tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-75837798451346980522024-02-20T04:30:16.617+00:00Qaphui's Café...random thoughts and happenings...Kafuihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02519627730775881248noreply@blogger.comBlogger145125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7583779845134698052.post-38282861956260035442021-11-02T21:00:00.004+00:002021-12-12T12:56:41.232+00:00 Why are there Silly Fines at Rotary meetings?<p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgr_JHtlOrDsDK9Fm_I-VQGzUUOfAJx-D9qJi1Pbm4l3NULEIr7wMPR9nShNCxQECEBQJ1EFPBsOuheOkaR4y9sBNN3cUXOuZJny9GhVQf3VJlES6TUtr5dI3PanFxZRRTI2aPvpbGtYO0Bo7SeXdHzyiQw8vMDDwwi2WSmkqmPzrdZU5P8URNFD0yv=s2048" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgr_JHtlOrDsDK9Fm_I-VQGzUUOfAJx-D9qJi1Pbm4l3NULEIr7wMPR9nShNCxQECEBQJ1EFPBsOuheOkaR4y9sBNN3cUXOuZJny9GhVQf3VJlES6TUtr5dI3PanFxZRRTI2aPvpbGtYO0Bo7SeXdHzyiQw8vMDDwwi2WSmkqmPzrdZU5P8URNFD0yv=s320" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo credit: Unsplash</td></tr></tbody></table><p>Silly fines, as the name suggests are fines that members are charged at a meeting to help the club run its operations and projects. They are meant to make members laugh and have fun while the fines are being paid.</p><p>Silly fines are not supposed to be an instrument of punishment, where members are only fined for not doing something. Occasionally, members can be fined for not being appropriately 'dressed' as Rotarians (such as not wearing their pins). However that shouldn't be routine. A member can even be fined for being promoted at work, or looking radiant at a meeting. Another funny example can be fining bald members. 👨🏾🦲</p><p>To ensure that members enjoy giving these tokens to help their clubs, some clubs have decided to scrap the "silly fine" name and rather take "happy dollar" or "gratitude dollar" where members pay a token for something they are happy about, or grateful for.</p><p>The role of fine master is also not the preserve of the Sergeant-at-Arms. A different member can be chosen to play that role at every meeting to spice it up.</p><p>May we be encouraged to pay our fines, when we are charged at meetings, whether in-person or virtual.<br /><br />Join us. #WeAreRotary</p>Kafuihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02519627730775881248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7583779845134698052.post-23509345983559912592021-05-03T12:09:00.000+00:002021-05-03T12:09:37.600+00:00AngiLin FoodDrive donates to The Potters Village Orphange<p> </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMaPwyU7eyBM9Jh2fjEnYPskFtaOoBQTalzRtHEuTRHAztgYcVai5cLYE5GGaSPwMFNCC0z-cv6TUd9IYDG3ugfTqKCLV-SgXox3kEilrPjGmqA86VKQX4182aYzfowSBR09Pz9CwUWhc/s1080/WhatsApp+Image+2021-05-01+at+12.00.31.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="810" data-original-width="1080" height="308" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMaPwyU7eyBM9Jh2fjEnYPskFtaOoBQTalzRtHEuTRHAztgYcVai5cLYE5GGaSPwMFNCC0z-cv6TUd9IYDG3ugfTqKCLV-SgXox3kEilrPjGmqA86VKQX4182aYzfowSBR09Pz9CwUWhc/w410-h308/WhatsApp+Image+2021-05-01+at+12.00.31.jpeg" width="410" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Group picture with the Founder and children of The Potters Village orphanage</td></tr></tbody></table><p>AngiLin FoodDrive, the humanitarian arm of <a href="https://web.facebook.com/angilincateringservices" target="_blank">AngiLin Catering Services</a> visited the Potters Village Orphanage in Dodowa last Saturday, May 1, 2021 and shared love with them.<br /><br />The group was joined by <a href="https://web.facebook.com/Nessa-Candlelight-Foundation-100176238713393" target="_blank">Nessa's Candlelight Foundation</a> and made a donation of food items, toiletries, stationery and nose masks to the orphanage to mark their mid-year donation programme. The leader of the team, <a href="https://web.facebook.com/angelalebene" target="_blank">Angela Agyeman</a> mentioned that the donation was different than the usual exercise the group used to carry out, as it didn't include cooked food. The group plans to hold such mid-year donations in the coming years, and encourages others to come on board in giving back to society.