GlobalResolve in Ghana May 2010

Assembled by Kim Pearson & Heather Hazzan

Forward
David Metoyer

GlobalResolve at Arizona State University traveled to Ghana in May 2010. Each student brought their unique focus along for the trip. The trip intended to give GlobalResolve researchers the opportunity to interact, ask questions, and build relationships with Ghanaian villagers in hopes of identifying their needs and desires. It was a unique approach to addressing the most serious challenges facing the developing country, which was far more collaborative than the scope of other aid efforts.

Global Resolve Returns to Africa

ASU website

Nine students and ve faculty from ASU are traveling to Kenya and Ghana between May 14 and May 31 to visit ve villages, two K-12 schools, a research NGO, a water lter factory and a university (KNUST). The goals include the use of rural village appraisal in order to identify villager needs for future projects, deliver prototypes of the Twig Lights and Solar Cell Phone Chargers for village evaluation, continue to develop two village ventures (Gel Fuel and Twig Lights) and explore partnerships with KNUST. This is GlobalResolve's seventh trip to Africa since the program began in 2006, and it has involved more than 20 faculty and 180 students working on products to help solve problems in the developing world and that can be the basis of village business ventures.

5 faculty

Mark Henderson | Engineering John Takamura | Design Brad Rogers | Engineering Technology Nalini Chhetri | Consortium for Science, Policy & Outcomes Dan ONeill | Entrepreneurship

9 students

Brian McCollow | Sustainability & Global Studies 12 Michael Pugliese | Mechanical Engineering Technology 08 Kim Pearson | Sustainability & Spanish Literature 12 David Metoyer | Finance, Sustainable International Development & Entrepreneurship 11 Heather Hazzan | Sustainability 11 Veekas Shrivastava | Economics & Political Science 13 Briar Schoon | Sustainability 10 Melissa Silva | Business (Sustainability) & Economics 11 Aaron Smith | Design (New Product Innovation) 11

GlobalResolve
globalresolve.asu.edu
GlobalResolve works together with a range of partners to develop sustainable technologies and programs in the areas of energy, clean water, and local economic development for rural communities in the developing world. GlobalResolve was established at ASU in 2006 as a social entrepreneurship program designed to enhance the educational experience for interested and qualified ASU students by involving them in semester-long projects that directly improve the lives of underprivileged people, and/or those in under-developed nations throughout the world. Through GlobalResolve, ASU students and faculty collaborate with international universities, residents of rural villages, local governments, nancial institutions, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to develop and disseminate no-tech, low-tech, and high-tech solutions that address pressing public health or environmental needs of a developing-world population. Because solutions developed by GlobalResolve are designed to be replicable locally, regionally, and internationally, the solutions also create the potential for protable new business ventures that generate sustainable income streams for impacted populations.

Global Impact Entrepreneurship

Heather Hazzan
ASU students across various disciplines applied to be a part of this hands-on, three sequence class -- Global Impact Entrepreneurship. During the Spring 2010 semester, students studied the needs assessments from GlobalResolves last Ghana trip the past summer. Students were then assigned to small groups consisting of different majors. Each group was to work together to create new products and ideas for a business plan, attempting to solve some of the problems that remained in the villages. At first, some groups struggled, because each student was only looking at the problem from their unique majors point of view. The Business major was baffled by that fact that the Sustainability major did not know where to start on writing a business plan. The Architect major did not understand how the Business student forgot to take into account the structure of the design. However, this struggle turned out to be a great asset. Problems were not solved linearly, like they would have been if only students from one major tackled it. It was a way for each student to gain another perspective. And as a result, the business plans were stronger and took into account many factors.

Social Businesses
Heather Hazzan Muhammad Yunuss book Creating a World Without Poverty played a large role in the foundation of the business plans. The books main concept goes back to the old adage: If you give a man a fish, you feed him for a day. If you teach a man to fish, you feed him for life. It all starts with the idea of a social business. According to Yunuss website: In a social business, the investors/owners can gradually recoup the money invested, but cannot take any dividend beyond that point. Purpose of the investment is purely to achieve one or more social objectives through the operation of the company, no personal gain is desired by the investors. The company must cover all costs and make prot, at the same time achieve the social objective, such as, healthcare for the poor, housing for the poor, nancial services for the poor, nutrition for malnourished children, providing safe drinking water, introducing renewable energy, etc. in a business way.

