Today we have a very special blog post, written by our wonderful Assistant Project Manager, Shak! Here’s what Shak has to say about the past couple of weeks in the field:
Frequent visits are really helping a lot in the communities.
Wahab labels rainwater collection bins in GbungTJ tightens a tap in Kpalung
And I am happy everyone is liking our system.
At least, almost everyone is happy! Gidanturu's chief holds a baby who is scared by the Salaminga.
People [keep] telling us how they are having good changes in health as compared to the past.
A container at Ibrahim yili, KpalbusiSanatu poses with her Guinea Worm filter in Kpalung
And I am happy with our team and our management in the office.
Wahab checks the polytank at TacpuliSana poses with her son. She sends her greetings to Kushini's fellows!
CWS is getting ready to pack up and head South to hold more information sessions at universities we would love to see you there!
I could not be more excited to speak to more students about CWS! While I take the South by storm other information sessions will be taking place all over the East Coast held by other Fellow Alum. Check out where we’ll be and come out to learn more about the program and ask questions! Email me, Sam at sderrick@communitywatersolutions, if you are interested in CWS holding an information session at your school and don’t see if on the list! Be a part of this amazing experience and help us get clean drinking water to more villages in Ghana!
-Sam
INFORMATION SESSION DATES & LOCATIONS
Thurs. Sept. 8 at 8:00pm Georgetown University (ICC Rom 108)
Thurs. Sept. 8 at 6:00pm Georgia Tech in Klaus Room 1447
Mon. Sept. 12 at 1:00pm University of South Carolina in Arnold School of Public Health Room 103
Mon. Sept. 12 at 6:00pm University of Virginia in Newcomb’s South Meeting Room (3rd floor of Newcomb)
Tues. Sept. 13 at 4:30pm Clemson University in Edwards Room 304
Tues. Sept. 13 at 2:00pm Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the TPP Lounge (3rd Floor of E40)
Tues. Sept. 13 at University of Illinois in the Campus YMCA
Wed. Sept. 14 at 6:00pm Boston College in Devlin Hall Room 008
Wed. Sept. 14 at 4:30pm for Amherst College, Smith College, Mt. Holyoke, Hampshire College & University of Massachusetts at the Amherst College Career Center
Wed. Sept. 14 at 6:30pm Elon University in the Moseley Center Room 215
Thurs. Sept.15 at 4:00pm University of North Carolina- Chapel Hill in the Fedex Global Education Center Room 4003
Thurs. Sept. 15 at 7:00pm & Mon. Sept. 19 at 7:00pm Virginia Tech in Randolph Room Room 212
Thurs. Sept. 15 at 4:30pm Connecticut College in Blaustein Room 212
Mon. Sept.19 at 6:45pm Yale University in the Anlyan Center outside Room N107
Tues. Sept. 20 at 4:00pm Boston University in the School of Management Room 114
I kicked off the Fellowship Information Session tour at University of Maryland yesterday. Despite it being my first information session, I kept my nerves in check and had so much fun! I was able to be a part of the first day of class for Professor Coke Farmer’s Global Health class of FRESHmen. And it went great! They thought it was going to be a normal syllabus first day of class and in I cam trying to get them to step out of their comfort zone and come to Ghana—meanwhile they haven’t even gotten comfortable at school! I think it was quite the surprise for them!
The students had been assigned to watch the National Academies a “Running Dry: Call to Action” before class and so, they had a good base-level of knowledge about the global water crisis. After I presented we opened up the floor for questions and they came pouring in. I must have at least 30 questions—the students were completely engaged and I loved it. I am really looking forward to some UMD fellowship applicants!
Talking to the UMD students got me really pumped about all the information sessions to come! Next stop —ATL to meet some Georgia Tech students and I can’t wait!
Below is the National Academies “Running Dry: A Call to Action” that Professor Coke Farmer shared with me. Definitely worth a watch!
We have settled into a nice routine here in Tamale. We visit a handful of houses and check up on the treatment center in each village once every week or two. Even in the new villages our faces are familiar by now! And speaking of faces: I am trying my best to get pictures from each village so that those of you at home who remember your community can see how everyone is doing.
