The View From Here

Day 13

2012-02-02T13:25:00.000-08:00

I’msitting here in a day hotel room they have booked for us to use as we come andgo on our own schedules this afternoon . It’s our last day in Ghana. Weleave for the airport and then England later tonight. As a bonus, we will be attending a receptionat the Canadian High Commission before ducking out to the airport. Cutting it a bit close, but how can we passup that opportunity?!

Weall noted how it’s hard to believe that two weeks have passed. For most, the days were long. The conditionsrough (but not so rough as those who live here, especially in the villages andremote areas). Coaches were up and going by 8 am, and oftenworking on their reports and recommendations til later in the evening. A bit of food and refreshment and then off tobed to start it all again. My own scheduledidn’t involve coaching, but I was averaging 3-4 visits a day (one day five),which was challenging all on its own. Still … looking back, the time just flewby.

Somuch we have learned. So much we realizethat we didn’t see orexperience. Plus … we all realized theprivileged existence we have had here in this country. We had dedicated drivers, essentiallycultural liaisons, to get us around and help us navigate a very foreign culture– and to help us avoid the bigger mistakes we could have made. (Let’s not talk about all the tiny ones weprobably made along the way!!) CUA - theGhana credit union central - and CCA worked hard to pre-plan as much as theycould and work out the biggest kinks. (Notalways successfully, but they tried!) Ifwe’d tried to come in to as individuals, our level of access, mobility andgeneral comfort would not have been nearly so successful. And our results would have probably reflectedthat, too.

Thismorning was spent at CUA, briefing the management team there on the experiencesof the coaching teams and the key recommendations they made to each of thelocal credit unions. I also was granteda few moments to reflect on my learnings, and didn’t realize til then what Ihad, in fact, experienced. It will takeme a few more days, possibly weeks, to process it all. I took copious notes of the coaches’ stories,so this should help to round out some of my own reports and possible articles. We will have our own team debriefing in Londonwhen we hook up again with the teams from Uganda and Malawi. That is when Iwill help the teams focus the key elements of the stories they’ll be presentingto various audiences once they are home.

Alsoin the morning meeting: we sang the credit union song (a truncated version ofIt’s a Small World – seriously!!), had an opening and closing prayer and a fewof the CUA staff made some presentations. CUA also presented us with thank you gifts, lovely ceremonialscarves. Then, off to lunch at a localrestaurant.

Oncewe’d eaten (90% of us had chicken and rice, our fall-back meal), we dispersedto savour our last moments in Accra. Ijoined the Irish contingent and went to a market to see what trinkets I couldpurchase. Notice to my nieces – you SCORED!) Others went swimming, while still others foundfood and drink to pass the time.

Iam sitting here in the common hotel room just getting ready to head to theCanadian High Commission. I have packedand repacked, and managed to get my two suitcases into one weighing marginallyless than the maximum allowed. It will be so much easier to navigate the tubein London as we make our way to the hotel from Heathrow using only publictransit. I am in my travelling clothes –long pants and long shirt. The airconditioning is keeping me comfortable; how soon will I regret my clothingchoices when I venture into the city again, I wonder.

Sosad it is over. I will miss this place. The things I have seen and done here have madesome preconceptions of mine soften, and given me a new part of the world toexplore, if only through Google and the Internet.

Talkto you soon,

Mark

Day 12

2012-02-02T13:21:00.000-08:00

Up andout by 7.30 am. Visited a local credit union that had received coaches a numberof years ago, and then visited a tiny, tiny credit union that had sent itswomen manager to Canada as part of the Women's Mentorship Program. Then... literally drove til 10.30 pm to get back to main hotel in Accra where allthe Ghana coaches were assembling before heading off to a local debrief, ourvisit to the High Commission and then the flight to Heathrow.

Was absolutely exhausted from sittingso long. Drove through some great rural areas at night where the roadside stands were lit by candles, flaming torches or the occasional CFL lightbulb. So nice to see the spots of lights near the road and furtherback. It was soccer night - Ghana was playing Guinea in the AfricanNational championships. The game ended up tied 1-1. In everyvillage we passed, every stand with a TV had a crowd of locals gathered aroundwatching the game. Houses that looked like the most primitive sheltersglowed from the light of a TV. It made me smile. And another reminderthat all is not always what it seems.

