Jessica Crawford, PoP’s Ghana Start-up Fellow, gives us a glimpse of Ho, Ghana. Check it out below…
As many of you know, we started operations in Ghana a few months ago. After some careful consideration by our International Programs team, Ho was selected as the base for our office. Ho is the capital of the Volta Region in Eastern Ghana. Take a look at some of these images from around town:
Ho sits in a valley amid the rolling hills of the lush Volta Region. It serves as a popular base for travelers, business trips and a hub for transportation all over the Volta and in to Togo, the country bordering Ghana to the East.
Market day comes every 5 days in Ho; it rotates between towns around the area. So, every 5 days the normally bustling market grows 10-fold as women from around the area bring their goods in to sell or trade for products to take home.
While you can find just about anything you need at the market, my favorite is all the fresh vegetables. You’ll find an endless supply of okra, garden eggs (smaller than, but similar to, eggplant) and (very) hot peppers, but if you know where to look you can get zucchini, carrots, ginger, rosemary…I find something new each time I explore!
If you get hungry in Ho you definitely don’t have far to look for a place to grab a bite to eat. Small roadside restaurants are called “chop bars” in Ghana. The menus are typically pretty limited, serving either banku or fufu (balls of corn or cassava dough, respectively) along with goat or fish soup.
There are goats & sheep everywhere! While I’m still trying to figure out how you know who they belong to, it doesn’t seem to be a major concern of anyone here, so they must know something I don’t (no surprise)!
You won’t have to look far to find a seamstress in town either. It’s a popular profession for women here, and I’ve even seen a few all male tailoring shops. This is Vivian & her shop is right near my house. She has a glowing smile, a contagious laugh & makes impeccable curtains.
These pictures really don’t do the town justice. You’ll just have to come see for yourself!
Since traveling to Madagascar for a few weeks in high school, Jessica Crawford hasn’t been able to shake the travel bug. Studying Child Services & International Studies at Iowa State University, she honed that itch in to a desire to work in educational & international development. After graduating she worked with Invisible Children & Ronald McDonald House, and is now thrilled to be working with PoP as the Ghana Start-up Fellow.