Business plan topics ranged from water sanitation, to lighting devices, to pineapple drying processes

Mike Pugliese (pictured top right) developed the Twig Light, which consists of twigs, water, a thermoelectric generator, and an LED array. The temperature difference between the two sides produces energy for light.

The Twig Light

Brad Rogers - blog post The Twig Light is just two pieces of three inch aluminum box beam, each about four inches long, separated by a thermoelectric generator. The upper piece serves as a small combustion chamber, while the lower piece sits in a few inches of water for cooling. The temperature difference drives the generator, which produces enough power to light a bank of 25 LEDs brightly enough to light for a small room. The combustion occurs safely outside of the house, with wires running through a window to the LEDs inside. Any source of heat is ne in the village, we went out to a cooking re and gathered a few hot coals, which kept the lights illuminated for more than an hour until we put out the heat. The women told us it was perfect for them because as they nished dinner, they would throw a few coals in and have light for a few hours into the evening.

Multidisciplinary capstone brings light - and more - to developing countries

Kari Stallcop

Students in the new GlobalResolve social entrepreneurship capstone course are completing initial business plans in preparation for a two-week trip to Ghana in May to study local resources and needs. The entrepreneurs students in the elds of engineering, business, design and more are making plans for the production and sale of inventions, including an award-winning generator and clean-burning stoves. Were shooting for affordability we want to keep the price for our product under $20, said Raphael Hyde [pictured right], the leader of a project team that is making plans to manufacture and market the generator known as Aura (Twig) Light. The challenge will be nding ways to produce enough units to meet local demand. In the next year, through this team, we hope to bring some light into developing areas of Ghana. Hyde and his team Nisha Patel, Lisa Regets and Michael Pugliese recently won ASUs top Challenges Innovator award for $5,000 in venture funding and have applied for the Edson Venture Creator grant, which offers an opportunity for student entrepreneurs to win up to $20,000. Ive never done anything like this before, Hyde said enthusiastically.

Its a great learning opportunity. Among everything Ive seen and everywhere Ive traveled, this program offers the greatest opportunity for growth. Hyde said that he has a passion for innovative energy solutions, with experience working for one of Asias biggest lighting companies. He hopes to use this experience to start another company and continue developing energy solutions after his graduation. Theres so much happening in the world, said Hyde, now in his third year in ASUs industrial design and business program. If you bring together students who are the best in their eld, who care, and give us a chance, we can make a huge impact. To follow the groups trip to Ghana, Africa, visit http://globalresolve.asu.edu and click on the blog, starting May 17. You may also follow them on Linked In.

Before the trip to Ghana, the faculty and students had several meetings to prepare for the trip. They discussed everything from how to talk to the villagers to even what kind of socks to bring!

Pre-trip Meetings
The team met for a 4-hour Pre-Ghana Bootcamp at ASU SkySong to create and break into investigative teams. Each traveler was asked to create a list of interests to explore and goals to achieve while in Ghana. Then, each item was written up on a sticky note and posted on the large windows in the classroom. Everyone converged at the windows and began to group similar goals until around ten distinct groups had been created. These groups would later work together in Ghana to explore their interests in each village during the interviews.

Kumasi

Ashanti Region

Greater Accra Region

Central Region

Gulf Of Guinea

Kumasi

Ashanti Region Gulf Of Guinea

Greater Accra Region Central Region

The Journey to Ghana

It took traveling through many states and many hours of flight to finally arrive in Accra. Ghana is located on the west coast of Africa, bordering the Gulf of Guinea and surrounded by Cote Dvoire, Burkina Faso, and Togo. The landscape ranges from sandy beaches to jungle to desert. Lake Volta, the largest articial lake in the world, resides here. Environmental issues include deforestation, drought, overgrazing, poaching and habitat destruction, and more. - Wikipedia

Arriving in Ghana
David Metoyer - journal post Stepping off the airplane onto the tarmac was an instant reminder of just how far I was from home. The sweltering air was thick with moisture, and the smell was unique. Urban Ghana presented scenes completely unfamiliar to my Western eyes. Though contrary to what might be assumed, the strong presence of technology was also unavoidable. Cellular providers plastered advertisements everywhere. Companies like Vodafone, MTN, and Zain covered billboards, filled magazine pages, stitched into shirts, and painted over dirt walls disguised as houses. I was shocked by the influences of telecom providers -- it was unlike anything I had ever seen in America.

Kumasi was so green and lush!