Passed a number of nearly empty outdoorchurch services. Football/soccer beat out the Lord by a long shot, atleast for this evening.

Got back to the Paloma hotel and met upwith my buddies, who had been drinking for quite a few hours. Nothingmore needs to be said there! :-)

Am looking forward to my last day in Ghana. So there will beat least one more post on our adventures here. Plus ... I will have a fewposts on my reflections ... and a summary of my trip to London.

Mark

Providing a hand up, rather than a hand-out

2012-01-30T12:48:00.000-08:00

Even in Ghana, it’s the real thing!

It normally takes a bit of effort to get me motivatedon a Monday morning. Not today!

After battling the local traffic jams, we ended up atMount Zion Co-operative Credit Union in Bechem. The credit union, formerly called Bechem School for the Deaf CCU, was also being visited by Anthony and Fintan,two CCA coaches who were about to begin two days of coaching and mentoring themanager and board. I had a few moments toobserve them in action as they initially met with Ernest, the manager. Theirstyle was easy going and laid back. Itwill be interesting to see what suggestions and tips their final report to themanager and board will contain.

From Bechem, we drove to Dormaa, to spend some time atDormaa Teacher’s CCU, a thriving, five-branch operation. I met with Patricia, the acting CEO, andlearned of their success with the Youth Savings Program, a way to encouragesavings in Ghana’s young people, while also grooming new members for the creditunion.

Me and Youth Savings Club members at DormaaSHS.

One of their managers took me to Dormaa Senior HighSchool, which has more than 500 students enrolled in the YSP. I spent some time with some of the students,and like my earlier visit to Sege, I found the students polite and interested,but offered little information about their involvement in the Youth SavingsProgram unless I pointedly asked one person a specific question.

Again, like in Sege, once I got the students outside,their personalities exploded. I got themto pose for a number of photographs; my favourite is the one with their handsin the air in what we have called our ‘bonsai’ pose. [a long story, suffice to say that it beganwith the coaches at CCA in Ottawa having fun during their own photosession]. I also got the Headmistress ofthe school to bonsai. [And some otherschool children who were waiting for their bus outside my hotel earlier in themorning!!] Fun all around.

Headmistress of Dormaa Senior High School Margaret Otchere Pomaah
Teacher and Youth Savings Program Co-ordinator Emmanuel Obeng Asare,
and CUA staff member, Clara Nyarkoah.


CCA coaches Fintan & Anthony and staff atMount Zion Co-operative Credit Union.

The original bonsai pose.

I ended up staying at the same hotel as Anthony andFintan, so we all met for dinner. I hadthe most Ghanaian of dishes: Pineapplechicken, essentially Chinese food. Butit was sooooo good!

Things are starting to wind down for this coachingmission and there are so many other stories to tell – and many more toexperience. What doesn’t get bloggedwill get reported by CCA, myself, the coaches and others. This is a country rich with heritage, prideand determination. I feel so blessed tobe a part of this mission and to be able to provide a hand up to thesewonderful people, rather than a hand-out.

Thanks for being part of this!

Mark

Checking in on the coaches

2012-01-29T12:43:00.000-08:00

In addition to the CCA coaches in Ghana, teams are alsomentoring SACCOs (savings

and credit co-ops) in Uganda and Malawi.

Here are excerpts from some of those coaches. To readthe full posts, click on the link shown, and to link to other coaches’ blogs,use the links at right.

A beautiful beach in Karonga.

MALAWI

Heidi Hyokki, Interior Savings, BC

goin2africa.blogspot.com

Well we had another long journey today as we travelled4 hours north to the city of Karonga. I had no idea how beautiful a drive itwas going to be! You come down a windingroad from high in the mountains and as far as the eye can see is this beautifullake with a white sandy beach bordering its shore.

We stopped in at the Karonga Teacher's SACCO late thisafternoon to meet their President and Manageress....they were so warm andwelcoming! We are all set now to start work first thing in the morning and theyare so excited to be chosen as one of the SACCOS to have CanadianCoaches.....they referred to us as International Specialist...hahaha...nopressure or anything.....I know we will work really hard the next 2 days tohelp them in as many ways possible.

