Update from Nana Adjnoa!
10 July 2007
My first Kiva client–her name is Sophie, my namesake!
In Ghana your nickname is the day you were born – ny nickname in Twi is Nana Adjnoa – Princess Monday! Today we were at the Golden Tulip – a Dutch owned hotel chain. Walking into the hotel I feel like I am in the middle of a James Bond movie circa 1978 – grainy, smoky, muted colors with out-of-date lithographs on the wall, and the crème de la crème of sleazy North African businessmen lounging about in the bar. There are definitely some questionable business deals happening at this spot, not to mention the obvious few very good-looking Ghanaian women who are hanging out with some of the not so handsome Obroni’s. This reminds me of the welcome sign at the Immigration booth at the airport which said; Akwabaa to Ghana, we welcome all visitors except for pedophiles. If you have any such intentions, turn around now or it will be worst for your self. Everyone else welcome”……ahh it is always the little things you find traveling that gives you the most amusementJ So, internet connections in Ghana are a matter of interpretations – Golden Tulip has about the same speed as a regular 56K dial up in the US….the common Ghanaian internet connection is more akin to smoke smoke signals or pigeon mail! Yesterday I chewed 3 bites of a Ghanaian croissant while waiting for one page to load. Never again a bad word from me about WiFi connections in SF!
Being an Obroni in Ghana is quite an experience –everything always has to be set against “Obroni price?” or “Obroni time?’. Obroni price is 3 times higher than Ghanaian prices and Obroni time means being on time – Ghanaian time is about 2 hours later. We are on GMT – this I believe stands for Greenwhich Mean Time around the world but here it stands for Ghana Maybe Time! Also, Ghana being a very Christian country (a common sign in a taxi might say ‘you are on God’s time”) they have apparently decided that they can sell alcohol in most places including wine, but that they will restrict the drinking of it by making wine-openers expensive. A wine opener costs $15 (remember how the average rent of the Kiva client is $6.5 month) – my Swiss army knife would have come in so much handy here, but somehow it disappeared from my luggage on the way here. Now I understand why.
Africa in more ways than one is testing all of my survival skills. The Ghanaian people are the most hospitable – living up to their reputation as the “friendliest people in Africa”. 4 of the 10 women I met with yesterday invited me to visit them in their home next time I visit Ghana! The average rent for a rental home of Kiva’s clients is 65K cedes per month – that is $6.5 US per month! They live with their extended families (like Agnes) in one room and they are inviting the random Obroni to come stay with them! Many Ghanaians that we have talked to, are curious about why were are in Ghana and are so excited that we are spending our volunteer time helping Ghana. They have a very keen understanding of the media perception being put out in the US and Europe – that Africa is all about war, hunger, illness, and death. They are anxious to know that the Kiva fellows and other Obroni volunteers are communicating back to family and friends that there is so much work and beauty happening here. Please help me spread the word – forward my updates to friends and encourage them to get involved in any way they can. The world is changing before our eyes and I feel so blessed to be able to have one little part in it.
Thank you all so much for all the support you have given to me!
Obroni Meltdown
9 July 2007
We call ahead to at least five hotels that we have starred in the Bradt Guide to Ghana – all of their prices have doubled from what the travel book says – I guess my Obroni accent isn’t exactly helping the situation! After settling on the price of the room, we get to the Raybow (this is probably meant to be “rainbow” but this is Ghana!) and attempt to check in . We run through the “must-have” check list: AC?, Fan? Hot water? Generator when the power fails so at least the fan can run when the AC is out? Check, check – we are all set to go.
“Now can we see the room, please?”
“No rooms available tonight or for a week going forward”…retracing my steps through the empty parking lot and silent hotel grounds – this is one of the biggest hotels we have seen in Ghana. I ask again, thinking this must be just one of the daily misunderstandings.
“No room available for a week!”
“Umm…but we called you one hour ago and we just spent 15 min negotiating.” –This is the plight of the Obroni – never take anything for granted or assumed here!
She says: “ You asked price – not room available.”
Again dismayed and honestly flabbergasted: “But the mere act of calling a hotel implies that I would like a room…” At this point I am standing on the very edge of a serious Obroni meltdown…
Five minutes later, we are drenched in sweat carrying our bags down the road to the next hotel – we try to lift our spirits and send out positive thoughts to make this next transaction smoother.
