Ghana Blog

In the afternoon of July 15th, I found myself waving goodbye to a van full of friends that I had spent the last four weeks with. During the fourth week of the program, I received bad news from back home that led to me cutting my time in Ghana short due to a family emergency. So, a week before my initial departure date, I found myself checking into my flight at the KLM counter at Kotoko International Airport in Ghana. I had a few hours before my departure time, so I spent this waiting period reflecting on my experience in Ghana. To start, I realized how lucky I was to be a part of this program. There are many applicants for this program each year, so I began to realize how thankful I was to Dr. Anderson for inviting me to participate in such an amazing experience. I also realized how lucky we were to have a professor from Ghana who led us on our adventures. Dr. Anderson, from growing up in Ghana, had so many local connections that allowed us to have such an immersive experience and opened the door to opportunities that the general tourist wouldn’t have access to. One of my favorite parts of the program was interacting with Dr. Anderson’s classmates and his close friends that spent time with us throughout our travels. I also realized during this period of reflection at Kotoko International that this program will have a lasting effect on my life and my future choices. Learning about the cultural traditions in Ghana, the history of the slave castles scattered about Ghana’s coast, and the methods of healthcare delivery utilized by Ghanaian practitioners provided me with knowledge that will guide my future endeavors. Lastly, I reflected on how there were many moments during this program that checked off items on my life bucket list. From observing nature on a safari beneath the stars, to eating cocoa fruit while learning about the chocolate making process, to standing on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean that I grew up playing in, this program provided me with once in a lifetime experiences I will never forget. I am grateful to Ghana and its people for welcoming me with open arms and providing me with an experience I will never forget. -Eliza

     From a tiny plastic container not even the size of a palm into a world-renowned beverage, the Kasapreko Company Limited located in Accra, Ghana, is one of the most popular beverage manufacturing companies in not only Ghana, but in the West African Coast. 

         Upon arrival at the company for our industrial visit, we were ushered into the conference room and given a presentation on safety and emergency procedures in place at the factory, particularly within the bottling plant. Even before we entered the plant, we could see some of the finished products that the company boasts of ready to be picked up and delivered by trucks to their various distributors around the country. 

Inside the Plant

          Our first stop was at the blending area or what our tour guide/plant manager will call “the kitchen”. There, we met the manager in charge of the kitchen, Mrs. Lawrencia. The kitchen is where all the recipes for the Kasapreko products are kept and blended. Sugars are mixed and stored in the kitchen as well as a color correcting machine, the Batch Dosing Model. The Batch Dosing Models are a series of silver/metallic containers in the blending area that mixes the raw materials according to the measurements programmed in the system. At the kitchen, we saw a number of workers getting some equipment ready although the actual blending process in the kitchen seemed to be hands-free. 

The Making of the Container

Once we were taken through the making of the juice itself, we were led through the specific process of how the bottles were made for the juice, and other alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages. It all starts with the classic green screwable cap. This cap is specifically blended using a mix of not only white but dark hunter green plastic pebbles in order to achieve the desirable green cap color. Once this has been mixed it is stretched and formed through heat and pressure to produce the green cap and other caps as needed, which then begins its journey to get to the stores. It goes through a distributor system where it is then put into a large basin where the caps can be very easily inspected by the workers. This process does not require any human working capital, but simply the reliance of the machine.

After the experience with the making of the bottle caps, we then were taken through how the plastic bottles were made. The plastic bottles were initially very tiny hardware that had not yet been expanded, most of this hardware not even reaching the full length of the adult palm! It was then stretched and molded using a heat vaporizer and immense pressure as well as a molded metal model in order to produce the desirable bottle, in all shapes and sizes. This process directly followed the making of the caps. This was very nice to see as it worked in accordance with each other that once the bottles were made, they were immediately filled with the juice or other prepared beverage from the kitchen and immediately capped. 

Furthermore, following the juice or beverage being capped in the bottle, we were able to see the wrapper being placed onto the bottle, which was then immediately folded in some plastic wrap and pressed so that each beverage package contained a 4 x 4 or a 3 x 4 amount of beverage which was stamped with the Kasapreko sticker. The entire bottling process occurs without any human interface. This quick and effective assembly line that we were presented with during our tour of the bottling plant makes an hourly average of about 25,000 bottles of beverages.

After the tour

After visiting the plant, we were provided an opportunity by the production manager and other staff to ask additional questions regarding the operations of the company. At our pre-tour lecture earlier in the morning, we were told about the waste pollution problem in Ghana and so, we asked about the recycling efforts of the company. As innovative as it sounded that Kasapreko, a Ghanaian privately owned company is able to produce most of their raw materials, the question about recycling and creating more waste for the country was brought up. It was noted that Kasapreko currently recycles about 15%-20% of their plastic bottles and caps. Although the percentage seems small, it is imperative to note that the United States recycles only about 30% of their waste. This is an impressive feat for Kasapreko in placing indigenous Ghanaian liquor and other beverage products on the world map. 

~Frema and Lynn

“Drill please,” I heard the assistant surgeon say. I forgot how aggressive and messy yet fascinating orthopedics can be. So far the day had consisted of hernia repairs, myomectomies and a biopsy until I finally reached my turn in the orthopedics operating room. I walked in to see a wrist being repaired and soon learned his diagnosis was “spaghetti wrist,” a deep laceration of the distal volar forearm, plus a distal ulna fracture.

They began to drill holes for where they would add a plate and four screws. Around the time this started, people started running in and out of the OR in a chaotic state— grabbing supplies, shouting hurry, and “we need an open OR!” A thyroidectomy patient from the morning had crashed during recovery and would need to be opened again immediately. The circulating nurse, x-ray technician, and the nurses who were spectating took off running to help with the critical patient.

All that was left was the anesthesiologist, surgeon, assistant surgeon, scrub nurse, and me. They all stared at me and laughed, and I realized I would now have to be the circulating nurse and fetch items like drill bits, sterile gloves, and gauze. The surgeon began to explain more of the surgery to me and I learned that the man had been attacked with a machete. He said he is very lucky that he will not lose his hand, and began asking me questions about myself and what field I see myself in. As I kept being directed to collect different supplies to bring to the table, I smiled, thankful for the opportunity to help and learn. I speak for all of us when I say that we are always so thrilled to be able to help in any way we can, and I’m grateful for a crowded turned chaotic turned empty operating room that facilitated that for me.

Carter

This past Monday I shadowed and observed the surgical ward in the Greater Accra Regional hospital (Ridge) in Accra. I had shadowed previous surgeries before but they were minor so I was excited for this experience since I hadn’t seen any major cases before. The first surgery that I saw was a thyroidectomy which meant that a part of the thyroid would be removed. At first I didn’t recognize it but soon after, I realized that that was the surgery I had when I was younger. It was so cool to see the process of them opening up the throat and trying to dig into it in order to retrieve the thyroid. Once they removed the thyroid from the body, it was as huge as a golf ball (maybe even bigger) and it was crazy to think that something as big as that was in my own throat at one point in time. I was able to hold it once it was placed in a container and it was pretty awesome to see.

Towards the end of the surgery I was able to help hand the suturing materials in a sterile fashion to the scrub nurse so that he could give it to the surgeons and they could stitch the throat back up and I was also able to clean and gather up the bloody forceps when they finished. I was so proud to have contributed to something that happened to me!! I love how in healthcare you can be able to assess conditions and see them from a different point of view. It was truly a full circle experience for me and one that I’ll truly never forget.

-Sarah:)

During our last week in Ghana, we spent our time at Ridge Hospital. This week, I was able to spend my time in the surgical ward observing several orthopedic, general, and obstetric and gynecologic surgeries as well as the labor and delivery ward, medical ward, and maternity ward. I was looking forward to spending time in the labor and delivery ward after reading and hearing about the experiences of past students. When we entered the ward, the nurses station was busy as the doctors and midwives transitioned care from Night Shift to the day shift. They had a busy night with 17 babies born before we arrived at 8am. Not thirty minutes labor one of the woman went into active labor and Sarah and I saw our first birth of many we would see throughout the day.

Unlike the United States, epidurals are not part of the standard of care for deliveries in Ghana. This is partly cultural with women wanting to be a part of the whole experience, one of the nurses even said that feeling the pain in childbirth proved that you were a strong woman, while the other reason is because it is an extra charge. I had never seen the birth of a child before, so being able to watch new life enter the world was such an amazing experience! Immediately after the birth, the midwife delivered the placenta, and it was left in a tray under the bed until they could check to make sure the entire thing had been delivered.

Our day didn’t stop at vaginal births. We were invited to go with the anesthesiologists as they prepped a patient with eclampsia for an emergency c-section and took our place in the operating room to see our second baby of the day. It seemed like only moments after the surgeon cut into her, the baby was pulled out by the arms crying as it entered the world. To my surprise after leaving the OR a father came running into the labor ward saying his wife was giving birth in the parking lot. We rushed to grab all of the supplies and wheeled the cart down the hallway and put to the parking lot. When we got there, the baby was in the mothers arms as she sat in the passenger seat of the car. We wheeled the baby and the mother into the labor ward and delivered the placenta before leaving her to dote over her new baby girl.

Before leaving I saw yet another baby born, but this time it was a boy. In Ghanaian culture, everyone is given a name based on the day they were born, so all the girls we saw were named Abena and all of the boys were named Kwabeba for Tuesday. It isn’t until 8 days, or even 30 days the baby is born in some traditions that the child is named. Before we left for the day, I went with one of the midwives to check the heart rate and the dilation of a newly admitted patient. While the midwife performed a vaginal exam to check the cervix of the patient, she looked at me and told me to put gloves on. The next thing I knew I was feeling the womans cervix and the babies  head. The midwife looked at me as my eyes got big and asked if I could feel the babies head proclaiming she was 8cm dilated. I had not expected such a full day, but I am so grateful for the experience!

Abby

This week at The Greater Accra Regional Hospital has been filled with amazing experiences and learning opportunities. One of my favorite days was spent at the Labour and Delivery ward. When my partner and I went to the ward, the midwife said there were no admitted women that were currently on labor and that all the women gave birth the previous night. I was a little bummed by this but the day ended up being one of the most exciting I’ve had during this program. 

