and a recent graduate from Harvard, Liz, to see if this will option will prove feasible. Both Liz and the team member arriving in September, Ali, will be staying for six months to help create a sustainable product- whether that is a filter or brand name has yet to be determined.

Until August arrives, I plan on doing my own research that will serve as a basis for my thesis work. The ceramic filter does not provide a viable solution for the poor; therefore, I will be testing a solar water bag to see if it can be a low-cost technology that would potentially be produced locally. The water is disinfected through both UV-A light and thermal radiation, and if you’re really motivated you can check out http://www.sodis.ch/ for more information.

I am finally starting to formulate a plan and it feels good to have some direction. I will spend the first four weeks, starting next week, taking samples from local water sources, returning to the guesthouse to fill the solar water bags with the contaminated water, and then running water quality tests on the both the contaminated water and the disinfected water. This will provide a basis for the feasibility of the solar water bag to function in Ghana.

Then I will spend the last two weeks of July doing a small survey and some focus groups looking at the social and cultural acceptability of the solar water bag and specific design features. This will enable the MIT team that created the solar water bag to continue to improve the design and make a functional product for household water treatment in developing countries.

For those of you from Milwaukee- you’ll be interested to know that to improve water treatment after the Cryptosporidium outbreak of the 1990’s the local water treatment facilities upgraded their plants to include UV disinfection because Cryptosporidium cannot be killed through chlorination or other common water treatment techniques. Ok, so maybe that’s not that interesting to you- but I heard about it so many times during undergrad that I can’t quite forget it. Milwaukee was always the example of choice.

So, at the very least I have a plan. Sorry for such a long entry- I wrote this on my rainy day!

I arrived safely in Accra on Tuesday evening and spent a few days getting organized in town before the staggering 12 hour bus ride on Friday to Tamale. My favorite part had to be the sign that said "Monkey For Sale." Much to my dismay, the Catholic Guesthouse was not all it was cracked up to be. I think they forgot I was coming, so they showed me the only room they had left- one light, no working fan, windows closed b/c there was an air conditioner that didn't work and no light in the nasty bathroom. Gross.

We decided to forgo that option and I'm now located farther north of town in the same "suburb" where Hamdiyah lives- about a 10 minute walk. It's a little off the beaten track, so I don't think I'll be meeting many foreigners or other travelers, but the place is nice and I have access to the kitchen. I also downgraded, so I just have a fan and "share" a bathroom with one other room, but there's no one staying in the other room. I've been watching lots of World Cup action on the satellite television while getting adjusted her in Tamale.

I had my first African market experience- wow! I don't know if I'll ever feel the same way about meat again, but I will spare you all the details. I love the negotiating atmosphere of life here in Ghana, but I need a little more practice.

The landscape was tropical rainforest and rolling hills on the way north, but now we've settled into a flat, savannah that has lush green grass and a few shrubs and taller trees interspersed. It is the rainy season, which means it rains every few days. All this greenery is contrasted by the bright red clay soil across the entire country.

I'm glad to be slightly more settled and really settle down to work. I'm at the World Vision office in Savelegu which is about 20 km north of Tamale. I'll spend at least one or two days a week here. This week I'll spend my days shadowning Hamdiyah and Wahabu and begin to make a plan for how I'm going to sample the population with the new solar water bag.

Unfortunately, I have my first bought of travelers diarrhea and, wow, it's not a lot of fun. Hopefully this is just my body getting used to the new microbes and nothing more.

More later. . .and maybe some pictures of the landscape when I get more settled.

So I decided to keep a blog. . .

Although admittedly a bit self-indulgent. . .this may be a better way to keep in touch with people this summer than mass emails. This way you can read my adventures for yourself instead of receiving impersonal updates.

I had high hopes for this summer thinking I would finally be able to put my Peace Corps packing talents to work again. To illustrate my success I've included a picture of all "fun stuff" I have to take with me. Please take note that the box in the middle of the suitcase is an incubator...I know, I'm not kidding. In addition, I will have to carry-on the media that I will be using to do water quality testing because it needs to be refrigerated. Amazing. I didn't include a picture of the little vials that I will be hand carrying for 24 hours. I don't think you really need to see that.

















I'm leaving Monday evening for Ghana, flying to London and then directly to Accra. It will be a 24 hour trip in total where I will be met by Hamdiyah, a local Ghanaian and young professional. A few days after arrival, we'll be traveling 10 hours by bus to Tamale, the regional capital of the north, to work for the subsequent eight weeks. I'm going to be working with Pure Home Water, a small social entrepreneurship that is trying to market household water technologies, specifically ceramic filters, that disinfect water within the home. To try and reach all social strata I will be looking at a newer technology that uses solar disinfection. I'm excited to complete my own small study and get real data for my thesis next year.

I'll keep you posted from Tamale once I arrive on June 9th.