<br /> <br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8NQplM-iBIS0HpULuODEf6k-ghUxGeNIPWujFjSSBE49SaHVcj_6_NN0-WOBCGf29R1s9v8Cgae25JSTtSb-7lAMHdPQ2dDrluY0uXLs607cobIHMCpBkwer-x4E4aIR_2y7ExDaISFI/s1080/WhatsApp+Image+2021-05-01+at+12.00.23.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="810" height="253" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8NQplM-iBIS0HpULuODEf6k-ghUxGeNIPWujFjSSBE49SaHVcj_6_NN0-WOBCGf29R1s9v8Cgae25JSTtSb-7lAMHdPQ2dDrluY0uXLs607cobIHMCpBkwer-x4E4aIR_2y7ExDaISFI/w190-h253/WhatsApp+Image+2021-05-01+at+12.00.23.jpeg" width="190" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Angela making the donation</td></tr></tbody></table><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio7T97CtiPXtmIrDLeJOhduulEgfLN53QuX3VtTkEwyguB0y6bqJROGw-gzgJLrkrHiU72GLOABaMnilI_3e666aORAk8leVPylo2k4uyX5Ic2DA2ee4nyGNuDbQHZ663akqZOpEwzWL8/s1080/WhatsApp+Image+2021-05-01+at+09.33.13.jpeg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="810" data-original-width="1080" height="237" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio7T97CtiPXtmIrDLeJOhduulEgfLN53QuX3VtTkEwyguB0y6bqJROGw-gzgJLrkrHiU72GLOABaMnilI_3e666aORAk8leVPylo2k4uyX5Ic2DA2ee4nyGNuDbQHZ663akqZOpEwzWL8/w316-h237/WhatsApp+Image+2021-05-01+at+09.33.13.jpeg" width="316" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Items presented to the orphanage</td></tr></tbody></table></div><p></p><p><br /></p><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>For over 3 years, AngiLin Catering Services has been organising food drives every December in suburbs of Accra. Last year, 700 packs of food packs, over 10 packs of drinks and water, and some clothing were shared in Nima and its environs, as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility. Another food drive is being planned for December, 2021. Individuals and organisations are encouraged to join in, and support the cause.</div><p>The manager of the orphanage thanked the groups for their kind gesture and mentioned that the school needed help to complete a building under construction and also to paint the Boys' dormitory.<br /><br />Do follow and engage AngiLin Catering Services on all social media platforms @angilincatering.</p><p></p>Kafuihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02519627730775881248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7583779845134698052.post-53900782374635093632020-11-30T22:34:00.002+00:002020-11-30T22:56:57.563+00:00The ‘Rotary’ book<p> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmmUUBkTnuzMtBG7bqEEWfD6AWagT-iX4ercyq16I-OKvCNoR22NAi-JdR9YqSy8eu3-BXwnoGOqZHJa8sL-rGs8UmZm_lzIpT3wfCzhPSDbs3lDIr1halRlZ_PakNYFD4hi6Qzicg02s/s1080/Copy+of+Copy+of+%2523motivationTuesday+%25283%2529.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmmUUBkTnuzMtBG7bqEEWfD6AWagT-iX4ercyq16I-OKvCNoR22NAi-JdR9YqSy8eu3-BXwnoGOqZHJa8sL-rGs8UmZm_lzIpT3wfCzhPSDbs3lDIr1halRlZ_PakNYFD4hi6Qzicg02s/s320/Copy+of+Copy+of+%2523motivationTuesday+%25283%2529.png" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stamped inscription in donated books</td></tr></tbody></table></p><p><span style="font-family: Garamond, serif;">The
drums had been beaten for the lesson to be changed that late morning. My school
used drums instead of a bell for announcements, and prompts to change lessons
every forty, or forty-five minutes (I think). Next on the timetable was
‘Library time’. This was a period set aside every week for students to read a
book from the school’s library. </span></p><p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Garamond",serif;"><br /></span></p><p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Garamond",serif;">My school, Oninku Drive ‘2’ Basic school, located in Tema, has
the motto <i>Knowledge is Service</i>. Readers are leaders, after all, and leaders
are to serve, with the knowledge they acquire. For me, this library time was
one of moments I looked forward to with happiness and impatience, as I got to
read more books just like my friends who were patrons of the Community Library.
