 |
A large specimen of Guinea worm leaving the body,
(Original image from The Filarial Genome Network.)
|
The Guinea Worm
Guinea worm used to be widespread in Ghana. When our own George was a
boy 30 years ago on the other side of the country he had it, and he
still has scars on his lower legs. Now the range of the worm has been
contained to just a small area, only 10 of Ghana’s 131 districts.
A mobile and dedicated force of educators could have it completely wiped
out within a few years. Guinea worm is avoided relatively easily,
through simple measures like keeping infected people out of water
sources and passing drinking water through a simple filter before
drinking. The challenge is to reach the most remote, illiterate peoples
with this info and supplies.
The bikes would help Guinea worm project workers move quickly from
village to village and water sources; managing a coordinated effort to
educate, provide filters, and monitoring infection.
The day before the first workshop six local bike mechanics joined
George and Abokyi (AH-boh-JEE) getting the bikes ready. While these
American and European bikes have spread widely in southern Ghana, in the
north they are something of a novelty outside the bigger towns.
Ironically, the north has a strong bike culture, but the bikes are a
1913 design: 50 pound one-speeds with rod brakes.
|
For several hours, George and Abokyi worked with the six mechanics.
After getting the pedals back on and otherwise readying the 40 bikes
they took time to explain the new technology of gears and cables.
The local mechanics had struggled with the new technology and were
captivated. Abodzi took the lead as he was back in his home region and
spoke the local language. For several extra hours he and George went
over gears, derailleurs, cables, their brakes, and the tools needed to
remove and repair them. Each mechanic would be given some of these tools
for helping with the workshops.
I just sat on a bench and watched, and had an epiphany, one of those
rare moments of total beauty and peace. Abokyi was discovering himself
as a teacher, George was his proud coach, the mechanics giddy to have
these mysteries solved. I sat quietly on the sidelines, elated to be
the facilitator of this little kernel of skills transfer, which enabled
all these people to have this discussion that they were all deeply
interested in. It was one of those clear moments that made all the
travel and effort worthwhile. This is why I do this.
That was the high moment, but an excitement persisted through the two
days of workshops. Twenty people per day got some basic training in
bicycle maintenance.
The main goal is for them to become aware when their bikes have problems
so that they can have them repaired. 27 of the 40 people were involved
in the health care sector, most of them in the Guinea worm project.
|
Two of the Zonal Coordinators and their
new bikes. They each head eradication
efforts in five to seven villages, in
zones as big as an hour’s ride from
end to end. They will also use these
basketed bikes from the British Mail
Service to bring |
What’s Next in Ghana
The program was enough of a hit that George and Abokyi are returning to
the area this month with 80 bikes for four more workshops. They will
also add a new workshop, the Advanced Class.
I’ve long considered our one-day workshops to be little more than an
awakening to bike repair and have pondered a good way to follow-up.
Enter the advanced class, half a day of more complex repairs for people
with a deeper interest, who could then buy tools at half-price. We’ve
now done two advanced classes and they’ve generated a lot of interest.
More than 170 tools have been sold to ‘graduates’ showing me that people
are taking their bikes and bike repair seriously.
Here in America its hard to imagine, but in Ghana’s villages, tools can
be hard to come by. Sometimes a village bike mechanic may have little
more than hammer, pliers, and punches for tools. Getting tools to
villages is a dramatic step of development. Without tools you can’t
keep up machinery of any kind.
So VBP is discovering that bikes as a tool for development has a whole
‘nother dimension in rural Africa. It is not just about mobility and
access, but bicycles are also helping introduce modern machinery and the
maintenance ethic.
|
|
|
