GSE Team donates mosquito nets

First of all I would like to thank all of the clubs who donate funds for us to take on our GSE trip. We were able to raise $2,500 to take with us to Ghana and Burkina Faso. So what have we done with the money?

While we were in Kumasi, Ghana we attended a Rotary club meeting during which the Rotoractors from the local polytechnic college gave a short presentation on their efforts to raise funds for an upcoming project. Their were funding a hepatitis B screening and vaccination of 500 students at their school. They were a couple of hundred dollars short of their goal and so the team decided to donate $100 to further their cause. As it happened their was a group of Rotarians from Holland at the meeting that were their with Habitat for Humanity. Not to be outdone, one of the Dutch Rotarians also contribute 100 euros which gave the Rotoractors all of the funds  they need to go ahead with the program.

While attending a meeting of the Ouagadougou Millennium Rotary club, I asked that they tell us if they had any water projects for our district to partner on in the future and also if they had any specific needs that we could satisfy with the remainder of the monies collected before we left. As it turned our they have an ongoing project to donate mosquito nets to women who have just delivered babies. Malaria kills more people in Burkina Faso than does AIDS or any other disease, particularly infants. Of course we did not hesitate to join them in this effort and on Monday, April 26, we visited the Charles De Gaulle  pediatric hospital, the largest in Burkina Faso. Following a very formal gathering with many speeches thanking Rotary for all of the help they have given and the GSE team for their latest donatinon, we proceeded to distribute some of the first 250 nets that had been delivered to the hospital. In total the $2,400 that the clubs of district 6400 donated will enable the local Rotary club to deliver more that 400 nets. This hopefully will save the lives of over 400 children that would other wise succumb to malaria, and maybe some of the mothers.

Again I thank the clubs who donated and I’m sure that those whose lives will be saved would also thank you if they could.

Derek

The 2010 “Team” Song

Blog Update

Thanks for all of you who are following our progress in Ghana. First of all I apologize for the fact that it is not always as up to date as we would like. Not always easy finding the time or the means to update it. I have just done some updates on the Travelogue page but unfortunately forgot to bring my camera to the internet cafe to upload photos. Will correct that soon.

We will make a change soon so that you will see the individual posts on the home page when you log in. That way you can also make comments on each individual post.

Thanks for watching

Derek

Travelling Down the Highway

We’ve now left Accra.  Our host family was incredibly generous and caring for our well-being, along with the local Rotarians in the vicinity of Accra.  We’re having a great time.  Admittedly the spice of the food will be a gradual morphing for my taste buds but I’m sure it’ll finally transition.  I’m happy we’re having a schedule that is somewhat relaxed in the Cape Coast area – some sleep catch-up is definitely in order after the incredibly hectic (and fulfulling) week we’ve had in Accra.  Engineering and water treatment is practiced identically to Canadian facilities.  We’ve visited the Water Institute, the local Water Authority, and Zoom Lion Waste Management.  The Ghanaian people definitely have the expertise at their fingertips in-house; it will be convincing the powers that be to allocate appropriate funding levels to the various programs that will be tricky.  (Sound familiar?  )

We’ve now reached Cape Coast and the scenery along the way has been spectacular.  The ocean is a marvel.

I’m looking forward to the next stops on our journey.  The Rotary GSE Team in District 9100 has moved mountains for us and have accommodated us as if we’re family while we’re here.  This will be the primary legacy of this trip that I will never forget – the endless joy and generosity of the people here.

Andrew

So far…

Greetings from Tema, Ghana.  I won’t recap what Derek has just put down but I wanted to certainly emphasize how interesting of a country Ghana is and how hospitable our hosts have been so far.  The world feels a whole lot smaller now, that’s for sure, and I have been having a fantastic time so far!  Looking forward to what’s in store next.

Andrew

See our new travelogue page

We have created a new page to document our travels through Ghana and Burkina Faso. Click here or on Travelogue at the top of this page

Getting ready for departure

Hi All -

As I prepare to depart on the GSE trip to Ghana and Burkina Faso, I thought I should take a few moments to reflect and share my thoughts. The day before departure always feels like the calm before the storm. Bag is packed. Room is cleaned. It’s a lovely day in Ann Arbor, MI – unseasonably warm is an understatement. But, I made the joke today that the weather this week was incrementally preparing me for the 100 degrees we’ll meet upon deplaning in Ghana. After our trip 70 degree days will undoubtedly feel chilly. Having traveled to India last summer I felt surprisingly prepared and comfortable as the weeks prior to departure became only days. And then today it hit me: Ghana and Burkina Faso are going to be nothing like India. I have no idea what to expect. And that is what I love most about traveling. It is a rare chance to truly stretch our limits, taste new tastes, and define who we are in unparalleled situations. I have been doing some reading in the realm of needs assessments and water/sanitation interventions. I am very much looking forward to our upcoming conversations surrounding water and health – my passion.

I hope you all will follow our journey. We’ll post updates as often as we can.

Let the adventure begin!

Flight plans finalized

Yesterday we finalized the flight plans for our arrival in and departure from District 9100. RITS has issued tickets for flight leaving Detroit in the evening of 2 April, flying via Amsterdam and arriving in Accra, Ghana in the evening of 3 April.

While arrangements for our trip within District 9100 have not been finalized, the following is what our team has requested to do while we are there.

After arriving in Accra (and hopefully getting a little rest after the travel) we have asked to visit Anomabo where the R.E.L.A.Y. teams have been performing projects in recent years, under the leadership of DGN Michael and Shelly Duben. We hope to visit the school and clinic where work has been performed.

We are planning to meet with members of the Accra-East club who will hopefully be able to give us information on projects that have been identified in the eastern region. These projects are being actively pursued by the Water and Sanitation Rotary Action Group (WASRAG) and have already been allocated $1M in matching funds from USAID. Hopefully the team can visit some of the 111 communities who are being serviced by this program and maybe get to do some hands on work.

Our desire is to travel to Tamale further north after this and meet with the club in this town. We are hoping that we will be allowed to have a mid-trip rest period at the Mole National Park which is close to Tamale, following which we would like to proceed to a town in the upper west region called Jirapa. I have been talking with Godfrey Bachir (?sp) of the Windsor 1918 club, who just returned from this region of Ghana and might possibly be able to identify some service opportunities for us while we are there.

Following this we plan to make our way over the boarder into Burkina Faso and culminate our trip with the District Conference being held in the capital, Ouagadougou on 29th April through 1st of May.

Finally we will depart on 2nd May to return to Detroit via Paris. A couple of us will be making a stop over in Paris on 3rd May to visit family in Europe or just to have a good time. The rest of the team will arrive in Detroit in the evening on 3rd May.

Of course we will still not be done: District conference on Mackinac Island on the 13th May and many club presentations in teh months to come.

THINGS ARE COMING TOGETHER.

Team selected for trip to District 9100, West Africa

Earlier this month our selection committee interviewed 9 candidates from the district for the Group Study Exchange team which will travel to Burkina Faso and other countries within District 9100 next April.

The team members selected are:

Katie Bush. A researcher in waterborne disease, sponsored by the Taylor Rotary Club.

Andrew Dowie. A civil engineer working in sewer and waste water drainage, sponsored by the Windsor St. Clair Rotary Club.

Athena Kolbe. A social worker who has past experience in water projects and the effects water has on communities, sponsored by the Detroit Rotary Club.

Paul Mourad. A civil engineer working in sewer and drainage systems, sponsored by the Windsor St. Clair Rotary Club.

Congratulations to the successful applicants and thanks to all of the excellent candidates who showed interest in this program.