WE are now in Techiman to do our tech training. We are staying at the Premier Palace, NOT. But they do have internet service and a/c so right now I am a happy camper.
We had training yesterday and it was really interesting. We learn LOTS about the Maringa Tree which has so many vitamin and minerals in the leaves. They mashed them and it looked like spinach (I am craving anything that is green so I was so excited) and I asked about using it like spinach. The answer is YES, sauté with onion and garlic and it is very good and very nutritious. They make a crème out of the leaves and it is a healing crème for the skin. You put in in with Vaseline and make a crème for the hair and it is suppose to make hair grow. So we watched them make the soap and then were cut it into blocks and then they package it and sell for 1 Gh cedis. I should have bought one from him not like US where they would have given you a sample. Ha!!! We then went to the kitchen and made shea butter with Maringa Tree leaves. These would both be great projects for my area after I find out about the leaves – I know we have shea butter in the Upper East.
I found out the business classes were going to be in the cashew group so I asked if I could go with that group since I was in the business section. He has made arrangements for me to do that. The bookkeeping here needs to be very basic since some of the people cannot read or write.
The other class was on Savings Club. This is where people learn how to save then when someone needs to borrow like 25 gh cedis they can for a small time and pay back with interest. After the club has been together for like a year we divide up the money by what people have put in and they then have a large sum for them to be able to purchase something they need or they can reinvest in another club for a year. The main idea is learning to save for something – mostly their money goes for daily living but if they could save maybe 50 pesewas a week then at the end of a year they would have more money at one time than they ever have. (50 pesewas is about .30 cents US). Another trainee and I were talking and we could do something similar with the older students. Have a after school club and each time they came we would give them a square of material. After they have come to the club for 6 weeks to 2 months and they kept their squares we could make a bean bag or if they saved each piece we could even make a market bag. Another way to learn about saving. Love listening to very creative people.
I have a picture of my friend drinking a pure water sachet. This is how we get our water. It ends up a plastic bag that gets put on the ground. We were talking about keeping them and trying to make purses or wallets. While I was at site one lady made a basket from them. It was small but so cute. It would be no expense to get material except for cleaning them when we pick up off the ground. The PCT’s are keeping them in bags to hopefully use again.
The plastic bags they use here are soooo small but that is the grocery bag. They call them rubbers. Do you want your purchase in a rubber? It always makes me look and think again. Sooo funny.
After dinner last night we all visited for a while but headed to our room about 8:30 boy a lot of partying people here. My roommate came in a little after 9:00 so even the young ones did not party. Ha!!! Of course I am still waking at 4:30 but thank goodness it is on my own not a rooster crowing.
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