Mayi Mava

Conclusion

Mr. Padhiar completed his Peace Corps service in Ghana on August 10, 2011.. He will forever remain a Peace Corps Volunteer

It has been just about 2 months since I ended my service, it was a truly beautiful experience.. Friendships, lessons, and memories which I hope to keep forever

And I thank you, the reader, for allowing me to share some of my experience with you

Each Peace Corps volunteer is required to write a Description of Service (DOS, in the 3rd person).. The DOS serves as the official Peace Corps reference for returned Volunteers.. It describes the Volunteer's training and select overseas activities in non-evaluative terms

I leave the reader with my own DOS from Ghana (with some minor edits):

Peace Corps Volunteer Manish Padhiar

Description of Service

Ghana 2009-2011

Ghana is a West African nation of 24 million people. It became the first sub-Saharan colony to achieve independence in 1957. With a GDP per capita of less than $1,100 and an average life expectancy of 57 years, Ghana is listed as a developing country.

Peace Corps Ghana traces its roots and mission to 1961, when President John F. Kennedy sent the very first 50 Peace Corps volunteers to serve their country in the cause of peace by living and working in Ghana. Celebrating its 50th year in Ghana, Peace Corps is more vital than ever with volunteers working at the grass roots level in education, health, and agribusiness.

Pre-Service Training (PST)

Mr. Padhiar arrived in Ghana on June 4th 2009 to begin an intensive PST program. The 10-week training program was held in the lush hills of the Eastern Region of Ghana. Mr. Padhiar lived in the small farming community of Old Tafo with a loving host family where he was introduced to new foods, languages, norms, values, jokes, etc. – in short, a new culture. Sticky balls of starch, chicken alarm clocks, “Akwaaba!”, loud indistinguishable music, and cramming 6 into the backseat were all part of Mr. Padhiar’s new life. In addition to his homestay experience, his formal cultural and technical training included:

 100+ hours instruction in Èʋegbe (local language spoken at his site)

 50+ hour of area studies (history, economics, and cultural norms of Ghana)

 2-week teaching practice at a host high school (teaching methodology, classroom management, rules & regulation of the Ghana Education Service)

Having satisfied all training competencies and achieving an intermediate-high level on Èʋegbe, Mr. Padhiar was sworn in as a Peace Corps Volunteer on August 12th 2009.

Tsiame, Keta, Volta Region

Mr. Padhiar was assigned to live in Tsiame located in the southern municipality of Keta in the Volta Region – approximately 150 km east of Accra. The approximately 5000 residents are primarily subsistence farmers and many are master-weavers of colorful yet simple & elegant kente cloth. And as the traditional military headquarters of the Anlo-Èʋe tribe, Tsiame is the site of the enstoolment (or enthroning) of any chief in the Anlo community.

Mr. Padhiar was provided with a humble two-room accommodation in the Deme part of Tsiame. His first month in Tsiame was spent trying to set up his house and learning the layout of the village. Mr. Padhiar immediately started to develop personal bonds with several town folk, particularly the local waakye (rice and beans) seller whom he soon regarded as his site mother.

Tsiame Senior High School

With a passion for education, Mr. Padhiar enthusiastically started his service as a Science Educator at Tsiame Senior High School. The school was established in 1997 to provide idle youth in town the opportunity to further their education. It consisted of two-buildings with six classrooms and a daily attendance of ~150 students.

The local senior high schools in Ghana consist of three academic levels (or “forms”) – the American equivalent of 10th through 12th grades. In all his official duties, Mr. Padhiar reported directly to the Headmaster – whom he regarded as a mentor throughout his service.

Mr. Padhiar cultivated life-long friendships with his fellow Ghanaian teachers over his two years. Mr. Padhiar especially enjoyed sitting under the cashew tree in his school with them to share meals, enjoy the cool breeze, and discuss issues ranging from classroom discipline to world politics.