Two hotels later we arrive at the Guesthouse Maggi. The first sentence out of Anne Sophie’s mouth upon seeing our new room is, “This place looks like a soft-core porn bedroom.” Completely exhausted, we glaze over the velour cranberry colored bedspread, copper art pieces of naked women and throw our stuff in the corner and crank up the AC. The day has just begun, but I feel like I’ve been traveling for a week straight. Anne Sophie and I head to the hotel restaurant, “The Princess Diana Restaurant.”
Anne Sophie warms me she is about to breakdown with a bad case of “LBS,” the dangerous state known as “low blood sugar” when she needs to eat asap. We’re both on the edge of a second Obroni meltdown and decide to order a salad and pizza to split. First, a simple question, “What is the difference between the mixed salad and the vegetable salad?” The Ghanaian waitress answers, “”Same-Same, but different.” I know better than to pursue any further.
“Okay, we’ll have the mixed salad. No meat, please. We are vegetarians. And we’ll have the Hawaiian pizza, but no ham please. I tell her thank you, Me da se.” The plight of the Obroni continues…When traveling in countries where the path of meat to your plate is questionable, it’s often best to pull the V card.
A good hour and a half later, after devouring an emergency Odwalla Bar, the food arrives. We were two for one; the salad has no meat or mayonnaise dressing, but sadly the pizza was covered in fatty chunks of bacon(?), then blanketed in a florescent yellow layer of squeeze cheese. Again, the plight of the Obroni…Don’t lust after things that aren’t native to the country you are traveling in. Eat local.
Grandma Rose’s…Nsawam, Ghana
6 July 2007
We escaped to the country…to Grandma Rose’s.
Grandma Rose lives in Nsawam, which is at the foothills of the mountains, approximately a two hour drive from Accra, Ghana. Nsawam is “lush.” This tucked away small community oozes with vibrant, tropical vegetation everywhere I looked…a far cry from the sweating, concrete jungle of Accra. It reminded me of the gentle, climbing, misty foothills and rich vegetation of the Blue Mountains outside Kingston, Jamaica where I used to teach many years ago.
Grandma Rose is 83. She is a most gentle, gracious and loving soul. She is “pure white light”….. and a deeply committed Christian. In the middle of the day whilst we were writing on her front porch, oftentimes she would kneeling by her bed giving thanks and quietly saying her prayers. She oozes compassion and is one on the most non-judgemental persons I have had the privilege of meeting. She walks the talk, her faith is resolute..and her deep Christian faith is what guides her life and feeds her soul.
Everyday Delana, my Kiva Fellow partner, and I took early morning power walks up the gentle hills and surrounding countryside. We passed by numerous fields of tall, leafy green maize, willowy okra, and copious papaya trees that seemed to be growing anywhere…from where the birds and winds placed their seeds. Being an avid gardener, I was craving for some “green”…it was “nectar” for my soul and very healing.
Nana, the executive director of Kraban, intuitively and correctly understood that we needed the “calm and hearth” of his mother’s place in the country…to re-energize our batteries. Grandma Rose takes care of three younger grandchildren/cousins; Corby 8 years, Emmanuel 7 years, and lastly, Rebecca, a trainee nurse in her early twenties. Fortunatly for us, both Rebecca and Grandma Rose were extraordinary cooks and prepared abundant “feasts” of tasty, delicious African food….red red, cassava, yam, fu fu, garri, etc. We had full bellies every day.
I have wonderful memories of life at Grandma Rose’s…spontaneously dancing together with our arms up in the air….she would watch me have a “private dance” whenever I got up from my laptop to take a “breather” to change my energy. Eventually, she succumbed and sometimes joined me, or both Delana and I, as we swung our hands in the air and danced to some soulful, foot stomping music on our i-pods. She loved it. It reminded her of her college days when they were required to dance…and in her words “be like a fairy.” The dancing energized us all…and gave us all a lot of joy. Even the little boys Emmanuel and Corby were joining in on the fun. It was contagious!
Running water for bathing and the toilet in Nsawam was challenging. We soon adapted. Emmanuel and Corby would bring buckets of water from the outside well to strip wash ourselves and leave water to flush the toilet. I was amazed how refreshed I would feel after my many strip washes with just a small bucket of water. Ever since my last trip to East Africa in the late 90’s, I thought I “got” the value of water; however, in Nsawam, I went to a much deeper level of appreciation and understanding.
