Mike in Ghana with VSO

Mike's assignment with VSO working in Organisational Development (OD)

Friday, May 21, 2010

A week (mostly) in Walewale, and a Joint Introduction Meeting

We have an interesting time over the weekend communicating with a new VSO volunteer who may be coming to Walewale. Communication methods include email and then a phone call on the Sunday evening. I stick my neck out a little and make some suggested changes to the Placement Description that the new volunteer has been sent, and send this amended version to the potential new volunteer and to Dora the VSO Ghana Education Programme Manager and to Skev in the UK who arranges these education placements. Charlotte is too malarial to get into emailing, but does join in the phone call.

Once again I attend the Monday meeting  at the District Education Office on Charlotte's behalf. This week the value we're looking at is Teamwork, and Robert Kwame runs a little drama encountering various obstacles and needing help. In the picture he is being obstructed by an ant.
However, one disappointment is that the District Teacher Support Team meeting, which last week sounded so much on track, does not appear to have happened without Charlotte to remind the participants on the day. It's very hard to get people to treat a meeting as a commitment rather than just an invitation which they may or may not take up if they remember.
In the VSO Bolga office, here is Damien having an in-depth organisational development discussion with Jemimah. Probably. After last week's meeting in Accra I have agreed with Cath in Jirapa that she can be an Upper West supporter for Education, and Damien has agreed to support Education volunteers in Upper East and Northern Region. Jemimah is the supporter for the Participation and Governance programme area. And I should really be saying G-SAP (Guided Self-Assessment Process) rather than "organisational development" as that is the new VSO Ghana terminology. G-SAP will mean both the assessment and the subsequent development (i.e. "G-SAP" = "OD" in VSO Ghana).
Here are a few shots from the tro-tro going back to Walewale. It's all looking rather greener now that the rains have started.
In case you were wondering, "stool lands" probably refers to areas with traditional chiefs - e.g. "stool" is the equivalent of  "throne", and I have seen references to chiefs being "de-stooled" if not fit for office.
Next is a very exciting picture. The mains water had been off for some time, and our 200 litre "dustbin" of back-up water was down to its last day's worth (i.e. a couple of buckets). The water comes back just in time, and in the picture you can see that I'm able to fill it up again.
Friday is the Joint Introduction Meeting for Leticia, the Management Support Officer, and for half of Damien's role. Damien is regional gender support for two districts, Talensi Nabdam and here, i.e. West Mamprusi.
 
The Joint Introduction Meeting (JIM) is a gathering of people with an interest in the volunteer's objectives, in order to agree the objectives and work plan. The scene is set by the District Director of Education (see him clutching his new SMC/PTA manual). This is Charlotte's first day out of the house after being laid low with malaria. VSO overall aims of the Education programme are explained, and the volunteers present their proposed objectives.
The meeting is held at the District Assembly (= local council). I thought you'd like to see the facilities for hand-washing. Charlotte has a basin to wash her hands in, though half of the ceramic bowl is missing. However, this is a better facility than in the gentleman's toilets, where basin and taps are missing.
Anyway the meeting concludes with objectives and actions agreed.
But some school classrooms are still missing roofs after the April 22nd storm...
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The different paths to our VSO placements

THE PATH TO CHARLOTTES PLACEMENT

Jan 2009 - With 2 younger children still at university, Charlotte & I apply for short-term work with VSO. Both turned down - I think they aren't taking people short-term unless they have development experience.
(For more insights, see MORE INSIGHTS below).

Feb 2009 - Charlotte offers to go long-term and her application is reconsidered. I will be able to be more flexible (e.g. travel back to UK) if I am her Accompanying Partner (i.e. not volunteering).

April 2009 - Assessment Day, and Charlotte is accepted.

May 2009 - I start to wind down client work, because there is much to be done before we can go overseas.

June 2009 - Preparing to Volunteer course, for both of us.

Charlotte accepts placement in Northern Ghana. We have decided that I will go out with Charlotte to begin with before returning to UK after some weeks abroad.

July 2009 - Skills for Working in Development course for Charlotte.

August 2009 - Family holiday for 9 (Mike, Charlotte, Tom, Sarah, Peter, Abi, Anna, Daniel and Kate) in Normandy.

Sept 2009 - Anna's 21st party - we couldn't go abroad until after this.
The most common question in September is "Mike, how long are you going out for?" The answer is "I don't know - will decide that when we're out there". Final preparations and off to Ghana. Very busy getting ready to go, but when I'm out there I expect to have plenty of free time for a few weeks...
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THE PATH TO MY PLACEMENT

Sept 2009 Day 2 of In-Country Training - I volunteer to assist VSO Ghana with Organisation Development. For more details, see blog over Oct-Nov 2009. I can't claim any expenses, but volunteers are very gracious at inviting me to stay overnight.