Bev and David visit a savings and credit co-op in Malawi.

Bev Maxim, retired, SK, and David Domes, Sanford CreditUnion, MB

gointomalawi.blogspot.com

The day spent with the MUDI Savings and CreditCo-operative (SACCO) on Wednesday was like old home week for us Prairiefolk.

This SACCO has grown from their original locationoperating out of a 40 foot shipping container into a facility that Dave says isabout the size of his credit union office in Manitoba. The Board, staff and 2,700 members areunderstandably very proud of this accomplishment and they have had manyvisitors from near and far. Mercy, thegeneral manager, invited us to sign the guest book that she keeps (she wassurprised and pleased to learn that Bev also keeps a guest book at home). Looking through the pages of previousvisitors it became apparent that the world of co-operatives is indeedsmall. We see that many people that haveCanadian Prairie roots have walked through the door before us.

GHANA

Karen McBride, Concentra Financial, SK

mrsdixoninghana.blogspot.com

Today Craig, Quay Que (our driver) and I went on theDodi Princess boat cruise up Lake Volta to Dodi Island and back. When we got to Dodi Island they gave us 20minutes to walk on the island. It turned out to be very disturbing because thepeople from the nearby village come to this part of the island when a boat iscoming and all the tiny children follow you along the path, begging for money.They were all in need, but it was not possible to give because there are somany of them and they swarm anyone who takes their wallet out.

What they need is a cooperative that sets up onedonation bucket at the dock and then share it among the villagers. They haddancers and singers at the dock so all they needed was to organize themselvesso people had a way to give.

When we got to the dock, a fellow we had asked to makeus woven bracelets for our family and friends had managed to complete all butabout 8 of the 43 we asked him to do. Basically he had to weave the names intothe bracelets so I am sure his fingers were ready to fall off! He brought therest to the hotel tonight...a very nice young man. Tomorrow we are off toSomanya for two days and then back to Accra. We are looking forward to learning about Somanya Community Credit Unionand hoping we can offer them something of value.

Employees at Kebisoni are working hard to improve the lives of members.

UGANDA

Deb Edwards, Coastal Community Credit Union, BC

debgandersuganda.blogspot.com

On Thursday we met with the Kebisoni SACCO to provideour report. The board, management and some staff were in attendance. It was anational holiday however the SACCO was open for the morning and quite busy aswe began our report. The board and management were very receptive andappreciated our recommendations. They were pleased to hear we thought they hadgood leadership and practices.

The real fun began after the meeting concluded. Theyinvited us to drink some pop with them and explained when you are invited toshare you are being invited to share in love. It was like being welcomed intotheir family.

It was a very special day, I feel truly blessed to haveshared this experience with warm, caring, individuals. They are in fact a lotlike our credit union board and employees. They want to help the members toimprove their living. They want to do itin a caring and thoughtful way, bringing value to the relationship. They wantto improve the economic condition of their communities and through their creditunion and cooperative lift their families and communities out of poverty andinto prosperity.

Out and about

2012-01-25T16:30:00.000-08:00

CCA has been a partner with CUA in Ghana since1988.

While the coaches are visiting credit unions andproviding the managers and boards with the benefits of their experience, I ammoving about the area learning more about the credit union system here, and experiencingthe interactions between CUA, CCA, the credit unions and their memberships.

Yesterday I visited a credit union based in theGhana Broadcasting System, the national TV network. The Broadcasting Employee’s Co-operativeCredit Union membership is restricted to GBS employees, and very recently, totheir families. (They are talking aboutexpanding their membership further so that they have a larger base of savingsand loan activity.) Theresah, the manager,is a graduate of CCA’s Women’s Mentorship program. In 2009 she visited a British Columbia creditunion and took part in sessions CCA hosted at its Ottawa offices.

