Watch Out for the Green Mamba! What??!!

So...after months of planning, our group of 17 arrived last Tuesday from USU.  They were met at our apt by our Ghanaian students, except Ramatu who went to the airport with "Prof" to use her husbands influence to clear customs with all their med equipment and supplies.  Our students here used their time while waiting at Alema Court to take a dip in our pool.  After both the van and bus arrived we fed the weary travelers a snack and headed north towards the 13 villages, actually called Townships, and Abomosu. 

(Rest stop)

Dad Jensen supervising Hunter's painting.





  John and I borrowed the Klein's big truck and packed it to the gills with equipment and food for 30 people for 3 1/2 days.

We arrived after dark, after almost 5 hours driving, with the last few miles being the worst pot hole road we have ever been on in our lives!  We stopped first at the lodge that World Joy has up there.  I popped my ready made casseroles into the oven and fed everyone and we kept some students at the Lodge with us and sent the rest to the hotel in the village.  

The next morning we sent them off with an early breakfast and a sack lunch.  Over the next few days they performed hearing screenings and fit hearing aids for villagers at a school and two churches.  They painted a school for World Joy, distributed soccer balls, hiked through the jungle to see an isolated village that uses a BYU invented Merry go round to generate electricity, (check out the video below) and saw a cocoa plantation.  Just before we left, our Doctor said, "Watch out for the Green Mamba snake in the jungle!  We have no anti-venom and your life expectancy if bitten is about 30 min."  Gee, thanks...

The students spent evenings at the Lodge eating and playing games.  That was all very fine except we had a huge rainstorm the first day which knocked out the electricity (the generator picked up sometimes), and we had no running water til the last day.  The students were good sports about hauling water to flush toilets, wash dishes, etc.  There was no AC at all, and it is much warmer inland.   All part of their Ghanaian experience.

Heather's boys distributed some of the 80 soccer balls they brought, and there were some crazy impromptu games!

Well, we headed home Friday afternoon, and the driver decided to take a different way home.  We grew to appreciate the earlier pothole road, because this new one was worse.

Sat morning we drove to the KorleBu hospital where the USU students presented training modules for the Ghanaian students and staff.  We then fought horrible, unusual, weekend traffic trying to take everyone to the "pit" where the wood carvers are.  With the Ghanaian students helping haggle over prices, we think everyone came away with good deals and lots of laughs.

 

We attended church on Sun where we got to hear my cute Primary choir sing for Mother's Day.  Afterwards, we made a quick stop at the Pink Hostel where the students are staying and then hit the road for Cape Coast, a 3 hour drive, but better roads.  John and I checked into our "cabana" at the Gold Coast hotel and had a leisurely dinner at the ocean's edge.  The students went to tour the Elmina slave castle and came home after dark.

Monday morning we were up early, headed to breakfast and sent the students over to the Deaf School and new clinic built here by the Lion's club.  They did hearing screening on students all morning, and then left on the bus to the Kakum National Park after lunch.  We had been there already, so John and I decided to take the afternoon off.  

Tuesday it was back to the clinic at the deaf school for more screenings of students and the community folks.  In the last 2 days they have seen over 400 patients just at the clinic in Cape Coast.  They saw at least 200 in Abomosu.  There is such a crying need here in Ghana.  Today we were joined by Derek from the Starkey Foundation and a young man, Jack, from Georgia who raised money for 150 hearing aids and traveled here with his Dad to help.  John was interviewed 4 times by reporters from the Ghanaian TV and newspapers.  

It was a successful trip (no overspeeding) and tomorrow we are off to our second deaf school.  Better get some sleep.

Pioneers in Ghana, West Africa: So that all may hear!

This is an article requested by the Africa West Area webmaster for the new website. It is a synopsis of the audiology program we have been working on. Thought readers might enjoy.  John Ribera

Much like the pioneers of the 19^th century who crossed the plains of Northern America with nothing more than a handcart and some bare essentials, there are pioneers in the country of Ghana who are making a difference because they have a vision of what could and ought to be.

Audiology is an allied healthcare profession that focuses on the evaluation and rehabilitation of individuals with hearing and balance disorders. Currently in Ghana the population is estimated to be 25 million, whereas the number of audiologists is eight, all trained at institutions outside of Ghana.  Today there is a need for 1000 audiologists to provide needed services from newborn to the geriatric populations throughout Ghana.

Synergy has been defined as “The interaction of two or more agents or forces so that their combined effect is greater than the sum of their individual effects.” (http://www.thefreedictionary.com/synergy, 2013).  This was certainly the case when Emmanuel Kitcher, MD, (Ear Nose and Throat Specialist) at the KorleBu Teaching Hospital in Accra, Ghana (West Africa) met Dr. Isaac Ferguson, representative of LDS Charities, the humanitarian arm of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  Dr. Kitcher had a vision of audiologists dotting the country of Ghana in concert with Ear, Nose, and Throat specialists, providing needed hearing and balance clinical services. This encounter took place in 2003. Since that time there has been an ongoing effort to establish an academic program that would prepare Ghanaians in a post-graduate degree program as audiologists.

