We are Peace Corps Ghana Environment 2010-2012

The days tend to all blend and I have a hard time telling a Monday from a Friday, and a Saturday from a Tuesday… the only day of the week that I know what day it actually is, is Sunday when my village people dress in their finest to attend church.  But during these past few months, when all the days seem as one I have been working hard with my Women’s Group trying to give them ‘life skills’ before I depart from Ghana. 

The pepper (pepe) farm is up and running with the first harvest just around the corner.  From a previous project… building rabbit cages (so happy to of had that project be a success!)… we have been able to collect the rabbit poop and use it as manure around the pepper plants and well as using the weeds as a carbon layer to add nutrients back into the soil.  The hardest part about the pepper farm is convincing the women that they MUST water, as that was the whole point behind this project of  “dry season farming.”  With the extra space that the Women’s Group was given for farming, we have been planting ginger, the second largest cash crop in the part of Ghana that I live in.  We purchased 15 bowls (not just a salad bowl size, but rather 10 salad bowls put together) of ginger and have been planting it during the past few weeks.  Ginger takes about 10 months to grow, and I’m sad (but not really that sad) to say that I won’t be around for the harvest. 

Osage Gardens has just ordered their 4^th round of Flour Sac Bags from the Kute-Buem Women’s Group… turning the “Flour Sac Project” into a huge success to help the women in my Women’s Group generate money through life skills.

I have been “hanging out” with my “small boy” … as he had been trying to teach me the local language, and I’ve been trying to introduce him to American Cuisine.  He is now a major fan of banana bread, and can successfully make it himself in a Dutch oven.  I’ve also had him try, pesto pasta (unfortunately not from my parents basil), pizza (made in a Dutch oven), salad (with a vinaigrette dressing, rather than just mayonnaise), Asian stir-fry with tofu, as close of Mexican as I can get in Ghana (homemade tortillas, guacamole, etc.)  I’m really trying to show him that the world has more than just fufu to offer.   

I played a small part in helping plan the annual All Volunteer Conference for Peace Corps Ghana Volunteers.  Sponsored by the Feed the Future Initiative, we talked about “Pounding out Hunger” in Ghana through various Food Security projects.  Everything from making cheese, and jam, to soil conservation, back yard gardening, bee farming, and solar drying was discussed during the three day conference.  It was truly a success as volunteers went back to site with ideas that play into all the sectors of Peace Corps Ghana. 

It’s hard to believe that my service is almost up, and in 3 to 4 months I’ll be state side enjoying everything that the US has to offer… excited… VERY!