We are part of a Girls Leadership Program in a village in Ghana, West Africa AMA!

This seems like such a fantastic and sustainable way for skills and education to be spread. Massive thanks to you guys and to the programme associates themselves! Laura what's been the hardest aspect of running the tutoring programs? To the program associates: how do you feel the GLP helped you? Was there anything specific you were able to talk about that was really helpful? Keep up the good work :)

Laura: Getting work done in Ghana can be very different then in Canada/the Western World. Everything moves at much slower pace, so patience is key. It can be difficult at times when dealing with headmasters and the Ghana Education System, often they do not have a set schedule, things can change without much notice which makes things difficult when trying to organize logistics of programs.

GLP Girls: GLP has helped us improve our English and has empowered us to have more confidence, be brave, be more courageous and self reliant. It has helped us to learn more about ourselves, know our strengths and the power we possess as girls. One thing we have talked about that was very helpful was discussions on power structures and making sure we do not view ourselves as inferior.

Hi Laura, How are you enjoying Ghana? the people? the villages? Eti sen Reena, Mardyia, Grace, my fellow Ghanaians. Any goals, ambitions for the future?

Laura: I am loving Ghana so far, the people are warm and friendly. Living in a village is very different from living in a city in Canada but it is an amazing experience and I am learning SO much. Eye Paa !

Reena: I have been empowered by GLP to take my rightful positions, I want to be a Lawyer so that I can fight for women in Ghana and everywhere! Mardiya: My goal is that after I finish the program with my GLP students they will be happy and empowered by the program. My ambition is to be a teacher. Grace: I want the GLP students to know that they are good and right as women and that they are equal can become the president if they desire to. I want to be a nurse in the future

We are very warm and friendly people indeed. The village life must be a drastic change but I'm sure you will get used to it. Reena, Grace, Mardiya, glad to hear about your aspirations, I hope you all achieve them and inspire more changes in our community. I'll definitely be donating to assist the cause :)

Amazing, thanks so much for your warm words and support!

Hello!

What is the name of the village you are at? What are some of the most common issues that are talked about in the girls leadership program?

We are currently doing this AMA from a village called Antoa. Our Program Associate Mardiya works in Antoa, Grace works in a villlage called Achinakrom and Reena works in Asanteman.

One of the biggest topic that we talk about in the Girls Leadership Program is building confidence in girls. Another common topic is how to deal with difficult situations (i.e. sexual harassment). GLP also focuses on goal setting for girls

I have no question, but I want to say that I love the fact you are working on this and I will donate to you're cause shortly. I have a brother who lives in Ghana and have been there a couple of times myself and I can say that a program like this could do wonders there. xoxo

Thank You!! We appreciate people like you so much, we think the program is pretty important as well :)

Hi! I talked with my daughter about your AMA and she had asked if you could describe a typical school day for a student there?

Reena and Grace were both boarding students at school and this is what their day typically looked like: - Wake up at 4:30/5:00 AM and fetch water and then take a bath. 6 AM- 7AM is prep time (getting dressed, clean and ready for the day). 7- 7:30 AM is Morning Assembly - 7:30 AM classes begin and then they finish at 3:10 PM - Our GLP program is after-school from 3:15- 5 PM. (so if students have after-school activities they often do it at this time)

Wow! That's quite a day, my daughter was quite surprised by the wake up time. Are there any special needs that your program has? Any specific types of donations, equipment, etc that you would be helpful?

All of our programs are pretty low maintenance. We use pens and notebooks, but most of our sessions are revolved around discussion. We do like to read books though that are relevant to female empowerment. The GLP girls are currently reading the 'I am Malala' book! Monetary donations are the most effective in terms of sustainability of the organization and program.

Wow. I think it's some very important work you're doing here. I read through your links, and it seems like a major part of what you're doing is trying to empower women. As someone interested in similar causes, I've several questions for you!

Laura: How different is Ghana from Canada? And not only in terms of living conditions, but also in terms of the gender dynamic and how women there are treated and viewed. A lot of westerners generalize Africa as a whole as a poor, oppressive place rife with poverty, rape and genital mutilation. To what extent would you say that this is true for Ghana?

