Journal #3

On Monday I had my official acceptance meeting and it felt AMAZING… Oh the relief that came when I signed my name saying that I will be going to Ghana for three months. I still don't believe it's real. I keep telling myself over and over again that I WILL BE LIVING IN GHANA but it doesn't make it feel any less like an amazing dream and not real life.   

I spend every night before I go to sleep thinking about what it will be like in 88 days. It is honestly starting to worry me a bit. Each class we learn so much about how to cope with the culture shock and exactly what the Ghanaian culture is like but the fact that it is so unfamiliar to me is scary! Don't get me wrong I am still in the clouds about going to Africa but I know that there is A LOT of work ahead of me. Questions still boggle me everyday such as:

What will the showers be like?

What will I eat in Ghana?

What will electricity be like, if there is any?

 How will I collect my research

Where will I be living?

My research project is so cloudy and it worries me with each article I read if my research project is doable. I would like to compare the maternal care in the hospital/clinic to the rural village healthcare system. Now I'm starting to wonder if they are even different from each other. I understand that hospitals and clinics in Africa will be nothing like the ones here in the United States, but exactly HOW different are they? As I continue my research I need to find out now what clinics provide that a midwife/ doula can not. Which has the lower MMR rate. I would love to do Neonatal care so that is becoming more of an idea for my project but I understand the problems that could arise from researching infants. 

Midwives Deliver

This video Midwives Deliver shows you a typical day as a midwife, the governmental position on midwifery, and the midwifery schools. Midwives in Ghana are trying to accomplish the MDG 5; calls for a 75% decrease in the maternal mortality rate from 1975-2015. Throughout Ghana the changes in healthcare are evident.
A lot of the video deals with one Midwife in particular, Hajia Mary Issaka. She was trained at the Bolgatanga Midwifery School. She goes to different cities and assesses why women are not going into the clinics despite the fact that delivery is free. She has made a great improvement by meeting with opinion leaders at a durbar. A durbar is a gathering that brings together a community members and opinion leaders to discuss issues in the community. In Ghana I would love to be a part of a durbar and get a better feel for the community around me. Something brought up during a durbar is if you deliver at home you are brave, and you are also faithful to your husband. They also believe if you are destined to die there is nothing that can prevent you from dying. For me, this is a very hard belief to grasp. In America delivering at home is not the traditional way and is sometimes looked upon as strange and unsafe. Through my research in the field I hope to better understand why women would decide not to go to a clinic and deliver at home.

Oh so flattered… Journal #2

Today I downloaded a new app that has 1000 basic words and phrases translated into Twi. It so far has been extremely helpful! I can say very basic things

Good Morning- Maakye

Good afternoon- Maaha

Good night- Da yie

Goodbye- Nante yie

My name is Natalie- Me din de Natalie

I don't speak Twi very well- Mente Twi papa

(They really should translate "I don't speak Twi at all" for me)

All of these are very useful phrases that will help me to interact a bit with the people in Ghana. However, there are some not so useful but HILARIOUS phrases they have translated on here… 

Did the sun just come out or did you smile at me?

Awia na apie anaa se wosere hwee m'anim?

If beauty was a crime you'd have been in jail by now.

sɛ ahoɔfɛ yɛ bɔne a anka woda afiase dada.

I never believed in heaven until I saw you.

Na Mengye ɔsoro kɔpem sɛ mehunuu wo.

I will fall head over heels for the first man who repeats these phrases to me in Twi or English. Ok, totally kidding but seriously?! Why were these translated? In what country would these "pick up" lines actually work?

But in all seriousness I couldn't be more excited about the opportunity I have to go to Ghana and perform research on maternal and neonatal care. I hope I can throw some Twi words every now and then and maybe translate some of my interview questions into Twi. 

Midwife Crisis In Ghana

In 2006 a field study report was done to assess the crisis of Midwives in Ghana. As healthcare providers, midwives in Ghana are trying to increase availability to reduce the burden on health clinics. However many of the midwives are elderly with inadequate pay, which makes very few incentives to practice in the rural areas of Ghana. The shortage of Midwives threatens the safety to many expecting mothers and infants in cities and villages away from clinics and other medical resources. Without any help from the government, Ghana's population of midwives is at risk.