Dec 2009-Jan 2010 Back home, collect Anna and Daniel from university, back out to Ghana for 2 weeks over Christmas (see Charlotte's blog), take them back to university.

Jan 2010. Skills for Working in Development course for me.
Start official placement as Organisational Development Adviser.

So one irony is that I have ended up with exactly what I applied for - a short-term volunteer placement that doesn't clash with university holidays. (Business and Trustee commitments would also have prevented me coming out for 12 months).

The other irony is that I thought it unlikely that Charlotte & I would find work in the same place - she was likely to be in a remote deprived area like Northern Ghana, and I was likely to have a national role given my skills. But now I have a national role, based in the deprived North where most of the volunteers are, which is much better for supporting them than back in Accra, the capital city down South on the coast.
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MORE INSIGHTS - are available here (from our church website in Jan 2010)

What’s In, What’s Out.

The Shenley Christian Fellowship blog gives the opportunity for people in the fellowship to share what’s on their mind with a wider audience. This blog entry comes from Mike Cashman who is an SCF Trustee as Head of Finance.

I’ve just seen a burnt area of semi-forest in the Mole National Park in Ghana. The park ranger explained that fresh grass grows a few weeks later, strong and nutritious, and attracts the wild animals.

What does this have to do with the New Year, the call of Abraham, and being a husband, father, Christian, church member, and professional roles as well? Well, let’s see….

In September 2008 our Church Leader Chris Doig preached on Genesis 12:1, the call of Abraham which came when Abraham was comfortable and settled in Haran – Abraham heard God’s call and left his comfort zone. Later Abraham made a move to Egypt which appears to have been his own idea, and that didn’t work out too well. So - sometimes God calls us to move, and sometimes he calls us to stay, and it’s good to discern which way he is calling. In September 2009, after reflecting on this message, Charlotte (my wife) and I found ourselves in Ghana with Voluntary Service Overseas. Definitely out of the comfort zone.

We can apply this message about God’s call beyond physical movement. Sometimes we need to keep on doing what we’re doing – using the gifts he gave us in our various roles, e.g. Christian, husband, father, church member, professional roles, and indeed our roles in social, community and leisure activities (e.g. gardener, goal-keeper, unofficial agony aunt, devotee of our favourite TV series or soap opera). It may be a juggling act or a plate-spinning exercise, but we feel we are just about managing to fulfil each role. But sometimes there are things that just need to be removed from our lives – not to say they’re wrong, but they just need to go to make space for new growth. I’m not referring to temporary disciplines like giving up chocolate or TV for a while – I mean cutting something right out of your life. Sometimes a friendship is one that no longer benefits either party. (I hasten to add that I have no-one in mind personally as I write this!) Maybe that solo sporting hobby which dates from your unmarried life needs to make way for hobbies which involve the family more.

Our change was a little radical. We both removed many professional and community roles from our lives, trying to do this in an orderly fashion. For Charlotte this included teacher, parish councillor, magistrate, chair of Loughton Residents’ Association, school governor, school governor trainer. What Charlotte found hardest to give up was home and face-to-face contact with friends and family. What else had to go, at least for a while? TV, sweet things in general, newspapers, car-driving, on-tap hot water, to name a few. (Not as many as we feared – we’re glad that much of the time we have running water, internet, email and phone contact). But in working out how we would follow a call to Ghana, some things were the rocks of certainty – for example I would still be a Christian, still a husband, still a dad, still a Church member, but no longer do I swell the viewing figures for ‘Match of the Day’.

January – the month which for the Romans was the month that looked forwards and backwards – is not the only time we can assess this question, but it’s a good time to do it. What is in your life? What perhaps is worth taking right out, even if that is painful, to make space for fresh growth? What might God be calling you to do which is completely new? What fresh growth could occur when there is space for it? Or – as you look at how you are fulfilling the various roles God called you to, do you feel his pleasure and encouragement to continue on the same path?

Mike Cashman is an independent programme management consultant based in Milton Keynes, currently assisting with organizational development in Ghana on a short-term basis. He is married to Charlotte, who is the VSO (Voluntary Service Overseas) Teacher Support Officer in Walewale, Northern Ghana. Mike and Charlotte have four children and two daughters-in-law, aged between 19-26.