Girls: What change would you like to see in this world? What do you think your part will be in achieving it?

In your efforts to bring a positive change to your community, have you encountered any resistance? How have you dealt with these?

Thanks for your interest and support!

Laura: I have not been to any other African countries, but I would say in terms of Ghana the generalizations you mentioned are not true. In terms of gender dynamic I would say Ghana is progressive, I don't feel targeted ever because I am a woman. I do get attention and cat-calling from men here more than I would in Canada but that also has to do with the fact that I have white skin. There are many differences between Canada and Ghana, but for me I think the largest difference is the concept of personal space. In the village I live in, people are constantly coming in and out of our house, inviting themselves to sit around and you are never actually alone. Whereas in Canada it is much more common to make plans and not just show up to someones house unannounced at an early hour of the day!

GLP Girls: We would also like to see an increase in quality education in Ghana, because children who are not given the chance to have good education have no chance in breaking out of the cycle of poverty. We are also passionate about seeing complete gender equality in Ghana but also all over the world. We hope that by implementing programs such as GLP, the topics covered can become more mainstream and hopefully be integrated into the regular school curriculum in the future.

I would like to start off by saying that the work you and your organization are doing is absolutely phenomenal.

For those who may read this later, and who like me, may not be able to contribute financially to your incredible work. Is there anything else the average person can do to help you and/or your organization's work?

Thanks so much! Your support is so appreciated. Basically it is just trying to get the word out about our organization/ the needs that are prevalent here. Even if you can't donate anything financially, starting a conversation about quality education is always appreciated. Also feel free to check out our website http://exponentialeducationprogram.org/ and our social media pages to keep up to date with our work. Getting the knowledge out about what we do is the most important thing!

Do you find it often difficult to explain to people from more gender equal cultures the importance of promoting young girls?

I work at a large company and we once had a discussion on the work were doing for girls in Africa. One person in the audience asked what we were doing for boys, as she had young sons and worried about boys being left behind. Many people agreed. I nearly fell out of my seat at her ignorance of gender inequality in many parts around the world. I wondered how the speaker had the patience to answer with anything other than "your question makes no sense". Do you find many people to be this ignorant or do you generally face understanding and support?

A lot of our supports are understanding of our needs, and we have also introduced a Boys for Positive Change Program which looks at targeting boys with gender equality because they are both important in the equation. I think that sometimes it is hard for people from the West or more gender equal cultures to visualize the reality for a lot of girls around the world. That these people aren't talking about their boys in a way to be rude, but they just don't understand the severity of the situation. All we can do is continue to have these discussions and push for gender equality, and the more knowledge people all over the world have the greater the change will be!

Hello, ladies, Latvian guy here!

Wanted to ask what kind of meat (e.g. either chicken, goat etc.) do you have in your diet, and all around what do you generally eat - what kind of food for what kind of meals? Do you generally grow it yourself or trade it between neighbors/buy it in the market?

As an example (to share my culture) - in our backyard gardens we grow potatoes and carrots, with e.g. tomatoes being grown in special warm buildings covered in plastic tarp which are warm all year long. We eat these vegetables with either pork, chicken or cow. :)

Laura: I am a vegetarian, so I don't eat much meat here at all :)

GLP Girls: The meat we eat in our diet is chicken, goat, fish and sheep. Most of our meals are stews and soups, with fufu, banku or rice. It is common to see chicken and goats running around the villages, there are farmers who will farm their own animals and then sell them. It is also common to buy meat in the markets. We have some vegetables here, mostly carrot, green pepper, plantain, yam, onion and tomatoes and we grow those on farms.

While we are on the subject of food:

Laura, what is your favorite local dish?

Reena, Mardyia, and Grace, what place in the world would you want to visit based solely on food you've seen from that country? (and what dish inspired that decision?)

I was just in Ghana this June with my fiance who is an Ewe. I personally loved all of the local dishes (especially anything served with hot pepper), but I can't pick a favorite between waakye and fufu

Laura: My favourite local dish is vegetarian stew made out of garden eggs and groundnut paste, with plantains

(Grace had to go home, sorry!) Reena: UK - Don't really care about the food, just wants to go see the country! Mardiya: America - to try their Pizza

Glad you liked the local Ghanian food, our favourite local dishes are Fufu and Waakye as well !!!

