Amid a beautifully green jungle just outside of Kumasi lies a village called Apemanim. Various homes are scattered throughout the avocado, plantain, cocoa, orange, papaya trees. Roosters crow, hens cackle, and chicks of all sizes peep as they run through the home-yards. The ground almost moves with the green, brown, orange, and fluorescent coloured lizards scuttling about.
The air fills with cries of “Oboruni” and “What is your name?” and other Twi phrases that I can’t decipher yet. The tiny red dirt-stained hand reaches out to touch my white face. The lavish of love given was something so rich . . . and so undeserved.
It is very hard to describe our week in the village. There are so many emotions and experiences tied to this week that I will not be able to articulate into words.
It was not all easy. Or fun. But neither was it a negative experience in the least and coming away makes me appreciate it so much more.
On Monday, we walked to the village clinic to get orientation to the clinic and an overview of some of the clinical practices seen in the village. There is one nurse and one midwife in the clinic, who live there and keep their doors open 24 hours/day, 7 days/week.
On Tuesday, we took the trotro to Kokoben, the next village, to observe Christie do health promotion teaching to mothers and got to assist with immunizations and weights. One thing I really appreciated from this experience is their simplicity of documentation, as well as the record books each mother/baby dyad has. It’s simple and straight-forward with all the right information for good health for the mother and child in 40 pages.
On Wednesday, we were split into primary school classrooms (Grade 1-6) to do health promotion teaching on hand hygiene, dental hygiene, and nutrition. We also participated in sexual health teaching for the junior high students. Though teaching in a group is not my strong point, I so enjoyed seeing the attentiveness of the students and listening to them sharing their knowledge.
On Thursday, we got to participate in the well child/immunization clinic in Apemanim. This was similar to the clinic in Kokoben, including the opportunity to hold the cutest babies.
Friday was another health education session in the school at Kokoben.
On Saturday morning, after a full 8 hour night of pouring rain, and I mean pouring, we loaded up our stuff into the trotro and headed home to Accra, with the waves of small hands imprinted on our minds and the echo of small voices sending their Twi goodbyes.
I will be back.
Lena's Footprints in Ghana 