Bolgatanga

After three days of learning in Tamale, me and two EWBers went to the tro-tro station. The inside of a tro-tro is a lot more peaceful than I first expected. Bolgatanga (called Bolga) is a smaller and more manageable sized town than Accra and Tamale. We hopped into a taxi and went out to our village, Zuarungu, to meet Meghan’s family and to spend the night there. WOW! It is truly beautiful outside of the city especially since it is so green at this time of the year. I will try to post some pictures soon so that you can see. Since it is the rainy season, it is very green and I am surrounded by tall millet and maize plants, there are chickens, goats, and pigs, and cows roaming freely around the village. I have been staying with Meghan and her family for the past few days but should be moving in with my family sometime early next week.



So far I have spent my time learning more about what I will be doing…are you ready for it? The long awaited job description!!! I will be replacing a JF named Aaron and continue the work that he has started here. I will be working at the District Office of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (Municipal Office in Canada) with Agricultural Extension Agents (AEA). AEA’s work with farmer groups on various programs and tasks. One possible program that the AEA’s can bring to their farmer groups is the Agriculture As Business (AAB) program that EWB has developed over the past several years.
My job will have several tasts.
1.) Continue meeting with the two AEA’s that Aaron has been working with on the AAB curriculum. He has two main AEA’s that he works with, Bizmac and Victoria. Both have two farmer groups who are interested in the program, and all four farmer groups are woman groups!!! I have met Bizmac and Victoria and can’t wait to work with them and their farmer groups.
2.) Promote the AAB curriculum in my district and try to get more AEA’s interested in the program and therefore reach more farmer groups.
3.) Try to improve the Curriculum of AAB so that it’s even better!
4.) Maybe there will be more – this is what I gather so far from my limited time in the office.

My address in Bolga is:
Meghan Dear (Claire Allen)
c/o Ministry of Food and Agriculture
PO Box 3
Bolgatanga
Upper East Region
Ghana

Please don’t forget that it’s gotta be airmail or I won’t get it!

My phone number is: 054 338 8523
It is a four hour time change between Ottawa and here. Please be mindful of that :)

There is so much that I could write about, so please let me know what you’re interested in hearing about so that I can make this blog as useful as possible.

I went to the Crocidile Pond in Paga with several JF's and the director of the Agric. College that we work with in Pong-Tamale.