Throughout the day women were being admitted into the ward that were far along in their labor process. In total I was able to see 2 C-section surgeries and 3 vaginal births. When it came to the C-sections, I was amazed by how quickly the doctor is able to cut the woman’s lower abdomen, through the amniotic sack, and pull the baby out. It happened in the span of 3 minutes and I never knew that’s how C-sections were done. While in surgery, the women receive local anesthesia, so they’re awake during the entire operation. 

The vaginal births were also very interesting and I learned a lot about the process of a baby being born. The midwife went through in detail how use a partograph and that it’s a legal document used to record important things during a woman’s pregnancy such as cervical dilations, heart rate, vital signs, etc. As soon as the baby is delivered, delivering the placenta is the next step and I was amazed to see how large the placenta is. Once the baby is out and the mother is stable, the midwife conducts a newborn examination and they’re looking for anything abnormal such as placement of facial features, coloring, and the sutures on the baby’s head. The midwife I was working with was kinda enough to let me help in this examination and we weighed, measurement the baby’s body length, and gave the baby a vitamin K injection. I really enjoyed helping with this and shadowing the midwife throughout the day has made me think about my future nursing career and an interest of mine now includes labour and delivery.
 

-Brogan 

This was the second week that the group was observing at the Greater Accra Regional (Ridge) Hospital. My partner Brogan and I were stationed at the emergency surgery theater, down on the ground floor, where they deal with cases that require more urgency such as gunshot wounds or internal bleeding. Surgery has always fascinated me and has been one of the specific fields that I am seriously considering going into for a future career. With this in mind, I was excited to be able to observe the surgeries to see if I was fit for the field. I was even more excited when I found out that I had been given the opportunity to scrub into surgery and assist the surgeons with the operation.

The first operation that we saw dealt with a five-day-old baby who had a ruptured omphalocele where her intestinal tract was hanging outside of her abdomen. Looking at the body of the baby, one could see a bright red tubular ball just sitting on top of the stomach which was unsettling but fascinating at the same time. The surgeons quickly got to work, making an incision in the abdomen and gently stuffing the intestines back into the abdominal cavity. They would then suture up the wound and disinfect it with Savlon, ending the surgery quite quickly.

The operation that I was able to assist in was another pediatric case dealing with an 18-day-old baby who had gastrointestinal fluid leaking out of a wound created from prior surgery. Because the cause of this leak was unknown, the doctors wanted to conduct an investigative laparotomy to figure out what was wrong with the inside of the abdomen. My role for the operation was to be a scrub nurse, someone who deals with and hands the surgical instrumentation over to the surgeon/OR nurses when needed. I was quite a bit nervous at first because I had no previous experience with the different tools and there were so many of them to remember. During the surgery, the surgeon would call out “artery forceps” or “suture scissors” and I would be expected to quickly lay the tools directly onto her hands. The problem with the patient was found to be a ruptured bowel, so I was able to see a close-up view of it and other surrounding organs (stomach and gallbladder) as the surgeon sutured it back together.

In the end, I was so grateful that I was able to learn and gain so much direct experience in the emergency surgical theater. The operating room is unlike any other setting that I have been to and something tells me it will be calling my name in the near future.

-Brandon Doan

This week was our second week at the Greater Accra Regional Hospital at Ridge. As much fun as last week was, I believe this week was much more fun and educational. From the pediatric ward to the labor ward to the medical ward and even the surgical ward, we all got a chance to actively participate and observe multiple procedures throughout the week. Maybe it was a desperation to gain experience or our curiousity, but nonetheless our proactive actions got us many opportunities around the hospital.

On Monday, my partner and I got to be in the Radiology lab, we learned how to read CT and MRI scans as well as witness the daily life of a radiologist. We got to interact and care for patients in the pediaatrics and medical wards. At the labor wards, we witnessed multiple births, both vaginal and caesarean sections. We floated around the ward and got to check newborn measurements, draw injections needed for the labors, observe the suturing of tears that occured during birth. I even got the chance to check the dilation of a lady who was contracting. (She was 8cm). Although I had fun in all of these wards, I had the most fun in the two surgical wards we visited. Surgery is one of the specialties I am interested in, and in the surgical ward, I was able to observe different types of surgery to gauge my interest. I was given the opportunity to scrub in an epigasteral hernia surgery and hand over surgical instruments to the surgeon. 

The surgery I enjoyed watching the most was a leg amputation of a patient with an infectious leg ulcer. The below the knee surgery was a sight to behold. The surgeon explained that the ulcer had gotten so bad that the foot would only serve as a source of infection if left alone and the best thing was to cut it off. The patient was put under local anesthesia and was awake the whole time her foot was getting cut off. After making a long posterior flap, the surgeon cut through the skin to get to the bone. Using a giggle chain, he made saw-like motions and cut of the tibia (the larger bone on the leg) but because he cut it so abruptly, the chain came off and fell to the ground, this process sent over some blood and leg flesh my way but fortunately, I avoided getting it on me (I cannot say the same to the house doctor who was next to me; he got the flesh all over his hands). They put the chiggle saw into a sterile solution and sawed off the fibula (the smaller bone in the leg) shortly after. The surgeon used the left over skin to cover the bone after sealing it with bone wax.

It was interesting to see the atmosphere in the operating room. The conversations between the surgeons, scrub nurses and the anesthetics. The learning moments in the room was also interesting. This week was the blast I needed to end the Program with and I am glad to have such experiences. 

~Frema

Expect the unexpected. That is what I told myself as I stepped into the labor ward at 8:05 AM. The labor ward isn’t like any other, it is not scheduled. When the baby comes, it comes. And what an entrance they made…

Chapter 1: Adwoa 

At 8:22 AM baby Adwoa was born, a female born on a Monday. When first arriving in the ward I instantly noticed a women panting as she tried to reach the nurse station, I instantly knew that this was the one, I was about to see my first birth. The nurses attended to her by carrying her into labor ward 7. I could see the distress in her face as she clenched her back and stomach. She plopped onto the bed and not even minutes later, there she was peeking through. Adwoa. Born at 8:22 AM, coming out as smooth as butter. My first ever live birth, thank you Adwoa.

Chapter 2: Kojo

To Kojo I am forever grateful; Kojo was the first baby I ever hand delivered. As I said, expect the unexpected. A lady next to Adwoa was giving birth and there was a complication, the baby could not breathe. All the nurses rushed into that room leaving with me with just Kojo’s mother. Kojo’s Mother, however, was also in labor. I began to see the baby’s head and instantly ran to go get the nurse, but the nurse I did not find. I went to the next room to see if I could find her but the stress of the nurses and the silence of the baby weirdly flushed any of my sounds out. I ran back into Kojo room as I knew what I had to do. I put on my gloves and just held the baby in place as I screamed to anyone listening in the hallway. At this point the baby’s shoulders were exposed. 30 seconds later the nurse rushed back in and out on her gloved. She toppled her hands on top of mine and together we pulled the baby out. From there I was able to assist her in pulling out the placenta, measuring the baby, and attending to the baby and her mother. Truly the best day ever.

-Lynn Domkam

This past Wednesday, I shadowed doctors and nurses in the Pediatrics Ward in Ridge Hospital in Accra, Ghana. After waiting for a while to be assigned to someone, my shadowing partner and I were finally assigned to the medical officer overseeing the ward. He was mainly taking notes at first because he had already done the rounds for that morning but would be doing a final set of rounds later in the meantime with his supervisor, the specialist. In the meantime, we were in the computer room with him and overseeing him take notes that he witnessed when seeing the patients earlier. There was a patient with Edwards Syndrome (which is also called Trisomy 18), bronchopneumonia, and there was one potentially with neonatal sepsis (but tests needed to be taken to confirm it or not). 

While we were in the room with him, medical students would walk in and out. The medical officer would engage with them and ask them questions about what conditions the patients could potentially have. He also included us in it too. That’s how we came with finding out that one of the patients had bronchopneumonia: due to specific signs on a chest x-ray. It felt awesome to be included and to be able to ask any questions that we had about patients without feeling like a burden. 

The medical students were very nice and welcoming. There was one student that really stood out and so was motivating to me. Her name was Maria and she was born in Ghana but for most of her childhood grew up in Arkansas and even attended undergrad at the University of Arkansas. She talked about her journey going back to Ghana for medical school and compared the medical system between Ghana and the United States. She talked about the lack of resources and equipment in many hospitals in Ghana and the number of times she’s been frustrated with the fact that some patients that she had seen could have been saved but due to the lack of resources, they unfortunately didn’t make it. She also talked about the positive sides of medicine and how it really pays off to see something life-changing that you contributed to. “Eventual satisfaction after years of delayed gratification” was along the lines of what she said and that truly struck me because there will be times when I will feel discouraged about my journey in becoming a health care provider and if I truly am making a difference but there will be happy and satisfactory times in my career that will make a difference in people’s lives. 

Finally, the medical officer’s supervisor, the specialist, came in and did rounds with him. It was so fascinating seeing her ask his opinions on the patient’s conditions just as he had done with the medical students, almost like a hierarchy system. While doing rounds, we were able to see the patients that we were discussing earlier in the computer room and it was fascinating to see it in a full circle. It was so impressive just seeing how the specialist was so good around kids and how skilled she was at her job. I really liked how she also included us too, considering how high up she was. She showed us a patient with mumps and asked for our input on the patient's conditions. Overall, it was such a good and productive day and I’m grateful for having been part of the team.

-Sarah

Before even leaving the US to come to Ghana, I was already looking forward to spending a day in the labor and delivery ward during our time at Ridge Hospital. I have always been interested in women’s and maternal health and after hearing stories from past UGA programs, I was hoping to get to see a few live births during my time observing. When I arrived, I was introduced to a midwife named Hannah who gave us an orientation of sorts. I think she originally thought that we were medical students and/or were assigned to clinical rotations in the ward. We walked around the ward with her seeing the different delivery rooms and stopped in one to check on an expectant mother, and she decided then she would try to induce the patient to speed up the labor process. Soon after, I realized that there were only two expectant mothers in the ward and that they had both just gone into labor, so it was unlikely that either of them would deliver over the next few hours that I would be there.

