A Sirigu Welcome

                                       By Duncan Haddrell and Noella Besegnia Anglaaere

                               Toma toma from Sirigu!

This is the blog that Team SWOPA will be keeping during our work with the Sirigu Women’s Organisation for Pottery and Art in the Upper East Region of Ghana. It was set up to raise the living standards of women and their families in the area. We’ll be updating it as frequently as possible with lots of photos and stories so stay tuned over the next three months.

Welcome to SWOPA

The road to our new homes seemed long and unpredictable; we were able to capture some sights and sounds from our bus but nothing would compare to the beautiful wall paintings that awaited us as we pulled up at the SWOPA compound, our new office!



One of the many great views from the SWOPA compound

The team was eager to start work after the warm and heartfelt welcome given upon our arrival by the founder of SWOPA Madame Melanie Kasise. Unfortunately, we had to wait a day before we could start, but we all managed to get settled into our respective host homes. This has allowed us to get fully immersed into Ghanaian culture; we’re getting a taste of traditional Sirigu food every evening, especially the local dish of Tuo Zaafi (TZ).

 

Team SWOPA

 

At SWOPA they do lots of great work for the local community, they have four main specialties: wall and canvas painting, pottery, basket weaving, and batik tie and dye. SWOPA uses their knowledge of these arts to train and empower local women, allowing them to become more independent and have more economic stability in their homes. They also have products on display for people to see or buy! 

  

 

After working at SWOPA for about two weeks now we are slowly getting to know the families based around Sirigu. We’re hoping to establish good relations with the five sub sections which make up this unique community. To do this we’ve spoken with several Assembly Members for Sirigu and tried to establish the best way we can integrate ourselves into the community. 

After meeting with the Assembly Members, it was time for a photo!

 

Because we are the first group of volunteers from ICS to help out at SWOPA we are doing a lot of research at the moment so that we can help out the community very effectively in the future. So make sure you look out for our other blog entries about our work and experience with SWOPA and the Sirigu community.

Rasere dare (until next time!)