On Reflection
on Emily Hopkins (Ghana), 30/Nov/2010 16:53, 34 days ago
Some of you may have heard that I am leaving my current job the Ghana National Association of the Deaf to take up a new role with a International Development Consultancy Firm here in Accra. From January I will be leaving VSO and 'going it alone' contracted as a consultant for PDA Associates http://www.pdaghana.com/, it was time for a change, but not time to leave Ghana, this opportunity came up at the right time so I thought I'd give it a shot, he who dares wins and all that. Anyway more on the new job to come but for now enjoy my reflections on my time working with GNAD, it was written as an article for their newsletter...much of it is true!'On September 20th 2009 I left the UK to come and work with GNAD through VSO International. It was with a sense of great excitement and enthusiasm but also a degree of apprehension. Ghana was a new country for me, GNAD a new organization and I had nothing but a suitcase, a soild knowledge of fundraising and VERY basic British Sign Language (BSL). Ghana quickly began to feel like home, GNAD staff welcomed me in to their small team an the director, Mr Asamoah and the leaders of GNAD educated me and shared their rich knowledge of deaf issues and the history of the deaf and the development of Sign Language in Ghana. I soon realized that my limited BSL was redundant as Ghana used a Sign Language based on American Sign Language (ASL) and the resident interpreters, Mr Frimpong and Mr Pinto helped me get to grips with the basics and as I began to communicate through signing with members and staff my knowledge grew (although it is still not as good as I would like it to be!) I can hardly believe over a year has passed with GNAD and in the article I will reflect on some of the highlights and a few of the lessons learnt.It has been a real privilege to learn about modern deaf community and what it means to be deaf from Mr Sampana and Johnson, these unique insights from such knowledgeable men will stay with me as I move on, I may not be with GNAD any longer but deaf issues will continue to stay close to my heart.Working with the inspirational leaders of the Women’s Wing of GNAD has been perhaps the ultimate highlight for me. The President, Patricia Baffoe and Secretary Lydia Acquah have continued to motivate me as they work so hard to increase opportunities for and empower deaf women across Ghana whilst holding down demanding jobs and looking after children and homes. It was a particular privilege to work with them to establish the hairdressing training project for the 22 deaf women and to see Lydia attend 5th international Women’s Institute on Leadership and Disability (WILD), a program organized by Mobility International in the USA. My hope andprayer is that these fantastic women continue to work hard to empower and educate deaf women across Ghana.As I reflect on the last year at GNAD I am encouraged to see that the organization has grown, the beginning of 2010 saw the appointment of new staff members who each bring new skills and energy. GNAD is also running 2 fairly large projects and has an established Youth Wing with an energetic and promising young leader Ben. I am hopeful that the future of GNAD is bright and the staff and members will work together as a team.Perhaps the biggest lesson learnt during my time at GNAD is the incredible importance of education in the deaf’s ability to develop and realize their full potential in Ghana. It is a sad fact that many deaf children in Ghana are not identified as hearing impaired, even less are attending school and as Sign Language is not standardized and formal training programs are not in place often deaf people in onearea of Ghana are unable to communicate with their peers in another area. There is only one secondary school for the deaf in Ghana, with only 30 students a year able to complete their basic education across the whole country. The teachers at the schools do not always know Sign Language and if a student makes it through the system despite all the odds they have to be able to pray for their own Sign Language Interpreter at University. I am always amazed and encouraged when I meet some of the deaf graduates in Ghana; these are truly motivated and capable people!I see an improved education system for the deaf as vital in improving the lives for Ghana’s deaf community, of course this is not something GNAD can do on its own, it calls for joint working beween many agencies and government departments which is not an easy thing to do wherever you are in the world but it is so important.I often think about a quote hanging above Mr Sampana’s desk, it inspires me and sums up the situation beautifully:‘If you give me a fish you have fed me for the day. If you teach me to fish then you have fed me until the river is contaminated or shoreline seized for development. But if you teach me to organize then whatever the challenge I can join together with my peers and we can fashion our own solution’'