To pass time, Hannah began to teach us about monitoring the baby and mother’s health during labor as well as different maneuvers to aid delivery when the baby is breached. During this demonstration, a nurse came in and told Hannah that they were starting an exam next door. At first, Hannah told us there would be plenty of exams to see, but after realizing we only had an hour left of our day, she sent Eliza and me next door to observe the exam. When we walked in, we realized a third mother had been admitted to the ward and was in one of the shared rooms with another mother. I assumed she was being examined to determine how far along in the labor process she was. The room was crowded with lots of people— multiple nurses, midwives, and two nurses with large numbers laminated and safety pinned to both sides of their scrubs. Once the incubator was rolled in, I realized that this was not a physical examination of the mothers, but a midwifery exam and that I was about to witness the midwifery students deliver one of the women’s babies. After twenty or so minutes of pushing and encouragement, I started to wonder if the baby would come before I had to leave.

All of a sudden I saw the head of the baby and he was here! I then looked to my left and saw that the other mother that had just been admitted was also pushing and delivering her baby. She had to have been rushed in and ready for delivery when she was admitted. The midwife student delivering the second baby began to panic when the baby’s umbilical cord was wrapped around its neck. I began to feel very sympathetic for the mother as the midwifery student finished delivering the baby and the nurses immediately rushed to untangle the cord and get the baby breathing. A few minutes went by and the baby let out a cry and was able to breathe on its own.

I couldn’t believe what I just saw. After thinking all morning I wouldn’t get to see a baby born on my one day in the labor ward, I got to see two babies delivered at the same time. The control freak in me has come to realize that medicine does not always happen on a provider's desired schedule, especially in the case of babies. I continue to find myself blown away by the things I am seeing and experiencing while in Ghana, and getting to hear a baby cry and take its first breath is something I will never forget.

Carter

Today was the second day at Ridge Hospital in Greater Accra. My partner and I were stationed in the emergency and resuscitation unit on the ground floor of the hospital. Here, patients receive immediate treatment as they may come in with life-threatening illnesses such as cardiac arrest and strokes.

The day started in the triage section of the emergency room where we joined a crowd of doctors and medical students surrounding several patient beds. They were doing their rounds where the resident doctors would have to describe the patient history and symptoms presented in an admitted patient. From here, they would then explain what investigations (x-rays, CT scans, MRI scans, etc) they had to conduct and what their working diagnosis was as a result of their findings. One of the patients we were able to observe came in unconscious as a result of a stroke. The doctor that was leading the discussion explained how just from looking at the physical appearance of the patient—droopiness of one side of the face and extremities—they were immediately able to suspect a stroke. They later confirmed this suspicion through a CT scan where we were able to see how one side of the brain had damaged neurons in the frontal and temporal lobes, indicated by darker shades on the scan. In the end, it was fascinating to learn how the doctors put a patient’s case together like pieces of a puzzle, using the patient’s history, symptoms, and lab results to come up with a diagnosis.

The rest of my day was spent in the same triage section as there weren’t any patients in the resuscitation unit to observe. The majority of the day was very calm, with the patients just resting in their beds and the nurses closely monitoring them. This all changed when a small gray car pulled up to the entrance of the triage. Nurses immediately rushed outside rolling a hospital bed and brought inside an unconscious middle-aged man that had a very swollen stomach. His stomach was so enlarged, that it looked like he was pregnant. Inside, the nurses put on an oxygen mask over his mouth and nose and let him stabilize. He seemed to be doing fine for a moment until he suddenly stopped breathing and lost his pulse. Chaos filled the triage as nurses were scrambling about to start CPR and inject medicine into him. It was the first time I had seen someone “pass away” before my eyes and I was scared that I was about to witness death for the first time. During the CPR process, the nurses even asked if I wanted to assist in the CPR and while I was hesitant at first, I worked up the courage to help. Thankfully, just as I was putting on my gloves, the patient regained his pulse and started breathing again. The disaster had finally ended.

The emergency room experience was one of both peace and calamity. One moment may be quiet while another may cause your adrenaline to spike. In the end, I am grateful to experience such an environment as I gained both an admiration for emergency healthcare workers and an interest in emergency medicine as a future career path. Now, I can’t wait for the following days at the hospital as I will be able to experience other fields of medicine.

-Brandon Doan

This was the first week spent at The Greater Accra Regional Hospital at Ridge. The first department I shadowed was the Operating Room and I was a little nervous. I didn’t think blood and open wounds would bother me, but I’ve also never seen these on such a big scale so I wasn’t sure how I’d react. It ended up being very different from what I thought and I ended up loving it. The setting ended up being a lot more relaxed than what I thought and I was able to see two surgeries from start to finish and then some bits of others. 

The first surgery I got to see was a tibia shaft fracture. The main objective of this surgery was to screw the two broken fragments together. In order to do this, the surgeons opened up the knee and had to insert a metal rod into the bone marrow and this rod is used to make sure the two fragments are kept in the right position before screwing them together. Since this surgery took place in the leg, the doctors performed spinal anesthesia on the patient so they were numbed from the waist down. This surgery involved a lot more energy being exerted as you have to use a lot of strength to push the metal rod into the bone. 

The second surgery was a pelvic laparoscopy on a woman who had fibroids in her fallopian tubes. The camera that was inserted into the woman’s uterus projected the image on a video monitor for us to observe what the doctor was looking for. Once he found the fibroids, he scraped them out of the uterus. This surgery was a lot less bloody and calmer than the shaft fracture but it is still considered a major surgery as many complications can arise such as bleeding or injury to the bladder. 

Overall, the experiences I’ve had this week have been amazing! The doctors were super interactive and made a great effort to include us in their work. I’ve never shadowed in an operating room in the United States but I’d assume it would be a lot similar to what I witnessed at this hospital. I’m looking forward to seeing what next week brings!

-Brogan

Following our week at Princess Marie Louise Children’s Hospital, we spent this past week at The Greater Accra Regional Hospital at Ridge. We will continue to shadow and observe the doctors, nurses, and midwives at this hospital until we leave to return home on Friday. Being at Ridge Hospital was a vastly different experience from what I saw at PML Children’s hospital. Where there were equipment shortages and limited supplies at the children’s hospital, Ridge seemed to be a world apart with its newly constructed building that housed the majority of their units. What stayed the same was the passion I saw from every doctor and nurse to provide the best available care to each and every one of their patients.

On Wednesday, Sarah and I spent our day in the pediatrics unit on the third floor of the hospital shadowing the house doctor and spending time with the medical students who were doing their rotation in the ward. We began the day with the pediatric specialist as she did her rounds to check in on the patients who had stayed the night. The patients were divided up under the care of several house officers who oversaw the patient care and charting. The houseman-ship is a 2-year mandatory post following graduation from medical school. In Ghana, patients are in charge of supplying the various medical supplies and medications that they need while they are at the hospital. While we were in the pediatric ward, we came across one of the patients who was receiving social welfare from the hospital because the mother could not afford the costs associated with her child’s hospital stay despite having insurance. Social welfare means that the hospital will help with the costs of the child’s medications and supplies as long as they are purchased through the hospital pharmacy. This particular patient had fluid buildup in the lungs that they had previously drained with a chest tube, but the doctors determined that they needed to drain the lungs again, so the mother was given a prescription to purchase another chest tube. The mother returned saying the hospital was out of the specific size chest tube she needed, so she was forced to go outside the hospital to purchase the chest tube, however, social welfare would not be able to cover the cost.

Unfortunately, situations like this occur often and providers must balance being able to provide care within the means provided. Oftentimes, this means doctors pay out-of-pocket to make sure their patients receive the care they need. My time in the pediatric ward was such an eye-opening experience and getting to meet and talk with the medical students to see their passion and persistence despite the difficulties that they know they will encounter is inspiring.

Abby

This week, we were able to start our shadowing and observation experience at The Greater Accra Regional Hospital at Ridge. Unlike PML hospital, this one was huge. The building was bigger, there were lots of staff and most importantly lots of equipments in the facility. In contrast to its size, the welcome we received was lacking. At PML, because it was a smaller hospital, the staff instantly knew of our arrival and it was an easy transition but at Ridge, we didn’t get such treatment. When we got there on Tueday, we made our way to the conference room (just like we had done at PML) but this time, the conference room was packed with nurses, house doctors and medical students. We were told to wait downstairs for the on going meeting to conclude. From here on the waiting game began. We sat downstairs for more than 4 hours! By the time an administrator came to give us an orientation, it was almost 1 PM. We had a 30 minute orientation and headed home for the day. We were all sad and upset that we had “lost” a whole day but we were ready to work and observe the following days.

On Thursday, My partner and I were assigned to the pediatrics ward. We were introduced to the charge nurse, Bridgett, who put us to the care of the house doctors on the floor. While going around with the house doctors, we met the pediatric oncologist. Dr. Salifu. She is one of the most passionate and charismatic doctors I have ever seen. She was passionate about teaching, being a doctor and helping children. While talking to her, the years of education needed to become a doctor was brought up. We were all complaining about how much time it takes to become a doctor and we felt like we were in a cruel round of a waiting game. Her response to our statements was a profound one I hope I remember every year. She said, 'Every year you become a better person, or study more is never wasted”. She went to explain that the human body is very complex. So it is never a waste of time for a person to sharpen their knowledge about it before becoming a doctor. Her words put things into a clearer perspective for me and I was very glad we got to talk to her and experience her passion for being a doctor. 

While doing rounds with Dr. Salifu, we encountered an 11 year old boy with inoculable brain stem tumor. Prior to this moment, I had never seen a coma patient in real life. I had a preconceived idea of a coma patient being quiet and unresponsive. But the patient we saw on the ward simply looked like he was sleeping; snoring and all. It was disheartning to hear that due to the injury sustained, nothing could be done for the little boy and his family. All the doctors could do is give palliative care since he had a coma level of less than 10. The family could only wait on their child to eventually die. While discussing this with my patner, we talked about how frustrating is must be to be a doctor, (who’s job is to improve the quality of life of your patient through their health) and not be able to do anything for a dying patient but wait for them to die.  

This week has been very fruitful and has opened my eyes to many scenarious in the daily life of a healthcare professional.

