STAFF REPORT, CONT'D.
The WomensTrust Team Pokuase has the go-ahead to process a total of 200 loans as quickly as possible. Our relationship with the Ofankor women’s group, Love From God (Odo Fri Nyame), has been so successful that WomensTrust has made the strategic decision that all future loan programs will be launched through an existing women’s group. Those women who ask for a loan program in their own villages and do not have an existing group will be guided through the process of building one to the point of adopting a constitution and electing officers. The women’s group then applies to WomensTrust. If accepted, the group provides another layer of loan guarantee. The Ofankor officers have come up with unique ideas on the loan repayment process that resulted in the borrowers having to leave their businesses for shorter periods of time. Their suggested efficiencies have also benefitted the WomensTrust staff.
Because of these increased efficiencies, we were able to meet with the Omandjor women’s group, Helpers of Men, to talk about expanding Ofankor services to them. The group has existed for 3 years and 350 women have participated at one time or another. But membership has not been consistent and currently only 25 dues-paying women would qualify for a first loan. 36 more will be eligible to borrow very soon, and it is expected that the dormant members will being reappearing at news of the loan program.
Our other trip accomplishments included hiring literacy teacher Samuel Adjetey to begin offering classes in Ofankor. When we left, Samuel was preparing to attend a regular weekly meeting of the group to begin his assessment of class needs and competencies. He taught last year in Pokuase, where his classes were well attended.
We had the great fortune to meet with a chapter of Students for Free Enterprise (SIFE) at the Institute for Professional Studies in Legon. SIFE students have been working with borrowers in the WomensTrust affiliate program in Amasaman. They have developed an assessment tool to determine at what levels to engage the business owners. They then offer a series of short classes with breaks allowing the women to meet individually with a student consultant to apply the learning to their own businesses. The SIFE assessment of Ofankor borrowers is in process, and classes will begin within the month.
We have heard mixed advice about and responses to suggestions of classes. The Ofankor group decided that, while they do not wish to commit a great deal of time to classes that would take them away from their businesses, they could expand the time they spend in their weekly Sunday meetings to include both literacy and SIFE work. In effect, they proposed that Sunday be a “school day” for the borrowers. Their interest is encouraging, and we are committed to working with them to provide the education that they want in an accessible format.
We saw our grade school students and exchanged letters from their penpals in Santa Domingo and Seattle. We learned that they are beginning to recycle the plastic bags that transport water, and they were proud to show us the results of their labors.
Logistics for the Seattle University Study Tour in August are moving along. Many of our Ghanaian colleagues have graciously agreed to meet with the students and to serve as local research arms for their business plans.
Finally, we know that we should not mention a project until it is a done deal. For now, let us tell you that a very exciting water-related project was the subject of an initial conversation in Accra. We will keep you posted on this.
Our miscellaneous learning on this trip:
- Our attempts to “partner” are often construed as promises for personal support.
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Partially built dwellings are everywhere. We understood that the homes were built as resources (e.g. money) became available. However, we learned that many, if not most, homeowners make their own cement blocks as they can afford to purchase bags of cement. This is done largely for quality control; contractors may try to make 30-35 blocks from one bag of concrete, but discerning homeowners make no more than 20-25.
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In soccer, goalies may dress in the opposing team’s colors in an attempt to trick opponents into giving them a goal. The deception works, as we were confused for the duration of a game.