Fighting for the Spotlight

I read a news article today about the Ivory Coast – follow this link:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/cotedivoire/8401230/Ivory-Coast-risks-becoming-forgotten-humanitarian-disaster.html

This article discusses the fact that, with all the international drama going on – earthquake and potential nuclear meltdown in Japan, violence and unrest in Libya – the civil unrest in the Ivory Coast risks being forgotten by the international community. Hundreds of thousands of refugees are fleeing the country and need aid, but demand is not being met.

Thinking about this makes me reflect on the fickleness of the international community and the general public. We will band together to raise tons of money for disaster relief, but cannot do the same for malaria control or hunger relief at a significant scale.

It seems that problems have to be immediate, solve-able, and uncontroversial to get the public’s attention and help. Other problems that are too complex or intimidating are brushed aside; problems like the conflict in the Congo, HIV/AIDS, and climate change.

For progress to occur, something needs to change.

Lessons from Fort Albany

My hometown has many First Nations community groups and also serves as a commercial hub for all the communities in Ontario’s far north. For years I’ve been very interested in the challenges facing First Nations peoples in the north – many isolated reserve communities face huge challenges in education, infrastructure, health, and so forth, yet most Canadians are unaware of this. Although I’m studying International Development, my goal is to apply my knowledge locally and work with Canadian communities. In this post I want to talk briefly about my experience visiting the northern community of Fort Albany.

I travelled to Fort Albany in 2009 with the Timmins MNR Far North team. The purpose of the weekend visit was to allow a face-to-face meeting with members of the community and MNR staff where a number of things would be discussed, including but not limited to some new policy changes, animal and fish population tracking, water quality in the Albany River, and band council and elder concerns.

We took an 8-seater plane on a 5 hour flight to Fort Albany from Timmins. Upon our arrival, we were screened for H1N1 and given information packages about the virus. At the time, there was great concern over the fact that isolated First Nations populations seemed to be more susceptible to H1N1 than other Canadian demographic groups.

Most discussion was through a translator, as many of the elders were not fluent in English, and the MNR staff (and I) were not fluent in Cree. The meeting lasted for several hours, during which I was taken aback many times over the differences between how such a meeting would proceed in any ‘Western’ town, as opposed to a Aboriginal community.

Near the end of the meeting between the MNR and the Fort Albany community leaders, the floor was opened up for general discussion. A community elder introduced as Gilbert stood up and spoke for about 45min (about an hour and a half with a translator).

He told us about how the whitefish in Albany River have become slimy and sick compared to how they were in his youth, and how the river had become dirty and cloudy. He knew that there was a greater amount of sediment in the water because he could no longer make tea from river water by letting the sediment settle to the bottom of his teapot – the water was just too murky. Finally, he spoke about a place where the river was eroding the edge of a cemetery and how coffins and bones were becoming uncovered (I was shocked to hear this).

The reverence with which the other community members and the MNR staff listened to his discussion made me think, ‘This is the way it should be’. Often we – Westerners - brush off the opinions of older generations as being old-fashioned or uneducated, when really we should be listening and learning. This cultural difference reminded me that I was a ‘Western’ visitor to the local Native culture.

Fort Albany, ON is located about 450km north of Timmins on the Shore of the Albany River, near James Bay.

Where I’m Going and What I’m Doing There - Learning to Go With the Flow

Hello everyone,

Yesterday I met with the INDEV placement co-ordinator to discuss my placement. Who, what, where… Wow. 

Before I begin, I should explain: I love information. I love planning. I love knowing what’s going to happen before it happens. That being said, INDEV is a program best-suited for people who can roll with the punches and adapt quickly. I’m pretty good at adapting, but there’s always room for improvement. As I progress through this program, I’m learning how to relax and go with the flow, instead of demanding to know everything NOW.

The reason I need to explain this is that a lot of the details surrounding my placement are still undetermined. Work places operate differently in Africa than in North America. If we were establishing this placement with an organization in North America, 3 dozen emails would have flown between us, a detailed job description would have been developed, and I would already be researching the details. Information and planning, NOW. A Tallia specialty.

In Africa, as my placement coordinator patiently explained to me, things operate differently. Communications are conducted orally, between people who know each other, not strangers. My job description will evolve naturally once I’m in Ghana, working at the job. I will be tackling tasks as they come up. Adaption and going with the flow – not the most challenging thing ever, but when you’re heading to a developing country, not the easiest either.

So here’s what I do know. I’ll be working with A Rocha, a Christian not-for-profit environmental conservation organization. Yes, that is a lot of adjectives. Basically, A Rocha is dedicated to developing a healthy relationship between people and the planet by managing natural resources through sustainable actions. A Rocha is an international organization with offices in Ghana.

A Rocha Ghana has three locations in Ghana: in the capital city, Accra, the second largest city, Kumasi, and a small northern city, Damongo. I will be travelling between the cities of Kumasi and Damongo, residing predominantly in Kumasi. I will be working with both offices on various aspects of their reforestation projects. While my role will not be fully determined until I arrive in Kumasi, so far I know I will be involved in project documentation and record keeping, and communications between A Rocha and community groups.

I am both excited and nervous for this placement – it is going to be such an amazing experience, living and working in a new environment. In my next entry, I’m going to write more about Ghana and the area I’ll be working in – be prepared for elephants, hippos, and much more!

In the meantime, if you’re interested in learning more about A Rocha or A Rocha Ghana, follow these links:

A Rocha website: http://www.arocha.org/int-en/index.html

A Rocha Ghana website: http://www.arocha.org/gh-en/home.html

Below are maps of Africa and Ghana. On the Ghana map, the red circles indicate the locations of A Rocha offices – Damongo is too small to show up on this map, so it is label-less.