~Frema

This past week, we spent our time observing physicians and healthcare workers at Greater Accra Regional Hospital. I think this week of shadowing at was one of my favorite experiences from my time spent so far in Ghana. I have dreamed of becoming a physician since I was a little girl. Even through the hurdles and unexpected obstacles I’ve faced during my journey towards medical school, one thing has remained constant: my excitement and passion for medicine and health. This past week observing at Greater Accra Regional Hospital confirmed to me that every struggle towards pursuing medical school is and will be worth it. I felt excitement, passion, and curiosity throughout each day of observations at the hospital. From watching simple injections or blood draws to observing an infant take their first breath, every little and big procedure had my eyes wide open with wonder. Within the past year, I have become very interested in the field of women’s health. Endocrinology, obstetrics, and gynecology have become more and more interesting to me, so I was very excited to observe in the labor and delivery ward on Thursday. After a morning of observing the head nurse of the ward and learning from her the ins and outs of midwifery, Carter and I were able to witness two infants take their first breath. My adrenaline was pumping like crazy. My eyes were wide open from the excitement of getting to watch two new lives come into this world. I loved getting to watch the way the nurses encouraged the mothers during each step of the process. I also fell in love with the idea of being a part of bringing a child safely onto this earth. Though the birthing process is a little bit chaotic, it was truly a magical and beautiful experience getting to witness the delivery of two infants. Even though the labor and delivery ward was my favorite day of observations, I was surprised by how much I enjoyed observing in the emergency and ICU departments. On Wednesday I watched physicians review the CT scans of a patient presenting with a traumatic brain injury and skull fracture in the emergency department, which I found to be much more exciting than I thought. I am now a little more interested I the field of radiology than I was before coming on this trip. No matter what field I end up pursuing, I’ll never forget my how experience at Ridge Hospital made me feel: eager, excited, and purely passionate about pursuing a career in medicine. -Eliza

It is quite fascinating how intricate and detailed the human body is. Every muscle, bone, nerve, cell works together is make the human body function. If one fails, it is like a domino effect and the rest begin to follow. In radiology, we were able to see the effects of the impairments of the human body.

While in radiology we were able to observe the fluoroscopy machine taking images of patients. Patients of different ages and genders were brought in, each with different problems. The first patient was a female who had fertility issues who was having her uterus and Fallopian tubes checked, followed by a male who had a fistula, followed by two separate cases of an enema found in two separate kids, concluded with a female who had a swallow test conducted to test her reflexes.

At the beginning each patient had an initial scan conducted followed by a scan with contrast. Being that I want to potentially go into radiology I was fascinated with many different aspects of the field. The work hours are ideal not to mention the light heartedness of the work place followed by the ability to essentially work at you own place. I was able to learn various medical terms and get an insight in the life of a medical resident which excited me for what is yet to come. In contrast to the PML hospital we had been through, this hospital closely resembled the structure of a hospital in the US. From the varying units to the sanitation and equipment it is clear that RIDGE hospital is one of the most prestigious hospitals in Ghana.

- Lynn Domkam

This past week, we spent five days shadowing at Princess Marie Louise Children’s Hospital in Ghana’s capital city of Accra. Having not observed in a hospital setting before, this experience was all new to me. We rotated in pairs through the hospital’s different units including the Severe Acute Malnutrition Ward, the Pediatric In-Patient Ward, the Emergency Department, the Physiotherapy Department, the Burn Unit, and the Nutrition Rehabilitation Center. Each day brought with it exciting new knowledge to obtain and questions to ask. I had the opportunity to observe cases and problems that we don’t commonly experience in the United States including cases of kwashiorkor and marasmus malnutrition, tuberculosis, yellow fever, and malaria. Learning through observation was fascinating and engaging, but my favorite learning experiences of the week were sitting in on nutrition presentations for medical students from the University of Ghana. Carter and I were invited to attend a presentation on in-patient care for Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM) patients on Wednesday and a presentation on SAM outpatient rehabilitation protocols this morning. We learned what qualifies a patient as a SAM case, what complications to treat first upon admission, when the child can be discharged to outpatient care, the different formulas and therapeutic foods used for nutrient supplementation and weight gain, and signs of shock to look for if a child is not improving. I think I found these lectures so interesting and engaging because these are not topics that are extensively covered in the United States. It was a rare and exciting learning opportunity to see cases in real life that I have only read about in textbooks. Aside from the abundance of clinical knowledge I gained during my week at observing at PLM Children’s Hospital, I also had the chance to compare and contrast different aspects of the healthcare delivery system of Ghana versus that of the United States. The first major thing I noticed was the how the inpatient rooms were set up in a ward-style manor. One inpatient ward had about twelve cots, each for a different patient experiencing different clinical diagnoses. Each child was usually accompanied by a parent or two, so the wards were crowded and loud. This was very different from the private rooms set-up of U.S. hospitals that I am accustomed to. This brings up another point involving a difference in sanitation methods I noticed throughout the week. Due to a lack of resources and funding, I noticed there were fewer hand sanitizer bottles throughout the hospital, more human traffic in and out of rooms, windows covered by screens not enclosed by glass, and homemade disinfectants used by the providers to clean reusable tools. These different sanitation methods provided a stark contrast to the spotlessly sterile environment of a hospital in the United States. It was sad to hear nurses mention that certain sanitation procedures or methods should be followed, but they lack the resources to properly sterilize or disinfect so they do the best they can with what they have. The last thing I will make note of about my week at PML Children’s Hospital is about the staff I interacted with. Like I have previously said, the people of Ghana are beyond welcoming. Each physician, nurse, and tech welcomed us into their ward or unit with no questions asked. They allowed us to follow alongside them throughout their busy day, answering any questions we threw their way. We were invited to attend lectures and case presentations alongside the medical students, where they asked us questions like we were part of the student cohort. I enjoyed every encounter I had this week at Princess Marie Louise Children’s Hospital and I’m excited to continue my observations next week at Ridge Hospital. -Eliza

It feels like each day becomes my new favorite. After a week of community health screening, we ventured into the walls of the hospital, spending this next week at Princess Marie-Louise (PML) Children’s Hospital, the only children’s hospital in Ghana. Throughout this week, we were able to observe and shadow the doctors, nurses, and dieticians working in the different wards at the hospital. We began the week in the neonatal unit and the medical ward for children under six months, then we made it to the operating room and the severe malnutrition ward, and finally ended the week in the emergency room and the nutrition rehabilitation building.

Wednesday, Sarah and I had the opportunity to shadow the pediatric surgeons in the operating room. Each week, two surgeons, Dr. Vincent and Dr. Glover-Addy come from the Korle-Bu teaching hospital associated with the University of Ghana medical school to set up a visiting surgical unit at the PML hospital with their senior residents. The surgical unit was constructed 10 years ago as a donation from a Catholic priest. Since its construction, over 3,000 minor surgeries have taken place many of which are hernia corrections. We arrived and immediately dressed in a hair net, shoe covers, and a gown to prevent the spread of outside germs into the unit. We were introduced to the charge nurse, Josepha, and she gave us a tour of the floor showing us the waiting room, recovery room, scrub room and the two theaters where they perform the surgeries.

We were invited by the resident, Dr. Kwaku, to watch the first surgery of the day, an anorectal malformation, the more major surgery of the nine scheduled for the day. The patient was a 3.5-month-old baby whose anus needed to be moved higher on the body. As the patient was prepped for surgery, we became a part of the ebb and flow of the operating room. The catheter was placed, and the child was intubated. The pediatric surgeon looked up from the child and said, “are we ready?” Looking at the resident he warned, “beware the ides of March.” “Do you know what that means?” he asked. “It means don’t expect it to be a routine and simple surgery, complications can arise at any moment even in the simplest of surgeries.” And with that, the theater door swung open, and the surgeons were scrubbed in to begin the surgery. The smell of cauterized skin permeated the room and two hours later, Dr. Glover-Addy and Dr. Kwaku finished stitching up the baby. It was such an incredible experience to get to watch a surgery take place, something that took 2-hours but would immensely improve the child's quality of life. I also enjoyed seeing the learning process occurring between the pediatric surgeon and the resident in his final year. Despite being undergraduate students, both the surgeon and the resident took their time to explain everything they were doing and why they were doing it and answer any questions we had.

Abby

Pulling up to Princess Marie Louise Children’s Hospital, I was very excited for all the opportunities and to get to spend time with different nurses and physicians. When we arrived on Monday, we were brought to the conference room for an orientation and found out about all of the different services they provided and the different units we could choose to shadow in: the burn unit, several pediatric inpatient wards for a variety of ages, the emergency room, a severe malnutrition unit, an outpatient ward, the neonatal ward, a surgical ward, and a nutrition rehabilitation unit. I was hopeful to learn new things and see some cases I wouldn’t necessarily see in the United States. One thing I have never really thought about that I will probably never experience in the United States is treating severe malnutrition. I did not have a lot of knowledge about nutrition prior to coming to Ghana and starting this program, but my interest in it has grown a lot. I spent our first day in the burn unit and one of the pediatric wards, seeing the first malnourished child there. The next day I knew I was spending the day in the ward designated for children who are experiencing complications due to severe malnutrition, and this is when I realized that I had never actually seen a severely malnourished child before.

When I arrived at the ward the next morning, the in-charge nurse, Amanda, as well as the dietician students were ready to answer any and every question I had. Amanda introduced me to each patient's mother and explained each of their cases to me before walking me through the steps of treating the different complications that come with severe malnutrition. The head dietician and friend of Dr. Anderson, Priscilla, also welcomed Eliza and I and invited us to sit in on her lecture the next day about assessing and treating severe acute malnutrition (SAM). For the rest of the day, we clung to the medical students who were assigned to learn in that ward and continued to learn more about the subject along with them. As the day went on, one of the children began going in and out of shock and the environment began to grow a bit more chaotic. In the midst of the chaos, the medical students stopped to answer my questions when I didn’t want to bother the nurse or physician as they were dealing with their critical patient. I loved having them as a resource and I think they have really enjoyed having the opportunity to teach and share what they have learned with us as well.