Hello,

what are some of the most basic differences in point of view/philosophy compared to the western world you see there?

Is there a particular reason you chose Ghana?

Girls: How do you see your prospects and is there anything you'd particularly want to see changed?

Keep up the good work.

Laura: One of the biggest differences I have noticed is that of personal space. That in the West we are very cautious to impede on someones personal space, but this also means that we don't have as rich of a community feel. I think that living in a village in Ghana has been eye opening to both the pros and cons of a lack of personal space. There is not a particular reason I chose Ghana, I was looking to work in Africa in an English speaking country, I mostly came because I really liked the organization and the work they did.

GLP Girls: We are confident that we will be able to have good jobs and promote girls leadership in the future. We want all girls to feel safe and confident in their values as a woman and not feel inferior to men.

Hi there, thanks for doing this!

I'm a Development Studies student in Canada, and I think what you're doing is really cool. For me, development is ideal when both sides are sharing knowledge as equal partners, instead of it being one-sided. So here's my question:

What's the most important thing that Canadians can learn from Ghana? ie. Is there something that makes you say "Wow, I wish we had this is Canada!"? This could relate to the program, or just the country in general.

Thanks!

I studied Development in Canada as well :) (Dalhousie University, weooooo)

I think the most important thing that Canadians could learn from Ghana is the sense of community, and how amazing that is for building relationships. Leaving my house in the village I walk out and am expected to greet people, you can stop by someones house just to say Hi, which is much less common in Canada. I think Ghana also shows how building good relationships with people can be so beneficial in work and the majority of your everyday life.

Etesen?

Eye nanwonso e?

....Yes? That's all the Twi I know!

Keep up the good work girls. I lived in Ghana for two years, and it could do with more female rolemodels.

Also I miss kelewele, waayke and red red so much!

Yay! Thanks for your kind words and support :)

what is your most controversial opinion?

Do you mean controversial topic? Or clash of opinions?

topic

The most controversial topics we cover in GLP have to deal with sexual harassment, consent, rape. Also child abuse, teachers beating students is common here.

What are the most common aspirations of those you work with?

What's the most likely one to be accomplished?

What's the one most likely to change daily life in the village?

Is there one that the average American could help make happen without breaking their budget?

• Many of the students we work with aspire for graduating SHS, attending University, becoming future leaders in their communities
• Many students are able to graduate SHS if they apply themselves and have the proper access (financially and geographically).
• Access to internet/ technology would vastly change daily life in the village, it would allow young people and students to progress that much more and have access to work and learning opportunities currently out of reach.
• Spreading information about the needs of communities such as ours is important. It is also important for the average American to realize how far their money can spread in a village such as the one we live in. Only 25 USD provides enough snacks and water for 30 children + 5 tutors to participate in an after-school tutoring program, twice a week for ten weeks. When we think about how much 25 USD can get us in America the difference is massive. But support and discussion of the issues villages face are always important.
  

I've done some microlending before. I was able to materially improve the life of a family by providing them with a sewing machine or cow or something that they were able to use, and I got paid back so I wasn't even out anything.

Do you think that it would be possible to do something similar to provide access to the internet or technology? Would it be possible to offer local goods online?

It becomes tricky with selling local goods online due to the lack of reliable internet. Some of our GLP girls from last year made bracelets, and we have been able to sell them with a volunteer who returned to the U.S. But selling them directly from Ghana is difficult due to shipping costs and reliable internet.

We also have partnership with Level Up Village, which is an organization that pairs a U.S. school with a school in the developing world and works at doing online education classes in STEAM. Through these programs the schools in the developing world are able to apply and receive grants, for instance one of our Level Up Village schools was just able to buy a 3D computer. ..... Not sure if this is exactly what you were asking ha.

I hadn't considered the shipping costs, that would very much be a problem. That would require far more resources than what private citizens could manage. Roads are expensive. Like, really, really expensive. I didn't realize until I sat in on some city council meetings. I was shocked by how expensive it was. If there's just not a good road/rail/canal network then shipping a thing at a time would be simply unreasonable.