One of the first things the group did was visit a local market

Partners and Translators

GlobalResolve could not have done it without you, Edward, Julius, Frimpong, Emmanuel, Mary Kay Jackson, Nana Afia D, and George. Students hope to keep in contact over email, phone, and facebook.

Swame Magazine
Brian McCollow - blog post Talk about entrepreneurship; the men in this picture are working in one of the most entrepreneurial districts in Africa: Suame Magazine. There are over 5,000 businesses in this quarter-mile by half-mile section of Accra! There are so many people doing so many things here like welding, xing mechanical parts, forging metal, etc. There was so much grease and oil on the ground, that I couldn't even see the dirt when I dug into the ground with my shoes. The smell seemed like it came straight out of a factory during the US's industrialization phase. On one hand, there was severe pollution which I'm sure leeches into the ground water; but on the other hand, they are recycling almost all of the metal they currently have, which is an interesting lesson for already developed countries.

Swame Magazine
Anything and everything can be made in Swame Magazine. The raw skills, intelligence, and teamwork are fully alive in Ghana.

Swame Magazine, cont.

Nalini Chhetri - blog post The team went to a unique workshop marketplace called Swame Magazine where a cacophony of metal work, carpentry, welding, and machinery work is carried in what can only be termed as a complete organized chaos by scores of local artisans, apprentices, entrepreneurs, and mechanics. It has to be seen to be believed. This quarter of a mile long avenue of chaotic shops that puts together and recycles machinery is a hub of constant activity.

Gel Fuel Production in Domeabra

GlobalResolve.org GlobalResolve is undertaking an innovative project to produce and sell ethanol gel fuel in the village of Domeabra and the surrounding area of Kumasi, Ghana. Gel fuel has many benefits when compared to other common fuel sources in Ghana: wood, charcoal or dung. These a reduction in indoor air pollution and the accompanied health effects, the stimulation of local economic activity through the production of feedstock to produce the fuel, and the creation of an alternative energy product that can be marketed throughout the region. GlobalResolve is partnering with the paramount chief of Domeabra, Nana Frimpong Afoakwa, to establish a production facility in the village, provide loans to local farmers, and to market and sell the fuel in the surrounding regions. This pilot project will also produce information and training opportunities that will allow for the establishment of similar village-scale production centers throughout central Ghana.

Progress
In September 2008 engineering students and faculty at Arizona State University (ASU) installed an ethanol production system in Domeabra. The equipment was designed and manufactured at ASU with support from the National Collegiate Inventors and Innovators Association (NCIIA). The system incorporates all the necessary equipment to produce ethanol from corn, sugar cane, or rice and to gel the ethanol to make it an effective cooking fuel.

Domeabra
David Metoyer - journal post
On the second day in Ghana, GlobalResolve visited Domeabra, a rural village of roughly 5,000 people. Domeabra was GlobalResolves partner for the gelled-ethanol project, a cleaner burning cooking fuel alternative to charcoal and rewood. It was also the preferred manufacturing location for GlobalResolves Twig Light project. The Twig Light was envisioned to provide light for villagers when access to electricity was unreliable and lighting alternatives were terribly expensive. The time spent in Domeabra was the rst chance to speak with locals and discuss village needs. The team split into groups of ve and spread out; some met with schoolchildren, some spoke with farmers, and my group visited homes. Our visits were accompanied by a fellow Ghanaian named, Edward, who recently launched an organization to promote the countrys need for sustainable development.Edward was able to clearly articulate our questions in the native language, Twi. Villagers responded with one insightful response after another; I needed to record them all. It was a terric task for the iPad, since it could simultaneously record audio. Elders in the village were eager to share their stories and suggestions for future improvement. The presence of the iPad seemed to be no more of a distraction than the digital cameras, which only resulted in a few curious smiles. I rst noticed one child trailing us moments later, the size of our group had grown by twenty children as we trekked from home to home. Our group was being followed by a sense of amazement and wonder; was I a crazy foreigner, or actually doing something meaningful as my ngers danced over the glass screen I held in my hands? A few children stared and just giggled with one another. I was certain to be the crazy foreigner until I provided support to justify any claims otherwise. I paused my conversations with elders and sat down outside the next home, iPad in hand.Even the youngest children hurried to circle around me for a closer peek [opposite page: bottom left]. I used my nger to swipe across a few menu screens, ick through saved photos, and play a few songs in iTunes. Like a magicians audience, they stared in disbelief.Some of them started poking at the screen for themselves, asking how it worked.I struggled to articulate an answer.I was stumped.