The next day Eliza and I attended Priscilla’s lecture with the medical students and got to learn more about what we saw the previous day and why the ward operates the way it does. We learned in detail the reason the cases were handled the way they were the previous day as well as a lot of other details about SAM that I would not have necessarily learned so in depth in the United States. On our last day, I had the opportunity to tag along with Dr. Anderson and spend the day in the outpatient nutrition rehabilitation ward. Each severe malnutrition patient is referred there once they have reached stability and is seen on a weekly basis to assess their progress. The mothers are given the opportunity to learn how to cook nutritious foods for their children to help them continue to grow, and the kids are fed each time they come in. It was really neat to see how this process works from start to finish. 
 

I have learned so much through this program already in so many different aspects and am more confident than ever about pursuing a career as a mid-level provider. I have loved that I have learned from so many different resources— between Dr. Anderson, my peers, nurses, physicians, dieticians, the medical students, and more, I am looking forward to learning more over the next two weeks.

Carter

This week we shadowed and observed health care professionals at Princess Marie Louise Hospital in Accra, Ghana (the country's capital). It also turns out to be the only children's hospital in Ghana. Throughout the week my partner and I observed multiple specialties around the hospital such as neonatal, surgery, and severe malnutrition but I have to say that my favorite day was on the last day when we shadowed in the Emergency room. At first, we attended a meeting hosted by a pharmaceutical company where some of the doctors and nurses were present and then we went down to the ER.

Upon entering, we saw that it was so chaotic and there were nurses, doctors, and patients going everywhere. We then met up with the charge nurse and she assigned us to other nurses that we could observe. Our professor Dr. Anderson told us that throughout the years, students on the program had been "put to work" in this particular ER and boy he was right! Immediately once we met up with one of the nurses, she had us do intake on the patients which consisted of taking their temperature and checking their pulse and oxygen levels. We checked about probably 15 kids and their ages ranged from about 1 month to 7 years. They were all together in an open ward with their parents and their beds were all next to each other so there was really no personal space. That was really different for me to see because compared to the U.S there aren't really any open wards and people usually have their own personal rooms or a curtain separating them from others. Some of the conditions that the patients had were severe malaria, septicemia (infection in the blood), and a rodenticide injection. There were some patients that were receptive to me as I was checking their vitals but some were moving around so much that it was hard for me to do so.

Soon after that, we were transferred to another nurse named Ummu and she taught us how to prep and mix IV medicines for the patients. It was very specific and tedious but so informational because she needed to ensure that the patients got enough medication as possible and I really admired that. Once she was done, she asked me out of nowhere if I knew how to insert the medication into a patient's IV and I said no so she decided to teach me. It was a little bit nerve-racking at first but eventually, I got the hang of it. It was a pretty fast process because I had to get all the liquid in the patient before too much of their blood spilled out of the IV connected to their hand.

All in all, it was a crazy day in the ER but I was engaged in every minute of it because that is the reality faced in many hospitals across many different countries like the United States and Ghana: people spontaneously coming in to be treated for any condition possible so one must be ready to treat them. The experience helped make me all the more prepared for my future career as a physician associate and I am so excited for more experiences to come. 

-Sarah 

This week was spent at the Princess Marie Louis Children’s Hospital in Accra. My partner and I shadowed in the following departments; Severe Malnutrition, Emergency Room, Children 0-2yrs, and Physiotherapy. The most impactful departments for me were the Severe Malnutrition ward and Physiotherapy. I’ve taken nutrition classes and have seen malnourished children in textbooks or on TV but never in real life. This was a huge learning experience for me as the doctor explained the stages to recovery a child must go through and the complications that are associated with malnourishment. Physiotherapy was the most interactive of the departments which I really enjoyed. A lot of the patients in this department have cerebral palsy and need play therapy to get them moving such as arm and neck movements. The children seemed to really enjoy having us there and it was very heartwarming to see the smile on their faces. 

It was amazing to see the striking differences between the Princess Marie Louis Children’s Hospital and what you would see at a hospital in the United States. With Ghana being a low income country, they have very limited resources and supplies making the departments overcrowded, poorer sanitation practices, and having to be innovative with cases. The day I spent in the emergency room, the doctor explained to me how a specific baby’s arm was broken during the birthing process and since they didn’t have the supplies to put the arm in a tourniquet, they had to improvise and use cardboard. I also saw many instances where nurses were creating CPAP machines out of water bottles. 

Overall, I really enjoyed this week and learned so much while getting a glimpse at how Ghana’s healthcare system works. I think it’s very valuable to explore different hospitals and to see how they function as well as the diseases that are prevalent in that area that you may not see in your home country. The more you widen your knowledge on specific diseases and practices, the more likely you’ll be able to help individuals from many backgrounds.

-Brogan

Today was the fourth day at Princess Marie Louise Children’s Hospital in Accra and my partner and I were stationed in the emergency room. The emergency room consisted of three medium-sized rooms and acted like a ward to house patients who suffered from severe illnesses. Looking around, the rooms were very full, small beds stacked up against one another and nurses scrambling about to check up on the patients. Some of the reasons that the patients were admitted were severe malaria, severe pneumonia, and jaundice.

One of the patients that I was able to observe was a newborn baby that had just been born a few days ago. The baby was laying in a small cradle that had a bright blue light shining over it. The doctor that my partner and I were shadowing explained how the baby had jaundice, a condition that turns the skin yellow due to the buildup of bilirubin (potentially from liver complications). The blue light was a form of phototherapy and helped break down the bilirubin. The baby was also abnormally large at birth. As a result, she had some form of brain damage and even broke her left arm during delivery. It was interesting to hear the plan of treatment for the baby, but also heartbreaking at the same time.

The rest of the day was spent shadowing the same doctor at the outpatient center. There, entire families were crowded around several small consulting rooms, ready to be checked on by the doctors. I was able to see the physician talk to the children's parents about their medical history and give the children brief physical examinations. From there, the child would either be sent home with a prescription or be admitted to the hospital for further treatment.

In the end, while I was able to gain an insight into new medical complications, it was a sad sight to see small children suffering from all of these diseases/illnesses. It also really gave me admiration and respect for all of the healthcare workers at the hospital who are giving it their all to get these children healthy again. Ultimtaely, I just hope that one day medicine will get to point where we won't have to witness any more children in pain, suffering from preventable diseases. 

-Brandon Doan

This weeks blog will not be in the serious tongue you have previously been reading, because everyone needs a good laughs every once in a while.This week we started our hospital shadowing at PML Children’s Hospital in Accra, Ghana. The commute with traffic is very hefty, so we have to leave at 6 AM promptly in an effort to beat the traffic. With this being said you can imagine that the students use the time on the van to finish their nights rest. With most of us being asleep on the van we began to hear the sounds of rain trickling down our window, but most of us enjoyed the sounds because it facilitated our sleep, like an ASMR. What we did not know was the horror that would follow…

Most of us woke up to the rain exceeding the height of the tires. We were completely engulfed in the water and there was no way of getting out. While multiple civilians got out of their car trying to figure out solutions, we did the exact opposite; our fight or flight had failed us. We were either panicking and complaining of feeling confined or taking the dimensions of the windows trying to see if we could fit if need be. Some of us even started envisioning having to stand on top of the van if the water were to rise high enough.

We definitely heard about their being a rainy season in Ghana, but I think to understand it we had to see it first hand. The rain in Ghana is no comparison to the rain in America. It is a monster in itself. We were finally able to escape the waters from the help of some Ghanaian men and continue our day. Oh did I mention the engine blew out during the process? Truly a horrific but memorable day that I will tell anyone I can.

-Lynn Domkam

Today, my partner and I did our second rotation at the Princess Marie Louise Children’s hospital. We decided to visit the physiotherapy ward where therapists help children and their family with treatment for motor skills. The therapists help the children in 30-minute sessions, but the majority of the duty falls on the family who has to be educated on the proper ways to carefully bring their child back to good health. All the children we saw today had cerebral palsy. 

The first child was about two years old. He was limp, couldn’t sit straight and could not hold up his neck. Today, the therapist was helping him move around to stimulate neck strength. The child had come in with the mother. Three weeks ago, the family took a leave and did not attend sessions. Due to this, the child has regressed on his progress and looked helpless when the therapist rolled him around, attempting to get him to raise his neck. His helplessness and cries were heard throughout the ward. It was heartbreaking to see the child in so much pain, not knowing these things were done to help him. The therapist talked to the mother about being consistent with their activities. It was fascinating to see that the therapy was not just for the child, but for the parents as well. To have the time set aside to tend to their child development every single day. 

Throughout the day, multiple children came through, some with stiff joints, others with neck and upper body support problems and some were on their way home after being in the hospital for months. The therapist Douglas, explained to us the importance of examination for children. “They cannot talk, so you must be thorough with your assessments to get to the root of the problem”.  

30 minutes into our shadowing experience, I was convinced I wanted nothing to do with physiotherapy or childcare due to the helplessness and pain the children felt. But as time went on, I noticed the interaction between the therapists and the children. They were actively engaging with them to maintain their attention in order to get the child to move. The therapists worked together with the family; knew each family dynamics to understand how to prescribe a regime for each child and their family. 

Today was an insightful day. I got to interact with all these children and gain knowledge about cerebral palsy or physiotherapy I did not know before. Today also gave me a newfound respect for therapists, especially children therapists. Multiple sessions with possibly little to no results. It takes patience and understanding to become a therapist and I respect them for that. I hope I have the same patience when I become a healthcare professional. 

~Frema

This past Sunday we attended a church service in the same town where we are mainly staying for the majority of our trip in the Eastern region of Ghana. Even though not all of us were religious, Dr. Anderson (our professor) thought it would be a good way to introduce ourselves to the community and to make our presence known while we were staying here. Most people in Ghana practice either Islam or Christianity with a bigger Christian presence in the South of Ghana and a bigger Islamic influence in the north of Ghana. The drive to the church wasn’t that far as it was only about 5-7 minutes away from the house. When we walked into the chapel, we were greeted with open arms and beautiful smiles full of people that welcomed us into their church.

Throughout the service,  it was so joyful and cheery with boisterous songs of praise and people dancing up and down the aisles giving thanks to their god. Regardless of whether the people in my program were religious or not, we couldn't deny that there was genuine joy in that room and that really cheered our spirits long after we left the church.

