Village Life/Giving Back pt. 1

By:

Darius Carey

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Last Friday I was able to join some of my friends from the NGO One Love Worldwide to the village of Anum Pampanso in the Eastern Region of Ghana to experience a day of life in the Village and assist with the rehab of a water well. The journey to reach the village was a journey in itself. We set off from Accra at around 6am, took 2 separate taxis, 2 tro-tro (mini buses), and a motorbike taxi before we were arrived at our destination. After visiting 2 of the working wells in the village we set to meet the borehole technician where the problem was. We were greeted by three individuals; the assemblyman, the elder, and the chief of the village. While waiting for the technician we were given a welcome ceremony, which consisted of a discussion, and chants while passing around the local libation. This was then gave way to the actual repair, this consisted of adding more pipe so that the well is drawing water from a deeper source. It was strenuous and stressful to just watch, this is definitely not east work. After adding more pipe and reconstructing the well, the water was flowing stronger than ever before. Grateful for our service we were treated a lunch of one of my favorite local dishes; Banku and Tilapia with the pepper sauce. After lunch we then started off on our journey back to Accra, the borehole technician initially offered to give me a ride back to campus but on the rough road his car broke down! This is something I’ve come to learn about living in Africa, you roll with punches and be ready for anything that can happen! This experience is something that I will forever be grateful for.  

Darius Carey

Hello, my name is Darius Carey. I am currently a senior at the Metropolitan State University of Denver with plans to graduate in the fall of 2014. I am a double major in the fields of Africana Studies and Sociology. My current research interests are African Diaspora History and Sociology of Sport with an emphasis on race, class and gender. As both and African American and a scholar I am excited for my trip to Ghana. I will finally get to see places and experience cultures that I have read so much about. More importantly I am looking to expand my horizons beyond what is familiar and grow as a person. I am the oldest of four children and growing up with a single mother didn’t offer many travel opportunities, let alone international travel. For my first trip outside of the U.S, I can’t imagine a place more fitting than Ghana. Studying at the University of Ghana will also give my academic outlook a new perspective. I couldn’t be more excited to spend this summer exploring a new city, learning a new language, eating a lot of plantains and spicy foods, and really immersing myself in the Ghanaian culture.