Teaching

At times the only science teacher in the school, Mr. Padhiar taught General Science to all three forms. He was solely responsible for all material and course development, including creating original & creative lesson plans and visual aids. He also faced the daily challenge of managing classes of 60+ students, many of whom had failed their high school entrance exams, and many of whom were older than he. However no matter the situation, Mr. Padhiar always maintained a positive atmosphere in his classroom.

A year into Mr. Padhiar’s service, Tsiame SHS was furnished with a new computer lab (with satellite internet connectivity) by the Government of Ghana school connectivity program. Happy to have the opportunity, Mr. Padhiar spent countless hours training students (and teachers) on the fundamentals of computers and the internet. In a town with about a half of the population still living in mud-brick houses and straw roofs, there was high-speed internet availability a few feet away – a stark example of the reality of his service with which Mr. Padhiar was forced to come to terms.

Boyeyey Club

In addition to formal teaching, Mr. Padhiar and a fellow teacher started a life-skills club at Tsiame SHS (Boyeyey Club) to develop confidence within students. Activities included a vegetable garden, tree planting, poster competitions, and a mural. The club demonstrated the feasibility of and introduced the proper cultural practices for growing vegetables in an area otherwise not known for such farming. Lettuce, squash, peppers, cucumber, beans, and groundnuts were in plentiful supply during the club’s growing season!

The club’s crowning achievement was the completion of a 30’ x 15’ World Map mural to beautify the campus in August 2011. With a lack of even a globe or world maps, students (and teachers) were ignorant of the geography of the Earth. “What country is the blue?” asked one student referring to the ocean. As the map took form, Mr. Padhiar took delight in watching community members staring, pointing, and discussing world geography.

Basketball Court

As a member of the school’s Sports Committee, Mr. Padhiar and several interested students raised money to construct a basketball court. A half-court, made of laterite stone, was completed June 2011. The school now includes basketball as part of their sports program.

Secondary Activities

Spelling Bee

“Definition please?” “Please, use the word in a sentence?” were questions Mr. Padhiar heard constantly during the time he spent coaching the students of the local Tsiame JHS in preparation for the 2011 Spelling Bee. With the help of the JHS English teacher, he coached a group of 10 students over the course of 2 months for the Volta Regional Bee held in November 2010.

One of JHS spellers was successful in the Volta Regional Bee, and they traveled to Accra together in March of 2011 to tackle the National Bee. Though Godfred was knocked out in the second round, Mr. Padhiar is certain that Godfred (and other students) took away with them the confidence that comes from training and preparing for such an event.

Mr. Padhiar also worked closely with the Spelling Bee executive team in Accra to identify best ways that Peace Corps volunteers might support the Ghana Bee.

Students Taking Action Reaching for Success (STARS) Conference

Mr. Padhiar had the unique opportunity to interact with Ghanaian companies and international organizations in the capital of Accra as the Fundraising Coordinator for the 2011 STARS Conference. The conference was a Peace Corps Volunteer-supported leadership conference for 60 exemplary Ghanaian senior high school students. It took place in June at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology college campus in Kumasi, Ashanti Region. The conference focused on leadership skills, female empowerment, HIV/AIDS education, and the realities of tertiary education.

As the Fundraising Coordinator, Mr. Padhiar was responsible for the procurement of all corporate donations for the event. He managed professional relationships with members of the Ministry of Education, Ghana Education Service and a slew of corporate sponsors, including Nestle Ghana Limited, Coca-Cola Bottling Company, Tullow Oil, and HFC Bank.

Peace Corps Volunteer Trainer (PCVT)

In June 2010, Mr. Padhiar was selected to be a trainer for the incoming group of Peace Corps trainees. Along with training staff and fellow PCVTs, Mr. Padhiar helped to shape and implement the Pre-Service and In-Service Training programs with primary responsibilities in the Education sector. Official duties included the development of lesson plans and facilitation of sessions.

During PST, eleven Science Education trainees looked to him as a link between training sessions held in Kukurantumi in the Eastern Region and the reality out in the field. His valuable input in the need for Education volunteers to “get in the field” during training was a significant addition to future training program design.