Biemso
We arrived in Biemso hoping to do another village assessment. However, as we pulled up to the chiefs house, we noticed that everyone was wearing black or red and that the atmosphere was solemn and quiet. In fact, Nanas niece had passed away and the funeral was to take place in hours to come. To respect the citizens, most of whom were attending the funeral, we quickly showed Nana the Twig Light, but did not perform the interviews. Nana recommended adding a handle and color-coordinated cup, which were suggestions that had been echoed in Domeabra.

Biemso, cont.
Kim Pearson Afterward we were directed to see the jatropha elds, which could be potential biofuel sources and thus a business venture for the people of Biemso. After making our way back to the chiefs house, we were given the opportunity to attend the funeral, which we were not expecting. The people directed us to shake hands with seemingly hundreds of people underneath three large red tents in the town square, while upbeat music played from speakers in the center. To our surprise, they sat us down directly behind the central tent, for everyone to see us (a place of honor). Shortly after we did, just about everyone whom we had just shook hands with got up to shake our hands -- one by one. Meanwhile, we were given water bags to keep us cool in the excessive heat while an elderly woman announced who we were over the loudspeakers.

TIA - This is Africa

Brian McCollow - blog post All of the taxis and vans in Ghana have some sort of saying, and last year we saw one that said, KEEP ON. We are doing just that, as the internet has been out for the past three days or so, but life it goes on, and we have been busy! Today we set out for Biemso, but we dropped Dan off at the airport on the way. He had to get back to the U.S. because, apparently, he has a job, or something like that? :) Regardless, after a very long drive through some rainforest and multiple little villages, and after getting lost again and again (apparently there are TWO Biemsos, now we know), we nally arrived at the chiefs house. He and his elders greeted us and we sat under the very short tree next to his house. We went through the formal process of introducing ourselves and then announcing what we were there for. He actually remembered me from last year, which was crazy. Through conversation, we quickly found out that the chiefs nephew had just passed away, and Saturdays are the days for funerals. Deaths are taken very seriously, and the funerals are huge cultural events. We later found out that we were expected to attend the funeral as visitors, but as the conversation continued with the chief, we showed him the newest twig light prototype. He and his elders were extremely surprised with what happened, and even provided some feedback, like to combine the canisters into one unit instead of two separate ones. After showing the chief and his elders the light, we went off to the jatropha elds, as those are part of one of our projects and we didnt want to disturb anyone during the funeral. On our way back we learned that we had to go to the ceremony on our way out, and we soon embarked on one of the most amazing cultural experiences we could ever have imagined.

We walked up to nd a huge outdoor funeral, where there were six huge tents with people sitting underneath them and very loud music. We had to go around to every single person sitting down in the front row and shake his or her hand. After we were lead around the event, we were sat just behind the speakers and then a woman came out and offered each of us water. In Ghana, it is customary to offer your guests water, as it is assumed they have traveled a long way and are thirsty. Water is served before anything is said (traditionally). Edward and Julius guided us through the whole process, and we gathered some money to offer as a gift, to follow customs. The gift, roughly $35, was announced along with the fact that we were from ASU, and the announcer said lots of other stuff that we didnt understand. But, as we left, they dedicated a song to us, and we are pretty sure they were expecting us to dance, but we escaped with lots of laughter. One of the crazy things in Ghana is that everywhere we go, we are a spectacle. Not only are we white, but we are a whole group of white people! It goes both ways; we can get out of staying for multiple hour funerals, for instance, but we also get swamped by salesmen everywhere we go. But hey, TIA. This Is Africa. Oh, a cockroach or something just crawled up my wall; Im going to go take care of that. Tomorrow we drive to Accra, goodnight!

Funeral Traditions
Heather Hazzan Coming from America, we had no idea how to act respectfully at the funeral. We were all used to funerals being sad and somber. Most people wear black in the United States. But in Ghana, we were shocked to find loud music playing, bright red colors, and people dancing and laughing. For many of us, it was an awkward situation to be put into because of the cultural norms we had been brought up with. However, the next year we found an article in the New York Times titled, Dance, Laugh, Drink. Save the Date: Its a Ghanaian Funeral. It was about how Ghanaian funerals are celebrations of life. It is also customary for family and friends to greet one another in a line, just as we had.

