List of resources for Ghana
From Peace Corps Wiki
Contents |
What's at the Accra Office
I'm coming.
Information Resource Center (IRC)
I'm coming.
What's at the Kumasi Sub-Office (KSO)
Office Space:
- multiple workstations
- Food Security Digital Library workstation (see below)
- Peace Corps forms on desktops
Accommodations:
- sleeps eighten(18) with 2 sick beds
- entertainment room
- nice showers and baths
- free box
- relaxing porch and summer hut
- barbecue pit
- tents for front yard camping
- hammock
Peace Corps Volunteer Library
PEPFAR Kits
- projector and transportable screen
- digital camera
- journey of hope kits
The Food Security Digital Library is a workstation that can be used to create media (written, video and audio) for volunteer projects, make PDFs using the scanner, and store Peace Corps digital resources and volunteer project files.
- Dell desktop
- scanner
- 1.5 external hard drive
The KSO Store offers an opportunity for PCV's to sell crafts made in their communities to expand the market for Ghanaians. No hassle shopping.
- wood crafts, which can also be special ordered if provided with a sketch
- jewelry
- soap
- clothe
- shoes
I'm coming.
What's at the Tamale Sub-Office (TSO)
I'm coming.
Peace Corps Initiatives
Gender and Youth Development (GYD)
Their mission: Create sustainable solution to gender and youth equality issues by encouraging dialogue, providing GYD resources and promoting country wide linkages.
Think Tank (ICT Committee)
Their mission: To dissiminate knowledge as effectively as possible to volunteers and Ghanaians alike by utilizing the three aspects of Information and Communication Technology: Computer Technology, Communication Technology and Information Technology (or Knowledge Management).
- ICT committee (Think Tank)
- Check out the ICT Manual.
NCHARG (National Council for Aids Relief Ghana)
Food Security
Peace Corps Audio-Visual Club (PCVAC)
- I'm coming.
The 'Others' (NGOs)
NGOs from the United States
- CARE is a leading humanitarian organization fighting global poverty. We place special focus on working alongside poor women because, equipped with the proper resources, women have the power to help whole families and entire communities escape poverty. Women are at the heart of CARE's community-based efforts to improve basic education, prevent the spread of HIV, increase access to clean water and sanitation, expand economic opportunity and protect natural resources. CARE also delivers emergency aid to survivors of war and natural disasters, and helps people rebuild their lives.
- Trade and Investment Programme for Competitive Export Economy (TIPCEE) is a CARE project that targets smallholder farmers that already have begun to integrate into commercial marketing chains. It is important for the offer or to strengthen the role of women as owners of small/medium size enterprises, as smallholder farmers, and as productive workers in processing and marketing activities.
- The Carter Center, in partnership with Emory University, is guided by a fundamental commitment to human rights and the alleviation of human suffering; it seeks to prevent and resolve conflicts, enhance freedom and democracy, and improve health.
NGOs from Other Countries
- Volunteer Service Overseas(VSO) is the UK-equivalent of Peace Corps.
- Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA)'s vision is to effectively provide backing for this process. Dynamic development refers to the creation of self-reinforcing virtuous cycles of mid- to long-term economic growth and poverty reduction in a constantly changing environment of developing countries where a variety of issues arise simultaneously and get entangled each
- Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ)'s (formerly GTZ) operations in Ghana are integrated into the country's poverty reduction strategy. This aims to promote sustainable and equitable economic growth and to speed up the rate of poverty reduction within a democratic environment.
- The Organic Mango OutgrowerAssociation (OMOA) is a collection of 1500 farmers from 40 different villagesin the Savelugu/Nanton, Tolon/Kumbungu, Karaga and West Mamprusi Districts ofthe Northern Region. These farmers are being supported by Integrated TamaleFruit Company (ITFC), with interest-free imports and technical information togrow organic mangoes. They have formed the association, and have an executivecommittee who meets monthly to discuss issues facing the farmers throughout theproject zone. The support that the executive body offers to the associationvaries, anywhere from other agricultural projects, economic opportunities,literacy education and health improvement programs. The farmers pay yearly dues to pay the salaryof an administrator, a full time accountant, and to pay for yearly meetings andother expenses. This association has been in existence for over 7 years. Fouryears ago, OMOA applied and received a Peace Corps Volunteer. Her primaryproject was to provide sanitation education to the farmers within the project.She was replaced by another volunteer, and in addition the association appliedfor 2 more volunteers to instigate a health program for the association. Thehealth program is in its beginning stages. It is centered around the trainingof volunteers within the project communities as health educators. To beginwith, the program is focusing on HIV/AIDS education, but in the future there ishope to expand it to include all aspects of health education. OMOA is alsopartnering with GTZ (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit) inthis endeavor. In the previous year OMOA and GTZ administered a Knowledge,Attitude, Behavior and Perception (KABP) survey on HIV/AIDS to see the level ofHIV/AIDS information existing in the project communities. They also organized apeer educator workshop to train a small number of farmers from each zone onHIV/AIDS, sexually transmitted infections (STI’s), and family planning methods.Together, OMOA and GTZ hope to provide education to all the farmers and theirfamilies and communities. They also will work to increase the capacity of theGhana Health Service Clinics within the project zone, to ensure that thesupport for testing and treatment are in existence to ensure sustainability.The project also includes goals of creating sustainable condom distributionprograms.