Theresah, with the support of her board,implemented many changes to her CU based on what she saw and learned inCanada. While her board was initiallyresistant to many of the changes that their manager brought back, the lendingpolicies and day to day operational items she proposed have made significantdifferences. Her credit union’sliquidity and loan losses have both improved, resulting in increasedprofitability and ongoing sustainability for the organization. Something that the board secretary confidedmight have been in jeopardy otherwise.

An award given to Sege CU.

Today, I had a warm welcome at Sege CommunityCo-operative and Credit Union. Themanager, Mr S.E. Doku Tanihu, proudly showed me around his offices, pointingout the many awards they had won, and telling me about the recent renovationsthey had conducted. Barb Dalzell andDennis Matthies are the two CCA coaches who have been working with the boardand manager. Today is the day that thecoaches present their report to the credit union. And while they wouldn’t tell me what itcontained, wanting the board to see it first, other coaches’ reports generallycontain one or two relatively simple things that credit unions can do todecrease loan losses or increase efficiency. Reports also often contain suggestions for other items that can beaddressed in a more long-term or strategic fashion.

I asked Mr Tanihu what suggestions he would havefor Canadian credit unions. He gave methree:

Know your member. Be able to lend on the character of the person, not just what is on paper.
Look at the members’ ability to pay back the loan.
Don’t lend more than 2-3 times a member’s security.

All very sound practices indeed!

After I left the credit union, I went to thelocal high school. Sege CU has a YouthSavings Club program (YSC) with the highschool, where about 180 students learn the habit of savings, and begin tounderstand the value of having a small financial cushion for the future, foremergencies or to buy merchandise. Ispent some time with 80 or so of the students in one of their classrooms.

I had wanted to pick their brains, focus groupstyle, on what the YSC has meant to them. The education system is very ‘rigid’ where the teacher teaches and thestudents learn, unlike our more free-form learning style where teachers andstudents interact much more informally. My questions about YSC and savings turned into more of a Q&A sessionon Canada. (Oh, how I wished I’dremembered more of my Canadian history courses!!!).

High school students.

The questions that they asked me were quiteinsightful. They asked about currency,elections, the weather, our education system, the weather, our languages andculture and, of course, immigration. Some of their questions surprised me – can we move freely about thecountry, what is important to us, our national symbols. And then they asked me what our hardshipswere. I had to pause. The annoyances and “hardships” in our livesare in most cases trivial compared to what many of them and their families haveexperienced. I was honest and told themthat Canada was a wealthy country and we don’t often have weather or militarychallenges. They were surprised at our welfare mentality, and I am not quitesure they understood that the government takes almost half our income toprovide our various safety nets and infrastructure. VERY HUMBLING.

Lots of photos and laughing after the session. Quite refreshing. It was the best part of my trip so far!!!

Lots more to tell, but many more days to expandon things.

Be well.

Mark

Things I have learned

2012-01-25T06:19:00.000-08:00

A little girl drinking local water, which comes in plastic bags.

Local water comes in plastic bags that look like a small pillow. As one local girl told me, I need to drink “water water” which comes in bottles. The local water causes … well you know …
Star beer (recommended to me by Jim B and many others) is good and usually comes in large bottles, maybe 750 mL. I have found Savannah cider to be good as I’m not really a drinker. The main pop here seems to be Fanta Orange, Coke, Coke Light (not Diet Coke) and Sprite.
Everything is sold in small black bags here. Most people just drop their bags and other trash on the street when they’re done with them. A bit disconcerting …
Traffic is insane. Think of the Gardiner at 8.00am. That is the way most major streets are from dusk til dawn. Horrible, horrible traffic.
Everyone is so friendly. A smile and a hello, plus a handshake. It is always good to inquire about one’s health and family.

Game day.

Traffic in the capital city.

Laundry day.

Short and sweet today.

Talk soon,

Mark

P.S. While CUA is aware of the United NationsInternational Year of Co-operatives, few if any local credit unions know of theInternational Year. One billion people world-wideare members of credit unions and co-ops, including those in Africa. I am hoping to increase IYC awareness, one CUat a time.

Things are beginning to happen

2012-01-24T06:16:00.000-08:00

The Ghana coaches plot their course through Accra, Ghana.