I had accompanied a couple of them to the community library before but never
got registered as a patron. </span></p><p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Garamond",serif;"><br /></span></p><p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Garamond",serif;">My class prefect went for the box containing books
for my class from the headmistress’ office. All the classes in my school had
designated boxes based on content, book size, subject matter, et cetera. The
boxes were silver in colour and had the names of the classes embossed on them
for easy identification. I was one of the people to rush to the box when it was
brought into the classroom, with excitement. I reached into the box and took a
book to read and saw a stamped inscription, “Donated by Rotary Club of Tema”,
on the first page, beneath the title of the book. I noticed other books also had
the same stamped inscription on them. I do not remember the title of the book,
but it was about some kid investigators who started their own private eye
agency to investigate strange happenings in their neighbourhood. This was the
first time I had heard of Rotary, without knowing who they were, or what it
meant. I enjoyed reading the book – for the next three weeks – and went on to
read other books donated by Rotary. </span></p><p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Garamond",serif;"><br /></span></p><p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Garamond",serif;">Most of the books found in the libraries of
government schools, at that time, were donated by individuals and
organizations. I believe the case is still the same. I will always remember
Gideons International and the little Bibles they distributed and donated to
schools and other organizations. I never forgot the name Rotary though; and
would see it again in the not too distant future. </span></p><p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Garamond",serif;"><br /></span></p><p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Garamond",serif;">A couple of months later, I
remember the first time some friends and I went to play around the Rotary
Center in Tema, hunting grasshoppers and some rats (popularly known as
‘beela’). My friend Elvis has fond memories of such expeditions, and often
teases me with it. The center was a huge place and my little mind mapped it to
the book. I thought they were a book publishing firm. It will take me some
years to know what Rotary is and what they are about. I will come to appreciate
Rotary’s interest in Education and Literacy and the support they have given to
the sector for over 100 years.</span><span style="font-family: "Garamond",serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>Kafuihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02519627730775881248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7583779845134698052.post-11497971802855432402020-09-04T11:39:00.001+00:002020-09-04T11:39:14.639+00:00Crossing the river<p> This is a recount of how death snatched my mother from me. It was part of a memoir writing project in 2004.<br /><br /><i><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMBDQBGbS-CPFKQehyVb4Boj5imNu4Q3wGNKVA7Xc8vXH32Kg-9q2xE9wTrtjux_Ub2n6RXh0IMXwd6b31OvfZGoFBBmSP0MllCCnqR2JZHEaL09doCdlKUM1LENE8KedXDc5rM7g6tvw/s1399/mamavi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1399" data-original-width="1065" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMBDQBGbS-CPFKQehyVb4Boj5imNu4Q3wGNKVA7Xc8vXH32Kg-9q2xE9wTrtjux_Ub2n6RXh0IMXwd6b31OvfZGoFBBmSP0MllCCnqR2JZHEaL09doCdlKUM1LENE8KedXDc5rM7g6tvw/w153-h200/mamavi.jpg" title="Mamavi -- the woman who gave me life" width="153" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The woman who gave me life<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br />It was after I had entered Junior High School that my mother started experiencing sharp pains in her joints. She therefore had to visit the hospital frequently. Within some weeks, she had a swelling on her forehead. She became weak to the extent that, she had to lean on the walls of the house to enable her walk steadily. her condition deteriorated and finally, she was bedridden. Seeing my mother in such a state upset me greatly but I had a strong conviction that she would pull through.<br /><br />Due to this new development, my mother had to be moved to my grandmother's house at Community 7 in Tema. I visited my mother in the afternoons after classes. During vacations, I stayed with my grandmother to enable me attend to my mother. I washed her clothes, served her food and even bathed her. There were days I would lock myself in my room and cry. there were times also when I would get fed up with her constant calls for attention; this made me sad as she was a woman who hated to be a burden on others. I was the only 'family' she had as I am her only child.