A day in Ayedwe

On Friday I had the privilege of participating in a community needs assessment program in a small village named Ayedwe. The purpose of a community needs assessment is for the community members to assess and prioritize needs within their community and to discover sustainable solutions. Ten of us interns from ProWorld were allowed to go along with the staff and I even got to be a focus group facilitator.

I’ll start off by sharing a little bit about the village we went to. They get their water from a borehole but the borehole is currently broken so they get dirty water from a stream and many of them get sick. Their main religion is catholic and they have one wood ditch latrine for the entire community to share. They don’t have any schools and are 30 minutes away from a hospital. The nearest police station and municipality are also 30 minutes away. Ayedwe has a total population of 450 people, no waste disposal system and no electricity. Their main source of income is farming cocoa, cassava, plantains and palm oil. Their main language is Twi so I worked with a translator throughout the day.

The first half of the morning was spent getting to know my group of 10 individuals. Luckily my cluster was made up of people with all different ages, genders, occupations, and roles in the community. After we played the name game they taught me a prayer dance and sang a couple songs. Once everyone was happy and acquainted we started off with a discussion of the major needs of the community. For about an hour they rattled off different ideas like: a palm oil machine, new borehole, electricity, community center, school, pharmacy, tin roofs, farming equipment, new roads, a soccer net, and new latrines. While they shared their needs, we drew them on a piece of construction paper to use while voting. At the end of the discussion they were each given 10 beans and told that they anonymously had to vote for the issue they thought was the most pressing. If they felt really strongly about one particular need they were advised to place all 10 beans on that picture but if they liked a couple ideas they were allowed to spread their beans out. 

The top three needs in my particular group came out to be: a palm oil machine, a community center, and clean water. The next step of the program was to have an open discussion about the underlying problems the community faced that would result in these three needs being the most pressing. I was shocked at how honest everyone in my group was and we seemed to cut right to the core. I won’t go into too much detail but a lot of the underlying issues came back to not having enough money, which was a result of poor income generation. The only income the community members have is coming from farming and petty training. However, they don’t have enough farming equipment to produce crops that will make them a sufficient amount of money.

When we moved to the “sustainable solutions” portion of the day my group was very ambitious and produced an entire plan of action. They stated that if we could get them a palm oil machine they would be able to make a greater amount of money. They could then set aside some of the money to fundraise for a community center. The community center they’re dreaming of would serve many purposes such as a school, meeting place, shaded market, hall for educational health talks, and a room to host any guests that come to the village. In theory, the water problem would be solved simultaneously with the other two problems. Right now the borehole just needs to be fixed by the company that originally put it in for them so as long as we can contact the company that should be easy to fix. However, the group came up with some alternate solutions incase that doesn’t work or becomes too expensive. They suggested building a well, getting a government water tank or creating some type of water filtration system so they can just keep using the water they currently are.

            Looking back on the experience makes me realize how rewarding and interesting the whole assessment was. There are so many remote villages like Ayedwe that just need a little push in the right direction and some aid to get them going. These people were so ready and willing to improve their lives, they just didn’t know how to begin. Facilitating a group and participating in this project certainly enhanced my experience here (I even got a new husband) and is something I’m very happy to have been a part of.

            Side note: I tried a cocoa bean right off of a tree! A really sweet layer that you’re supposed to suck on and tastes like candy surrounds the actual bean. They advise you not to eat the bean itself because it’s really bitter but (of course) we all wanted to bite it anyways….. and then spit it out.

            This week I’m headed back to the children’s ward because it’s basically our last week in the hospital (very depressing) and it’s still my favorite place to be. We’re spending next weekend with our host family instead of coming back to Cape Coast so I’m not sure when the internet will let me update you next but I’m sure I’ll have some fun stories to share!