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 ([email protected]) 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!
This week was a big week for celebrations here at CWS. Reports are in that the benefit in Boston was a great success and an amazing evening in general. All of us here in Tamale wish we could have attended and are really thankful for all the generosity and support from the ever-growing circle of CWS friends and family.
We also had a fun “Graduation Goat Roast” to celebrate field staffer TJ’s recent degree in Management Studies here at the CWS Ghana office. In the spirit of honoring TJ’s big accomplishment, I though I’d continue my updates from the field with another staff profile, and, without further ado:
Mr. Sulemana Tijani
Sulemana Tijani (or ‘TJ’ to us clumsy-tonged salamingas) was born in Tamale and has lived here all his life. He has two sisters. He just earned a business degree in Management Studies from Tamale Polytechnic, and he hopes to bring these newly-certified skills with him to the job.
Some fun facts about TJ:
Favorite Hairstyle: “sakura – removing every hair from your head”. Yes, he is currently bald.
He has one ear pierced. He got it done in senior high “because I was a star and wanted to look like one”. TJ’s mother and mine share similar views on secret ear-piercings, however, so he doesn’t wear it much anymore.
In junior and senior high TJ played soccer/football for his school. His position was striker, and his all-star inspiration is Lionel Messi (Barcelona) and Dede Ayew (Ghana Black Stars and Marseille). He scored 22 goals in his career.
Favorite Singer: Akon
Favorite Food: Banku and hot Pepe
Favorite TV show: “Spartacus: Blood and Sand”
If he was an animal, he says he would be a cow.
Favorite Color: Black
TJ is also a recent Facebook convert, so if you would like to keep in touch “Friend” him there!
The First Annual Community Water Solutions Benefit was a huge success! We had such a great time celebrating CWS’ first 3 years and raised $10,000 for our cause! We can’t wait to share the awesome photos by April K!
We’d like to thank all of the amazing people who helped to make this event possible, especially our supporting sponsors: Eaton Vance Investments and Foley Hoag, LLC; our awesome performers: Sid Sriram, Overboard, and the LE Project; our great beverage sponsors: The Boston Beer Company, Trader Joes, Bullard’s Market and Package Store, Palumbo Liquors, Upper Falls Wine and Liquors, Hanover Wine and Spirits, and the Medfield Wine Shoppe; Warren Anderson for putting together both of the awesomeCWS Videos; all of our amazing donors who contributed items to the silent auction; the incredibly hardworking event committee: Sarah Wood, Mike Kearney, Sarah Fletcher, Karla Franco, Guillermo Guitierrez, and Vanessa Green; and of course, the W Hotel who generously donated the event-space and were wonderful to work with.
Finally, we would like to thank everyone who attended the Benefit. It was so great to share this special evening with all of you. We are so grateful for your support!
Thats right folks! The CWS Benefit is just 9 short days away so get your tickets today before they sell out!
Performances by Sid Sriram and the LE Project, an awesome silent auction, and FREE beer and wine (thank you to our sponsors!). You don’t want to miss this event!
Here are just some of the awesome items that we are going to be auctioning off:
A two night stay Smyth-Thompson Hotel in NYC
A 3 night stay at the PGA National Resort & Spa, with golf each day!
Tickets to Boston Red Sox including Infield Passes during batting practice!
Zimbabwe Sculpture
Blue Jeans Bar Private Shopping evening including beer wine for a group of 10-20
And remember – all proceeds go to help these cuties get safe drinking water:
Unfortunately, we faced some unexpected setbacks this week. Don’t panic! The villages continue to do great work. It was our transportation, the weather and sometimes even our own bodies that didn’t seem to be cooperating. All are par for the course though, as those of you who have spent any time here can attest.
The silver lining to these (sometimes literally) cloudy days was my chance to spent quality time with CWS’ field staff, who can handle just about any problem fate throws their way. This morning I found myself sitting in a compound chatting with Wahab, and we decided that this week’s update from the field would be devoted to this most elusive of staffers. Don’t let his initial shyness deter you! Wahab kept me laughing all morning, and is a demon on the moto. For more about our always trendy translator, read on:
Mr. Abdul Wahab Lawal
Wahab was born and raised in Tamale and has lived in the same house all his life. He is the baby of the family, with two older brothers and three older sisters. His favorite place to visit is Accra – his sister lives near the beach and he goes every Sunday he is in town. He joined the CWS team in October 2010, after working as a small business owner.
Favorite Movie: Home Alone (Most Recent Viewing: last night)
Favorite TV Show: Prison Break (Wahab knows more about the California State Penitentiary System than should be legal).
Favorite Color: Cream (He just painted his room – you guessed it – cream).
Its hard to believe that its been two whole weeks without the fellows here! Shak, Peter, Wahab, TJ and I really miss their help and insight and entertainment. Luckily all groups did a wonderful job implementing, so monitoring the new seven has been a breeze.
We’ve also spent a lot of time back in the older villages, which we didn’t get to see much of during the fellowship period. In Zanzugu-Yipela, we constructed a rainwater catchment center that will help the village with its first rainy season (pictures to follow as soon as camera malfunctions are dealt with), and everybody is really excited about the new addition! Gbong’s rain catchment center is also up and running – just in time for the big storms that blow through now. We have also been having community meetings in many of the older villages, to talk about everything from rainwater collection to group problem solving, and it has been great to get to know familiar faces from the villages a little bit better.
In my first couple weeks on the job, I’ve really been struck by the profound impact the fellows in particular have on their adopted villages. Kids in newer villages are still doing the handshakes and back-flips the Summer 2011 Fellows taught them, and the people I meet doing household visits in older ones still can remember the excitement of opening day and tell me the importance of a special drinking water cup. Many of the older fellowship villages have asked about fellows by name and have hilarious stories to tell us about implementation. As a fellowship alumnus myself, its good to know that the tremendous energy fellows and locals alike put into passing out buckets and transcending language barriers and problem-solving in traditional committees has been channeled into something that seems to be lasting.