The Accra Mall

David Metoyer - journal post I visited the Accra Mall, an upscale mall located in the capital city, Accra.Rather than the Apple Store, there was The iShop, which was also an Internet cafe.The iPhone was available for sale, so was the iPad.After adjusting the prices into dollars, each device was marked up almost 300 percent compared to prices in the States. For reference, the average annual wage in Ghana is below $500.Using simple math, the cheapest iPad was triple the average annual salary.

Talking Apple in Accra

David Metoyer - journal post
Ghanas capital city, Accra, most resembled the United States. There were tall buildings, shopping centers, restaurants, and streets congested with cars, vendors, and bicyclist. GlobalResolve was staying at the Punta Hotel, an upscale hotel in the heart of the city. We were told Internet access would be available. And it was, but not all the time.When available, the connection was often weak and sluggish. Convinced the hotel staff simply needed to reset the wireless router to fix the issue, I walked down to the hotel lobby one night to share my thoughts. It turned out, my hotel room was just too far from the router. The iPads connection was strong in the lobby. I sat in the lobby for about an hour, emailing status updates and pictures to family and friends. I finished up and started walking towards my room when the hotel receptionists asked: Is that an iPad?Will you show me, please?!It was late, and GlobalResolve had a full schedule planned for the next day.Still, I figured I had a few moments to spare.I turned away from my room, shrugged my shoulders and replied, Sure. I handed the iPad to the receptionist; his name was Kennedy. His eyes lit up. He said it was the first one he had ever seen in person.We chatted for a moment about Apple products and what made them so fascinating. Kennedy clearly kept himself well informed about the company. He knew all about Apples product line and pricing -- at least what was available in Ghana. He was flabbergasted after hearing prices in the United States. He navigated through the iPad very well; checked my iTunes library for recently added songs, browsed through photo albums, even logged into Facebook to share pictures of his family and friends. I noticed he knew special shortcut commands beyond the basic intuition of the device. When I questioned him, he smiled and slipped an iPhone from his shirt pocket. Kennedy explained that Apple products were luxury items in Ghana -- very cool but extremely expensive.The iPhone and iPad were symbols of status more than communication devices. The devices abilities were limited by the telecommunications network and their small market share in Ghana. To him, it was the wifi Internet connectivity that justified owning one. His only iPhone complaint was the small screen. While Kennedy and I spoke, hotel guests passed by and glanced at the iPad. Some recognized it and others had never heard of it before, or Apple. Some stopped to ask questions and others did not want to be around it. An older man knew exactly what it was and described the iPad as, The toy of demons. The hotel manager came from his office to see the cause of the commotion. He was clearly irritated. Kennedy passed him the iPad, he smirked then asked to see more. I pointed to the sketching app. A curious woman poked her head through the small crowd that had gathered in the lobby. The manager spoke of his earlier days as an artist and politely asked if she would be his subject for a portrait. She agreed and stood still for fifteen minutes as he frantically swiped away on the screen. All together, what I intended to be a quick five minute chat with Kennedy, evolved into a three-hour iPad demonstration for over 40 hotel guests. Many of them were captivated by the mythical device and insisted to know where they could get their own. On the last day of the trip, Kennedy offered $800 to buy the iPad from me. After consideration, I declined his offer. The inconsistent Internet connection prevented me from backing up my saved data via email. My documented experiences with GlobalResolve, alone, were arguably worth well over $800.

Drive to Accra, Akawali Village

Brian McCollow - blog post Yesterday we drove down from Kumasi to Accra in our 25-person bus we hired for the trip. As it was last year, it was a very beautiful drive. You go through some very cool rainforest and see some small mountains and vast farmland. It rained again on us about half way to Accra, so that was cool. After a ve and a half hour drive, we nally got the the guest house in Kumasi. Surprise, since no one showed up for the reservation we had for the original group of nine to stay there the rst night before catching their ight the next day to Kumasi, all the rooms had been canceled. It took about two and a half hours, and visits to four other hotels to nally nd the one were at right now. Its most denitely the weirdest hotel room Ive ever been in! The sink is in the shower along with the water heater. No, Im serious. The sink is physically inside the shower, and this morning, Mike got shocked as he used the hot water!! :/ But, TIA this Is Africa! At least it has free breakfast? On par with the rest of the crews travel faux pas, all the hallways are at odd angles, and our room, 502, is kinda on the second level, after about four sets up and down stairs. Anyways, today we made it out to Akawali (still not sure on the exact spelling, its pronounced Akwali), where we met up with Edward and Julius (the two KNUST grads who now teach at Kumasi Polytechnic and started CEESD, which is kind of a spin-off of GlobalResolve but in Ghana; theyre a great partner). This was the rst time we had ever been to that village, and it was one of our favorites (probably because it was new). Its interesting to see the variety of problems, and how each village has their own set that are more prominent than the others. Akawali has absolutely no light at night and makes for a great potential place for the Twig Light.