Rashid and his container, Iddrisuyili, KpalguniPeter and posse, Iddrisuyili, Kpalguni
The tricky thing about routines, though, is how easily they are broken! This was also definitely a week of firsts as well.
In Kadula, a runaway tractor (incredible mental image) got away from its owner after being ‘bathed’ in the dugout. It ran downhill and (naturally) hit Kadula’s treatment center. Luckily only the stand suffered any damage.
Tractor troubles, Kadula
The silver lining to this unfortunate incident is how well the community is doing literal damage control. When I arrived on Tuesday to speak with the chief and elders, they already had a plan for repairs and some new rules for vehicles around the dugout. I will keep you updated on their progress!
First of the groundnut (peanut) harvest at Tamalnaayili, KadulaSanatu and her baby, Tamalnaayili, Kadula
In Jagberin, Ayesha and Fulera decided that it was time to clean the polytank, so when we visited on Thursday we talked them through the process. In this split community each village ‘side’ takes a turn filling the blue drums, but this time they both pitched in to get everything cleaned quickly. We were pleasantly surprised to find the center up and running the next day.
Sayeeda and her Auntie, who had spoken to Ayesha about cleaning Jagberin
I could NOT be more excited to tour around to different schools this fall! CWS will be in search for fellows to join us this Winter as we bring clean drinking water to 8 more villages! Come to an info session near you to hear more about CWS and ask any questions you may have about the Fellowship Program. Applications due Sept. 26th 5pm EST.
MARK YOUR CALENDARS!!
AUG 31st University of Maryland @ 3pm
SEPT 8th Georgia Tech @ 6pm
SEPT 13th Clemson University @ 6pm
SEPT 14th Boston College @ 6pm
SEPT 15th Univeristy of North Carolina–Chapel Hill @ TBD
SEPT 19th Yale University @ 7pm
**Make sure to continue to follow our blog and facebook for more details on exact locations as dates approach
The rainy season has begun here in Northern Ghana! This means a lot of things for village life:
Farming!
Villager’s days, (storms permitting), are comparatively busier than during the dry season.
Maize farm outside Kushini
Shea Butter!
Shea nuts were collected and dried before the rains started, and now many afternoons are spent churning this delicious-smelling paste by hand.
Mariam makes shea butter in Tacpuli
Green Growth!
It is incredible how fast things grow now, and the villages are almost unrecognizable for those of us who remember them from January. TJ and I actually got lost on the way to Kushini’s dugout because the grasses had grown so much since our last visit. Good thing we were able to snag Nash here as a guide!
Nyamaliga is GREEENWe made it! Thank you Nash! He was much happier in person!
Rain! (obviously)
Traditionally during the rainy season, many villagers switch over to rainwater collection so they don’t have to mess with turbid dugout water. In villages with lots of tin roofs, like Yipela, Cheko, Kpalbusi, Gidanturu, and even Tacpuli or Kushini, this means that people are able to use their safe storage containers to capture funneled rainwater. However, in other villages, like Zanzugu-Yipela, Gbateni or Kpalguni, there aren’t enough tin roofs to go around, so many people still rely on the center for drinking water. Needless to say this is a difficult time for monitoring, as some centers remain almost empty (settled blue drums standing by should scooping be necessary) while others deal with even higher demands (Wambong villagers seem to drink even more when it rains). It is also the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, so people aren’t drinking during the day anyway. Lastly, CWS suggestions about healthy rainwater collection take a while to reach every house, so we often find a few empty buckets whose owners weren’t aware that they could use their containers for saa khom (rainwater). This all sounds a bit complicated, but household visits help us feel out village patterns and make it easier to go with the flow. To see how the rain impacted center operations in your favorite villages, check out ghanawaters.crowdmap.com at the end of the month!
New rainwater catchment arrangement at Zanzugu Yipela's treatment center
As for Shak, TJ, Peter, Wahab and myself, we are just happy when we wake up to roads dry enough to get out of town and into the field!
Thinking of applying to the CWS Fellowship Program but have a few questions? This post is for you! Below are a few of our Frequently Asked Questions:
Application
What are you looking for in a CWS Fellow?
