Tag Archives: Housing

Ghana’s Young Entrepreneur

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Alexander Appiah, 32, joined a farmers group in the village of Nkwabeng, Ghana, four years ago. He was among the youngest of those Heifer Ghana staff had seen apply to Heifer for assistance. Most young men his age were abandoning their villages in favor of nearby cities of Techiman or Kumasi and the promise of more work and better wages.

But Alexander didn’t want to give up on his village. When he began trainings he said he learned that Heifer “brings a lot of unity and togetherness to a community.” An important trait to him because one often needs the help of neighbors.

When he joined the group, Alexander farmed a quarter-acre of cassava and yams. It was subsistence-level farming. He also worked as a farm laborer during the regular farming season, which left Alexander and his wife scraping by during the off season. 

From his initial gift of five beehives and 20 laying hens, Alexander is now one of the villages more successful poultry farmers. He has signed a contract with Heifer to brood and provide pullets to the organization for placement with other families in need. He’s also been elected the Vice Secretary of the farmers group, and is in charge of mobilization—or helping spread the word—about the groups activities and services.

He is also a role model in his small village. Young men look to him and see that a life can be made in agriculture. Alexander trains these men and others in what he learned from Heifer, he said. As one Heifer staffer said, “Alexander is a good teacher because he started from nothing. He can relate to them.”

Where he and his wife once shared a mud-walled and roofed home with their two daughters, Alexander has now built them a concrete home with iron roofing. He’s also in the process of building a new home for his parents to improve their standard of living. And that’s not all.

Alexander now makes nearly $200 a month from just his chickens alone. He has put his two daughters into private schools and is saving for their college educations. And he still dreams of owning his own agricultural general store, as well.

If I learned one thing about the Ghanaian farmers I spoke with, it’s that they possess an amazing work ethic. Alexander’s whole village considers him a success; his parents are proud of him. Yet, he’s not done. While he’s helping others fulfill their dreams, he knows there’s more out there for him. 

Building Up from the Rubble, Literally

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A friend of mine is preparing for a trip to Haiti next February, where he’ll be building new houses from the copious rubble left by the old ones.

Thousands of families are still living in tents nearly a year after the quake, and conditions in these plastic and canvas villages are uncomfortable, unhealthy and unsustainable. Recycled houses made of chunks and bits otherwise bound for the trash heap make for an interesting solution. The bits and chunks are smashed up and collected in steel baskets, then stacked to make walls. Concrete is used to stabilize everything, and a tin roof tops it all off. The strength of the steel baskets and the somewhat pliable nature of the debris that make up the walls mean these houses could withstand an 8.0-magnitude earthquake with only minor cosmetic damage, according to a story in the Associated Baptist Press.

“Using materials from a family’s destroyed home allows them to remain in their old neighborhood. It aids with cleanup and solves complicated land-use issues. Construction materials are purchased locally, and Haitians are employed, boosting the local economy,” the Associated Baptist Press story says.

Heifer is busy at work in Haiti too, helping communities come back from the devastation and plant seeds for a successful future. You can read about Heifer’s work in Haiti in the Holiday issue of World Ark magazine, coming out the first week of November.

Photo from the Associated Baptist Press

A Quiz

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What animal kills more people than any other? If you’ve vacationed anywhere that requires those dizziness-inducing anti-malarials lately, you probably already know. Pesky mosquitoes are far more than just pesky. For the million people each year who succumb to malaria, they’re deadly.

Writer Constance Casey cozies up to the tiny assassins today in an article in Slate, where she offers the gloomy stat that most deaths from malaria occur in children under 5. But she’s also a mosquito apologist of sorts, pointing out that most mosquitoes don’t bite people, and the detestable bugs are an important part of the food chain. Good points, but I’ll still swat any potential bloodsuckers coming my way.

When traveling to areas where malaria strikes, I’m always struck by how nonchalant survivors of the disease can be. A friend in Senegal brushed off my worries about what could happen to him when the rainy season started up and the mosquitoes came out in full force. “Oh yeah, I’ve had malaria lots of times,” he told me, shrugging his shoulders like it was no big deal. I suppose that attitude makes sense considering that there’s a limit to how much people in malaria-endemic areas can do to keep themselves safe, and living in a perpetual state of panic isn’t going to help anything.

One problem is that poor people are far more vulnerable to malaria. Their houses often lack screens to keep the bugs out, and they’re far more likely to have to work outdoors where they’re vulnerable to bites. The poor are also less likely to seek treatment in time because visits to the hospital can be prohibitively expensive.

It’s frustrating to think that humans have been battling this tiny opponent for centuries and the victory is not yet ours. In the spirit of knowing your enemy, give Casey’s article a read.