Ghanaian NGOs in Partnership with Peace Corps
I'm coming.
Websites
Information About Development
http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/ghana.html
This is the webpage for the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) project in Ghana
http://www.undp-gha.org/
This is the webpage for the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) project in Ghana
http://www.globalaidsalliance.org/
The mission of the Global AIDS Alliance (GAA) is to mobilize the political will and financial resources needed to slow and ultimately stop the global AIDS crisis, and to reduce its impacts on poor countries hardest hit by the pandemic.
http://www.watradehub.com
The West Africa Trade Hub is a USAID-funded project working under the West Africa Regional Program to make trade happen in 20 countries across the region.
http://www.commissionforafrica.org/english/home/newsstories.html
In early 2004, British Prime Minister Tony Blair established the Commission for Africa. This website is the permanent archive of the work of the commission.
http://www.usaid.gov/locations/sub-saharan_africa/countries/ghana/index.html
This is the webpage for the USAID Mission in Ghana
http://www.un.org/Pubs/CyberSchoolBus/infonation//e_glance.htm
This United Nations site allows you to search for statistical information for member states of the U.N.
General Information About Ghana
http://www.ghanadistricts.com Website for a public-private partnership program between the Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development, and the Environment and Maks Publications and Media Services.
http://www.countrywatch.com
On this site, you can learn anything from what time it is in Accra to information about converting currency. Just click on Ghana and go from there. Please note, you must first login to access this site.
http://www.state.gov
This is the State Department’s Web site, which issues background notes periodically about countries around the world. Find Ghana and learn more about its social and political history.
https://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/gh.html
The world factbook provides up-to-date country information.
http://www.geography.about.com/library/maps/blindex.htm
This online world atlas includes maps and geographical information about countries around the world. Each country page contains links to other sites, such as the Library of Congress, that contain comprehensive historical, social, and political backgrounds.
http://www.worldinformation.com
This site provides an additional source of current and historical information about countries worldwide.
Connect With Returned Volunteers and Other Invitees at
http://clubs.yahoo.com/clubs/peacecorps
This Yahoo site hosts a bulletin board where prospective Volunteers and returned Volunteers can come together.
http://www.rpcv.org
This is the site of the National Peace Corps Association, made up of returned Volunteers. On this site you can find links to all the Web pages of the “friends of” groups for most countries of service, made up of former Volunteers who served in those countries. There are also regional groups who frequently get together for social events and local Volunteer activities.
http://peacecorpsonline.org/
This site is an independent news forum serving Returned Peace Corps Volunteers. It includes an RPCV directory organized by country of service.
http://www.peacecorpswriters.org
This site is hosted by a group of returned Volunteer writers. It is a monthly online publication of essays and Volunteer accounts from countries around the world.
http://ghanawiki.info/Main_Page
The Ghana Wiki is a repository of all types of information about Ghana. Anyone may add new articles and edit existing ones.