He continued his duties as a trainer at IST where he was responsible for reconnecting with each volunteer as well as their community counterpart to discuss lessons learned and help shape a plan of action for work and projects they hoped to accomplish at their various sites.

Serving in the role of a PCVT was an excellent opportunity for Mr. Padhiar to reflect on his own initial aspirations for joining the service.

Project Advisory Council (PAC) Member

Mr. Padhiar was also chosen as a volunteer representative of Science Education at the PAC meeting in early 2011. The committee consisted of prominent figures of the Ghana Education Service, staff from sister international volunteer agencies, fellow Peace Corps volunteers, and Peace Corps executive staff. The goal of the PAC was to evaluate the current over-all project plan of the Education sector of the Peace Corps in Ghana and provide guidance for future alterations. Mr. Padhiar added valuable personal experience from his service to help establish the role of education volunteers in the Ghana.

Cultural Exchange

Peace Corps was established to promote peace and friendship through the understanding of cultures. Mr. Padhiar traveled to all ten regions of Ghana. He witnessed the wide spectrum of cultures that is Ghana: from the grand Asante culture to the industrious Eves to the peaceful Gonjas; from the pre-dominantly Christian south to the Muslim north; from traditional village life to the cosmopolitan Accra lifestyle. In particular, Mr. Padhiar integrated in to the Anlo-Èʋe community of Tsiame.

Daily Activities

Though Mr. Padhiar’s teaching duties were demanding, he found time to join the Tsiame people in doing daily and seasonal activities. On numerous occasions, he went to farm where Mr. Padhiar used simple tools such as a cutlass and hoe to plow the land as has been done for centuries. He also went to the Keta lagoon to set fishing traps and fish with a net – a memory that Mr. Padhiar hopes will never fade.

Southern Volta is well-known for one specific food – akple (cooked corn dough). Akple, sometimes taken for all three meals a day by the locals, quickly became Mr. Padhiar’s staple dish for supper.

Traditional Society

As most societies in Ghana, Tsiame is traditionally governed by chiefs and the opinion leaders of the area. Mr. Padhiar developed strong bonds with various opinion leaders, including the Chief, the Queen Mother, and the Assembly man. Mr. Padhiar actively sought their guidance and views on the development of the school and the town. And more importantly, he got to know intimately the structure of the traditional leadership and learn the history & culture of the Tsiame people through numerous conversations.

Traditionalists – people who follow the beliefs of their ancestors – are thought to be uneducated and uncivilized. However, appreciative of the richness of their customs & beliefs, Mr. Padhiar on many occasions joined them at their ‘church’ – aptly named Sankofa (translated from Twi to mean "go back and take"). There he would enjoy the beat of the local drumming and dancing, in which he frequently took part.

Hiplife Music

A small but meaningful part of Mr. Padhiar’s service was his passion for the increasingly popular Hiplife music scene in urban centers. Hiplife, which finds it roots in jazz and hip-hop, was found blaring on speakers through the country – in restaurants & stores, on all public transport, and on most mobile phones. Mr. Padhiar was introduced to Hiplife literally on the first day in country and continued to explore its lyrics & beats throughout his service. This provided Mr. Padhiar a more complete & meaningful portrait of Ghanaian social culture.

Close-of-Service

For his dedication and service, Mr. Padhiar was honored with a personal plot of Tsiame land from Togbui Shikabli. Mayi Mava (“I will go and come” in Èʋegbe) were the last words to his mother at his site in Ghana.

Mr. Padhiar has become a citizen of the world. Because of his Peace Corps experience, he has become sensitive to differences in cultural values, comfortable sitting on sand floors and talking to tribal leaders, happy to share a bowl of akple with friends, and in awe of the struggles of financially-poor people who manage to maintain their dignity and care for their children.

Mr. Padhiar completed his Peace Corps service in Ghana on August 10, 2011. He will forever remain a Peace Corps Volunteer.