After arriving on Saturday, the Ghana coachesspent Sunday walking through parts of the city of Accra. Many shops and road side stands were closed,so road and pedestrian traffic was relatively light. It was a good way for the Canadians to getused to things here.

The crush of people on Monday was a completelydifferent matter. Traffic and activitythat would be completely at home at Young and Bloor at 8:30 am or 4:30 pm.

After our rest day, we began the week with abriefing by CUA, the Ghana Co-operative and Credit Union Association (similarin many ways to a provincial or national credit union central). CUA’s role is to support and guide the local creditunions (CU’s), provide training, technical support, assist with bylaws andpolicies, and work with regulators to enact and guide co-op legislation. This is often grassroots stuff (they evenprovide stationery and passbooks) – and very effective!!

CCA has been a partner with CUA in Ghana since1988, providing development and training funds, and channeling CIDA (CanadianInternational Development Agency) funding into the region. The coaching project, along with others suchas the Women’s Mentorship Program, are the result of CCA’s partnerships withCUA.

There are 411 credit unions in Ghana, plusanother 114 study groups that are not affiliated with CUA, and are usuallyin-development credit unions that have not yet met CUA standards. Many credit unions are quite small, often amanager and a handful of staff members. In many cases, the board of directors is quite involved in all aspectsof the CU.

Credit unions in Ghana are the same as, but verydifferent from, Canadian credit unions. They are both financial co-operatives and follow the seven co-operativeprinciples. But while our CUs areheavily regulated and generally provide a wide range of products and servicesto its membership, most local CU’s are savings and loans, and financialcoaches. The CU legislation is decadesold and out-dated; new changes have yet to be proclaimed which can be limitingto both CUA and the CUs.

The Ghana coaches at CUA.

Ghana credit unions are intimately linked totheir communities through a deeply ingrained community economic developmentmentality that is cultural and generations old. If these CU’s didn’t exist, many, many people (generally low income, butnot always) would not have access to financial services. Until recently, therehasn’t been a culture of savings in Ghana, so the local CUs and CUA are workingto change that. There are banks, butmost CU members wouldn’t qualify to become bank customers.

And the credit union’s loans – these aremicro-loans,… usually 2-3 times the amount of shares or savings a member hasheld in the credit union. We are talkinghundreds of cedis, not thousands or millions. (1 USD = 1.67 Ghana cedis.) Thisis grassroots CED; microfinancing at its most pure.

By the afternoon, the coaches were itching to getout of CUA and into their first postings. Each team of coaches has been scheduled for two-day visits at threecredit unions each. The furthest teamswould have to stay overnight mid-way, through their journey but a few coacheswere able to reach their destinations on Monday. The rest would be there early on Tuesday sothey could get in their full two-days of mentoring and coaching. Many of the teams have blogs, and they arelinked at the right side of this screen. From time to time, I will be linking or quoting from one of theirentries.

AS AN ASIDE: African time is different than North American time. 9am is usually understood to be 9am ISH. With the ISH almost always being later ratherthan earlier. The coaches all wereprepared for this, but seeing it in action and experiencing it takes a bit ofgetting used to. We all know that weshould ‘think African’ and by the end of this mission, I’m sure we’ll all befully indoctrinated in their way of thinking about time. (I wonder how long it will take us in ourjobs to return to “normal”?)

Til next time,

Mark

Arrival in Africa

2012-01-23T06:06:00.000-08:00

Life is good, Mark.

We made it! After 17+ hours of travel, our group of Ghana coaches arrived safely inAccra. The coaches for Uganda and Malawiscattered during our stop over at Heathrow in the UK– and had many more hoursof travel - but our team have settled in Ghana as a group for now.

Africa. Deep, dark, exotic. Yes! But also a land of diversity and manycontrasts. We are stationed in Accra, thecapital city of Ghana to get ourselves acclimatized and sorted out. We are a group of 14: six pairs of twocoaches, me, as communications liaison, and Anna Brown who is the CanadianCo-operative Association (CCA) Program Officer for Africa. I personally am staying in Accra for a fewmore days while the Ghana coaches are moving about the country.