Akawali
David Metoyer - journal post
Akawali was a sugarcane farming village; and sugarcane was the ideal feed crop for ethanol production.Seeing potential in the opportunity, the GlobalResolve team made the 2-hour trip to Akawali on their seventh day in Ghana. The village was rural, with dirt roads, rammed earth homes, no electricity and an unnished communal meeting place made of cinder blocks and tin roong.The team was given a tour of the village and its small-scale ethanol production operation.Afterwards, the team met with villagers in the community center to explain GlobalResolves mission and conduct a village needs assessment through open discussion and village mapping.Village mapping was a technique that served to engage the entire community in a discussion.Using local materials, such as leaves, sticks, stones, and seeds, the village was asked to collectively map the entire village on the oor.The nished map included roads, rivers, elds, water wells, schools, churches, and homes. John Takamura, GlobalResolve team member and assistant professor at the School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture at Arizona State University, pulled an iPad from his bag.He knelt down, peering at the ground and began to swipe his nger up and down then left to right, repeatedly.The iPad helped John recreate the village map in digital form.The team took photographs but the iPad made it easy to quickly draw and label the map, minimizing the ambiguity in things like the small rock that represented the school or the leaf that represented the sugarcane eld. Villagers were intrigued, slowly stepping around to get a better look over his shoulder without catching his attention or distracting him from what appeared very serious.I reached into my backpack, pulled out a small black case, and handed it to an older child from the village; he was no more than 14-years-old [opposite page: pictured bottom in a yellow shirt].I explained the basics of the iPad, Just use your nger,and then stood back and observed.The young teenager took to the iPad instantly and followed Johns lead.Moments later, the teen replicated the map on the iPad.He had no prior experience with Apple products.His schooling provided some experience with computers, but the technology was near-ancient in comparison. The intuitiveness of the iPad required no learning curve, only my one-sentence tutorial, Just use your nger.

Akawli
Upon arrival, it was obvious that it was extremely rural. There were no toilets or electricity, and their huts were made from local materials.

Village Mapping in Akawali Kim Pearson

Village mapping consists of allowing villagers to describe their community and thus allow us to familiarize ourselves with their town and also understand possible problems. We drew a map of the village with important indicators such as churches and roads using local items like sticks, rocks, leaves, and owers. Once everyone was in the community meeting center, a tin-roofed structure held up with beams and only one brick wall, with wooden church pews for seating, GlobalResolve introduced itself. As usual, one person is chosen to draw the boundaries of the village, and also typically, there is some disagreement from other citizens as to whether they drew correctly.

First, the direction from which the sun rises is depicted. Rivers and physical structures are mapped out. Next, schools and churches are also placed. Lastly, houses are indicated, with the number of females and males represented by small items on top of each one.

Education Technology Access in Ghana alti.asu.edu

This year we provided the GlobalResolve team with Apple iPad technology to enhance their work in Ghana. Presently, the cell phone is the predominant communications technology in Ghana as it is in many similar areas throughout the world. There are relatively few desktop computers in use in Ghana, and Internet access is even more scarce. Though even with limited experience using traditional computer technology, village teenagers quickly took to the the iPads touch screen interface and were easily able to draw illustrative maps using graphics programs on the iPad, recreating what the GlobalResolve team had laid out on the dirt oor. In short order the tablet engaged the students and provided them with an effective means of collaboration, communication, and forms of expression all with little or no technical training required.

This simple instance is a powerful statement about the applied use of technology for teaching and learning, and more importantly to the potential and possibilities available when the barriers to access are overcome in terms of prior technical knowledge.