The third organization to partner with LDS Charities, and KorleBu Teaching Hospital was the University of Ghana, School of Allied Health Sciences. Dean of the School, Dr. Patrick Ayeh-Kumi exhibited the necessary leadership to ensure that the curriculum would be developed in order for students to matriculate and obtain the newly-formed Masters of Science (MSc) Degree. Shortly thereafter Dr. Anim Sampong was appointed Program Advisor, a position he currently holds.

 Help was sought to identify senior or retired audiologists who might be willing to volunteer their time and expertise in developing the needed program. There were many who answered the call, mostly from the western United States. LDS Charities provided the means necessary to support the efforts of these volunteers who came, sometimes for only a few weeks to provide necessary face-to-face training of students.  Eventually LDS Charities donated a video conferencing system to allow transmissions from the United States by volunteer faculty. In all, a dozen or so professionals have contributed to this program. Medical equipment and supplies have all been donated, in part by LDS Charities as well as other donors. The students have had no textbooks, although a library of used books has be established to which they have access.

The first students selected for the program began their post-graduate program of study in the fall of 2011. As of this date there are six students completing their 2^nd year of study and four students completing their first year. The 2^nd year students will complete their degrees and graduate in November 2013. These graduates will then spend a year in various internships throughout Ghana prior to being certified as professionals. New students are already applying for acceptance into the audiology program for this fall.

In May 2013, the University of Ghana graduate students in audiology are joining forces with graduate students and faculty in audiology from Utah State University (USU) in a 2-week humanitarian/training mission.  The combined group will travel throughout Ghana providing free audiological services at Abomosu and environs, Cape Coast School for the Deaf, Mompong Demonstration School for the Deaf, Adjei Kojo State School for the Deaf (Ashaiman), and the Christianborg Stake Center of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Accra). The humanitarian mission will consist of hearing evaluations, and where needed, the provision of hearing aids for those with significant hearing loss. In addition, the faculty and students from Utah State University will be providing specialized audiometric training for all 10 Ghanaian graduate students.

There will be a grand celebration in late July 2013 recognizing the efforts of all the stake holders in this venture. It will be the 10^th anniversary since the inception of the program. There will be much to celebrate.

What does the future hold for audiology in Ghana? There are plans already in place for satellite clinics throughout Ghana that will provide a place for audiologists and ENTs to work side-by-side providing desperately needed services. New technology that enables testing of patients at a distance, known as telehealth, is being researched as a viable option. In addition the Ministry of Health has just acquired two mobile medical vans especially equipped for audiologists and ENT physicians to conduct clinical services, by traveling to remote areas. Within the past few months a new program has been initiated where all babies born in the KorleBu Teaching Hospital undergo a hearing screening test. This is the only testing of this type in all of Ghana.  Ghana is positioned to become the center of excellence in hearing evaluation and training of audiologists in all of West Africa!

All of this from one man’s vision. What will the next 10 years bring?

“Where there is no vision, the people perish.” (Proverbs 29:18)

Ghana’s first graduates in audiology

Back row: Graham Amposah, Elder John Ribera (USU visiting professor), Sesi

Akotey

Front row: Dr. Kofi Sampong (MSc Program Advisor)

Joyce Anomaob, Elsie Nyarko, Daniel Tumpi and Ramatu Alhassan

           

           Left: Dr. Patrick Ayeh-Kumi, Dean of the School of Allied Health Sciences,

University of Ghana

Right: Dr. Emmanuel Kitcher, Head of ENT Unit and Consultant ENT Surgeon at

KorleBu Teaching Hospital

Signs of the Times

This is our Branch President's daughter at church.  I thought her dress was beautiful and just wanted to show a typical style for church.  They always look absolutely glorious!

For this blog we wanted to showcase a couple funny signs we've run across and some typical Ghanaian sayings.  We ran across this first one the other night while attending the BYU Idaho Choir concert in the National Theater.  Loved it.  I guess it keeps the gum off the chairs!  The concert was a success.  We had a huge turnout from the hospital come and enjoy the evening.

Instead of "No Entrance"... they use "Out of Bounds"   Here are 2 signs in a hospital directing patients to the Herbal Unit.  The Ghanaian people use lots of natural remedies for illness because of the shortage and expense of doctors.  All the doctors in Ghana right now are on strike and have been for a month.  Our hospital here is very quiet with hardly any patients.  If you have an emergency, you must go to the military hospital here in Accra.  They are overwhelmed.

We have a student, Ronald, who always has a picturesque way of talking.  He is brilliant, but makes us laugh.  