That day set the stage for the rest of the week when we traveled to different communities and did free health screenings on the people in those communities. Even though there was some chaos throughout the week in terms of tending to the hundreds of people that came to get their health checked, we still kept our spirits up and persevered through and checked as many people as we could. It's really awesome knowing that if you're going to be potentially going through something that stressful and hard, it's good to look to something positive to get you moving and feeling optimistic and that church service was that for me.

Sarah

 

For the past week, the group has been traveling to different communities and offering the local people a free health screbening, a health screening that for some, maybe the only form of healthcare they will receive in a long time. Each day started bright and early with the group visiting the chief of the town in order to introduce ourselves to him and explain our purpose of being there. Afterward, we would set up our makeshift clinic which consisted of six different stations: intake, weight and height, blood pressure, hemoglobin and glucose reading (finger pricking), cholesterol testing, and data entering. Each one of us would start out at a station and as we gradually got tired, we would rotate to a new station. In the beginning, the flow of patients through the stations was quite slow, but as we adjusted to the workload, we soon became very efficient. I was very excited to be able to learn new clinical skills while also putting a smile on every patient in the process.

On the second day of our screening, I found myself at the finger pricking station during my rotation. Before this program, I had never once before worked with blood, nevertheless, stabbed a needle into someone’s finger. I was quite nervous about accidentally messing up and hurting the patient. I eventually got into the groove of it until it was a little kid’s turn to be pricked. Turns out, once I inserted the needle into the kid’s finger, he immediately started flailing everywhere. As a result, the needle redirected its course into my finger. It was a sharp, yet quick pain so, it was only after I took off my glove that I realized blood was dripping down my finger. In the end, I was a little concerned about contracting a blood-borne disease since it’s a biosafety hazard but only time will tell.

Ever since I had been pricked, I was scared of pricking children. It was only during the fourth day that I finally overcame this fear. The group had been stationed in the middle of a nearby open market. There, I met the happiest little boy I had ever met. During the screening, he did not cry even once, even when I pricked his finger. Later that day, while I was doing intake, he would follow me around and talk to me. He became my little best friend that day. After the screening, I was able to meet all the little kids in the community. They were all so happy to meet us. Just seeing their smiles held a soft place in my heart and made me proud to be a helping force in the community.

-Brandon Doan

After screening patients through the early afternoon, we packed up and said goodbye to the clients we served and our community partners that we worked with to put on the health and nutrition screenings. We loaded into the van and made our way to the coast of Ghana. I quickly fell asleep to the lull of the bumpy road. When I awoke, I could see the crashing waves of the Gulf of Guinea that washed over the rocky beach. The water was a beautiful blue that washed over the landscape, slowly making way to a huge white castle on a piece of land that juts out into the sea of blue.

El Mina Castle, named by the Portuguese imperialists, is the oldest slave castle in Ghana and a building even older than the United States. While the architecture itself was beautiful, the building’s implication in history was felt by everyone who visits its walls. We traveled through the rooms, one by one starting in the dungeons where people from surrounding villages in Ghana, Togo, and Burkina Faso, were held captive as slaves. They were forced to walk from their homes to the castle chained to one another. We could immediately smell an odor of human waste and decay when we stepped inside. With little to no light or ventilation, it was difficult to imagine over 200 people being forced to undergo those circumstances in such a small space. For those who died while they were held captive, their bodies were tossed into the ocean without any proper burial. After seeing the dungeons, we crawled through the “Door of No Return,” a small arched doorway barely four feet off the ground that marked the slave’s removal from Africa and the beginning of their voyage across the ocean to Barbados, the Caribbean, Seychelles, and the United States where they would be sold a countless number of times to work on cotton, tobacco, and rice plantations. Slaves would be chained together, as many as six to twelve people, forced to move at the same time causing them to endure injury and pain from the iron shackles they wore. Later the next day, we were also able to visit Cape Coast Castle just an hour down the road, and in both castles, the church was located directly above the slave dungeons a hypocrisy that explains itself.

Slavery can only be described as one of the most heinous crimes against humanity. Seeing the El Mina Slave Castle in person was difficult to digest. As we walked around the castle, a somberness filled the air mourning for all those who passed through its walls, never to return home. A marble plaque engraved into the side of the building for all its visitors to read as they pass through reads…

“In everlasting memory of the anguish of our ancestors. May those who died rest in peace. May those who return find their roots. May humanity never again perpetrate such injustice against humanity. We the living vow to uphold this.”

Abby

This week we went to 5 different communities and provided them with free health screenings. These screenings included recording height/weight, blood pressure, hemoglobin and glucose levels, and cholesterol levels for specific individuals. For a lot of the people living in these communities, this is the only form of healthcare they receive in a year, some longer and they’re all very appreciative. For each community we visited, we met the chief of the town to explain why we were there and what work we would be doing. This was a very unique experience for me as I got to see men and women in their traditional clothing and the men and boys playing the drums/dancing. 

Coming into this program and not knowing how to conduct a health screening, I was a little nervous. However, we were shown step by step how to do each station. Each day we would rotate and work multiple stations giving everyone plenty of practice. The biggest challenge ended up being the language barrier. English is Ghana's national language, but in more rural areas, most people mainly speak Twi. Luckily, we had some people helping us all week to translate when needed. Everyday when we got to the communities, there were already lines of people waiting. Our goal was to get as many people through before we had to pack up and leave. Unfortunately, it is impossible to get everyone and we ended up having to leave before a lot of people got a chance to have their screening. 

Throughout the week, many people were thankful for us taking the time to provide this service to their community and saying how much we, as a group, have done for them. What they don’t realize is how much their community has done for me and I’m sure for many others. I’ve been able to learn so many new skills and interact with people whom I wouldn’t have had the opportunity without this program. 
 

-Brogan

This week my classmates and I have had the honor of displacing ourselves in different regions of central ghana in order to perform community health screenings. Initially going into these screenings I was very nervous; I’ve always wanted my profession to be helping others and working in a hospital, but I’ve never actually taken someone’s height and weight, took someone’s blood pressure, pricked anyone…

The first day, we were setting up to start the screening, and I did not know what to expect. I was getting flustered with emotions not knowing which one I wanted to portray to the public, then the announcements began. “ All the way from the United States welcome our Doctors from the University of Georgia”. Did someone just address me as a doctor? Me? Instantly I knew which emotion to choose, happiness.

The initial process of treating patients went a little slow because everyone was trying to find their rhythm, but once we found our rhythm it was as if someone had put a catalyst, we were amazing. Throughout this process, I have learned so much such as the prevalence of high blood pressure in the community, preexisting health conditions that are prevalent in Africa such as malaria, hepatitis B, and typhoid, and most importantly I have learned how to connect with patients and perform treatment on them.

Reflecting on this amazing week, I am finally able to see the discrepancy with healthcare in developing versus developed countries. In developing countries you see clinics and hospitals everywhere, whether they are credible or not. In Ghana, and probably Africa as a whole, the demographic of the hospitals is more spread out. A hospital is no longer maximum an hour drive with traffic. This limitation explains why the mortality rate in Africa is so high, the citizens do not have access, or enough time to access a hospital. From what I’ve seen this week I believe that the implementation and facilitation of Telehealth is what is best for this country moving forward. Telehealth is the online use of practicing medicine by allowing the physician to connect with their patients remotely. It will allow for less travel time, quicker diagnosis and medication distribution, and more efficient prevention.

In a country where resources are so limited it is not always the best decision to work until the wheels fall off; work smarter, not harder.

- Lynn Domkam

This past Monday, we began our week of community work in the Central Region of Ghana. I was really looking forward to this part of the program, but little did I know how impactful this week would be for me. Each day, we traveled to different communities to run free health screening clinics for people of all ages. At the beginning of each day, we would travel to the chief’s palace in each town to greet him and ask for his blessing to serve the community. I thought it was incredibly fascinating to see Ghanaian traditions alive today that originated hundreds of years ago. On the morning of our first clinic, we were welcomed to a town called Gomoa Dominase by a traditional ceremony hosted by the chief. When we entered the palace, the sound of African drums filled the air. We then headed towards the room where the chief, queen mothers, clan leaders, elders, and linguists were seated. The room was full of color, with each community member dressed in a traditional robe made of vibrant kente cloth. I learned from this ceremony a few key behaviors to practice when in the presence of a chief. One: do not cross your legs. I thought this rule was very interesting and contradictory to the manners I was taught as a child. Because it is considered polite in the U.S. for a lady to cross her legs, I frequently caught myself trying to cross my legs in front of the chief throughout the week. Two: one must speak through a linguist when discussing matters with the chief during ceremony. Three: there must be liquor or some other beverage in the room set up to honor the ancestors of the chiefdom. Four: the chief’s feet must not touch the ground and his feet must be planted atop the skin of an animal. These are only some of the rules that must be followed when in the presence of a chief during a ceremonial affair. I could not understand what matters were being discussed during my visits with the five different chiefs. However, I found these visits to be very meaningful to me. Witnessing this aspect of Ghanaian tradition made me think about how rich this world is in culture and how important it is to experience different ways of life. Experiencing the unique culture of Ghana during this program has helped me to see, accept, and understand a little better the differences between my culture and the culture of others. I think this knowledge will in turn help me to be a better member of American society, where people from hundreds of different cultures coexist on a daily basis. -Eliza

This past Sunday, we had the opportunity to attend the Methodist church in our home community with Dr. Anderson. Growing up a Methodist, I did not really know what to expect but was assuming it would be similar to a Methodist church service in the United States. When we got there, there were several bible studies going in the main sanctuary. Dr. Anderson explained it to be sort of like what I grew up knowing as Sunday school classes, just not in individual classrooms. The preacher, Reverend Williams, came over and greeted us and gave us a mini synopsis of his sermon for the day in English. This is the moment that I realized that most of the service would be in Twi. He spoke on Romans 12:9-10, discussing love and what living and loving as a Christian should look like. I really liked his message and found it very thoughtful that he took the time to come over and share it with us in English. Once the service started, some hymns that I considered to be traditional played, and it reminded me a lot of the church I grew up attending. Soon after some music with more of a beat came on—I looked up to the balcony to see the choir using drums to play the music. Surrounded by Ghanaians in traditional clothing, everyone began to stand up and dance and seemed to worship, and Dr. Anderson explained that this was the part of the service where everyone “dances their praise”—I absolutely loved it. As the service continued and Rev. Williams gave his sermon from Romans, an opportunity came to give to the grace box and then the offering box. I am not really sure the difference between the two, but the fun, traditional Ghanaian music was played once again and people danced up to the altar to drop their money off in the pot. At the end of the sermon, we were called up to the front of the congregation by Reverend Williams and Dr. Anderson explained what we were doing there. Next, Reverend Williams prayed over us, our travels, and the work we would be doing before the whole church. I found it to be extremely thoughtful and walked back to my pew feeling even more welcomed than I already have since arriving in Ghana—something I did not know was possible. Every member of the congregation we interacted with before, during, and after the service was so nice and was so excited to welcome us there. I really enjoyed going to church and hope to again next week and maybe even the next few. It was really special for me to see that although we were speaking different languages, we were all one as we worshiped together.

