The NGO
DAY FOUR
Friday, May 12th, 2006
Friday was NGO day. Tamale is the NGO capital of the world, and it lived up to its name as we entered the NGO sector of the city, where Oxfam and WorldVision catherals sit behind guarded gates and thorn-ridden walls. OIC was down the same road as Oxfam. Luke took us over as a group and we all split up to go meet our respective partners. We did not realize that OIC was much further down the road than we originally planned, and we also took a few wrong turns because the signboards directing us in the proper direction had been removed. We ended up arriving at OIC an hour late. A great first impression for a new partner organization to think about Engineers Without Borders. However, in Ghanaian fashion, were were just in time. The regional coordinator left for another meeting, but we were able to meet with our local directors, as well as meet some of the staff. We booked another meeting for 2pm that day, and then headed off to the main road to find our way to Luke's office.
We were introduced to Nancy Cosway, who works for the Canadian High Commission. She has been living in Tamale for many years, and is in charge of contacting all Canadians in the region if there is an emergency. This is an extra precaution that goes beyond EWB's already stringent Emergency Response Plan (ERP), but comforting to know that the government will be aware of our location if there is an immediate danger. She was also a nurse and offered to help us out with any health concerns.
After filling out the forms, we headed out to Luke's favourite lunch spot for some fried yams. They are served with hot sauce, curry powder, and a beef sauce, and were so good that Marka and myself returned for dinner after work.
In the afternoon, we returned to OIC and met with our respective regional reps. Marka met with Patrick, the WATSAN (Water & Sanitation) Coordinator in Tamale, and I met with Osmund, who co-ordinates the Micro-Enterprise operations of OIC. The size of the organization is truly phenomenal for such a successful NGO. These were just two of the four areas in which OIC operates, and it has operations in seven districts throughout northern Ghana.
We finished our meetings, met with the Program Coordinator, and headed home in time to attend the farewell party for Tom and Eli. They are two long-term EWB volunteers who have been involved with the organization from the start. This summer, they will be trekking across Africa by bike, boat and foot as an awareness campaign for EWB in Canada. Their blogs and reports will be linked from here when they become available. We met at Tom's house and sat in a big group of about 30 people, sipping Fanta's, sharing stories and digestive cookies. After mingling with Tom's Tamale friends for some time, we headed to a local drinking spot, rightly called Point Seven. We enjoyed some Star Lager, which turned out to be a fantastic beer, which can be enjoyed in 750mL portions for just c7,000.
We headed home at around 12:30 for the weekend.
That was Day Four.
Pictures from Day Four are not yet available. Stay Tuned.
Friday, May 12th, 2006
Friday was NGO day. Tamale is the NGO capital of the world, and it lived up to its name as we entered the NGO sector of the city, where Oxfam and WorldVision catherals sit behind guarded gates and thorn-ridden walls. OIC was down the same road as Oxfam. Luke took us over as a group and we all split up to go meet our respective partners. We did not realize that OIC was much further down the road than we originally planned, and we also took a few wrong turns because the signboards directing us in the proper direction had been removed. We ended up arriving at OIC an hour late. A great first impression for a new partner organization to think about Engineers Without Borders. However, in Ghanaian fashion, were were just in time. The regional coordinator left for another meeting, but we were able to meet with our local directors, as well as meet some of the staff. We booked another meeting for 2pm that day, and then headed off to the main road to find our way to Luke's office.
We were introduced to Nancy Cosway, who works for the Canadian High Commission. She has been living in Tamale for many years, and is in charge of contacting all Canadians in the region if there is an emergency. This is an extra precaution that goes beyond EWB's already stringent Emergency Response Plan (ERP), but comforting to know that the government will be aware of our location if there is an immediate danger. She was also a nurse and offered to help us out with any health concerns.
After filling out the forms, we headed out to Luke's favourite lunch spot for some fried yams. They are served with hot sauce, curry powder, and a beef sauce, and were so good that Marka and myself returned for dinner after work.
In the afternoon, we returned to OIC and met with our respective regional reps. Marka met with Patrick, the WATSAN (Water & Sanitation) Coordinator in Tamale, and I met with Osmund, who co-ordinates the Micro-Enterprise operations of OIC. The size of the organization is truly phenomenal for such a successful NGO. These were just two of the four areas in which OIC operates, and it has operations in seven districts throughout northern Ghana.
We finished our meetings, met with the Program Coordinator, and headed home in time to attend the farewell party for Tom and Eli. They are two long-term EWB volunteers who have been involved with the organization from the start. This summer, they will be trekking across Africa by bike, boat and foot as an awareness campaign for EWB in Canada. Their blogs and reports will be linked from here when they become available. We met at Tom's house and sat in a big group of about 30 people, sipping Fanta's, sharing stories and digestive cookies. After mingling with Tom's Tamale friends for some time, we headed to a local drinking spot, rightly called Point Seven. We enjoyed some Star Lager, which turned out to be a fantastic beer, which can be enjoyed in 750mL portions for just c7,000.
We headed home at around 12:30 for the weekend.
That was Day Four.
Pictures from Day Four are not yet available. Stay Tuned.
posted by Kyle at 10:13
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