We were sad to leave Grandma Rose’s refuge. As we drove away in our taxi, both waving good bye to each other, she was “lightly” dancing, letting us know she had not forgotten our joyful moments on the front porch together. It was her parting “gift” to us as we drove away.
hello from Ghana!
29 June 2007
My name is Anne Sophie Breuning and i am a Kiva Fellow in Ghana. I have now been in Accra, Ghana for almost 72 hours and my jetlag is slowly wearing off. The air is hot and humid; the streets are crazy with no sidewalks, open sewers, a million honking cars, and street peddlers hawking everything from plastic spoons to Ghanaian soccer shirts. We are staying in the Osu district in the center of Accra at theMotel4.com – not to be confused with having any connection the internet since the hotel has no internet connection or website. Most places here are named God is Great, God is King and Trust in Him so names that have nothing to do with the business itself are quite common here.
Yesterday I went to my first field meeting to meet some of the Kiva clients – each fellow has to meet and journal about 15 clients per week. Since Kraben (Kiva partnership organization in Ghana) has only one official vehicle, we took tro-tro’s to the meeting. A tro-tro (also named by my fellow Kiva fellow Delana as a ‘sweat-sweat”) is a beaten up minivan (and not the cushy kind with DVD’s and comfy seats) with extra seats put into it. Yesterday I counted 16 adults in the first one and 17 adults and 2 kids in the second one – a tro-tro doesn’t leave its stop until it is “full” so the battle is to always find one that is almost full so you don’t get stuck waiting in the heat! The fare per person is about 25 – 40 cents – in Ghanaian cedis this is 2500 / 4000 – the currency is devaluing in about two weeks since it is becoming rather impractical to carry around a million cedis ($100US) in your purse. It feels like monopoly money when you are millionaire!
The first group meeting we went to was 3 tro-tro rides and a 20 min walk into the village to find the Addente Barrier Women’s Association who meet every Tuesday under the banyan tree. Our next group Abundant Grace was another 2 tro-tro rides away – they meet every Tuesday in one of the women’s stall’s that sells snacks and drinks. All of the women in each group have received 1 million cedi ($100) as their first initial loan and should cycle through to their second loan once they show steady repayment cycles of their first loan and some of the group members are on their 3 or 4 their loan cycle– as part of their training they receive basic book keeping skills and each woman has a bank book where each loan payment and repayment is recorded. The women are subdivided into smaller groups of about 5-7 and this smaller group is held responsible for the repayment if one member defaults on their loan – the interest rate on the loans received through Kiva’s partner Kraben is about 20% - this is relatively common for NGO micro finance programs – commercial micro finance that are beginning around the world typically charge more in the 40 – 50% range.
At Abu dent Grace I meet Agnes. Agnes is not sure how old she is, but she has birthed 10 children, 8 of whom are still alive and she has 13 grandchildren – 4 of whom still live with her today. Her husband deserted them 22 years ago and she has been taking care of her children alone since that time. She has been a member of Abundant Grace for 7 years and owns a “chopbary” (a stall that also has 3 or 4 tables to serve food). Though Agnes does speak some English (it is the official language in Ghana and all signs are posted in English) she speaks Twi and our conversation is facilitated through Millicent – a fantastic young woman who works for Kraban. Agnes has savings in the bank and wants to send her youngest son to vocational school so that he can learn to type – this will give him the opportunity to get a job in the government or a NGO like Millicent. When I comment on how impressed and humbled I am by Agnes’ feats in life, she laughs with a wide grin and says that is her duty as a mother – to take care of her children. I ask her if she thinks that they will take care of her when she is too old to work. She says she hopes so, but doesn’t want to put that burden on her children, so she plans to save for her retirement once she has paid for her son’s education. It is truly humbling to sit across from this woman and know that she supports her entire family on less per month than what I usually spend on a weekend in San Francisco….when I ask if she has any questions for me, she says that she wants Kiva lenders to know that she would re-invest more money in her business if she were given another loan!