<br /><br />This routine continued for the next two years. I got to my final year in Junior High School and school reopened for the first term on the 5th of January, 1998. I was then staying at my grandmother's. In that fateful Monday, I said goodbye to my mother and promised to come back on Wednesday. "Oh Kafui, why don't you come tomorrow?", she asked. I told her not to worry and that she would see me on Wednesday. she persisted for some time and finally gave in. 'Hmm' was the last sound I heard from her before I left for my father's place.<br /></i><br /><i>The 7th of January, a Wednesday, is a day that will always remain in my memory. It had started as a normal school day and I was getting acquainted with my new class and my new role as the Assistant School Prefect. At about 2pm, during extra classes. I felt as if a hammer had been used to hit my head. I felt feverish and started shivering vigorously. I was taken home by some of my classmates. My stepmother was rather surprised to see me home early and questioned my friends, inquiring from them what the problem was. She gave me some pain killers and I slept till evening. When I got up, I remembered I had to visit my mother, but decided to go the following day as it was rather late. My dad had returned from work and had a look on his face I had never seen before. There was a distant look in his eyes and he had that 'I pity you' stare. I didn't care much about it as I thought it had to do with my sudden sickness in the afternoon. He told me he was going to my grandmother's place and I asked him to apologize to my mother on my behalf and to tell her I would see her the following day (Thursday). All I got for an answer was a nod.</i></p><p><i>My father returned late in the night and went straight to his room. I could hear him talking in an undertone to my stepmother. That night I dreamed of my mother. In the dream, she was all smiles and advised me to be respectful, hardworking and to have faith in God.<br /><br />The next morning, my stepmother called me and my step-siblings and told us that my mother was no more among the living. I sat in the sofa for almost an hour before the message sank in. I decided not to go to school. I therefore went with my stepmother to my grandmother's house. On reaching the house, my grandmother started crying loudly calling my name amid sobs, "Kofi! Oh Kofi!" I entered the room where my mother used to sleep while my stepmother exchanged greetings with the elders of the family. The room was empty. My mother's things had been packed into a trunk and the bed was neatly laid. the room smelled of Detol (a disinfectant). I quietly came out of the room and realized that everybody was looking at me. Most of the had tear-stained eyes due to the copious amounts of tears they had shed. I took a seat beside my grandmother who had finally stopped shedding tears. She pulled me closer to her and calling my mother's name, Mamavi, she told me the last word my mother uttered before her demise was my nae, Kafui. She then narrated the circumstances in which my mother died. I was struck most by the time of her death, which was at 2pm. This was the exact time I had fallen sick in school the previous day. The saying, "Blood is thicker than water", became evident to me.<br /><br />I came to the realization that I had become mother-less (even though, my stepmother was around). It was then that I realized that I never really appreciated my mother as I should have when she was alive and I missed her greatly. I still do.</i></p><p><i>The date for her burial was three days after her death, 10th January, 1998. She was laid to rest at the Kpone Cemetery near Tema. It's unfortunate that I couldn't go to the cemetery to see where she was buried. I never got to visit it. May her soul rest in perfect peace. Amen.</i></p>Kafuihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02519627730775881248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7583779845134698052.post-558923067799987542020-07-29T20:54:00.000+00:002020-07-29T20:54:56.516+00:00Time is fleetingMy cousin <a href="https://twitter.com/tillie_aryeetey" target="_blank">@tillie_aryeetey</a> shared a tweet from @Elorm_Alek inviting poets to express themselves with the picture in the tweet.<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Where are the poets on the tl? Kindly express 📝 <a href="https://t.co/lXcNzo9oKS">pic.twitter.com/lXcNzo9oKS</a></p>— Ɛし'0rm (@Elorm_Alek) <a href="https://twitter.com/Elorm_Alek/status/1288472119790186497?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 29, 2020</a></blockquote><div>I tried my hands at poetry (inspired by my cousin) and below is what I came up with on the spur of the moment:<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>He was in his prime</i></b></div></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Yet he thought all he had was time</i></b></div><b><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>He toiled and toiled without a dime</i></b></div><i><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Snap! His time was cut short</i></b></div></i></b></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>And the clock of his life gave up without a chime</i></b></div><br /><br /><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDLltWT5i0hjo68jslSJUiumMRrtlsuoi5Rcfw1TuZOEdIMx3bnLfDcKozvwbGj31imzfuR60Ezsbaos9EQMOFc2EWayL9hQt_S3dSjATLDOmyGe-HvOEatcZuDyNuqqjN-crYpblK4HA/s1080/Copy+of+inovuxQuotes.