When the research was done about 3,379 midwives and 2,000 physicians were practicing throughout Ghana. The midwives are so important to the Ghanaian population because they provide most of the prenatal, delivery, and neonatal care. Midwives are the preferred use of care because they charge about 50,000 cedis per delivery where as the clinics charge around 80,000 cedis. Midwives are also highly preferred because they are more aware of the traditional practices to that family. Some expecting mothers do not have access to a clinic due to location and cost restrictions. 

Awareness needs to be made about the shortage of midwifes and the inadequate salary they receive. By first increasing the training for midwives and increasing the number of midwives, the maternal mortality rate can decrease significantly. As I continue my research in learning about maternal and neonatal care I find it interesting that many mothers do not know about clinics that could help them. They are only aware of the midwife in their city and the herbal medicine used for healing. As I enter the field I hope to understand the knowledge that the midwives possess and the effectiveness of their herbal medicine and spiritual healing compared to the "westernized" medicine in the nearby clinics and hospitals.

The full study can be found here.

25 Questions

As I continue my application and prepare myself to hopefully actually go to Ghana I put toether 25 questions about Ghanaian culture and living standards.

1. What is the Infant Mortality Rate

2. What modern medicine could potentially interfere on cultural traditions?

3. What is the average income in Ghana? How is that compared to the rest of Africa?

4. What outside help, if any, does Ghana receive from more developed countries?

5. What natural disasters occur in that region?

6. What is the country's main source of revenue?

7. What is the crime rate? Is it a safe place for tourism?

8. What are marriages like? Do the husband and wife have strict roles to play?

9. WHat is the average length of time people attend school? Do many have a college degree?

10. What is the average life expectancy?

11. What are typical meals?

12. When dud Ghana become independent?

13. Are the beaches a nice tourist location? Do they bring lots of revenue for the country?

14. How available are hospitals, clinics, and doctor's offices?

15. What is the LDS church membership like?

16. What do people wear normally?
17. How is the pre-natal care?

18. What do the houses look like?

19. Is there a lot of wildlife and forest areas?

20. What are the television shows like?

21. What is the dominant religion?

22. Any special Holidays that only Ghanaians celebrate?

23. What types of sports are popular there?
24. What is the shopping like? (Clothing, groceries, cars etc.)

25. How is their government set up?

HELLO ALL! Journal #1

A week ago today I had no idea what I would be getting myself into…

it has been a hectic week because I am applying to go to

 GHANA AFRICA!

As I finish up my application for Ghana I have found myself thinking about the possibilities all day. All my life I have had a desire to go to Africa. I'm not sure what it is exactly, but there is something about this great continent that makes me want to live there. I mean LIVE there like a house, family, and dogs in the yard. Probably not going to happen, but a girl can dream!  

I am currently enrolled at Brigham Young University studying Athletic Training. I am loving every minute of the major so far. When I first came to BYU last year I thought that I had my whole life figured out. Go to BYU, get a 3.8 GPA to be considered for the nursing program here, get accepted, finish that in three years, become a Neonatal ICU nurse and life would be bliss.

Funny how your plans NEVER work out the way you'd like them to. I have since had to change my major multiple times and have since decided Athletic Training best fits me while here at the Y. 

Another plan I didn't know that was in my path was Ghana. I was in my Athletic Training Lab and met a fabulous girl who introduced me to this idea and less than 24 hours later I was meeting with facilitators and going to classes to hopefully make this Field study possible. 

This Field Study allows students to pick out a project to complete while in Ghana for 90 days. I have not figured out the exact details but know it will deal with Neonatal Care and the cultural differences between Ghanaians and Americans. I understand I am not there to do any medical work but to just observe and be fascinated with the methods and differences of techniques. I do hope to one day go to Africa with my Nursing License and make a difference in the maternal and neonatal care.

As I continue this journey I hope I will be educated enough to prepare me for the long journey to Africa and the exciting adventures that lie ahead.

xoxo Natalie