My culture shock is competing with my jetlag to spin my head in more directions…the heat, crowded streets where any second I could be hit by one of the crazy drivers incessantly honking while yelling “Obroni, Obroni” (white person) to get me to buy something or take a cab or talk to them, the excitement in the village kids eyes when we blew up 3 beach balls for them to share amongst the 20 of them, the vibrant colors of women’s head dresses, the dust and soot in the back of my throat all converge on slight nausea and giddiness. One moment Delena (the other Kiva fellow who is an amazing 20 year old woman from North Carolina who has been here for 5 weeks) and I are dying laughing about cultural impressions and the next we have more questions than I ever thought possible. Today we are spending the day at the Golden Tulip aka the “Obroni” heaven – the only 4-star hotel in Accra. There is wireless Internet, a swimming pool and a reprieve from being Obroni! More on our adventures there later.
Africa is hard and I wonder if I am up for conquering it
Warriors of the Light…in Ghana
15 June 2007
Takoradi, Western Region, Ghana
Waking up to the refreshing cool air and the morning cockerels crowing around 4:30…is Africa’s “alarm clock”…..not mine!
This is when most Ghanaians start to move around. It makes sense….it is the coolest part of the day. Similarly they are in bed around 9 p.m., having had dinner around 6 p.m. We are yet to get on this schedule…and love it when we do!
We are in Western Africa…..it takes getting used to.
We normally go into the field 2-4 days per week. Millicent, one of Kraban’s many outstanding staff members meets us at Sakoman Square for our field trips into the Greater Accra district. Three hours later, three tro tros, a communal taxi, followed by a hefty hike up a red dirt road, we arrive at the first of our four Tuesday group meetings scheduled for that day. The heat was in full force.
The field work is so exciting and uplifting. It is inspiring to walk into a group who are excited to see you…..and that they are deeply thankful for giving them a chance. The majority of Kraban’s loans are the “village banking” based on the Grameen Model. Many of the women’s groups in Greater Accra have been meeting for 2-7 years and you can feel the “bonds” that have evolved over time.
The regional Community development program is a critical partner in the successful delivery model for micro credit in Ghana. They go into the villages and educate the women on the value of the women’s groups. Many groups “pick up the gauntlet” and initiate themselves with officers, and savings book deposits are recorded at their weekly meetings. Once the group achieves a certain consistency and credibility, they can recommend themselves for loan applications through the micro credit network.
Kraban is one of the most popular micro credit NGO’s in Ghana. They have a slightly lower interest rate with an attractive, initial grace period on the first month’s repayment on the loan. Lastly, and more importantly, they have an outstanding business and life skills training program called T.E.A.C.H. that is experiential in nature. It provides women with the “missing” educational and business skills that many of them did not have access to when they were younger. I have been impressed with the significant impact this program is having on the lives of the women I have spoken to so far.
The field work in Greater Accra is challenging. None of the Kraban field workers own a car. Private cars are a rare private commodity, reserved for the most affluent in Ghana. The work is physically and emotionally demanding. It takes commitment to sustain the rigors and demands of field work in Accra. The Kraban staff, Nana, Kwame (alias “K”), Millicent, Mariam are exceptional. Each member I met have a profound, intuitive capacity to listen and honor their clients; the client’s “voices” were felt and heard. They are genuine. This deeper inner “connecting” is what really touched me. It is the ability to deeply connect with another….what I call the “common touch”……what Kipling in the poem “IF” wrote ……”never to loose the common touch.” This makes Kraban an extraordinary organization.
Despite the challenges of the field work in Greater Accra, I feel fortunate to have this opportunity to feel the “belly” of Kiva’s work. This is where the “rubber meets the road.” It is organizations like Kraban Support Foundation and Kiva’s other micro finance partners who actualize Kiva’s vision…they are the true “Warriors of the Light.”
Bob Marley in Ghana…
14 June 2007
I hear Bob Marley beckoning me: “Rise up this morning. Smile at the rising sun.” Rhythmic reggae vibrates in my head, waking me up. My hand parts the seashell curtain-door. Inside, red, yellow, and green stripes of the Ghanaian flag decorate every wall. I glance down at my cell phone, as I belly up to the bar. It is 10 am.
Every Monday morning at Point Five Bar, 28 members of the Dwen Hwe Kan Group meet to repay loans, discuss business, and socialize. In the Fante language, Dwen Hwe Kan means, “With every step you take, consider the future.” The dynamic support system of group lending encourages each member to patronize fellow member’s businesses. Point Five Bar is owned by Amelia Avokliya, a member of the group. I am here to interview Amelia and the other entrepreneurs. This is the only reason I am at a bar at 10 am, I promise.