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDLltWT5i0hjo68jslSJUiumMRrtlsuoi5Rcfw1TuZOEdIMx3bnLfDcKozvwbGj31imzfuR60Ezsbaos9EQMOFc2EWayL9hQt_S3dSjATLDOmyGe-HvOEatcZuDyNuqqjN-crYpblK4HA/s320/Copy+of+inovuxQuotes.png" /></a></div> <script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>Kafuihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02519627730775881248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7583779845134698052.post-41935141665158116252017-06-21T05:47:00.003+00:002017-06-21T05:47:35.080+00:00How my mum sustains Customer Experience (CX)?<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeF3MpMvk0MxjMGBtd4ucQjCC6gyzMalGPrEeHN87wTVcNzPtzlLR3aoApXmZqRkZmq6p2ByQ0mNO9fd1L4mNBUW4RVlCWdZPoWzqQL5SendGfq8BB3VqcCyM87iDnhyphenhyphen6vXnC0BmiY-xY/s1600/IMG_20170621_020953.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="703" data-original-width="698" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeF3MpMvk0MxjMGBtd4ucQjCC6gyzMalGPrEeHN87wTVcNzPtzlLR3aoApXmZqRkZmq6p2ByQ0mNO9fd1L4mNBUW4RVlCWdZPoWzqQL5SendGfq8BB3VqcCyM87iDnhyphenhyphen6vXnC0BmiY-xY/s320/IMG_20170621_020953.png" width="317" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Snapshot of my mum's charcoal table</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
For as long as I can remember, my mother's charcoal business has helped in seeing my siblings and me, through school. It's a family business we are proud of. I have wondered how she's sustained her customers over the years. Here are some strategies she's applied to retain and grow her customer base, while ensuring they are satisfied with the product and her services:<div>
<b><br /></b></div>
<div>
<b>Make sure the product is always available</b></div>
<div>
One evening, I sold the last charcoal on the table, and wondered when my mum would be able to travel to Mamfe or any of the charcoal-producing towns in Ghana to buy more sacks. The following day, she went to the Tema Kwasiadjoaso and returned with five sacks of charcoal. She had actually gone for it so she sells it for the market lady. I was disappointed and didn't understand why she did that, more so when I realised she didn't make any profit on them. She noticed my displeasure and explained that the move was meant to retain her customers. Imagine what will happen when they come to buy charcoal and she has none -- she'll lose them to her competition. She jokingly asked, "If I lose them, and I am finally able to travel and buy my own stock, would I go round door-to-door or with a gong and ask my customers to come buy charcoal from me?"</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>Respect and Cherish your customers</b></div>
<div>
Every morning, I observed my mother interact with customers while she packs the charcoal on her table. A couple of these customers were very punctual as they came to our home earlier than my mother began her work. I observed how they shared family issues and the interest my mother took in their lives, sharing in their joys and sorrows. The relationships grew from business to personal ones. This was good for business as referrals came in. On our part as her children and 'employees', we were made to understand what a smile can do to enhance the customer experience. We learnt to be fair but firm with the customers as some took our business for granted and may buy on credit and never pay. There were times some customers came to buy the charcoal in very bad moods. Our calm and respectful nature was the remedy.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>Give value</b></div>
<div>
Some customers usually came to buy the charcoal with nothing to carry them in. I realised my mum started keeping the polythene bags she got from vendors at the market whenever she buys groceries for our home. These polythene bags were used to serve her customers. She made sure nothing got wasted. There were roasted plantain sellers who loved the smaller sized charcoal, and there were chop bar operators who loved the bigger one. For some of the customers who liked to buy a sack from time to time, my mother showed them how to tell good charcoal from bad ones (even when they were in a sack).</div>
<div>
<b><br /></b></div>
<div>
<b>Request for and act on feedback</b></div>
<div>
My mum encourages feedback from her customers with respect to the charcoal they've bought or how her 'employees' relate to them. This informed her decisions on changing a particular supplier, or scolding us for being disrespectful and unprofessional.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I decided to share this, as I reflect on how some organisations pride themselves with qualifications of their staff, but fail to perform such little acts to enhance the customer experience they so desire to achieve.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Book sense no be sense o.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /><br /><br /></div>
Kafuihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02519627730775881248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7583779845134698052.post-36839541929584133022017-06-09T22:59:00.000+00:002017-06-10T11:12:12.819+00:00My bank account is anemic, and so what?<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaE-Z8zDyeUkikwEKperbPcGsYzLh02QQ4Mo7LYlEGfWs7ivMIaYzl4W9KFUFbwXmDvUm8hDp6fOMEM4_xgCsDtlkGWke5U9PiNZp7dCNS8g7OfJVv6_KRj6cMge3axVBPUdTMb63Z90w/s1600/emptyAccount.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="604" data-original-width="630" height="305" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaE-Z8zDyeUkikwEKperbPcGsYzLh02QQ4Mo7LYlEGfWs7ivMIaYzl4W9KFUFbwXmDvUm8hDp6fOMEM4_xgCsDtlkGWke5U9PiNZp7dCNS8g7OfJVv6_KRj6cMge3axVBPUdTMb63Z90w/s320/emptyAccount.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Credit: etsystudio.com</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I have always struggled when it comes to savings. I am a
financial illiterate. I. Need. Help. I am at a point where I live from hand-to-jaw
– not even close to hand-to-mouth. :-smile</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Anyway, whenever I find myself in dire need of money to
survive, God comes through – through fellow human beings. Good people exist in
this wicked world. Believe that.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This morning I woke up with no with electricity. The power
units had run out. The 10% reserved on the card is what is powering my laptop
as I type this. Well, this afternoon I joined a number of my Club members to
visit an ailing member. After the visit I decided to go eat fufu and come home
to rest. After all I won’t eat in the evening. Just when I got to the
restaurant, the member who owns the place ensured I ate to my fill, without
paying. She has no idea of my situation.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Good people.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
After thanking her, I boarded a taxi and handed GHS5 to the
driver. There was a gentleman by me who also handed GH5 to the driver. The
driver then explained he had no change for both of us. We we told him to get
some when he gets to town and we alight. This other gentleman implored the
driver to take GHS2 for both of us instead of the GHS3.2 for two passengers. The
driver saisd no, so I brought out GHp50 and handed it over to the driver to add
to my GHS5 so he gives me the GHS3 he had in his hand. I will alight first in
any case. He refused. I got to my destination and the gentleman took my GHp50
and asked me to keep my GHS5. He will pay for me.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Good people.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
You see, I am not saying it is alright to have an anaemic
account. Get help. Get financial literacy training. I. Need. Help. I need to
plan my finances. There are good people, but you can also be one. Don’t always
be at the receiving end. Be a giver too. Be good people.<o:p></o:p></div>
Kafuihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02519627730775881248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7583779845134698052.post-47185623101239115532017-05-20T22:19:00.000+00:002017-06-21T01:51:41.125+00:00What is design thinking?<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKz7KkTtbl47crd4BFdhxiMEyOuCPM_TCp8knPOoI4ysi1iTy2RDa5fJwCozUzrm9-c9woELkW2j_UIz14DrCKWFakC5MSDE383yfFnqOjSXkjpELwL8KnuNw2D2vUWKmceoq9cy5LmhU/s1600/IMG_20170520_150500.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKz7KkTtbl47crd4BFdhxiMEyOuCPM_TCp8knPOoI4ysi1iTy2RDa5fJwCozUzrm9-c9woELkW2j_UIz14DrCKWFakC5MSDE383yfFnqOjSXkjpELwL8KnuNw2D2vUWKmceoq9cy5LmhU/s320/IMG_20170520_150500.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My sketchnote of the keynote address at #DTGC2017<br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Design thinking to me is a methodical way of critically understanding a problem, and crafting creative solutions to them. It relies more on expressing empathy with your clients, understanding the root of their need/problem, and prescribing innovative and sustainable solutions to them.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
At yesterday's Design Thinking Conference in Accra, organised by the Ashesi Design Lab and the Ghana Design Network, participants were introduced to the concept of design thinking and the steps involved in harnessing its simple but effective ideals in solving problems. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