Fawomanye
Kim Pearson Fawomanye is an agricultural village specializing in pineapple production. Upon arrival, we gathered around the village tree across the circle from women, babies, children, men, and elders (sitting in a special place in the circle), while goats roamed all around us. Meanwhile, most everyone noticed that several children were playing with toy cars pulled along by sticks. We quickly realized that the cars were made out of materials like shampoo bottles, wooden boxes, and other used items. This ingenuity intrigued us and would become an important point of inspiration. Edward, Mike, Mark, and Brad demonstrated the Twig Light, much to everyones delight. After shaking everyones hands, we took a tour of a small pineapple field with some of our newfound friends. Some young girls gave us a taste of sugar cane and then showed us the field. A few of us lent our cameras to the girls who instantly started snapping away. Shortly after, we split into interview groups along with one or two student interpreters. The various topics of discussion included the education system, agricultural practices (such as use of pesticides and fertilizers, process of selling), and water cleanliness and access. In terms of education, villagers were struggling with rising tuition prices and the external costs of school, such as clothing and shoes. The health care is similarly expensive, and many were unsure as to how they could pay. Regarding agriculture, the pesticides in use hurt their skin and burned their eyes. When asked whether they would consider organic agricultural practices such as intercropping to naturally prevent bugs, farmers said they would be interested. In addition, when described the practice of forming a cooperative, there was interest in joining if there were benefits.

The explained benefits would be pooling resources to buy better tools and undertake practices that would be more profitable at economies of scale, in addition to the possibility of having more bargaining power with the middlemen, or to eliminate the middlemen more directly by transporting the crops to market themselves. Several villagers wanted to discuss their water source, which had become even more dangerously low since the last year and thus too muddy to drink. The monsoon rains were coming later and later every year. During the trip the year before, GlobalResolve and Mary Kay Jackson distributed 250 water filters, but by now the filters were not enough and villagers had to buy water that was trucked in.

FuFu Anecdote
Briar Schoon
I remember watching the women pound the cassava with the mortar and long pestle made from wood. While one girl pounded the cassava, another flipped the doughy substance in a constant motion. They were so efficient, pounding the dough without even looking. I recall being terrified that one of them would slip, resulting in a mangled hand. This of course never happened, as the women were so accustomed to this procedure it came naturally, as if the pestle were simply an extension of their hand. As I stood watching in amazement, the mother called to me and gestured towards the cassava dough. It was obvious that she wanted me to try. Cautiously I walked up to the mortar and grabbed the long wooden pestle. I became even more nervous when I realized that the girl sitting down remained in her seat. I pounded down on the dough, which I instantly discovered to be far more difficult than I imagined. The cassava was very sticky and coarse. It required a lot of energy to pound down the long pole. It required even more energy to pound the cassava at the right speed. Despite finding the task far harder than I thought and being scared to death about accidentally mashing the young girls hand, I found myself capable of laughing along with the other women. To the Ghanaian women, it was quite comical watching my pathetic attempt at pounding the cassava. I was quite relieved when one of the girls came to relive me from the chore. At the next house, we found another woman engaged in the next stage of preparing FuFu. She was sitting by the fire stirring a large pot of cassava dough. I didnt immediately notice, but two metal rods that she was holding in place with her feet propped up the stove while she stirred the dough. To top it off, she had her daughter wrapped up on her back. Apparently the women in Domeabra got some pleasure out of watching me try to cook, because the women instantly invited me to sit and try. I discovered that this process was far more difficult than pounding the cassava dough. The dough was so tough and sticky, that it required a lot of muscle power to stir. To top it off, I had to keep my feet steady on the rods to keep the pot from tipping over. After about a minute, the woman took back over to prevent the dough from burning. I left amazed at the amount of work put in to preparing the familys meal every single day, and grateful for the convenience of my refrigerator and microwave.

Cocoa Beans
Kim Pearson The cocoa bean, one of Ghana's principal exports, does not look nor taste remotely close to the chocolate bar we know. The bean grows in large pods that are cracked open to reveal a gelatinous mash of seeds which are then cleaned from the cocoa fruit and dried in the blistering sun. The work is painstakingly done, yet often does not lend itself to economic well-being for farmers and their families. Meanwhile, many children work with their parents harvesting the cocoa, and there have even been reported cases of child slavery in West African

Villagers in Fawomanye were interested in creating co-ops for their pineapple fields.