-- Carter

We arrived at Gomoa Dominase at 8AM on Monday for our first Community Health Screening. We were greeted by drums and cymbals from the palace. Little Drummer boys smiled with pride as they displayed their craft. When they noticed us enjoying their music, they began to play louder and louder. After the little show, it was time to meet the Chief as tradition demands. We entered the palace and were welcomed by the Chief, the queen mothers and elders sitting in state. The Chief communicated through his linguist (Okyeame) and we had a linguist as well. It was fascinating to see the interactions between the king, his linguist and everyone around him. The social hierarchy was super visible especially when the linguist refused to introduce any of the elders that came later because he had already introduced the Chief by mentioning his name. It was also fascinating to see the mannerism of the linguist toward the chief. For example, when he lowered his traditional cloth as he was talking to the Chief. After the introduction, we were allowed to leave the presence of the chief to set up for our Health Screening at the community center. 

At the community center, were greeted by loud music, an MC and a large crowd of people. After some more formalities the screening was starting. Due to my  language profiency, I was the in take person for the day. Because of the lengthy introduction, the people gathered were antsy and ready to be seen. The first few patients got through the lines smoothly but surely, the complaints started to flow. “Madam Nurse, I have been here since morning so you have to check me in first”, “Madam Nurse, I have to go and open my store, please check me in first”, “Madam Nurse, that person is cutting in line”, “Madam Nurse, I am such and such important person, you must see me first”. Because I spoke their language, the complaints got louder and more frequent. I was honestly overwhelemed. Some helpers stepped in to place things in order and even then, the noise got louder, from many directions, I was at wits end. I eventually handed all the side complaints to Kofi (our driver and middle man), and was now able to focus on the few couple people in front of me at a time. Even then, it was not easy to get the queue in control, I had to check in three lines: The people from the royal court, the school children and the general line. The people were desperate to be seen by a healthcare professional and therefore very stubborn. Regardless of the complaints and side issues, we were able to see over 130 patients by the end of the day!!

Today was a hard day, but it was adoring to experience the respect I was given to by people so much older than me (There was a 102 year old lady!). Being called Madam Nurse and Doctor was a nice experience considering I want to be a doctor in the near future. Though the people were stubborn, it was mostly because of how much they needed and wanted healthcare. For some of these people, this was the only time they could see a healthcare professional. It was interesting to see how some people did not know some basic information we would consider normal to know about our health in the United States (pre existing conditions). Albeit it being a hard day, it was fulfillling to see the smiles on people’s face as they left the community center, knowing they were healthy or had the advice and medicine to help them get healthy. Today gave me a small peak into the life of a healthcare professional, and reminded me the reason I wanted to become one; to give people the opportunity and aid to know about their health and how take care of their body. Today was a good day and I cannot wait to see what lies ahead in the rest of our community health screening.

~Madam Nurse (Frema)

This past Thursday we went to Mole National park on a safari ride. In order to get there though, we had to drive 12 hours up to the North region of Ghana from the Southern region of Ghana near Accra (where we’ll be staying the majority of the time that we’re here). Upon starting the safari, there were armed guards there who would also serve as our guides and drivers who would drive us around the park. 

In order to see the animals from a good enough distance, there was a sitting area on top of the truck that we had to access by climbing a ladder on the truck. Once they started the ride, I was so amazed by what I saw. The first animal that we saw were elephants and I truly felt like I was in a dream. There were so huge and beautiful and their trunks were out of this world. It was just so cool to see them in real-time because I would always see elephants on TV and I never expected to see one so the fact that I was able to really astounded me.

Others that we saw were warthogs (Pumbaa in Lion King!!), baboons, cobs, bushbucks, and so much more! Our guide was telling us how Kobs and bushbucks are different kinds of antelopes and that some like to move in solitary while others move in groups. I was really intrigued by how experienced the guides were and how good they were at identifying the animals, even from yards away. Overall, this experience was definitely one for the books and one that I'll be keeping with me for a long time.

- Sarah:)

I woke up Wednesday to heavy rains at the Mole motel. We traveled 12 hours to the Savanna region of northern Ghana for a safari in Mole National Park, but all I could think about was the song Africa by Toto. I felt the rains down in Africa. How many people can say that? Over a billion people to be exact, but still, very cool and surreal to think that I am spending my summer in Ghana.

We sat down for breakfast to wait out the rain, and as the sun was peeking out from behind the clouds, a couple of warthogs strolled past our table, headed for the open field ahead. Upon check-in, we were warned to lock the door whenever we were in the room because the baboons could open the doors. Not moments later after returning to the room, we heard a rattling at the door of a baboon trying to enter. Needless to say, they were not joking.

After a few hours delay to allow the rains pass, we were able to set off on our safari. I will remember this experience for a lifetime. We climbed onto the top of the car and less than 5 minutes into our ride we stopped. It is illegal to go on a safari without an armed guide with you, a protection in place not only for us but also the animals. The guides began conversing and pointing at the ground. Abu, our guide, turned to us and said that they were looking for elephant prints. As soon as we rounded the bend, a herd of elephants appeared under a tree, feasting on a field of wild mint. We got out of the car and were soon standing a mere 50 meters away from a herd of elephants. Three of the elephants stood there keeping watch for any possible threat as the rest of the herd ate.

By the end of the night, we had seen countless antelope, bush bucks, and cob, vultures, baboons, a warthog cooling off in a mud puddle, and family of warthogs trotting across the road, crocodiles, bush babies, genet cats, owls, and even a hyena! Most of the wildlife I saw I had only seen on animal planet or in the zoo, but this was the real thing, live and in person. I was amazed to see the animals in their natural habitat, roaming around without a care in the world, coexisting so peacefully.

Our guide had been working for over 14 years, and throughout that time, he has seen the decline in the population of large predators like leopards, but especially lions. In the past, lions could be seen in the southern area of the park, but now are only seen in the northern part and the species is now listed as vulnerable to extinction. Without them, the entire ecosystem will be thrown off. Like that which exists within an ecosystem, there is a harmony between people and the environment. There is so much waste that occurs in the United States, and we can learn from other countries like Ghana. For example, every single electrical socket has a switch to turn it on so electricity can flow. It is important to do our part in protecting the environment and being good stewards of the earth so that it is here for generations to come whether that means ensuring the products we purchase are produced and manufactured sustainably to something as simple as reducing the amount of food that we waste.

Abby

Starting in the urban city of Accra, the group and I had begun a 12-hour drive up to Mole National Park, located in the northern region of Ghana. We were there to observe the different wildlife on a safari trip. As we steadily headed north, the abundance of modern buildings that occupied Accra gradually diminished as the landscape became more open, the vegetation freer to grow, and the small shops that once filled every inch of space were replaced by brown mud huts. Being made entirely of mud or clay, I was fascinated by the huts’ unique architecture and how they linked together, representing the value of family in Ghanaian culture. I was even more intrigued by the white-colored mosques that had large logs sticking out of them. With the local people starting to wear more religious clothing, it was interesting to see the influence of Islam on the surrounding community compared to Accra, which is predominately Christian. While this region is religiously different, one phrase a villager from one of the local communities told me really stuck with me, “while some are Muslim and some are Christian, we are still one, we are Ghanaian.”

Around noon the next day, the safari was ready to commence. Once the group was split into two different vehicles, we were both accompanied by an armed ranger and quickly set off towards the forest. The first thing that I noticed was the group of baboons near the motel room which we were previously famous for aggressively seeking out food and even going through the lengths of infiltrating guests’ rooms for it. From a distance, they looked quite intimidating, and I was worried that they might decide to randomly attack me. We soon stumbled across a herd of elephants. There were about 8 of them, each one of them gray and covered in mud. I was fascinated by their large stature. As we continued into the forest along the bumpy dirt road, the safari ranger would stop the vehicle at every animal sighting. Some of the animals we saw were the Nile lizard, warthogs, crocodiles, and kobs which I was very eager to see. I had never seen so much natural wildlife, so seeing all of the vegetation and animals were breathtaking. From this experience, I was reminded of the misconception that many people have of Africa and even countries like Ghana: Africa is completely wildlife. However, this is not true. The wildlife I witnessed is like a rare gem of the earth, something so beautiful, and something that must be protected at all costs.

When we returned from the safari, I decided to use the restroom back inside my motel room until I was briefly interrupted by a rustle in the background. Confused, I finished quickly and opened the door, only to find that both of my belongings had mysteriously disappeared. The only trail of evidence left was the door of the motel room, swung wide open to the outdoors. Starting my investigation, I found myself staring at three baboons that were furiously searching through my bags. I was in a state of complete disbelief and panic. I finally brought up the courage to approach them, putting one foot slowly in front of the other, but as expected, they were not too pleased with my presence. Agitated, two of the baboons suddenly darted at me, leaving me to scream as I ran back into my room to use the door as my shield. Desperate for my bags back, I started yelling and stomping my foot in hopes to scare them off. The baboons eventually decided to give up on my bags and retreated. In the end, this safari trip was both exciting and scary, but it is an experience I will always remember.