CWS is looking for CWS Fellows who are self starters; passionate about social innovation and sustainable development; take initiative; give and absorb constructive feedback; take pride in their work; approach problems with patience and pluck; dedicated to constant improvement; put self and team on the same plane not ahead of them, help others to become better, and who are open to new learning all the time; have the highest personal integrity; and approach projects with passion and professionalism.
What is the application timeline?
Applications for the 2012 Winter Fellowship Program are due on Monday, September 26th at 5pm EST. CWS will announce the Fellowship Finalists by Friday, September 30th. If you are selected as a finalist, a member of the CWS team will interview you (via phone) sometime during the first week of October. CWS will announce the 2012 Winter Fellows on Monday, October 10th. If selected as a Fellow, you will have until Friday, October 14th to accept or decline your position in the program and send back a signed copy of the CWS Fellowship Program Fundraising contract. On Friday, October 14th we will announce the Fellowship Teams and send you the contact information for your other three teammates!
The Summer Session will follow a similar timeline.
Is there any way to extend the fellowship? (i.e. to meet internship requirements)
Because the fellowship fieldwork is only 3 weeks long many students ask if they can extend the fellowship to count for things like internship or practicum credit. CWS considers the fellowship to be a 3 month commitment. The fieldwork in Ghana only lasts for 3 weeks but your responsibility as a Fellow begins as soon as you accept your position in the program and you begin the 9-week fundraising period.
If that doesn’t suffice, you are more than welcome to extend your trip to Ghana longer than 3 weeks but CWS only takes care of the organization of the actual CWS Fellowship program portion. We have had many fellows find plenty of research opportunities in Tamale or to continue back home in the U.S. However, those arrangements are not put together by CWS and are the Fellow’s responsibility.
Fundraising
What if I don’t raise the $2,500 Fellowship Fee in time?
You will be given 9 weeks to raise funds to cover your Fellowship Fee. If you are unable to raise enough funds to cover the entire Fellowship Fee, you will be responsible for covering the remaining balance before traveling to Ghana. However, once you return home, you will be able to continue to fundraise and CWS will reimburse you for any additional donations that are made on your team’s behalf.
What is the money that I raised used for?
The Fellowship Fee is used by Community Water Solutions to cover the cost of your team’s in-country expenses. These expenses include your in-country travel, lodging & food, your project costs (project materials, water quality tests & lab materials, Fellow training & educational materials, translator salaries, and transportation to & from your village), as well as the long-term monitoring costs of following-up with your community after your team leaves Ghana. The Fellowship Fee does not cover your flight to Ghana, your travel vaccinations or Visa fee.
What if I raise over $2,500?
If you raise more than the required $2,500, the extra funds will be split among the other 3 members of your team until everyone has reached their fundraising goal. If every member of your team exceeds your fundraising goal, the extra funds will be donated to CWS to help us grow the Fellowship Program so that we are able to offer this opportunity to more young people in the future.
What is the average age of a CWS Fellow?
The average age of a CWS Fellow is 21 years old, but we typically have Fellows ranging in age from 18 to 35 years old.
Trip Preparation
What are the top 5 things I should pack?
Bug Spray
Bandana/Hat
Snacks (granola bars, trail mix, candy, peanut butter, or anything else that packs/travels well)
Sunscreen
Books or fun card/travel-sized Board games.
What is the weather going to be like?
Winter Session: Hot and very dusty. It can be a little chilly in the mornings and at night.
Summer Session: Hot, rainy and muddy.
What vaccinations do I need?
The only required vaccination to enter Ghana is the Yellow Fever vaccine. CWS also requires all of our Fellows to take anti-Malaria medication during their trip.
There are many other vaccinations recommended by the CDC for travel to sub-Saharan Africa. For the full list, please visit their website: http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/destinations/ghana.htm. The list of recommended vaccinations is about halfway down the webpage.
How much money of my own should I bring?