I sit down with Ema Saa Imoro. Naturally, Ema is somewhat timid of the obroni sitting in front of her. Obroni is a completely friendly term for outsider, or white girl in my case. I try to break the ice with a rather sad attempt to speak Twi. I’ve mastered, “How are you?” and “I love you” and “Where is the bathroom?” Most Ghanaians are quite amused when I string all three phrases together. “Wo wo te sen? Me do wo. Me pese mi ko jun so?” Ema chucked to her sister sitting next to us, “Silly Obroni.”
An hour into my conversation with Ema, I am dizzy with humility. Ema is a widow and the proud mother of four daughters who all live with her. Ten years ago, Ema’s mother died and she dutifully raises her four younger siblings who also live with her. It took me a minute to fully absorb this noble feat. But wait, that’s not all. Ema also cares for her 80 year old father. Every day at 3 am, Ema begins cooking the wakye she sells in the village of Effiakuma. I picture her waking up in the morning–eternally tired yet infectiously happy, quietly strong yet magnetically warm, perpetually giving yet unaware of her own selflessness. I backtrack a step to verify what I was hearing. “Ema, you take care of nine people?” Ema didn’t even bat an eyelash; “These people are my own, so I always find a way.” Sadly, our time together came to an end.
Next in line to talk to is Kiva client Ramatu Kadre. Ramatu sells cosmetics and hair supplies. Ramatu is the proud mother of seven children who all live with her. Ramatu’s husband works in the port of Takoradi, but sadly he has been out of work for one year after a heavy container fell on his arm, leaving it severely broken. Ramatu is the sole breadwinner, yet she somehow manages to also care for her sister’s 18 year old and her 25 year old daughter’s five month old baby. Like Ema, Ramatu financially supports nine people.
At times, people become desensitized by all the sadness, war, crime, and injustice in the world. As a Kiva Fellow in Ghana, I hope to never become desensitized by all soul-baring determination I witness with each Kiva client I meet.
Jacki in Ghana
13 June 2007
Hi…my name is Jacki Marshall, and I am from Charlotte, North Carolina working with the remarkable Kraban Support Foundation in Ghana. It is my first time in West Africa, and I was very excited about coming…..it is very different from East Africa, an area I am more familiar with. I shall be sending weekly posts back to the Kiva site, and I would love for you to join me on this amazing journey……Get ready for the ride…..I am!
The pre-departure was interesting. Where was I going to stay? How was I going to get my visa managed fifteen days before my departure….I did not feel comfortable being parted from my passport so close to my departure. Fortunately, it is possible to receive a 30 day visa at the airport upon arrival for $100. I went for this option knowing I could extend it later.
As providence would have it….. I had a family to stay with when I first arrived; I had met the daughter Regina in Charlotte quite by accident six weeks before I was leaving for Ghana. The last Sunday before my departure Regina and Rachel from Congo came over to my house in Charlotte, North Carolina and cooked a wonderful Ghanaian dish “red red”……and fried plantain…. I was hooked!
I was “on go”…..after a short two day hiatus in England visiting my family, I took off with Ghana International Airlines…six hours later we touched down in Accra, only one hour behind GMT.
It took nearly two hours to get to my new home where I would be staying with Regina’s mother, Ami. Two to three hours to get anywhere in Accra is quite typical as we were to later find out. Accra is one of the largest, most congested urban cities I have experienced. With over six million people, it keeps “bulging” as more and more people move in from the country seeking the “bright city lights”…. and a better life. All the streets are lined up with small kiosks, tables, peddlers carrying their goods on their heads……all “squeaking out” a living, mostly by small businesses, such as food kiosks, fresh vegetable stands, small provision kiosks, coconut stands, small drink stands, mobile phone “top ups,” where you add time to your mobile phones. Trading is the economy; “Each buys a little from each other.”
I found the heat challenging. I had never been this HOT in my life, and I have been fortunate to travel to many subtropical countries prior to Ghana. This was the hottest yet. Night time is the worst……because 60-70% of the time Accra does not have power…and therefore, no ceiling fans. No sweat lodges needed here!