-Brandon Doan 

During our 12 hour journey from Accra to Mole Village, we passed through 5 regions in Ghana. These regions included Accra, Eastern, Ashanti, Bono East, and Savannah. As we got further north, you could tell a difference between the architecture of people’s homes, climate, and how there was a more Islamic influence in the communities. The farther north you go, it gets a lot hotter and dryer heat than what we experienced in Accra. The population is also a fraction of what we saw in the city. One of the biggest challenges during this drive was finding and using a public restroom. Restrooms can sometimes be difficult to come by and usually when you find one, there wont be a toilet, toilet paper, soap or running water. This was the first time I've experienced restrooms like this and it was very different to adapt. However, I've learned and will tell future students on the program to always have a roll of toilet paper on you! 
 

The Islamic influence was a lot stronger as we got North. More women were found wearing hijabs and the men wearing batakaris and the term “Allah Akbar” was seen on the side of many homes. We also found out that many people in the communities are strong followers of Islamic faith by praying 5 times every day and always facing in the direction of Mecca while praying.

Lastly, one of the most prominent differences was seeing the red clay huts with straw buildings. We learned earlier in the program from a lecture, that these huts are built in a formation with the male head of the household in the center and the children and wife’s huts surrounding it. This formation of buildings is still used today. We were able to take an eco-village tour of these homes and it was very interesting to compare and contrast the living environments. Everyone was very welcoming and wanting to show us around their village. 
 

-Brogan

I have been amazed at the way Ghanaians so obviously take care of and love one another from the second we stepped off the plane. I have been met with generosity and welcoming people from the beginning, and I am so grateful that it has helped calmed my nerves about being so far from home for so long. Monday morning we headed into town to drop Frema and Lynn off at a school to teach for the day. This was their assignment to get honors credit for the courses we are taking during the program, and I must admit I was a bit jealous that they were getting to interact with the children there. To my surprise, when we arrived at the small private school, we were all given the opportunity to interact with them. I got paired with the nursery and Pre-K classes and met them outside for “circle” time. This has always been my favorite age for children— they are finally becoming independent little humans and are growing quite intelligent. I quickly squeezed in between two little girls while we spent the next thirty minutes or so singing songs and reciting numbers and the alphabet before moving on to shapes. Some of these children were so small and I could not believe that they were as intelligent as they were at such a young age. I was blown away at the fact that they were able to look at a shape and associate it with real life objects like kites and ice cream cones and birthday hats. Before returning to the classroom, each student was required to name a different wild jungle animal. Some of the students were super nervous and reserved and worried when they couldn’t come up with one, but I watched as their teacher “Auntie Sandra” grabbed their hands and encouraged them to name one. I finally asked how old the children were and she told me they were 3, 4, and 5 years old and then offered to take me on a tour of the school. The first classroom she took me to was year one, made up of 5- and 6-year-olds. She had each student introduce themselves to me. Some of them seemed very nervous, and little did they know I was also very nervous as Auntie Sandra made me repeat their names back, many of which I had trouble pronouncing. When I butchered the first name she died laughing and this made me feel much more  comfortable around her—as she kept making me do this, I realized she was just joking around with me, and I loosened up a little bit. I got excited for the rest of my morning with her, and I really appreciated her taking the time to make me comfortable, show me around the school, and teach me about the different ages and what they were learning about at that age. While upstairs, she took me to a class for children with special needs. There were two students, a little boy, and an older girl that I guessed to be about 14. I then visited the toddlers’ class where I met even more special needs students and their teachers, Auntie Elizabeth, and Auntie Linda. I was really impressed that the newer school had already established a special needs program for students, and I was even more impressed by the way the teachers cared for these students along with their others. I was fortunate to grow up attending a school where the teachers not only deeply cared about my academic success, but also about me as an individual. Watching Sandra, Elizabeth, and Linda care for each of their students and treat them as equals reminded me about the feeling of unity and love that I have been feeling since I stepped off the plane. My experience at Bright Lilies School was a great reminder about the way the Ghanaian people care for one another. It is apparent everywhere we go, and it was definitely apparent at Bright Lilies School.

-Carter 

It is fascinating to me that we have been here in Ghana for exactly seven days. It feels like I have been here for weeks, in the very best way. In these seven short days, my eyes have seen some of the most amazing sights and my heart has grown to love so many things about the beautiful country and culture of Ghana. On June 18th, we had the opportunity to travel to a local market in Accra called the Medina Market. Here, we were exposed to the different types of food, cooking practices, and food sanitation methods utilized by the people of Ghana. The first thing that stuck out to me was the number of people at the market. I have never seen so many people squeezed into one place. Vendors were selling their goods in market stands that utilized every free inch of space in the area. Where there wasn’t a market stand, there was a person walking from vendor to vendor, trying to bargain for what they needed while carrying their goods in a big metal bowl atop their head. Aside from the jaw-dropping number of people that were utilizing this market on a Saturday morning, I noticed the way the market tingled every one of my senses, making for a beautifully overstimulating experience. The market was draped from head to toe with the most vibrant colors. From the hundreds of green Milo packets hanging from market stand ceilings, to the multicolor façade of a fresh vegetable stand, to the many rolls of patterned traditional fabrics, I was surrounded by every color in the rainbow. Aside from the way my senses were stimulated by my surroundings, I had the opportunity to notice some of Ghana’s cultural practices in action. During our in-country orientation, I learned that family is everything for the people of Ghana. One’s community is their entire family, and each member of the family goes out of their way to protect one another. I observed this cultural practice in action when a little toddler was waddling around an area of the market by herself. In four different market stands, there was a different woman that would reach down to pick her up and ensure she was taken care of. When a customer came, the woman would put her down and the tot would waddle to another woman nearby who would do the same thing. There were four different women looking out for this little girl, ensuring she didn’t get lost in the hustle and bustle of the market. At first, I was frightened that such a young child was wandering alone in this crazy busy market. What if she got knocked over? What if she was taken? What if she got lost? These questions were nowhere in the front of the young mother’s mind. She knew the women in her community would look out for her daughter like she was their own and she would do the same for theirs. It was a beautiful display of how Ghana’s society is organized. It also pointed out that though some of these people might not have monetary capital, they have more social capital than a large percentage of people in America. I learned during our in-country orientation that the rates of loneliness and suicide are almost nonexistent in Ghana compared to those in America, where a major mental health crisis is occurring. People in Ghana go about their days as a group, supporting their entire extended family in everything they do. In the United States, I feel like society focuses on personal gain and that many people have a lack of social capital when compared to the people of Ghana. Visiting the market was an eye-opening experience in so many ways but being able to see how protective the family is of one another and how nobody goes through life alone was truly amazing. -Eliza

I had the honor of visiting the Bright Lillies School in Accra, Ghana, where I spent the day interacting with children and teaching classes. The lessons consisted of Properties of 3D shapes for Grade 2, Types of Fractions for Grade 3, and simplifying fractions for Grade 4. Teaching these bright minds was so fun, but I did not expect was for me to learn from them as much as they were learning from me.

At first glance I saw what any normal person would see, young students with a lot of energy and enthusiasm that doesn't run out for days. What struck me, however, was how much respect they had for each other and their level of emotional intelligence. The way the lesson was set up was to teach the material and at the end give the students a mini pop quiz that they had the opportunity to work in groups to complete; the winner was awarded candy. Although the initial plan was to hand the whole class candy at the end, little kids the age of about 7 already understood the importance of sharing. All of the kids from the winning team refused to take their candy unless the whole class was able to get one. At such a young age, having this level of generosity is inspiring. Not to mention many students then asked if they could have an extra piece of candy to give to their siblings, parents, etc that were also in the school.

Furthermore, the amount of manners and responsibility these kids had took me back. When addressing anyone older than them they would use the word "Auntie" and "Please". They listened the first time you told them to do something and you never had to repeat yourself twice. Contrasting from schools in America, there is no janitor in African schools, everyone cleans for themselves. With this being said each classroom has a designated " sweep schedule" where students had assigned days to do cleaning. I personally find this amazing and informative because it not only teaches students about the importance of chores, but the importance of cleaning up after yourself so another person does not have to.

In essence, the Bright Lillies School served as a catalyst for change I would like to see enforced in American schools. When you walk in the school you feel the sense of community and gratitude these students have. All of their morals and manners that were taught privately in their homes transpired to the way they behave themselves in public. Not to mention the kids were all so smart and enthusiastic when it came to learning! As is hinted in the name, the Bright Lillies School is a reciprocated learning environment that fosters change and a solid fundamental stepping school for these bright minds. 
 

- Lynn Domkam

We woke up early on Saturday to go to one of the open markets in Accra; The Madina Market. We met up with Dr. Asiedu, a professor in the department of Nutrition and Food Science at the University of Ghana in Accra. Before entering the depths of the market, we were introduced to how Ghanaian culture and food availability afffects the diet of an average Ghanaian and how that should be accoutnted for when giving advice as a medical professional. It was fascinating to learn that due to exposure at early age, peanut butter allergy is very rare in Ghana. After getting a run down on the basic Ghanaian staple foods(maize, rice, and cassava), it was time to enter the market. 

Inside the Market was bustling and busy. Even at nine (9) in the morning, the market women were already prepared with their goods. There were some buyers and the market alleys were choked with people and trolleys. Due to our large group, we drew attention where ever we went. There were people fascinated by the fact that were having an "excursion" at the market however, there were other passerbys annoyed by the fact that we were taking up space on the busy market alleys. Overall people around us were welcoming (and mostly luring us to buy their goods). One thing that shocked me the most was the "human traffic". A couple of trolleys got stuck on one alley and created a traffic of people wanting to pass by. It was a little overwhelming walking through such a busy market with a large group of people but it was interesting to see the sanitation practices, bargaining, and interactions between a close knit market family. 
 

It was fascinating to see all the different foods and crops we don't have (or know about) in the United States. Some notable ones were garden eggs (a vegetable in the egg plant family), bambara beans (a white bean that resembles soy beans) and a sorted array of dried/smoked fish. 

I think the market experience gave me a little bit more insight in the Ghanaian food culture. How their culture affect the market set up, the food available in Ghana at this time of the year and the interactions between sellers, buyers and the market community as a whole. 

~Frema