It depends whether you are going to do much traveling before or after the Fellowship Program. We usually recommend that Fellows bring about $200 in cash, which is more than enough to cover any gifts/souvenirs that you may want in the market and a couple dinners out (if you choose to eat out instead of eating at the guest house) but will not cover the cost of extensive post-trip travel. Do not bring travelers checks, they are not accepted by any store or vendors in Ghana. You can exchange your money when you arrive in Ghana – the counter is right by baggage claim at the airport. If you do end up needing more cash while you are in Ghana, you can use your American bankcard to withdraw money from an ATM. There are plenty of them around Tamale and they are very easy to access (Barclays, EcoBank and Standard Charter each have multiple branches in Tamale).
Can I bring things for the children in my village?
If you have extra room in your suitcase, feel free to bring along candy, toys, clothing, shoes, books or anything else that you, or your friends and family would like to donate to people in your village. The kids especially love soccer balls! The only thing we ask is that you wait until the end of your trip (either on opening day at your water business or on your last day in the village) to give things to people in your community.
Accommodations
Where will I be staying once we are in Ghana?
When you are staying in Accra you will be staying at a Chen Lien Hotel.
When you are in Tamale you will be staying at Gillbt Guest House. You can read through the CWS Blog to see some pictures of past Fellows on the Gillbt campus.
What is the food like?
Gillbt guesthouse does a great job of preparing food that is safe for us non-Ghanaians to eat. However, there is not much variety! The meals are usually some combination of chicken and rice. Packing an extra snack or two is definitely a good idea. Also, while the cooks at Gillbt try their best to accommodate dietary restrictions, they are not used to cooking for vegetarians/vegans and there are very little non-meat protein options for them to work with in Ghana. If you do not eat meat, definitely pack other sources of protein that you can snack on (nuts, protein bars, peanut butter, etc).
Will I have running water?
Yes. Each room at Gillbt sleeps 2 people and has their own bathroom—sink, toilet, shower. The rooms also have AC and a mini-fridge.
Can I drink the water there?
Gillbt provides water filters that you can use to filter the tap water. Other than that you should only drink bottled water, which is widely available in the area.
Can I do laundry?
Gillbt will do your laundry for about $3 (5 Ghana Cedis) per basket of laundry. They will provide you with a laundry basket in your room. If you dropped off your dirty laundry basket at the reception desk in the morning, it will be ready by the next morning at the latest.
Is there much down time?
Yes, although you will be working hard and spending a lot of time in your village, you will have some down time to relax at the guesthouse or go into the market and explore. Most Fellowship Teams end up going to their village very early in the morning before it gets too hot (around 5 or 6 am), and are back from the field around 3 or 4 o’clock in the afternoon. Dinner and the “Daily Debrief” are usually around 6:30 or 7 so Fellows typically have a couple of hours of downtime in the late afternoon and are then free for the night after the Debriefs are finished.
Where can I travel to after the fellowship?
While Ghana is a great country, there are not a lot of big tourist-y sites to see. Depending on your water business implementation goes, you may have one day to explore on a day trip outside Tamale.
If you are trying to factor in a few days before or after the trip, most Fellows choose to go to the Cape Coast to see the forts or to Takoradi for the beach. While CWS can make travel and guest house recommendations, we do not coordinate the end-of-trip or post-fellowship travel. We would recommend picking up the Bradt Ghana Guide Book: http://www.bradtguides.com/Book/120/Ghana.html.
Couldn’t find the answer to your question? Shoot an email to Sam (sderrick@communitywatersolutions.org) and she’ll be happy to answer it for you!
The 2011 Summer Fellows!
This week I got the chance to head down to Kumasi and check out the International Development Design Summit (IDDS) – a really cool month long program that helps would be/soon to be inventors come up with marketable solutions to problems and needs in emerging markets. Participants ranged in experience and area of expertise but all made some really interesting ideas come to life over a short, busy month! For more information on IDDS, check out its website.