Prof...who is trying to sabotage us?  (He asked this after we were denied training for students on the new medical vans brought to Ghana)

I am leaving in sadness....(After another setback)

Prof...there are potholes in my study guide!  (Unanswered questions)

These are typical statements.  To "dash you" is to give you something extra.
"It is finished"- Means it is broken, or we are out of it.  The other day at the market we asked where the flour was.  Is is finished was the reply...no flour.

Not little by little, but "slow by slow".
When giving his students an exam, John does not get someone to "proctor" the exam, but he has someone come in who is called a "vigilator".

Not only do the Ghanaians let you know which houses are for rent or for sale, but which ones are not!
I actually thought this said "house toilet" when I first saw it.

To the right is my favorite sign.  I think of our daughter in law, Brandi Lyn every time I see it.  It is just the processing factory, no tours.  But we have finally found a dark chocolate bar here that is made by Cadbury that is wonderful.  Most of the chocolate is exported.

We only wish the above was true.  The Ghanaians scrub the tread on their car tires, but throw their trash and garbage on the roadside.  We mentioned in the food blog that we do not eat the fish here.  The reason is in the above photo.  These are big tanker trucks that gather raw sewage from around the city and then drive to where the river empties into the ocean.  They then dump the sewage into the ocean right where all the fishing boats put out to sea from Jamestown.  You can see where the water is a brown color out about 1/2 mile into the ocean.  Yuck!

Personally my favorite sign (above).  This means we are home!

Every time I go by this little "box" we think of our daughter, Kristina, our librarian.  It is so small (room for one book, maybe) and surrounded by barbed wire.  It's a social statement, really, since the only way the children here can lift themselves out of poverty is through education.  The government does not make it easy on them.

There are lots of signs like the ones below.  It is not unusual for just about anything to be talked about and advertised.

John got to participate in a symposium at the University of Ghana in the College of Religion  The topic was the "Merits and Demerits of Loud Music in Church Worship Services."  Since our students had been doing some testing already in 3 different churches, their findings came in quite handy.  Two professors from the Psychology and Religion departments also spoke.  There was quite a large crowd.
We are really looking forward to our USU students coming next week!

This is what John thought of when I told him I was doing a blog on signs... http://www.lyricsmode.com/lyrics/f/five_man_electrical_band/signs.html

Food, glorious food! Or Once More into the Bleach...er...Breach!

We are talking today about food in Ghana.  But, most importantly are those in Ghana who do not have it.  We pass this little group below each day on the street coming home from work.  They are street orphans (very small) taken care of by several women.  They are here in the same place everyday with no shelter.  We are not sure how or what they eat.  I've started carrying a bag of apples or crackers with me and drop them off.  It is truly heartbreaking.

There are traditional dishes from each ethnic group, tribe and clan.  The main dishes are organized around a starchy staple such as rice, fufu, banku, kenkey, etc. each in a sauce or soup saturated with fish, meat or mushrooms.
In the south, where we live, the staples include cassava and plantain.  Yam, maize and beans are used as staple foods also.

Fufu is boiled cassava and plantain or yam and plantain pounded with a large mortar and pestle, (made of wood), into a round, pulped, gooey ball.
Banku is cooked fermented corn and cassava dough. (below)  It has the consistency of cheese.  Not our favorite!

Kenkey is fermented corn dough wrapped in corn or plantain leaves and cooked into a consistent solid ball.
Most of the meetings in Ghana, like the faculty meeting at the above right, serve food.  Sometimes breakfast, sometimes lunch, and sometimes just a "snack".  We even had food after the graduation we attended!  Ghanaian food is often very spicy.  Because it is a starch based experience, the spices keep it from tasting bland.  Above is "light" soup with goat. There is nothing light about it.  It is very spicy and most often eaten with fufu.

  Below are beans and rice (often served with chicken or goat).  The other night we went to a restaurant with some friends from the US.  They had a lovely buffet of African food and drummers and dancers.  One of our party, the white guy below in the striped shirt jumped right in and helped with the show.  He has a PhD in music and had a great time.

Most Ghanaian dishes are served with a stew or soup with a wide variety of flavors, spices and textures.  Common soups are groundnut soup (peanut), light (tomato and very spicy) soup, Tomato stew or gravy is a stew which is often very thick and served with rice.  The soups often have meat, mainly goat, sometimes chicken.  Fish is quite popular, either smoked or fried, but we do not buy locally because of where they catch it.  Fried plantains are also popular.

 The fruit and vegetables are fabulous!  Pineapple (sold above), papayas and mangos are to die for, they are so sweet.  They often hack the shells off the coconuts with a machete (one handed) and stick a straw in them so you can drink the milk.  

Here we found a twin banana.  All fruit, eggs and vegetables must go through a clorox wash for at least 5 min. before being eaten to kill the parasites.

