c h r i s r i c h a r d s j u n i o r f e l l o w s h i p, g h a n a 0 4
TRANSCRIPT
C h r i s R i c h a r d s J u n i o r F e l l o w s h i p, G h a n a 0 4
Presentation Outline
1. HIV/AIDS in Africa – Gapminder
2. Introduction to Ghana
3. “African” – Steretyping in Our Media
4. Engineers Without Borders (not just engineers!)
5. My Work in Ghana
6. Who is Christy Yaa? – World on Fire
World Development Index
www.gapminder.org
Engineers Without Borders
Mission Statement:
Promote human development through
access to technology.
Mission Statement:
Promote human development through
access to technology.
Ghana, West Africa
• 1/3 the size of Saskatchewan
• 20 M people
• 2/3 of the population is rural
• 40% Unemployment rate
• Gained independence from Britain in 1957 (English)
• Life expectancy at birth: 58
A city in Ghana?
Accra – Capital of Ghana
Kumasi
Ghana Today – Two Worlds
Stereotypes of Africa
Who is EWB’s Boss?
Who Does EWB Work For?
Our Focus is Empowerment of Rural Women:
– Women represent 70% of the world’s “poor”
– They earn only 10% of the world’s income
– They own 1% of the world’s property
– Yet they work 2/3 of the world’s working hours and produce half
the world’s food
Dorothy: Women With a Vision
Attitude is Everything
Potential. Not Poverty.
“We” are “not poor”
“They” are “poor”
The Multifunctional Platform
The MFP – Multifunctional Platform
Why Machines?
• Work is hard and painful
• Takes a great deal of time
• Girls miss school
• Turn 4 hours of work into 15 minutes
• Time to earn income in other ways
• Increased income for family
Akua & Peter Fukour
Working With Entrepreneurs
ACCESS – NOT GIFTS
Maintenance and Repair
Over 50% of the water pumps installed in
Africa have failed and cannot be fixed by
local people.
Where are they going to get spare parts?
Ownership?
Need?
Our Goal
Work Ourselves Out of a Job.
The POWER of VOICE
Who is Christy Yaa?
A Letter From the Field
I visit a woman with a stunning smile every night to buy oranges. Her name is Christy Yaa and she never lets me pay for my oranges because she wants me to take them as a gift.
She works everyday from 6am until 2pm as a cleaner, and then from 4pm until midnight selling oranges. She does this seven days a week.
She is a single mother and every penny she earns goes towards putting her 20-year-old son through secondary school near her home village.
As an engineer in Canada I would have made more in a day than she does in a year. And still, she does not let me pay for my oranges.
- Mike Quinn (Summer of 2004)
World on Fire
www.worldonfire.ca
The POWER of CHOICE
Sarah McLachlan:
Among many others:
Sponsored 3 Multi-Function Platforms in Ghana: $15,000
Christy Yaa: $1,000 Scholarship
Nana Yaa: $1,000 Scholarship
Take Action!
Don’t tolerate stereotypes, racism, or inequality!
Educate yourself and others (friends & family)!
Write to politicians and actively use your voice!
Volunteer locally and globally!
The Power of Voice!
Powerlessness and silence go together.
We should use our privileged positions not as a shelter from the world's reality, but as a platform from which to speak.
A voice is a gift. It should be cherished and used.
- Margaret Atwood
Resources:
www.gapminder.org
www.worldonfire.ca
http://homepage.usask.ca/~cjr312/ghana
www.ewb.ca
www.cida.ca