I was there to participate on a “Water Table” (agagag); a panel discussion with representatives of various water initiatives in Ghana. It was a great opportunity to brag a bit about just how cool CWS really is. In the midst of daily operations, I often forget to reflect on the CWS idea in general. Presenting the CWS model to an audience of design engineers interested in development, however, made a couple points really jump out at me, and I thought I’d take a second to highlight these again on the blog:
1. CWS uses simple, cheap and locally available technologies and supplies. This is huge!! Think about it this way: everything will break. Everything. By relying on materials that don’t have a lot of little, complicated, breakable pieces, we don’t have to deal with maintenance problems as often, because supplies are more durable AND (after a little training) are often fixable by owners. When things do need to be replaced, its a matter of going to the market for alum or the Tamale polytank vendor for a new polytank lid, rather than placing an order to some supplier overseas. Even though the simplicity of instructions like “Put the dirty water in a tub. Add alum, let settle, scoop and chlorinate” seemed initially underwhelming to engineers used to designing complicated cogs, wheels, levers and pulleys to fix problems, many recognized that especially in remote areas, there is no such thing as too simple!
2. CWS systems are owned, operated and patronized by community residents. So many important aspects to this one! Money generated by the system stays in the community. The responsibility of ensuring system longevity rests with those people actually using the system. No one knows community needs and patterns better than residents themselves. People themselves are choosing (rather than being told) to make positive changes in their lives. The list goes on. . .
3. The fellowship program is an awesome way to finance project start-up costs and ensure that water is affordable to ALL. At IDDS, the audience was interested in marketing goods, which is really great! But while a business approach to water delivery is certainly important for a lot of reasons, ultimately access to clean drinking water is a RIGHT more than a good. Poor people need water just like wealthier people and demand for drinking water is pretty inelastic. There is just no way CWS can bundle lifetime project costs into the cost of water at the tap and have everyone be able to afford it. Enter the fellows – people who have so much to gain themselves, from learning to fundraise to gaining experience in the field to helping to make a dent in the global water crisis to enjoying a unique and authentic travel experience to incredible Ghana – whose hard work allows CWS to cover start up costs and initial monitoring of systems. Win – Win partnership!
Now I’m back in Tamale and have hit the ground running, but even so it was awesome to take a step back for a bit and share some thoughts that hopefully will help an emerging group of social entrepreneurs (and blog readers) think a little more about why the CWS model is so effective.
Whether you’re a student on your winter break or a young professional looking for a worthwhile winter getaway… Come join us this Winter as we bring clean drinking water to 8 more villages!
The Winter Fellowship will take place this Dec. 27th thru Jan. 17th, 2012.
This week, CWS staff had the chance to spend some quality time in villages new and old.
In Kpalbusi, we checked in on the village’s Fulani community. The Fulani are a group of people with a really different lifestyle than the farmers that make up the majority of our villages. They specialize in raising and herding cattle and live a more nomadic lifestyle, and therefore are a little less settled and a little more transient than most of CWS’ customers. Their settlements are often removed from the central village space, which makes them an interesting challenge for follow-up monitoring! Even so, it is worth taking the time to track the Fulani down. They always offer a unique perspective on village life and CWS’ water treatment operations specifically.
Peter and Wahab in front of the AWESOME Fulani woven houses in Kpalbusi
Since the rainy season began, polytank opening hours in Kpalbusi have become less scheduled. Unfortunately this means that the nine Fulani households have had a difficult time getting to the polytank when it is open. After discussions with the Fulani, Zillifau (one of Kpalbusi’s center operators) and Sachi (Chief) Mohammed alHassan, we all agreed to establish two days with set center hours to help the Fulani with planning. Great teamwork all!
Wahab, Peter and I make friends - This Fulani woman is hilarious, and her granddaughter is just as spunky!
We also spent some time this week in Tacpuli, a Summer 2011 Fellowship village. On Wednesday we spoke to Lashiche who reports that the villagers are all doing a good job of visiting the center regularly. She had one complaint: the polytank had a leak which was making filling difficult. So we came back the next day with materials and showed her how to fix leaks in the future.
TJ, Lashiche, Mariama and Shak Celebrating a Fixed Leak in Tacpuli
The Newest CWS Staff Member: Lasiche's adorable granddaughter even pitched in (read: played with the glue can)!
If your favorite village did not get mentioned in this post, don’t worry! CWS has started using this awesome new web platform that will allow you to follow your village’s monthly ins and outs online! Check it out at ghanawaters.crowdmap.com. Set up alerts to get email notifications of your favorite village’s status, or peruse any and all reports at your leisure. Now you don’t have to wait for blog updates from the field – real time village information is at your fingertips!
