Anna The Explorer: Goodbye Ghana!

So I have just arrived to South Africa and thought I should put a quick post on saying goodbye to Ghana and list some of the things I have learned while there. Throughout the project I have always wondered how much profit the beneficiaries would be making with selling the Gari that they make out of the casava and how those profits compare to selling oranges or other goods. I was finally able to speak to the NGO's finance officer from whom I learned alot about the donation process.

Essentially, the cost benefit analysis was never done for this project or, for the most part, typical NGO projects. The way it works usually is the donors ask the communities about what they need then sends out a request for proposals to the various NGOs in the area to see who can implement it. So in this case the French Embassy went to the village and found out the number one thing they would like to have is cassava processing equipment. Then HFFG won the bid to then implement the project. No where along this chain of events is the cost benefit analysis, or other analyses, done to ensure that this project is the most beneficial project for the community. So in the end the machines are put in place and the ladies end up not using the machine because either some of them have to travel further to process cassava now, some of the communities don't get along with the other communities, or they don't want to work as a "team" to produce the gari to sell.

However, the other side of the story is that even if the analysis was done and it was determined that the best thing for the village would be to sell orange juice, the project would also fail miserably. The reason is if its not the idea of the village, even with much education of the benefits, the majority of the people would not understand and would dismiss the solution. There was even one instance of a village that complained about walking for an hour to the river to get water. So in working with an NGO the village put in a pump where they can get the water. After the installation the village ended up still going to the river for water. The reason? The water from the well tastes funny.

Through my experience here I have definitely learned that all the business stuff you learn in school don't always apply in real life. The ladies are not always motivated by the idea of making more money and sometimes don't understand the concept of long term planning.

The people I have met in Ghana have been extremely generous and hospitable and I will miss them tremendously! Although, my first hot shower in a month did feel AMAZING. On a side note, I went to meet up with Micheal in Accra on one of my last days there. On the way there I was lost and asked for directions to the tro-tro station from some strangers on the side of the road who then offered to take me to the meeting place. "Ok, strange men, I will jump into your mini-van, thanks for the ride!" Hahaha. In retrospect, I could be dead. : )