Visiting Fawomanye on Africa Unity Day

Brian McCollow - blog post Sorry for the superbly long delay! No, nothing bad happened to us, we just didnt have internet for three straight days and then it has been quite intermittent since it came back; apparently is only works well between 5 am and 8 am the times I am not awake! Today we went back to the village of Fawomanye, where they immediately recognized Mark, Brad, and me, which was really cool. I remember taking pictures of half of them as we all sat around that same community tree and we went through the process of welcoming each other. Last year, we only focused on the water lters, but this year we brought the latest prototype of the Twig Light. There were issues communicating that we needed hot coals from the stove in the charcoal chamber, so it took a few attempts and almost half an hour before we were able to turn the light on, but they liked the idea, and were even more interested in the cell phone charging component. A few of the villagers have ashlight-type contraptions that they can take out and walk around with at night, and they told us they would like a mobile version. This was the last village of four on our schedule, and everyone expressed that they liked Fawomanye the best, and felt the most comfortable there. It seems that it takes about a week in Ghana to become familiar enough with the culture and talking with villagers. Briar and Heather attracted two shy little girls who also became comfortable sitting in their laps; in fact, the girl who decided she liked Briar eventually fell asleep in her arms! Briar was very, very happy with that and smiled the whole way home! After showing the twig light at the tree, everyone broke into small groups and went around to talk with villagers and ask questions. We didnt have much of a plan for Fawomanye, so it was only slightly chaotic.

We went and saw the pineapple elds, which I hadnt seen last year, and they were building a new mosque, which was also denitely not there last year. David noted it was fascinating that there could be multiple religions in Ghana, even within very small villages, and that there wasnt any conict between them. Studying that lack of conict could easily be someones thesis, and the concepts could be applied in various regions throughout the world [This is my ofcial challenge to you, reader: nd someone interested in religious conict, peace studies, etc., and send them our way. GlobalResolve has quite an integrated approach in its mission.] By the end of the (short) day, we started to naturally gather outside someones home, and then another woman was stirring banku for that nights meal. Because we are very interested in the cooking habits and what it takes to make a meal (specically in regards to the stove design), Nalini asked if she could try stirring the banku. She quickly became the center of attention, and then made me, Heather, and Briar try it, too! Within minutes, there were 20-30 villagers watching us, and it was just a big funny show! There were no translators with us, but it proved that humans can communicate without words; through laughter and embarrassment, we proved we werent above them, and showed our genuine interest in what they were doing. It was quite hilarious and something either group probably wont forget! What made today even more special was that it was Africa Unity Day, an international holiday (called other things in other countries, such as Africa Liberty Day, etc.). Compounding that with the fact that we were actually in Africa made the day even better.

Various stoves in Ghana

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Heather Hazzan

Cell Phone Companies

Believe it or not, but cell phones can be more prevalent in Bottom of the Pyramid (BOP) countries than clean water. Their importance cannot be dismissed. Having cell phones allows villagers to communicate with other sellers and buyers about prices, etc, from far distances. It was hard to miss the cell phone companiess advertisements on various homes and buildings. The company pays the owner money in return for ad space.

President Obama
President Obama has definitely changed the perception of America overseas. Ghana had everything from Obama water packaging to Obama pencils. They seemed to be very proud of his success in America. Where are you from? - a Ghanaian America - one of our students Ohhhh, OBAMA COUNTRY!!?? - a Ghanaian

Debrief in Guest House

In a 4-hour-long debriefing session at the guest house, each of us rehashed on our experiences and what we had learned. Brian typed the entire conversation to help us understand what GlobalResolve should focus on in the next semesters. It was really neat to put all of our ideas out on the table in hopes of making it into something greater.

Welcome to Kakum National Park

We hiked the longest and highest canopy walk in the world! The view of above the rainforest is something that many of us will never forget.

Cape Coast

We enjoyed dinner on the beach.

Ghanaian Kids Brian McCollow - blog post

The children in Ghana seemed like any other children in the US. The kids here are literally playing in the dirt. They poured water in the dirt and are stirring it around with sticks and then play with the mud; and they are having the grandest time! I think this creates an interesting argument on happiness; it enforces the viewpoint that you don't need very much to make yourself happy. It also reminds me of that golden rule of 'making do' with what you have.

No matter how little or how much they had, the Ghanian children embodied authentic, relentless joy. They lived it each day.

Various pictures from the trip!

What an amazing adventure in Ghana! The people we met and the experiences we shared will stay with us forever.

Each of us has much more hidden inside us than we have had a chance to explore. Unless we create an environment that enables us to discover the limits of our potential, we will never know what we have inside of us. - Muhammad Yunus