Lekpongunor & Koforidua – Day 2

Next week for two days, the Directors will be out on site visits with a small delegation from Japan, so today we set out to advance those sites, ie: meet with our hosts, get driving times, trouble-shoot anything we could see that  might pop up.  It was going to be a long day of driving, so we left at 7:00am and headed east about 90 minutes to Lekpongunor, a small village where the team would learn about their surveillance program for malaria and visit with clinic workers and members of the community.  Along the way it fascinating to see how small towns and villages get set up, some with more modern new buildings on the way, others a mix of old shacks and half-built abandoned spaces.  For most of this drive we were on a main paved road, but eventually we had turn off onto the infamous bumpy red dirt.    It’s no wonder our delivery team has so much work ahead them as you really slow down once you’re off the pavement.  (there was an additional site we pondered looking – it would be 15 miles from a spot we would be visiting.  Our driver told us it would take two hours.  Two hours for 15 miles-ponder that) .

 

Arriving in Lekpongunor, our first stop was the local clinic where we met up with Elizabeth, Cyril and Margaret, who arrived in a WHO vehicle.  It was small but clean, not overwhelmed with people.  The first thing we had to do was let the village assemblyman know we were there, and also get permission from the village chief to plan our visit for the following week.  While Cyril went to alert the Assemblyman, we loaded back into the vans and drove over to the chief’s house.           

The chief of this village has three wives and 22-25 kids.  His “complex” has three cement buildings and he apparently owns a BMW.  We were invited into his living room, where he and several other men were gathered on a bunch of leather sofas surrounding a very loud TV, dressed though in their traditional draped garb and beads. We each came in, shook hands with the chief, and took a seat where available on one of the couches.  One of our local contacts from the village joined us to translate and explain to the chief the purpose of our visit.  As he finished his first spiel, the chief made a comment and all of the other men in the room stood up and came around to shake each our hands, before sitting baqck down in their original seats.  Our translator then continued with spiel #2, after which the chief apparently said “I accept your proposal.”  Our group must have still look confused because he then said “Permission granted.”  We all stood and thanked the group and chief, and headed back outside where CS was giving the kids a soccer ball he had brought for them (He brought the chief a bottle of Jack Daniels) and Shelby & I passed out tootsie roll lollipops.

 With permission granted, we went back to the clinic to discuss details for the tour and talks, then drove into tthe village to meet the Assemblyman briefly.  At this spot Shelby handed out gummy vitamins which I thought was a brilliant thing to bring along, and watched as many villagers headed down the road to a funeral.  Saturdays are apprently a busy day for funerals, and we would pass by many gatherings and processions through the day.

With Lekpongunor set, we next set out for Koforidua, the capital of the eastern region of Ghana.  This was a long drive on a mix of paved and dirt roads, and over a mountain.  It was great to see some varied terrain and a change of architecture as we drove through different areas.  As we climbed over the mountain, there were some big homes being built to look over the valley, just like you would find anywhere in the states.  With low haze still settled in we didn’t have much of  a view from the top and continued on.  As we crept back down the other side, RC & I nodded off for a bit and woke up again as were entering Koforidua.  Rick meanwhile, had been sleeping most of the way.  Unfortunately our contact there was not available to meet that day as this was a last minute substitution site for the group, so we did a quick drive through town before making our way home to Accra.  From this town there was a major road straight back, but heavy traffic bogged us down and it still took about two hours to get home.

Not content with only having spent 6 hours in a car, I soon jumped back in the van with RC & Tebogo to go advance the bank sites where our CFO would be meeting with folks.  Luckily these were both fairly close by and traffic was light.  We also did a drive-by the US Ambassadors residence and stopped by an artist gallery that Patricia recommended for gift-buying.  The most amazing thing in Accra so far are the elaborate coffins they make, some of which were on display here.  They come in all sorts of designs and colors, like a coke bottle, or a cell phone or a crab.  They’re crazy and are totally plush inside with bright silky fabrics.

Back at the hotel I got in a quick work-out before dinner.  Tonight we were scouting El Gaucho, which is where we are planning to host the Japanese delegation. (The night before that dinner, the Japanese delegation will host our delegation at their ambassadors house for a big sushi feast).  It was nice place and the owner has big plans for an expansion project.  He said it would only take two weeks, but having seen the pace of work at other construction sites around here, I’m not sure how that is possible.