It is good to hear that they have some options when it comes to technology. There are a number of things around here that have been running drives to collect old smartphones to melt them down, but I was wondering if they could be put to better use elsewhere. If we could get old smartphones, would that materially improve the ability of the people in your program to improve their situation? Do they already have smartphones? I hear that they are fairly common.

Yes, shipping costs are very large here and they are not the most reliable mode of transporting goods.

Smartphones are pretty common here, the biggest challenge for locals access to the internet is that even though they have smartphones, paying for data/3G is expensive and not feasible for many of the individuals living in our villages.

Would it be possible to set up a group plan?

Often times a large communal plan can be used to negotiate a much lower per person price and justify infrastructure development on the part of a utility. Would it be possible for the village to go in together on a common plan? The data would probably suck, but if cost is the issue then that's historically been a way to manage it, well not with cellphone data but in terms of pre-insurance healthcare and banking services.

Hmmm... to be honest I am not to sure about this, it is definitely something to look into though, thank you for your thoughts and ideas!

Is it difficult to encourage young girls (and their parents) in your respective villages to continue school after primary education? What are the biggest barriers to acquiring secondary/higher education for young girls, and the most actionable way to address them?

Most students will attend until the end of JHS - Junior High School (about age 14/15), however there is a much smaller amount of students who are able to continue with SHS - Senior High School in the villages we live in. A major barrier for girls continuing on to SHS are financial. Every student must pay to go to SHS, and often in families if they do not have enough money to pay for all their children they will pay for the boys only. This also ties into the belief that girls are meant to be "in the home/kitchen" so girls and education is not valued as high as boys and education. In order to address this issue we are working with GLP to help create a norm that girls are important and equally as beneficial as boys, by addressing the younger generation they are able to influence their parents (to an extent) but then change the cultural norms of the region. By supporting organization such as Expo, these issues are being addressed. Our Peer to Peer (P2P) tutoring program also encourages financially needy students to stay in school by providing stipends and scholarships to continue schooling (we work at having an equal ratio of boys to girls as the tutors for our P2P programs).

Are many of the same vices we use everyday present in Ghana as well? Ex: Caffeine, Marijuana, etc

Ghanians largest vice is probably Alcohol. Most Ghanians don't drink a lot of coffee, and smoking cigarettes is often frowned upon. That being said obviously there are Ghanians who smoke cigarettes and marijuana.

I'm a little late to the party but here goes...

I spent a summer in Tamale working with Sister Cities teaching and studying music (I'm from the US). While I was there I helped I lots of different educational projects; leading a pre-uni seminar, proofreading papers, and even some computer training.

Something that struck me was the quality of resources, specifically books that had flat out wrong information. I looked through a book on how to use computers and it was completely unusable.

How do you ensure that you get (or where do you find) teaching material that is culturally appropriate and high quality?

We work extensively with our local staff, and our staff who are professionally trained teachers in working to build a curriculum that is high quality and culturally appropriate. When dealing specifically with our GLP program there are issues that clash with their traditional values and cultures (for instance perspectives on contraceptive). One of the main reasons we are doing the GLP program is to try to break down some of these values.

Hello guys!

Ghanaian here. Has your program been covered on any TV station yet?

No our program has not been covered on any TV stations

What are you leading?

We are promoting leadership in girls, building confidence and empowering girls to their full potential within their communities and future endeavours.

Hello! I have a passion for public service, and one day I'd love to be involved in a humanitarian nonprofit organization helping girls and women abroad, such as yourself.

What are the steps you took to get into your current involvement? What could I be doing right now, as a freshman in college, to get to where you are in 5-6 years?

I greatly admire the work you're doing! Such an inspiration. :)

Volunteer, volunteer, volunteer! I personally interned for different nonprofits during summer breaks and took courses that I thought would be beneficial for a career in development. From almost everyone we've talked to and worked with, experience is the most important thing. Usually universities offer an array of clubs that you could get involved with that will further your experience/knowledge. Networking is also very important! This field is very competitive in nature and professionals in the field usually have extensive experience and a Master's degree (though there are plenty without). I'm in Ghana finishing my Master's degree requirements, so I think that was a huge help in getting me this position.

