Dear readers 
I am having a great first week at MOFA. The staff is very helpful and supportive of my work. I have been able to contribute to the work of the Monitoring and Evaluation department by updating spreadsheets and providing advice on computer matters while completing a diagnostic of MOFA’s programs and beginning to design a baseline study which I will complete over the next two months.
In other exciting news I have settled into a home just outside of town, about a 25 minute bike ride away from work. It is a community called Kantia. The photos are of my roomate Lizzy and some neighbours that we met on a daily stroll through the village.
Each night a group of local kids comes to sit on a pile of cement bricks piled at the side of the road. Everyone laughs a lot! The kids make fun of each other by saying that their toes are soft like Fufu, or that they say things in a funny way, etc… The translations into english from the local language, grunsi, don’t always make sense… but we have fun working with rudimentary communication all the same.
It has been pleasant to receive all of your email and I look forward to replying to all of it as soon as possible. Next post will be an issue related topic… maybe the change in the denomination of Ghana’s currency planned for July. There are commercials all over television, but rural communities may still be challenged to see the numbers on their bills changed from 1000 cedis to 1 Ghana Pesoe.
Until next time!
5 Comments
March 18, 2007 at 1:38 am
Hey Sarah!
Thanks for the update! Sounds like you’re jumping into work, and I’m glad you’ve found a place to live as well.
I think it would be great to hear about the change from cedis to pesoes… I’ve only heard a little bit about the switchover, from one of my brothers in Tamale, but I assume it’s driven by the advantages it will give to those in the major cities in the south. I’m very interested to hear how you think this will affect those living in the rural villages of the north.
Keep up the posting, as it’s great to hear these little stories
Thanks again,
Ben
March 20, 2007 at 7:58 pm
hey Sarah!
WOW, I have to say I’m really impressed: 4 posts so far, in less than one month! That’s amazing! I must say I’m surprised
(I love you Sarah) and I hope they keep coming!
I’ve loved reading about your experiences so far. It sounds like things are going really well! I also looked over the workshop you put together for your WP and it looks great – I can’t wait to try it out!
Wishing you lots of love from Canada,
Erin
March 21, 2007 at 3:04 am
Happy Birthday, Sarah!
March 21, 2007 at 2:25 pm
Hey Sarah!
Happy Birthday! I’m really curious to hear more about the currency change. Will it affect those really small transactions? Is the new minimum too high?
Just wanted to say that I’m pretty excited to follow your adventures and am glad you’ve found a place where laughter and good company is common.
Enjoy and have a wonderful birthday!
Josh
March 30, 2007 at 6:32 pm
More conversations on the currency change have been really interesting – Many rural people don’t use banks and there are concerns that they will refuse to change their money – which people generally keep by the bagful in their homes.
The jingle on GhanaTV here goes: “There is no change in value, the value is the same”
Unfortunately, informal exchange of currency is the norm here and the balck market exchange rates seem to fluctuate a lot… so it’s a concern whether the jingle will be as true in the rural north as it will be in the more populated and ‘developed’ south of Ghana.