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.

The International Development Program

Hi everyone!

This post discusses my program of study in more detail.

I entered the International Development program at the University of Waterloo in fall 2008. My classmates and I formed the first-ever cohort of International Development students, which is both exhilarating and nerve-racking. I love the fact that, as the first people to ever try out this program, we have a lot of input on its development and formation. We have a lot more control over our learning experience than students enrolled in programs that have been established for eons. On the other hand, we are also student guinea pigs, which introduces a level of risk. However, I think the students who are drawn to programs like International Development are willing to take a little risk in exchange for the opportunity to have such a rewarding experience. I’m planning to talk more about the International Development program later…

The International Development program (hereafter referred to as INDEV, our handy nickname) aims to enable students to work all over the world in developing countries to improve their living conditions – whether the issues are economic, environmental, political, or social in nature. This program is very diverse and multi-disciplinary, which is why it appeals to me so much. My interests are so varied, why would I choose a program that forces me to choose?

Waterloo’s INDEV program is unique from other development programs because it is offered through the Faculty of Environment, giving our studies a very progressive, ‘green’ focus that will be invaluable to students when we enter the workforce. INDEV is offered in partnership with St. Paul’s University College, which is part of the University of Waterloo.

INDEV requires students to complete an 8 month volunteer internship in a developing country in order to graduate the program. For my cohort, there were six countries to choose from: Peru, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Botswana, Malawi, and Vietnam. After some research, I chose Ghana.

My next blog post will go into more detail about Ghana and my placement with A Rocha. Until then, if you want to learn more about INDEV, St. Paul’s, or the University of Waterloo, follow these links!

International Development program website: http://shapetheworld.uwaterloo.ca/index.html

St. Paul’s website: http://www.stpauls.uwaterloo.ca/

University of Waterloo website: http://uwaterloo.ca/

Welcome!

Hello everyone, and welcome to my blog!

The purpose of this blog is to share information about my exciting upcoming internship. I will be spending 8 months in Ghana, West Africa, working with the A Rocha organization in the northern city of Damongo on reforestation projects. This is an unpaid placement facilitated through my studies in the International Development program at the University of Waterloo.

There are so many things I’d like to talk about (write about? blog about? I need to get this terminology down pat!), but I’m hoping to approach this blog in a semi-organized fashion. The aim of this entry is to help you get to know me.

I am a Canadian citizen, born and raised in the northern city of Timmins, Ontario. Timmins has an approximate population of 45 000 and is located about 700km north of Toronto. Growing up in a small northern community has definitely shaped the way I see and experience life. It’s also influenced my interests – I love camping, hiking, sailing, canoeing, kayaking, and downhill skiing. I also enjoy playing piano, acting, movies, and board games. I am an avid reader and will read anything – in a future entry I intend to post a list of recommended reading for people interested in learning more about my field of study.

In high school I became very interested in youth leadership initiatives, and this interest slowly evolved into a fascination with development issues. I hope someday to return to my hometown and work on issues facing First Nations’ communities in the North. This interest is what steered me towards choosing the International Development program at the University of Waterloo as my undergraduate program. More on this in my next post!

Thanks for taking the time to read my blog. I hope you continue to check in and experience my upcoming adventures with me. Please feel free to post comments or questions – I want to hear from you!

Tallia