October 6

Joined for breakfast at the hotel by Annie, who presents me with a beaded chief's bracelet to wear. I raised several questions with the Kipharts that were churned out in the early morning hours by my consultant's brain. They seemed glad I'd raised them, though many were issues they'd already been wrestling with.


After, set off for traffic-filled drive over paved road, then increasingly difficult, deeply pot-holed dirt roads. On the paved roads, we pass a more-or-less constant line of vendors and small roadside stores, all appearing to sell very similar merchandise, what Dick refers to as an over-distributed economy.

We are in very rural Ghana, completely off the tourist track, led by Peter, who is the Kipharts trusted friend and key person and who has been with us throughout, planning, revising, monitoring and supervising our trip.

We are headed first for Bonkwaso II and the school that the Kipharts built there. As in other places, after the Kipharts built a school, the government stepped in and built another. We are "treated to" a very long ceremony, with lines and handshaking. Several chiefs are present, including one who is a weaver and presents us with gifts, and a high, area chief.

The ceremony has elements that we have not seen before, including poetry recitals by young children (very cute) and a rather long darma acted out by the children. These are followed by the obligatory round of speeches and the ribbon-cutting to dedicate the school. Everywhere, genuine gratitude is coupled with a request for more help, another school room, a roof, a toilet, etc. Seeing schools and wells in these remote, inaccessible villages, it is easy to understand how the generosity of the Kipharts could be understood as evidence of Divine intervention. Chiefs say, "I never dreamed we would have something like this."

We distribute gifts that Margot and we had brought. Dick and I demonstrate how to play frisbee. Afterwards, I conduct a rather brief interview with one of the chiefs, before we set out, greatly behind schedule, as usual.


Dirt roads lead us to the next village, a river town that was almost flooded the last time the Kipharts visited, due to a bridge built by the government, which created a dam in the river. The young- looking chief (or nana, as chiefs are called) is a Kiphart favorite, as he seems to be a doer. We walked through the poor, but relatively clean, village and down by the river to see the bridge. After distributing more gifts, we are invited to participate in a meal they've provided, but most of us are too worn by the heat to be hungry.


We set off down more dirt country roads, passing small villages with churches or mosques, to arrive at St. Ann, the clinic established and run by a midwife for the past twenty-five years. She is a devoted servant, delivering probably 120 babies a year, never having lost a mother. She seems to have delivered most of the children (and now adults) in the area.

 Her clinic is very modest, but functional, and she is very grateful for the support the Kipharts have provided and rather reticent to ask for more, though Dr. Annie, who is quite taken by Anna, seems to be assuming the role of coach to tell Anna what else she should be asking for.

Anna has prepared food for us, too, which fortunately our drivers, Freedom and Jonathan (and another fellow, Joe), partake of. We distribute some gifts, then set out in the dark for the long, often bumpy, trip back. We arrive after seven, prepare very quickly for dinner and have a quite good meal, prepared by Charity, accompanied by large bottles of cold One Star beer, which has become a big favorite, and retire.


We are seeing a country in a way different from the way we've seen any in the past, and it's proved most interesting and rewarding.