Malaria in Ghana

Maranatha prep-school recently received a donation of mosquito nets from the Ghana Health Service, so I was asked to help hand these out to the students of class 2. I and teachers from Maranatha prep-school then also explained to the students the importance of these nets in preventing malaria and how they should be used in order to be effective. 

A teacher at Maranatha prep-school explaining
how to use a mosquito net.

Malaria is, of course, still one of the big killers in many parts of Africa. According to Doctors Without Boarders “Every year, malaria kills around  660,000 people and infects more than 200 million.” (here is the link) and according to the UNICEF Ghana FactSheet on Malaria from 2007:

• 3.5 million people contract malaria every year in Ghana

• Approx. 20,000 children die from Malaria every year (25 per cent of the deaths of children under the age of five).

• Even if a child survives, the consequences from severe malaria such as convulsions or brain dysfunction can hamper long-term development and schooling.

• The annual economic burden of malaria is estimated 1-2 per cent of the Gross Domestic Product in Ghana.

A lot more has to be done to stop the spread of Malaria. I believe one of the solutions has

Demonstrating how to hang up a mosquito net so
that no mosquitoes can enter

been to make the medication that cures malaria easily available, however, this has also had negative effects. From my experience of talking to Ghanaian friends and family, I have discovered that this medication is used at anytime that symptoms appear that are those of malaria – which may often be just a common cold or fever. This means that it is more likely for the malaria parasites to become drug-resistant to this medicine and thus make it less effective. The same seems to be the case across many African countries, like stated in the Daily Nations Article from Kenya. In this article a pharmacist from Kenya notes “It has become commonplace that when some people develop some fever they rush straight to their local pharmacist and demand malaria drugs. In some of those cases, the underlying disease is rarely malaria."

Handing out a mosquito net

It is so difficult to develop medicine and drug-resistant parasite add an additional hurdle. Thus, I believe that raising awareness and educating on this issue is vital. Hence, charities such as Cheerful Hearts Foundation that I worked with on my last visit to Ghana and who are now also a Global Giving Partner Project are so vital in taking over this role. They organise awareness talks at schools on this issue and the students then bring this knowledge back home and educate their parents and extended family. By handing out mosquito nets and educating people about how to prevent malaria and how to use the medication, one is able to save many lives!

Finally Back In Ghana – revisiting my home in Kasoa

During my first week back in Ghana I had the chance to catch up with all of my Ghanaian friends and family that I had missed so much since January 2012 – at last we were reunited again! And how nice it was! I hopped on a tro-tro (the local mini buses that can take you virtually anywhere in the country) to Kasoa, which had become my home from November 2011-Januray 2012. I was surprised by how much of the route between Accra and Kasoa I still remembered! The main difference was that they had FINALLY finished the building of the overhead on this road, which meant that it actually took the 1 hour that everyone said it would take even back in 2011/12 when one was lucky if it took 2 hours!

Some of my students from 2011

The school, Maranatha prep-school, at which I used to teach, has not changed much in appearance, but I found the students much more disciplined and less excited by “obroni” (white person) arriving – perhaps due to the fact that the teachers seemed stricter and as they must now be used to so many obroni volunteers coming to visit the school. However, I was so extremely happy when my students from last time still remembered me; shouting: “Madame Helen is back!”. One even still remembered my full name and we spend our time remembering all the shared memories from my last visit. What made me sad, however, was to find out that my students still did not have a new Maths teacher – I was teaching them Maths during my stay…

Maranatha prep-school in 2013

Many of the teachers at Maranatha prep-school had become my friends during the three months that I had worked there and I was so happy to see many of them again. However, many had left the school to teach elsewhere or to further their education, so there were many new teachers who had only just left Senior High School and many of who were younger than me! Whilst I spoke to many of them it became clear that they did not intend on staying at Maranatha prep-school for long, but were rather just waiting for their exam results before furthering their education or taking on a different job. It seemed like this was their kind of “summer job” and as many did not aspire to become teachers, this was reflected in their attitude towards teaching the students at this school...

