Malaspina students and faculty work to alleviate poverty in Africa

The power of simplicity – that’s what Malaspina University-College student Bridgette Zohner learned during a “life-changing” field school to Ghana, Africa to help alleviate poverty.

“It was my first trip away from home,” said Zohner, a second-year nursing student at Malaspina. “The field school solidified my passions and curiosity to work overseas as a health care worker when I’m finished school. Ghanaian people are peaceful and accommodating. Since visiting their country, I live a more balanced lifestyle. It’s amazing how little you need to live and be happy."

Zohner and three other students from Malaspina's Tourism and Forestry programs were selected to accompany Tourism professors Dr. Rick Rollins and Dr. Ken Hammer on the first field school to Ghana last spring as part of a five-year project funded by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) in partnership with the Association of Canadian Community Colleges (ACCC). Rollins is now recruiting students for the second field school in April, 2008.

The project involves a multi-disciplinary team of students and faculty from Malaspina working together with two partner institutions in Ghana: the Sunyani Polytechnic and the Faculty of Forests Resources Technology at Kwame Nkruma University of Science and Technology.

“The project is aimed at reducing poverty in the Sunyani area through four community development projects: reducing HIV/AIDS, improving forest fire management, reducing household waste and developing ecotourism," said Rollins.

During the first field school, the Malaspina group gathered data and met members of communities in Sunyani, and completed a needs assessment to better understand the rural communities where their work is directed. “Our research focused on understanding village culture and decision making processes, and factors contributing to poverty in the region,” said Rollins.

A key part of the five-year project involves Malaspina hosting a delegation from Ghana each fall.  The second delegation arrived September 21 and will be in Nanaimo until October 14. “Two visiting faculty members have been studying best practices of sustainable development in the Nanaimo region, with a view to developing new courses for delivery at their home universities,” explained Rollins. “They're also developing an action strategy to further the project goals in Ghana for the following year.”

Research fellow Sylvia Adu from the Faculty of Forest Resources Technology at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, and professor Kofi Nyamaah-Koffuor of Sunyani Polytechnic, have enjoyed meeting with students and faculty at Malaspina to promote awareness of Ghana, and with officials from the Regional District of Nanaimo (RDN) and two local Rotary Clubs who have partnered with the project. 

"The Rotary groups are working to establish a Rotary Club in Sunyani, and contributed funds to schools and an AIDS orphanage in Sunyani," said Rollins. "The RDN  is active in helping Sunyani develop more effective waste management systems.”

Adu said she is most impressed with the beauty and cleanliness of Vancouver Island.  “We’re very impressed with the way landfill sites are managed here and the willingness of the people to take part in programs such as curbside recycling,” she said. In Ghana, untreated waste, particularly plastic waste, impedes irrigation systems and contributes to low agricultural productivity. 

“Obviously we need to find a way to educate our people at home about how to properly manage waste and improve living conditions,” added Nyamaah-Koffuor. “That's one of our biggest problems – finding ways to change people’s attitudes towards waste management.”

Adu said forest fire management in Ghana is another top concern for educators and politicians because wildfire, usually a consequence of slash and burn agriculture, contributes to the loss of agriculture and livelihood of people living in rural communities.

Nyamaah-Koffuor added that HIV/AIDS is a major health problem in most parts of Africa and contributes to poverty by reducing the workforce and destabilizing village social structure. Both he and Adu were interested in talking to Malaspina students and faculty about community based ecotourism projects that can help reduce poverty by bringing revenue into rural communities.

Rollins added that other key objectives of the five-year CIDA funded project include building capacity at Malaspina for participating in international projects, providing students with meaningful experiences working in the developing world, and increasing international awareness at Malaspina and in the Nanaimo region.

Karla Duarte, a fourth-year Malaspina Tourism student who participated in the first field school to Ghana, said the trip “was like being in a giant classroom.”

“I learned so much by being involved in a project that will provide the people of Ghana with the necessary tools to affect positive change," said Duarte. "I enjoyed working and learning together with other students and faculty in an applied environment. I’ve returned home with more confidence and a deeper passion to fight poverty locally and globally.”

Any student interested in participating in Malaspina's second field school to Ghana in April 2008 must apply by November 15. For further information, visit www.viu.ca/ghana.