WOSAG have just wrapped up their fourth week and it is the
hottest yet. With frequent, sporadic power cuts, the only relief is the cooling-down
of sweat as it trickles down your spine, past your hips and into the crevice of
your gluteus maximus.
This week we all healed from the traumatic, bizarre
experience of watching a goat being hit by a car and the ensuing madness as the
goat murderers and witnesses argued about who would tell the Chief. Other
culture shocks have included the huge portion sizes we are given in our host
homes (which Lindsay started hiding under her bed so as not to offend her host
mother) and walking through the Harmattan (the season we’re currently
experiencing which covers everything in red dust).
We also came together to organize events, write reports,
email menstrual cup companies, behave passive aggressively, contact radio
stations to ask for free slots, collectively make fun of Auggy, collectively
love Lindsay and tolerate everyone’s “favourite Tamalelian”- Sala.
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| Ella! |
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| Roz! |
Ella: 24, previous ICS volunteer and now WOSAG’S In Country
team leader, aspiring lawyer (booo!), beautiful and very, very bad at boxing
with a self-proclaimed large dowry. She is dedicated to WOSAG’s mission and has
connections all around Tamale. If you ever want anything done, just ask Ella
because she “knows a guy”.
Roz: 24, Irish, our UK team-leader, a down to earth, fashionable
feminist, more organized than a Filofax but possibly has early onset dementia
because she needs 108 reminders to take her anti-malarials. She loves animals and is in desperate need of nail clippers if anyone has any spare.
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| Auggy! |
Auggy: 24, Ghanaian from Bolga who is on every social media
site that has ever existed, an awesome nurse who can’t pronounce the second
stage of the menstrual cycle – ‘proliferative’.
He can sing, dance, model and dress well, but of course he knows all
this because the person who loves Auggy the most is Auggy.
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| Dernica! |
Dernica: 22, East London born and raised volunteer with a
large smile and contagious laugh. She tells you how it is, she’s honest and has
an established relationship with the woman who sells fried yams and plantain
across the street from the office. Her legacy will be bringing the menstrual
cup to Ghana and she wants to maybe do a Masters in International Development and
get a tailored Ghanaian woman’s dress, innit!
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| Mercy! |
Mercy: 20, upper east Ghanaian volunteer who loves singing
and wearing dresses. She wants gender equality, a world where everyone has
chicken, and she loves to sing at church. She is starting to learn to swim and
is the most promising potential Ghanaian Olympic swimmer yet!
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| Dominique! |
Dominique: 24, Scottish volunteer, loves to box and play
piano, can pass as a young man in Ghana because of her short hair, and was
admired by a random gentleman who commented on her stamina??? She wants all
women to be empowered to make their own decisions about their own bodies, and
she wants to work with sexual violence victims to help them cope after their
trauma. She likes to make fun of others.
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| Sala! |
Sala: 18, recent graduate of SHS, she really loves her
phone- it’s an additional limb at the end of her fingers. Her ideal land is a
place where everyone is “(un)happy”. She likes listening to music and chose to
be a volunteer to learn many things about women’s rights and about another
culture. She’s an excellent translator… some of the time. She wants to travel
to the UK to learn about the culture. She also wants to do the Hajj.
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| Mariam! |
Mariam: 21, Tamale native and ICV, dedicated Muslim who
always leaves the office to pray and sometimes leaves the office because her
boyfriend calls. Does she pray? Does she talk to her boyfriend? Who’s to say?
Brilliant translator, though. She wants to see women and children achieve their
potential in society as a whole. She wants to travel to England some day and
also go to Mecca to do the Hajj eventually - but NOT with Sala.
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| Lindsay! |
Lindsay: 25, UKV from Wales. She is the brightest natural
born leader you will ever meet. She has great aspirations of having all her hair
braided in millions of plaits whilst here in Tamale but is still walking around
with only half her hair in braids. Lindsay spends her free time with her
adopted cat, Lindsay Junior, and listening to Auggy, her host home counterpart,
talk about himself. She is a fantastic film director and we will see her name
on the Walk of Fame. There is no doubt in my mind.
I truly believe we have a fantastic crew that works well
together and it is a pleasure to be among such interesting, funny, sarcastic
and easy going people. We're Ghana be great!
Written by Dominique.
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