Project Update

My PC-designated counterpart has gone to school near the coast and will be attending for the next few years. He was the financial secretary of our TMT, so we found someone to replace him. The person we found is a good friend of mine in the village -- kind of a counterpart and friend. So, a few weeks ago we re-vamped the record-keeping system for the financial secretary and treasurer. It is now a much clearer system. The financial secretary before the new one, my counterpart, kept very odd records that are very hard to understand and follow. He also took over 100 Ghana Cedis of the TMT's money with him to school. Says he'll pay it back in December when he comes back for break. Hmmm...we'll see. Amazing the things you are able to find out a year into service! Ha!

The palm oil women are doing well and have saved about 60GHc! Awesome! We've written a basic constitution which is a step toward opening a bank account for the group. ALl we need now is to organize the 3 signatories and get the Cooperatives Officer to write a resolution letter. Also, I am trying to get the women to get information together (building estimates, supply lists, etc.) so I can write a proposal to get funding to build a structure for them to do the work in, possibly buy machines and get some business training in the local language (language gap is just too large for me to effectively do it). I know we can get the money, so I want them to do the work that they are able to do. I won't just hand it to them.

Lastly, my English Reading and Writing Club has taken off! WE've met about 5 times (once per week since the term started). About 10-20 students show up every week. I've started with simple simple things: what a sentence is, what a sentence begins and ends with and some vocabulary words (their capability is supposed to be better than this by their year, but the school system is just so poor). We had a small exam a few weeks ago and, sadly, most didn't do well. Maybe they just can't understand me? Maybe what I think is simple isn't? Who knows, but at least they are hearing me speak and practicing reading and writing. My friend in the north teaches too and she's had the same issue: lessons don't seem to be sinking in. But it is really fun -- I look forward to it each week!