November? Is it really almost November? (wrote this in October) Time is flying, and I’m again lacking on updating the world on “my life” as a Peace Corps Volunteer.

I believe that it was two written posts ago I talked about how disgruntled I was with my assigned project, and my assigned organization. How I’d been struggling with finding work to occupy myself during my time here (rather than pulling my hair out), and how I felt that I wasn’t going to leave a positive impact upon anyone in my village (because I had been focusing my energy outside my village where there was work to be had).

Let me tell you, times have finally changed. I’m FINALLY busy in my village (my mom has been telling me that I have a positive outlook on my Peace Corps service again… at last!). I have an organization that actually has members (16 to be exact… woo hoo!), has been having weekly meeting and a weekly workday, and has two projects that it’s working on.

I finally said adios to my assigned organization (really I just told my supervisor that I was done trying to work with him, when I wasn’t getting anywhere with his non existent group, with a project that was never going to happen), and approached my self-picked counterpart about starting a Women’s Group. He told me that he had helped start one a few years back, and that he would gather the women to see if they wanted to re-start the group. (Yes my self-picked counterpart is male, and he is apart of the women’s group too, but I need him there to translate and he has helped me to mobilize this group… so it’s a “women’s plus one man group.”)

About two months ago the first meeting was had, and I asked the women if they would be interested in working with me. I asked if they had a project in mind that they wanted to start but needed funds, motivation and support from others. I also ask if they would be willing to learn things from me. And the new Kute-Buem Women’s Group was formed.

The main thing all the women said they wanted from this group was to help them generate income (in reality everyone wants to generate income, because most rural villagers struggle with paying school fees, keeping up with repairs for the house, keeping the children healthy, and feeding all the mouths during the dry season when the money from the rainy farm season has ended.) I then asked them what skills everyone had, and what they thought they could do to help themselves generate some income (more what support could I give these people, rather than just being the white girl that make it rain cash… I want these women to work for what they want).

Since I live in a little farming Mecca of the Volta Region, most everyone knows how to farm, and that’s what the women said they wanted to do. But the farming season is usually from May to October/November… the rainy season. The women said that they didn’t think we could start farming until the rains come again. I asked them if they would be interested in “Dry Season Farming,” a concept that Peace Corps Volunteers are trying to get spread across Ghana to help promote food security. This got their attention… farming during the dry season… eating fresh vegetables when normally none are available… selling fresh vegetable at Kute-Buem’s market for a higher price because no other produce is available. The women were getting excited (I feel like I could almost see their minds turning on with the idea of making a bit more income.) We had a project… Dry Season Farming (still searching for funding to buy the dry season farming supplies though.) We were given a plot of land; we set up a nursery, and started nursing some vegetable seeds such as okra, tomato, hot peppers, and cabbage. So far it’s a success!

I then asked the women if the new how to sew (got a few yeses), because I had a project in mind that could help them generate income faster than farming. And this way we’re not putting “all out eggs in one basket” so to say. I found a company back home (Osage Gardens) and asked if they would be willing to sell cloth grocery bags made from used flour sacs form Ghana at their farm store, and at all the farmers markets they attend. We had a yes on both sides. Prices were agreed upon, and the first order was placed.

Sundays after church (church is the life of these people) we have our meetings, and Wednesdays are “work days.” And sometimes Fridays and Saturdays are workdays depending on the amount of work that needs to be done. These women are motivated, they are inspirational, and they are determined to be leaders for the next generation.