Ghana is a wealthy country by African standards,and Accra is a wealthy city by those same standards. Envision some of the side streets in downtownWinnipeg, MB, or London, ON and you have the general idea. There are many cars – traffic is horrendous –and you would recognize many of the brand names – BMW, Mercedes, Hyundai,Toyota, Ford, Kia. People sell things onthe street, on the side of the road and congregate at stop lights andintersections. These are legitimatebusinesses, generally selling good quality food and merchandise – don’t thinkof squeegee-kids or homeless people hawking garage sale cast-offs. These are Micro-businesses – and it is oftencredit unions in their role as micro-finance providers that help fund andsupport them.

Of course there are the ‘sketchy’ areas, andareas of abject poverty in this city, and I don’t pretend to assume that thewhole country is like its capital city. Still, in my very limited experiences and hearing from the coachesstationed throughout Ghana, the picture that we have (often shaped by those ‘world-vision’-typeTV commercials) is an incomplete view of this part of Africa. As I move about the country, I’ll let youknow how my vision is changing. But for now, in this vibrant city of Accra,life ain’t too bad.

Ghana coaches are placed in these parts of thecountry and are each visiting three credit unions – Western (Erin and Elaine); Upper East (Scott andBrian); Northern (Mike and Mary); Eastern (Karen and Craig); Tema (Dennis andBarb); and Brong Ahafo (Anthony and Fintan). Over the next days, I’ll try to share some of their stories with you andlink you to their blogs.

I’ll talk with you soon,

Mark

Mark Ventry welcomes you to the Africa 2012 Coaching Blog

2012-01-13T16:09:00.000-08:00

Twenty-two credit union professionals from nine provinces are busily preparing for their Canadian Co-operative Association (CCA) coaching assignments in Ghana, Malawi and Uganda. After training and briefing in Ottawa January 17-20, they head off to Africa, arriving on January 21.

Actually, 23 people will be part of this mission. 22 coaches and me. Unlike those two teams of eleven, who will provide hands-on coaching and mentorship to credit union members and staff, I will be providing communications support for the entire group (before during and after their time in Africa). I’ll be travelling throughout Ghana during our two-week stay (unfortunately I will not be visiting Malawi and Uganda), throwing light on those I'm travelling with, highlighting the coaches and credit unions I meet, and describing my experiences in this very exciting, very exotic country.

The On Co-op team cut a celebratory cake during the official Canadian launch ofthe International Year of Co-operatives on Thursday, January 12, 2012. Ontario celebrations were held in Guelph, with events taking place at City Halland The Co-operators head office. Left to right:Audrey Aczel, Mark Ventry, Barry Hannah (Board Chair), Kerr Smith, JuliaBuchan, Peter Cameron, Jennifer Ross.

This mission is especially important to me as it takes place during the United Nations International Year of Co-operatives. The theme of the International Year is, “co-operative enterprises build a better world” and the team will be seeing that – and literally helping to make that happen – while in Africa. Over the next few weeks, you’ll learn more about the mission, the credit unions we’re visiting, the coaching teams and me. I expect that the themes of building a better world and strengthening communities will flow through many of my blog postings and those of our coaches throughout our stay.

I will be contributing regularly to this blog -- hopefully daily if my schedule and technology permit. I think you find it entertaining, informative and thought-provoking. Whenever possible, I will link to the coaches’ blogs or at least summarize some of their comments in this space so you can learn about their experiences, too. This will be my first time in Africa (and my first time accompanying a coaching mission) so you’ll be learning about the country, its people and the good work that local credit unions do at exactly the same time I will.

In ‘real life’ I am the Co-op Community Manager for the Ontario Co-operative Association, based in Guelph, Ontario. On Co-op is one of the country’s provincial co-operative organizations, and has a mission to lead, cultivate and connect Ontario’s 1300 co-ops. We are a small and energetic team, and work hard to support Ontario’s existing co-ops and help create a landscape that is favourable to the creation and expansion of co-operative business enterprises. My role at On Co-op includes marketing and communication, so taking part in this coaching assignment is a good fit.

We all are embarking on an incredible adventure that starts in just a few days. I’m glad you’re coming along, and I look forward to spending time with you over the next few weeks!

Talk to you soon.

Mark