Well, this morning I put my big girl underpants on and came to work all by myself. Unfortunately, I endured 20 minutes of poking, prodding, and marriage proposals from a trotro driver while I waited to leave Circle, but I managed! I'll be going home by myself, too. That will be trickier - it takes three trotros to get back, and the traffic on Fridays in even more insane than the rest of the week.
Working at the Ark Foundation is absolutely amazing. The work they do here in Ghana is phenomenal. They provide the only shelter for women and children, for example. There are several shelters for children, but only Ark's takes women, too. They also have a 24-hour crisis hotline, legal services, including free legal representation, free counseling with social workers, and all kinds of training programs for women on leadership, advocacy, women's rights, etc.Right now, I'm helping The Ark seek affiliation with a university or college in order to for the Women's Law and Human Rights Institute to become an accredited institute of education. How freaking cool is that?
In other news...
I found a bakery that has cake. Real. Cake. I don't know why, but no one here has a sweet tooth, and (of course) I've been craving sweets since getting here. I plan to eat a giant piece today.
Oh, and I wear SPF 60 sunblock every day, and Deet-filled mosquito repellant, and I'm getting tanned and bitten daily. Someone explain this to me, please. (I think I may even be getting tanned through my shirts - is that even possible?)
Hope you are all well,
love and kisses,
Emily
p.s. No one in Canada has the right to use air conditioning. If it's not 30 degrees Celsius, don't turn it on. We're using fans and it's 30 degrees all the freaking time. Drink more water and suck it up! We only get two or three months of real summer weather and it's minimum 30 degrees here all the time! I propose that Canada develop an application system for air conditioning. People with certain health conditions or over/under certain ages can apply to use it more liberally, and everyone else is only allowed if it's over 30 degrees. See? I should clearly run Canada.
Way to go Em. I can see you getting involved in organizing women's help centers.
ReplyDeleteMum say you are on your soap box re: Air conditioning.... and yes you and your generation should run the country
Hey Emily it's your uncle Steve. Sounds like you are getting into these issues now and I'm sure you can show them a few things. Have you talked to local women who use or need to use the services you are talking about - they will be valuable to learn from as well as the people you ar woking alongside. As for air conditioning, hey I have always prayed for summer blackouts to teach those ac abusers a lesson. Lots of love.
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday Em!
ReplyDeleteHey Emily,
ReplyDeleteWe don't know each other - I'm a US based filmmaker making a movie that shoots in Ghana. I'd love to e-mail you some questions about your experience working at the Ark Foundation. Is there a good way to reach you? Thanks!