Remembering my time in 2011

Education is often stated as the key to development and providing children with a brighter future. However, I believe that only good quality education can do this with teachers that are motivated and inspire. Sadly, I was unsure if this was the case here! A main problem in Ghana seems to be that many people become teachers not because that is what they want to become, but because these are the jobs available and many schools are in desperate need for just about anyone who can teach the children. In addition, young teachers that have just left Senior High School also receive a lower salary, so they are often chosen above the better qualified and experienced individuals. This was clearly also the case at my old school here in Ghana. Teachers normally only stay for short periods of time at each school and I am sure that this too effects students achievements and learning.

Back to the positive info :) The best part of the day was probably to see my host dad again and my host brother! My host dad, Rev. John is also the director of the school, so I spend much time also talking to him and catching up about everything that had happened in my absence. He has now started his own charity called JAWU Hope Foundation. So do take a look at his website http://www.jhopefoundation.com/ and why not like their facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/JawuHopeFoundation/info? Their mission is to provide assistance to the less privileged children in their community through education. Most of the volunteers will be placed at Maranatha prep-school and of course, I am a great fan of this school and believe it is in desperate need of some inspirational and motivated teachers to make learning more fun! To contact the foundation e-mail info@jhopefoundation.com or contact me! At the moment, the lease of the land the school is built on will expire in 2014, so they have already purchased a new plot of land and are starting the building process for the new school. I really do hope that it will be done on time for the students of this school to continue their education. If you would like to help with this building project you can always contact me and I can put you in contact with the director, Rev. John.

I can’t wait to report on all of the adventures ahead and all of the experiences I will gain during this second trip to Ghana :) Keep your eyes open for even more updates :) 

And why not follow me on twitter for many more and frequent exciting tweets on what is happening on the ground here in Ghana! https://twitter.com/HelenDenyer 

Thank you for your help in raising an amazing £530 during my Global Giving UK Bake Sale!

I have now been in Ghana for more than a month and I realise that it has been just as long since I have updated my blog… :( I was thinking about it all of the time, but the internet connection has been very slow and limited and, therefore, all the blog posts that I have already completed had to wait until now to be uploaded! Over the following days I will be uploading them one by one, so keep checking to stay updated! :) I have now also purchased a mobile internet modem that I can use for any future blog posts I create :) In this post I hope to share with you more about the fundraising Bake Sale that I held on 23^rd June in Shere, Surrey in aid of Global Giving UK:

The day was a great success! With all of the generous help of many neighbours, family members and friends we were able to bake so many cakes, cookies, waffles and even pretzels (there had to be something German too ;) )! The weather held with us for most of the day too and, of course, without the many kind purchasers who often also gave a generous donation we would never have been able to raise a staggering £530 for Global Giving UK! I never expected to raise so much and I am certain that the money will go to a fantastic cause! While I am visiting the projects out in Ghana I will be keeping you posted about where the donations will go and how they will be used!

Victoria and Min stopping cars :)

Victoria decorating cupcakes

Special Thanks goes to my old school friends Min and Victoria, who were able to bring great enthusiasm, joy and countless ideas, which made the day so fun and successful! The night before the Bake Sale, we stayed up late baking and preparing the decorations for the table and rapping cakes and cookies. On the day, too, they were great at persuading walkers, cyclists and church goers to enjoy a piece of cake and were happy to explain more about Global Giving UK! 

Frank selling pretzels

My younger brother, Frank, surprised me with his great self-confidence as he stood by the side of the road with a huge sign around his neck, stopping cars that were passing through the village, in his hands holding a basket of freshly baked pretzels and making sure that everyone knew how delicious they were!

Of course such a Bake Sale could never take place without the help of MUM, who spent the entire week helping me bake and helping me buy all the needed ingredients! I believe together we came up with some great cake ideas that sold well, such as the Chocolate-Orange cupcakes. Many other recipes were sent through by friends and family and were put to great use on the day.

I will be holding another Bake Sale on October 6^th and hope that on this day some other old school friends, perhaps even from Germany, will join me to make the day another success! So please do send me any easy to make cake recipes that I can use for that one :)

Thank you everyone! I really enjoyed the day, even though it was exhausting, it was so fulfilling and I love knowing that all the money and time and effort has been well spend and will go to amazing causes in Ghana!