Yesterday I learned that for 2 years beginning in December I will be working as a Business Advisor for Community-Based Tourism Development in Gwollu in the Upper West region of Ghana!
Some aspects of the posts initially concerned me: I will be the farthest north and farther from the Accra Peace Corps office (20 hour drive) than any other volunteer in the country and I will be the only of the 129 volunteers to learn and speak the Sisaale language. BUT, after I had some time to think about the assignment and location I have become very excited about it. Here is the cool stuff:
-Gwollu is on the border of Burkina Faso, so I will likely travel into that country and experience yet another culture.
-The Upper West region of Ghana is the last region to be created and it is by far the most poverse and in need of volunteers.
-There are 4-5 other great volunteers going to the Upper West when I do, and I have met 3 awesome current volunteers who will be there for another year.
-I am replacing a current voluneer who finishes Dec. 1 of this year. I will be the third and likely final volunteer to be posted there, so I can build upon foundations that have already been created and focus on sustainability.
Some more about Gwollu and what I will be doing... Gwollu is a town of approximately 7,000 people and is located 110 kilometers northeast of the Upper West regional capital city, Wa, and 30 kilometers from the closest "large town", Tumu. Gwollu is the regional capital of the newly created Sisaale West District and it is a growing area. It is the hometown of President of the Third Republic of Ghana, Dr. Hilla Limann. The population there is mostly Muslim.
So, I will be leading a 12 member Tourism Management Team to support the ongoing eco-tourism work in Gwollu. The town has many tourism opportunities that are still relatively untapped... There are ancient, historic Slave Defense Walls. There is the tomb of former President Dr. Hilla Limann. There are sacred crocodile ponds, a traditional bone setter, and many other aspects of the community that offer insight into the traditional life of northern Ghanian communities. I will also be working with an NGO that supports a local co-op of Shea Butter Producers, which has a lot of potential. Also, construction has begun and should be nearing completion on a musuem in Gwollu that will preserve and display the historical relics from past slave trade and local wars. I will work with the local government and boards to develop, script, and price tours of the area, create touring packages, and support the infrastrucure/development projects that are necessary to make the area accessible to tourists.
My accomodation will consist of 2 rooms adjacent to the museum/welcome center. It is quiet, yet in the center of town. There is limited cell phone conncectivity in Gwollu currently. The District Assembly, museum, and tourist center will all be within walking distance of my house. There is a borehole that will supply my water and I will have electricity. No word yet on how close there might be an internet connection.
I started my language lessons on Sisaale today. I will have one-on-one instruction from my awesome teacher, Banu, for 5-6 days a week for the next 8 weeks so I will learn a lot! Banu is a fun teacher and he is from Tumu, which is very close to Gwollu.
Well, there are so many other thoughts and facts about my site and job that I would love to share but I just don't have the time. I hope to speak to the volunteer who is there now soon to ask more questions and in a few weeks I will actually visit the site.
Email me and let me know what's going on at home... thanks to those who already have!
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