How do you get the funds to run this program? It seems like a great program!

We get most of the funds to run our programs through various fundraising campaigns and endeavours. We also have applied to various grants, but as a small NGO it is harder to receive large grants. Most of our funds are raised from individual donors.

What do you think is the best Ghanaian food? :) I've been I Ghana this year for a health program and I think the food tasted so good!

We love Fufu !!

What are some things that non-Africans don't know or get wrong about Africa?

The main perceptions that people have of Africa that are WRONG: - there is no internet - you will get robbed at every ATM - if you get street food it will kill you - that there is no healthcare - that there is no running water or electricity

(all of these statements are not true)

What's the most interesting discussion that you've had in the program?

Also, how would you use a pogo stick to achieve your life goals?

One of the most interesting discussions we've noticed is that when we were talking about gender roles the girls often understood that they should be equal with boys in their gender roles, but then once you translate that into actual everyday life they reverted back to girls being lower than boys. Its tricky because the girls seem to understand that they are equal but the values and norms are just so deep rooted it is hard for them to change it in reality.

A Pogo stick can be used to achieve life goals because it will remind us to not take life too seriously and always have fun. Knowing that we are all trying the best we can.

Do you work with the Peace Corps at all? If you do, are you familiar with their Let Girls Learn programs and what do you think about it?

Laura: I know that our organization has worked with the Peace Corps in the past, the housing we live in my village (Antoa) was initially set up for a member of the Peace Corps. We have done remote branches of our Peer to Peer Program with Peace Corps members in other regions of Ghana. To be honest I don't know much about the Peace Corps, but my colleagues definitely know more. I can talk to them and look more into before getting back to you!

I was just interested because I interned at the headquarters this past spring and learned about the Let Girls Learn program and absolutely loved the goal of increasing girls education in Africa and how they went about doing it!

Amazing! I'll check it out for sure :)

I lived in Accra for two years when I was a small small boy. My dad was with Saskatchewan Education at the time. I was very young, but to this day I pick up on Twi accents when I run into Ghanaians and I get cravings for Ghanaian cuisine.

My question: what is your favorite thing to eat there?

My favourite thing to eat is garden egg and groundnut paste stew with plantain!! So fun that you can still pick up on Twi accents, I wish I could speak more Twi aha

Hi there, hope all is going well. Do you know of Sheila from Cape Three Points?

No we don't, we live near Kumasi which is a bit far away from Cape Three Points

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No snakes! We like fufu, banku, stew, soup, egg and bread :)

Does it get kinda hectic once a month there?

Yes, many girls miss school a few days a month due to their inability to access appropriate facilities at school and hygiene products.

Hi. I admit I am a bit confused here. When you mentioned that females tend to not go to S/HS due to financewhen the boys are sent, why don't you just do the same work when the boys are home? Do you not have a program akin to the GED?

Sorry I don't understand your question, can you clarify?

Why is the program only for girls?

We want the program to create a safe space for girls to bring any issues they may have forward without judgment or danger. We work with Form 2 Senior High School students aged 16-18, and girls can be vulnerable at this age (or any age) so by having the club be only for girls it allows a comfortable setting for them.

We do have a Boys for Positive Change program as well, which is a similar after school club for Form 2 Senior High boys, it is currently being implemented in its pilot phase this term in one of the schools we work in.

I don't mean to sound argumentative, but what research or experiences do you have that specifically call men out as the source of danger or judgement?

I honestly don't know what it is like for women in Ghana and I'd love to know.

Edit: cheers for the downvotes. I'm sorry for asking a question.

Not to say that men are the specific source of danger or judgment (although they may be one), the importance of having the club as girls only reiterates the safe space we are looking to create. In general 17 year old girls will feel more comfortable talking to other 17 year old girls about personal issues rather than to 17 year old boys. In Ghana it is changing and progressing but women are still seen as lower level humans than men. Gender based violence is an issue, so having a safe space for girls is important in mobilizing the change of these cultural norms.

I thought there was no internet in africa, how are you able to write this?

Internet is not nearly as easily accessible as in the Western world, but there is 100% internet in Africa. We have 3G and hotspots and wifi here :D