March 13, 2012

The Bishop Danced

As the men and boys dance group in Yelwoko were winding down their dramatic dance of rhythmic stomping and leaping, Jacob Ayeebo, the Anglican bishop of Tamale stepped onto the stage and performed the traditional steps to the enthusiastic applause of the gathered crowd.

It was late in the afternoon on our second day visiting programs run by ADDRO, the Diocese's development and relief program. Organized by Episcopal Relief and Development, this trip to Ghana offers an opportunity to experience firsthand the programs ERD supports in the Anglican Diocese of Tamale in Northern Ghana.

At Yelwoko we experienced a durbar, a ceremonial form of welcome from what felt like the entire community. After the energizing dance performance, we joined in common prayer before watching a durbar, or dramatization, of ADDRO's malaria program, Nets for Life. With great drama, and a touch of humor, a troupe of young people acted out their understanding of how ADDRO partners with communities to not only distribute, but work with, community members to reduce the incidence of malaria through the regular use of treated mosquito nets.

We were also given demonstrations related to vocational training and micro lending, providing local women and men the resources needed to provide for their families. From training young women to be seamstresses to teaching women how to add value to the crops they grow by transforming Shea nuts into Shea butter or ground nuts into peanut oil, paste, and peanut cakes; these programs, when combined with basic business skills and micro-loans create, offer women and their families a way to generate income and increase their economic security. To date, ADDRO has made approximately 430 micro loans.

As I listened and watched, I continually saw asset based community development (ABCD) in action. More about this in my next post.