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Before getting to Ghana
Before arriving in Ghana and going to our community on the Medical Brigade, I didn't really think about my privileges or the relationships I would make. I was thinking about exploring and new places. -
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Time before, during ,and after Ghana
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arrival
Upon arrival to the community, it really hit me why I was there. I met so many wonderful kids that were so happy that I was there that I felt like I already accomplished something by having fun with these kids and teaching them about their health. Hopefully, making an impact that could help to sustain this community beyond my brief visit -
entertainment
The community gathered and even put on a show for us with this dancer. We felt so welcomed and wanted. -
It's not about me
Once I met the kids and community, I realized that even though this service may have benefits for me, it really has nothing to do with me. I was there to make these kids happy and help provide healthcare. Throughout the rest of my trip and my next brigade, it helped to keep this in mind when doubting the impact I could have. -
commonground
"There is no way for you to really meet with the underprivileged, since there is no common ground whatsoever for you to meet on" -Ivan Illich, To Hell with Good Intentions. I strongly disagree with some peoples views on service. Yes, there are many dynamics and many people do not serve with the right intentions, but there are many ways that a priviliged person and an underprivileged person can have common ground. Even with massive culture differences, I was able to find common ground. -
What difference am I making?
Later in my medical brigade, I began to wonder what difference am I making for this community. Yes, I am helping to provide medical assistance and relief, but it is all very temporary. How much am I helping by doing this. By helping this one community for a week, how does that impact everyone else in the future. Will this one 'starfish' really make a difference. Am I thinking about the survival of this community and their feelings? -
'stop hurling starfish'
"Talk, listen, build relationships, know your self, your environment; work with others where they and the situation itself can teach you how to act with more and more knowledge and effectiveness. Stop hurling starfish" - Keith Morton, Starfish Hurling and Community Service. This I agree with, if the service isn't thought through. Towards the end of my week on medical, I believed more that we weren't just randomly helping people. We were acting with effectiveness. -
good bye
Yes, I am privileged and every day, even on this last day in Ghana of the Medical Brigade I felt odd pulling out my camera and load of unnecessary belongings from my backpack. I was the one that felt odd with these things around so many people that didn't even have shoes. But the people of the community, this little girl, they didn't find it odd (that I know of). They were just happy that we were there, even if we were just dancing. -
good bye
Saying goodbye was very difficult! By the end of the trip we all had new reasons why we wanted to stay or return. To keep building those old relationships, and make new relationships. But most of all I wanted to return because the people that we met wanted us there and the services we were giving could perpetuate into more comfortable lives. -
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back home
In this timespan it is easy to forget all that happened and why I wanted to do it in the first place, along with what I had learned. I really made sure that if I was going to do it again it would help the community and not make them dependent on Global Brigades. -
organizing
working hard to get everyone together to travel to Ghana. Lots to do! -
All this work
Before leaving for Ghana again, and this time organizing a lot of the trip, I often wondered if it was worth it or if the people actually wanted us there. But the more work I had to do the more I saw that so much research goes into these trips. It's not just random families that we go and help. These are communities that have also agreed. -
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Public Health and Water
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Water and Public Healthe Brigade
I came into the Water/PH brigade with a lot more optimism for what we would be doing. I felt that I was doing something more preventative that could really bring about long-term change for the families we were helping. -
work
"By definition, you cannot help ultimately being vacationing salesmen for the middle-class 'American way of life'"- Ivan Illich. There are many projects that think helping is maybe buying some gadget that could make the unfortunate's lives easier, but I feel that we were able to build and implement resources that accomadate our families' way of life. Teaching them how to collect water in an environment with little water resources, instead of just throwing money at them and buying them a filter. -
power & relationships
We aren't only making relationships with the families and community over our class status, as Illich seems to imply, but over our differences. Learning from eachother, humbling eachother, and encouraging eachother. We built relationships with the community through religion and learning. This is the chief of Srafa Aboana. He, along with others in the community, were asked first if they would like us to come and provide service. -
teaching
Having a teaching day for the kids about water, hygiene, and their environment really made me believe that what we were doing would be sustainable and help their way of life. It re-iterated that what we were doing was on the path of social change and beyond just a temporary charity situation. (Morton, The Irony of Service) -
Good Bye, again
"...Magnify inequalities of power, and make the served dependent on the expert"- Keith Morton, The Irony of Service. At the end of this second trip I knew my service and my teams' service was beneficial, even with its complexities. We built things that were manageable not only for us, but also for them. I was often concerned that the services wouldn't be sustainable but our team brainstormed with Global Brigades to find options for the community once the organization left.
