LETTER FROM THE NORTH III

Dear Sisters,

I bring you tales of my trip to the field in the three Northern regions of Ghana. I have had some very unbelievable experiences, some frightening, some hilarious but all in all very educational and fulfilling.

Gifty and I set off on the morning of February 15, 2008 for a 17 day visit to AWDF’s grantees in the North of Ghana. It is a long ride you know, about 10 hours or more. We however took a thirty minute rest in Kumasi, the second biggest city in Ghana. Thereafter the ride was lonely; you rarely pass through major towns. You mostly see huts and perhaps what I will call communities.

But two nasty incidents happened on the highway all of which could have been fatal and both involved toddlers. One toddler was about two years old and the other three years. As we drove on the highway past Sunyani at a speed of about 120 km per hour all we saw was a 2 year old toddler crossing the road. This was not in the middle of a town or near settlements. Apparently there were some people walking on both sides of the road (not a lot of people to make you notice them easily). I am sure they were either going to visit people in the next settlement or returning from a visit. This toddler I believe was walking with the mother on one side of the road and I am sure slipped off without the mother noticing to join a couple walking on the other side of the road. It simply was the hand of God at work because it was only a miracle that we could stop right in front of the child. The child was frightened out of her skin and as for us we were too shocked to move on. We actually had to stop for a few minutes before we continued. However that taught us a lesson, to look out for the unexpected on this lonely road. We did not need to wait long to put the lesson we had learnt minutes earlier to be put to use. A second incident, happened about an hour later replaying the same scenario this time an elderly man crossed the road a safe distance before our vehicle got there and once again I believe the child left the mother unawares and run across the road to the father or a relative on the other side of the road, meanwhile the vehicle was approaching at a good speed. The man on the other side of the road saw the scenario and quickly run across the road and swept the child off the road, oh my gosh what a thrashing the child received from the man, I am sure it will forever be etched in the child’s memory.

In fact as we drove on the highway and the alleys and valleys of the field a variety of things dangerously crossed our path apart from humans. Among those things that crossed our vehicles during the trip to the North were children, bicycle riders with what I will call passengers, motor riders, a lamb in a bow tie, a donkey drawing a cow, a man with a cow tied around his back riding a bicycle, a man with a calf on its shoulders, birds of all kinds including pigeons, doves, and guinea pigs, a snake, pigs, donkeys, goats, sheep, cow and dogs. There were some clear obstructions as well as herds of cattle taking over a main road and for minutes we had to coax this herd of cattle to make way for us. In fact for the first time I did witness a whole family of the Fulani tribe in transit following their herd which means both the boy and girl children are most unlikely to have any education. The Fulani’s are nomads.

I also did make some observations, mothers riding motor bikes with their children some as young as two years, not tied, behind them; two boys falling off a truck (not as in a vehicle but the truck for carting goods) in the middle of a busy highway; a regular scene was passengers on top of buses sometimes without carriers; huts without windows, dried rivers I (I hear cars actually drive on them at this time of the year), the man made dams for storing water, the rice and tomato fields are a sight to behold, the dry baobab and shea butter trees…

When I see you I will personally tell you of the walks through the vast sandy hot patchy lands, the drives on the foot paths, the drive through the busy market, the expert children bicycle riders, the bee keeping adventure, the donkey drawing the cow, the man with the cow tied around his back riding a bicycle, the puncture on the lonely route to the village of Nyogbare; the welcome dance and songs of the appreciative women, the harsh weather conditions, the trip to the village of Trikpaa in the Savelungu Nanton District and meeting the family of our very own brother, Matthew (the office assistant) and the many tales of going to the field. It is going to be an all day affair.

See you soon

Yours truly
Beatrice