Online Articles/Current News Sites About Ghana
- http://www.graphicghana.com
- http://www.ghanaweb.com
- http://www.ghana.com
- http://allafrica.com/ghana/
- http://www.afrol.com/countries/ghana
- http://www.irinnews.org/
- http://worldatlas.com/webimage/countrys/africa/gh.htm (maps and facts about Ghana) Twi Language Resources
Language is your key to the culture in Ghana. While many people in the urban areas of the country speak English, communities in the rural areas speak mostly local languages— and so will you! Twi is one of the most widely spoken languages in Ghana, and it will be the first language you will study upon arrival in-country. If you’re interested in getting started on your Twi language skills before departing for Ghana, here are a few resources to try:
- Dolphyne, Florence Abena. A Comprehensive Course in Twi Asante for the Non-Twi Learner. Ghana Univ. Pr. Book & Audio Cassette edition (1998)
- Dolphyne, Florence Abena. The Akan (twi-fante) Language: Its Sound Systems and Tonal Structure. Ghana Universities Press (1988)
- Kotey, Paul F. Let’s Learn Twi: Ma Yensua Twi. Africa World Press (2000)
- Kotey, Paul A. Twi-English/English-Twi Concise Dictionary (Hippocrene Concise Dictionary) Hippocrene Books (1998)
- Redden, James E. Twi Basic Course. Audio-Forum (1963)
- Twi (Audio Cassette) Pimsleur (1997)
Books
Recommended Books about Development
- Burkey, Stan. People First: A Guide to Self-Reliant Participatory Rural Development. London: Zed Books, 1993.
- Friere, Paolo. Pedagogy of the Oppressed 30th anniversary ed., New York, NY: Continuum International Publishing Group, 2000.
Recommended Books About Ghana
- Aidoo, Ama Ata. No Sweetness Here and Other Stories. New York, NY: The Feminist Press, 1995.
- Amamoo, J.G. The New Ghana: The Birth of a Nation. Lincoln, NE: Authors Choice Press, 2000.
- Appiah, Kwame Anthony. Cosmopolitanism: Ethics in a World of Strangers. New York, NY: W. W. Norton & Company, 2006.
- Birmingham, David. Kwame Nkrumah: Father Of African Nationalism. Athens, OH: Ohio University Press; Rev edition, 1998.
- Briggs, Phillip. Ghana: The Bradt Travel Guide, 3rd Edition. Chalfont St. Peter: Bradt Travel Guides, 2004.
- Cole, Catherine M. Ghana’s Concert Party Theater. Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press, 2001.
- Gaines, James. 12 Days in Ghana: Reunions, Revelations & Reflections. Bloomington, IN: Authorhouse, 2002.
- McCaskie, T. C. Asante Identities: History and Modernity in an African Village, 1850-1950. Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press, 2001.
- McFarland, Daniel Miles. Historical Dictionary of Ghana. Metuchen, NJ: Scarecrow Press, third edition, 2005.
- McKissack, Patricia. The Royal Kingdoms of Ghana, Mali, and Songhay: Life in Medieval Africa. Henry Holt and Co. (BYR) (1995).
- Mikell, Gwendolin. Cocoa and Chaos in Ghana. Washington, DC: Howard University Press; Reprint edition, 1991.
- Otoo, David. Authentic African Cuisine from Ghana, 1st Edition. East Orange, NJ: Sankofa Books, 1997.
Books About the History of the Peace Corps
- Hoffman, Elizabeth Cobbs. All You Need is Love: The Peace Corps and the Spirit of the 1960s. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 2000.
- Rice, Gerald T. The Bold Experiment: JFK’s Peace Corps. Notre Dame, Ind.: University of Notre Dame Press, 1985.
- Stossel, Scott. Sarge: The Life and Times of Sargent Shriver. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press, 2004.
Books on the Volunteer Experience
- Banerjee, Dillon. So You Want to Join the Peace Corps: What to Know Before You Go. Berkeley, Calif.: Ten Speed Press, 2000.
- Casebolt, Marjorie DeMoss. Margarita: A Guatemalan Peace Corps Experience. Gig Harbor, Wash.: Red Apple Publishing, 2000.
- Dirlam, Sharon. Beyond Siberia: Two Years in a Forgotten Place. Santa Barbara, Calif.: McSeas Books, 2004.
- Erdman, Sarah. Nine Hills to Nambonkaha: Two Years in the Heart of an African Village. New York, N.Y.: Picador, 2003.
- Herrera, Susana. Mango Elephants in the Sun: How Life in an African Village Let Me Be in My Skin. Boston: Shambhala Publications, 1999
- Hessler, Peter. River Town: Two Years on the Yangtze. New York, N.Y.: Perennial, 2001.
- Kennedy, Geraldine ed. From the Center of the Earth: Stories out of the Peace Corps. Santa Monica, Calif.: Clover Park Press, 1991.
- Thompsen, Moritz. Living Poor: A Peace Corps Chronicle. Seattle, Wash.: University of Washington Press, 1997 (reprint).