Last night, CWS hosted our first-ever Casino Night for the Summer Fellows. Normally I prefer to use the online casino at UFABET, but I kept an open mind. We were a little worried that it would feel like summer camp or an all night-grad. party gone wrong, but it was so much fun! It was an intriguing casino and they had some games I hadn’t even seen at https://www.bcasinoreview.com/. Nonetheless, it was a really fun experience that I would happily do again. Everyone got into all of the games and we all had such a great time! If you enjoy casino games, take a look at casino.com bonus.
Welcome to the Clean Water Casino!The Fellows gambling away!The poker table! The competitive Banagrams table! yes, you can find a way to bet on Banagrams!Our awesome decorationsMeaghan, Alyssa, Steph, Kelsey, and AnnieThe blackjack tableHudson, Chris and Will, the winners of casino night with their prizes!
Tomorrow we are going to start our “voices from the field” series where the fellowship teams write about their experiences in the field. First up, Team 5 – Stephanie, Abena, David, and Matthew H. Stay tuned!
Another day, another guest blogger! Here’s what Fellowship Leader Hannah Stonebraker has to say about Day 4 of the Summer Fellowship Program:
And they’re off!! As of yesterday all seven teams are out in their villages!
In the morning we heard presentations from two UNICEF officers, highlighting their Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) programs as well as their Community Led Total Sanitation (CLTS) initiative. The presentations sparked everyone’s interest, and resulted in a fascinating question and answer session as we all expanded our knowledge on the sanitation situation in the rural villages.
Foster Soley from Unicef presenting to the Fellows
After a thoroughly Ghanaian lunch of groundnut soup and rice balls, the fellows and respective translators all loaded into vehicles and headed to the field to check out their villages for the first time:
Team 1, the “team elders, ” with T.J. preparing to brave the road to Gbateni, the farthest village. After setting up their meeting yesterday they return today to talk to the Chief!Team 2, “nothing but net,” with Shak, right before they went out and had a meeting with the Chief of their village, Kushimi.Team 3, all sporting their shades, with Ayesha gets ready for the drive to their village, Kpalbguni (which I still can’t pronounce)Team 4, “salaminga snails,” (salaminga meaning white person), poses with the always stylish Peter against the trusty CWS pick-up truck. After successfully setting up their chief meeting in Takpuli for this morning, they decided they would use their extra time to help Peter build an addition on his house!Team 5, “pineapple express,” (sadly minus david) pauses for a moment with Wahab, before they head out to Jabrang to request a chief meeting. Full of anticipation they return this morning to talk to the chief and elders.Team 6, with Lukeman (center), and their faithful taxi driver Hamza (left) get stoked to explore their village Kedula.The team 7 girls, “fufu fighters,” (minus Heather) head out with Amin to Kula. Upon arrival in Kula they found a large rainwater tank already in use, though it only provides clean water for two months of the year. The girls return today to further explore the possibility of working in the village and coordinating with whoever is running the rainwater collection site.
All teams returned pumped for the progress in their projects, as they all get one step closer to providing more people with direly needed clean water!
Today we are lucky to have another guest blogger: fellowship Leader Hannah Hill! Here’s what Hannah had to say about Day 3 of the Fellowship Program:
Yesterday’s agenda was so action packed and so full of excitement that I have not been able to write about everything we did until just now. The fellows awoke with the roosters for their earliest morning yet – a 5:30 am breakfast for a 6 am start. Each team went to monitor water sales at a different CWS village. You can really see the leadership, initiative and creativity that the 28 Summer Fellows have as they go beyond monitoring to fix leaky buckets, bandage wounds, and quickly problem solve all obstacles that arise.
Kendra showing off some water samples in the fieldHudson helping out a small child in the village by bandaging up his wound.
After a rejuvenating lunch of chicken and rice – a Ghana favorite – the teams practiced for their chief meetings and rotated through the lab, testing the dugout and treatment center water they collected from their village that morning.
Kate showing Sharifa and Hudson the ropes in the labChristina, Heather,Xi and Cassie practicing their chief meting with their translator Amin
You can really see how the fellows are getting more comfortable with each other and around Tamale as they spend their free time partaking in competitive games of Bananagrams or exploring the Cultural Center and the town market.
Ianthe trying out djembe in the cultural center
After a long day’s work, the group went out for a celebratory dinner at Swad, a CWS favorite. Whether eating the American pizza they craved, the Indian restaurant’s signature Tikki Masala, or a more traditional tilapia and banku, everyone had a wonderful time. My favorite part of today has been that no matter who I’m talking to, or what I’m talking about, every conversation ends with, “And I’m so excited to see my village for the first time tomorrow!” As I write this blog now, the fellows are headed to the field to see their villages. I cannot wait to hear their stories when they return!