Because meat is so expensive we often eat eggs for protein.  The chicken we do buy is often quite tough, and sometimes we buy minced meat (hamburger) if we are in a store we trust.
To the right is a typical dinner for us at home. (omelet)
Below is a breakfast we had at a meeting.  The Ghanaians make great oatmeal cereal and these little meat pies that are really good.  The juice is wonderful and usually sold in boxes off the shelf, as is the milk.  (It is preserved through a heating process)

Often you will see outside cafes where food is served on the street.  Dishwashing included.
We only drink bottled water from the stores.  If you buy it off the street, the risk is that the bottle was refilled by the vendors.  Many of the Ghanaians buy their water in plastic packets, bite off the corner and then squeeze the water into their mouth (like the little one below).

Food is very expensive here.   $15 for a box of Raisin Bran, $4 for a small can of peaches, $9 for a chunk of cheddar cheese the size of a stack of playing cards, and $6 for a med. bag of M & M's. So...obviously we are not eating those things!





This was a meeting we were in with the Vice Chancellor who is the President of the University of Ghana.  Eating again.

Here the senior missionaries are watching a live broadcast of our own Area President, Elder Dickson, speaking in General Conference in Salt Lake City.  We were watching the Sat. afternoon session at 2:00 pm  from 8-10 pm our time, but were thrilled to get it.  The very next Sunday  Elder Dickson was back in our chapel here in Accra speaking and encouraging 40 humble saints in the Jamestown Branch.   In 2012 the Africa West Area accounted for 33% of the entire growth of the Church in wards and branches, and 14% of the growth in new Stakes.  Amazing!


We watched conference in the upstairs conference room at the Area Office building where this week we gave the senior missionaries and temple staff free hearing tests...50 of them!  Long day for Elder Ribera.

View of the Volta

Over the Easter weekend we had the opportunity to travel with some of the Senior Missionary couples up to the Volta Lake and Akosombo Hydroelectric Dam.  Volta Lake is the largest man-made lake in the world, built in the 1960's and is the main fresh water source for Ghana.  The total length of the lake and river is 930 miles!  The lake submerged nearly 740 villages and displaced about 80,000 people.  Most of the people were re-located, but there were many problems in the new settlements.  The lake covers 3.6% of Ghana's total land area.  The main purpose for the Dam was to provide electricity for the aluminum industry.    It was wonderful to be out in the country.  The land is so much greener to the north outside of the city of Accra.  There were large groves of mango trees (above).  We never realized that the fruit grows hanging down like ornaments on the trees.  They are so delicious.  These are still green, but we bought some to bring home with us.  On the roadside we ran into a couple families of baboons.  They wait alongside the highway hoping for travelers with extra bananas.

We took a tour with a guide across the top of the dam.  It was interesting to hear how the lake and dam were constructed.  Many families were displaced because of the area the lake covers, some of whom were fisherman who still fish along the banks and in the lake.  On the whole, the lake and the dam have not been good for the area and people who live in the area.  Disease has increased, farming has decreased, and socioeconomics have suffered.  The electricity generated serves Togo, Benin, part of the Cote d'Ivoire and all of Ghana.  John will come back later with Dr. Sampong to make some sound measurements down in the structure itself where the men work with the turbines.  We asked our guide about the daily power outages in Accra.  He said it was "complicated".

After the tour we stopped at a hotel for lunch.  Even with the holiday, we thought it was a little long to wait for a sandwich.  (90 min).  It is a good thing we had delightful company.  The Warners are our Public Relations couple missionaries.  (in blue)  The Coopers (in white) are Temple Missionaries.

The Petersons are newly arrived for their second mission in Accra.  This time they are working with the many single adults we have here.  The Kleins are below with Dago in his great African shirt.  They are in charge of welfare and it is amazing what they accomplish; teaching gardening (farming), co-ordinating distribution of wheelchairs, schooling, vision screening, immunizations, digging wells and of course...audiology.  (US!)

The Fitzgeralds (above) are the Executive Secretary couple to President Dickson.  Huge job!  The Haws, on the right, work in the Church auditing department here.  

   On the way home we stopped at the Cedi glass bead annex.  They crush glass bottles into a fine powder, then heat it and mix with colored sand, pour into molds and fire again.  Before cooling they make the holes in the center so they can string them to make beautiful glass beads.  We had fun picking some out with our new friend.

 We love how the Bouganvillia grows over the walls everywhere.  Apparently they tie rocks on string and then to the bush to make it drape.  These were on the hill below our hotel where we stopped for lunch.

Lastly...John has just returned from a week in California attending the American Academy of Audiology conference.  Ramatu was able to attend because she already had a visa, but the other students were again denied a US visa in a last ditch attempt to let them go.  It was sad, but John was able to accomplish much at the conference in facilitating future relationships between US companies and the students (soon to be Audiologists) in Ghana.