My host Ami lives in Osadakaye, one of the more, densely populated districts of Greater Accra. Her nickname is “auntie,” and she is 67 with four grown children of her own. Three live abroad, one in London and two in the USA, one of which is Regina, my new found friend. She presently takes care of three school age “cousins”–Priscilla (15), Leticia (13) and little Jason who is 2 years. When I got there Jason was just getting over a cough and malaria. Ami supports them, pays for their school fees; in return, they help out around the house. Priscilla and Leuticia wake up at 5:30 am and have chores to do before going to school at 7:30 am. This continues after school. They usually cook the evening meal and help run “Aunties” drinks bar that is in front of her house. The drink bar closes at 9 pm. It is finally time for bed.
This extended family arrangement is very typical. Caring for extended family members is a cultural norm in Ghana. Ghanaians expect it from each other, particularly if a family member appears to be doing well. Contributing factors might be the death or illness of a parent, but more commonplace are the financial challenges a particular family may face. I find it a very attractive characteristic of the Ghanaian culture.
The power situation is serious. The power is out 60-70% of the time, and it has had a huge economic impact on the country (and our journaling!). Many small and medium sized businesses have gone out of business. The power outages started in October 2006. Apparently, the hydro-electric turbines were placed at too high a level, in the event of a low water level, which is now the case. It has made life very challenging. Fortunately, the power outages are equitably distributed through out Accra. The power situation makes us “plan ahead”……we make sure the cell phone, laptops, camera chargers etc. are CHARGED just in case.
To give you a couple of “windows” into life without power, we have attempted to download information four times in two days from an internet café, only to be told three times there is no power, and on the last attempt when there was power, network access was slow, and to come back later!
Similarly, in another instance, I wanted to send an email to Delana my Kiva Fellow in Ghana before she left Houston. She was joining me four days later. Whilst I was in Nana’s (Kraban’s Executive Director) office writing it, there was no power….then after about three hours, magically, we both heard the light, slow buzz of the power coming back on. What a lovely sound! We jumped on the internet and we were connected. I shall never take my internet access for granted ever again. One of the many, many life appreciating insights…. that continue to unfold.
Delana in Ghana
2 June 2007
Hi! My name is Delana Lensgraf, and I am a Kiva Fellow in Ghana working with the fabulous Kraban Support Foundation for the next ten weeks. Please check this blog regularly to learn more about Ghana and the entrepreneurs you support!
I arrived very late last Monday night. Nana, the director of Kraban Support Foundation, and Jacki, another Kiva fellow in Ghana, picked me up at the airport. As we drove through Accra, my eyes scanned the scenery, looking for hints of what the next ten weeks of my life would hold. Dark shadows stood on the street corners. Cars jetted across lanes in total chaos. Clutching the door handle a bit too tightly, I realized that I couldn’t see a single thing. The entire city was dark, but this shed a little light on what was to come.
Since October 2006, a severe power crisis has left most Ghanaians without power. Unless you can afford a generator, you’re out of luck. Fortunately, the power crisis has been very democratic; the power is off in the entire city about 70% of the time. Two hours before my flight to Ghana, I picked up a handy flashlight that doesn’t require batteries. I simply wind it up. Problem solved, right?
A little perplexed, I made it safely to my homestay. After six short hours of sleep, I was thrust into a tro-tro, ready to meet the entrepreneurs of Ghana. Tro-tros are rusty minivans that serve as the dominate form of transportation in the capital city, Accra. What was taking so long to get there? I sat smooshed and sweating for 3 ½ hours in a line of traffic. No one else in the tro-tro seemed the least bit worried. Some were amused by my obvious state of confusion. What on earth is taking so long? My wind up flashlight wasn’t going to solve this one. I was starting to connect the dots; no power means no traffic lights in a city of almost two million.
Two tro-tro rides, one taxi ride, and a short hike down a dirt road brought me to my first group meeting to meet the people whose pictures I had tucked away in my notebook. About 100 yards away, the women wait underneath a huge Banyan tree. Millicent, a Kraban Support Foundation employee, said to me, “The greeting for this group is Yonkodo (unity) and the response is Biakoye (strength). I nod. Wait…am I supposed to answer? What language is that?
Dressed in vibrant, traditional African dresses, twenty Ghanaian women look at me inquisitively. Beautiful green, yellow, and red fabrics wrap around their waists, holding tiny sleeping toddlers. At first it came out softly, more like a question: “Yonkodo.” The women look at each other, smiling. Smiles broke into laughs as they answered my greeting, “Biakoye!”
Millicent, Jacki, and I locked eyes. Unity is strength.
