Ghana is a country that is quite prosperous in some ways, owning much of the continent’s mining industries, yet struggling in many others due to governmental and socio-economic issues. Needless to say, I could write an essay on everything I experienced and saw on that trip, but I’ll share a few of my insights.
Insights from a Memorable Trip to Accra
One incident stood out as an insight into how possible it would be for things to change in the lives of the poor. Abu, our bubbly, smiley tour guide, sold air fresheners designed as a caricature of himself to raise funds for the orphanage. They were pretty well designed, and I actually got some off him as keepsakes. As sweet and lovely as that is, it struck a chord in me and made me question – how does selling something for so little make any significant contribution to an orphanage supporting over 30 children? If it takes that little to support them, why are orphanages still struggling? It’s not a revolutionary insight that the very existence of orphanages is disgraceful in this day and age – however, it really hit home how little they need to make an impact on the lives of those they support – and how terribly sad and wrong it is that they find it difficult to make ends meet.
Another insight I’ve gained on numerous occasions while traveling, but particularly here, is that we take hygiene standards for granted in this part of the world. We visited a street market in Accra, and boy was it an experience. I’ve never seen anything like it. It was fascinating and somewhat intimidating at times as we stood out like sore thumbs walking through the chaos. They sold everything you can imagine here, but the meat section stood out most to me. Firstly, the ‘cutlets’ on display were unappetizing to say the least (I’m talking piles of pig trotters, cow tongues, chicken feet, and the like). The meat was being freshly cut there and then, on the street, in nothing short of a wet market (a sandy, dirt road version) without as much as a running tap to rinse the chopping boards. I don’t think it’d pass HACCP cross-contamination standards, that’s for sure.
It’s not that the entire city has poor standards, but a lot of it certainly does. In Jamestown, where the orphanage was, the standards were particularly poor. Rubbish lined the streets while stray animals ran around. The orphanage itself had open drains, you could see the sewage running through them. In my naivety (and privilege perhaps), I thought this was a thing of the past – only existing in medieval times or war trenches. But no, those conditions are still very much in existence in many parts, which is harrowing to witness in reality.
Children begging exists internationally in many countries and we encountered it quite a bit here. Even going across the roads from our hotel to the shops involved being followed by little ones begging for cash. I can’t blame them – white people = money in their eyes. I find it quite hard to sit with the reality of begging children, as it is not something I ever witnessed firsthand growing up. I also find it hard to decipher what cases are valid and worth giving charity to, and which are opportunistic scams as both exist hand in hand. I guess it’s up to you to decide in that moment.
Reflections on Government and Corruption in Ghana
Ghana also showed me that once again, we are privileged with the democratic government systems in place in Europe. I can’t claim to know much about how the government operates in countries like this, but the results of their corruption are clear as day. At the time of my visit, the scandal of the week was that the country’s vice president had been found with something crazy like $1 million cash in her home (all taxpayer money, of course). The rich steal from the poor and there is simply nothing that can be done about it. It seems impossible to us that this is the case for some, but it is well and truly the reality in too many locations across the globe.
I really took a lot from my visit here on so many levels. I find countries like this morally and emotionally challenging for obvious reasons, but I do feel so privileged to be able to experience them, and more so to be able to walk away from them and go back to my comfortable existence. Even though there is a lot we can do to help, we cannot take on the weight of all of the issues in the world. We can only do so much, but it is important that we at least do that much, and encourage others to do the same.
I would love to do charitable work in a country like Ghana at some point, or provide direct support lines for the likes of the orphanage I visited and know that the support I was providing was being utilized correctly and to directly advantage those I met. It is something I will try to put in place at some stage, I just need to figure a way.
Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this week’s read. I actually wrote it on the 9-hour flight to Cape Town when I had no other distractions and found it quite therapeutic. I hope you got some benefit or interest from this. If you ever have the chance to visit an underdeveloped region (and give back in any way you can), definitely do. You’ll gain so much from so little.