After the introduction, participants were then put into four groups: service design, product design, policy design, and program design. In teams of 5 - 8 people, participants were to design a solution to solve the plastic waste problem Accra faces.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2e8JZKwk9TD9cbSIPJBRsjuDQSRstbBg1vTYKNgimrwqnPYqoBOrg2kiqBV5jnMPK7mZXBpzexGkFq-34yYlt5FQSvrwpygtyy39ZI5qsRAYXZ2lsTHzTGwOwv2l_Ku_a5ozVxxQHuZw/s1600/IMG_20170519_172406.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2e8JZKwk9TD9cbSIPJBRsjuDQSRstbBg1vTYKNgimrwqnPYqoBOrg2kiqBV5jnMPK7mZXBpzexGkFq-34yYlt5FQSvrwpygtyy39ZI5qsRAYXZ2lsTHzTGwOwv2l_Ku_a5ozVxxQHuZw/s320/IMG_20170519_172406.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chart used by my team for our pitch.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
My team, A-Z Recyclers (from the service design group), proposed a behavioural change as the solution to the problem. This change would be ensured by distributing dustbins to homes, offices, and at vantage points across the city to be used solely for the collection of plastics. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
These would then be collected by employed individuals/volunteers. Consumers are given incentives (bags/cartons of water, recycled plastic products).</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
We collect the plastics, recycle them into pellets, and sell them to makers of plastic products such as @trashybags.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
My friend <a href="https://web.facebook.com/julius.amegadzie" target="_blank">Julius </a>(<a href="http://www.instagram.com/juliussap" target="_blank">@juliussap</a>) recorded this video of the pitch. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<br /><iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/Eo7SnxmJAZI/0.jpg" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Eo7SnxmJAZI?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<br /></div>
<br />Kafuihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02519627730775881248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7583779845134698052.post-30940796542899018042016-12-07T23:00:00.000+00:002016-12-09T13:23:07.495+00:00Voter experience: #GhanaDecides 2016<div dir="ltr">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGdt7EHF0Ctj2P5lBB2F0W42JJY3ei_KAo9DH4-KtUNSYzekgTXJkBKn-Z5EcJuc-q0UKEnZNodeHJYq2ctyS-lFhwa8lUbuSrSQU6tnSXf9kTvccyqo7R-dAxldZEEfHh3y_ytQn8X5A/s1600/IMG_20161209_124451.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="301" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGdt7EHF0Ctj2P5lBB2F0W42JJY3ei_KAo9DH4-KtUNSYzekgTXJkBKn-Z5EcJuc-q0UKEnZNodeHJYq2ctyS-lFhwa8lUbuSrSQU6tnSXf9kTvccyqo7R-dAxldZEEfHh3y_ytQn8X5A/s320/IMG_20161209_124451.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Showing off my political manicure</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Today's elections went on smoothly as expected.<br />
I got to my polling station at 8:47am and voted at 10:12am.</div>
<div dir="ltr">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr">
I had misplaced voter ID card and therefore went to the polling station with my passport.<br />
I initially didn't want to vote, but decided to test the system and see if I could really vote without my voter ID, especially as I didn't partake in the verification exercise.</div>
<div dir="ltr">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr">
My polling station in the Brong Ahafo region -- Mmredane -- was really organised.<br />
This year, there were two queues. One for those whose names fell within the A-G alphabets, and the other H-Z.<br />
This allowed for the smooth election process that took place.</div>
<div dir="ltr">
<br />
An observation though is that voters sometimes got confused as to the correct queue they had to join. Most thought the queues used first names, others thought their surnames had to be used.<br />
We however discovered that the EC officers were using the very first name on the voter ID card and not first names or surnames.</div>
<div dir="ltr">
I was disappointed because we registered by filling a form that explicitly asked for surnames and first, and middle names. I therefore expected the cards to be printed with the same template. Anyways...</div>
<div dir="ltr">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr">
I left the polling station immediately after voting as I wasn't playing any social media reporting role as I did for GhanaDecides in the 2012 elections.</div>
<div dir="ltr">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr">
I have been glued to my TV set since.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</div>
Kafuihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02519627730775881248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7583779845134698052.post-3543640961854215432016-08-16T12:40:00.000+00:002016-08-16T12:40:55.196+00:00Press Release: Information Skills - Competence in Research <span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px; line-height: 21.56px;">The </span><a href="http://www.goethe.de/ins/gh/de/acc.html?wt_sc=ghana" style="background-color: white; color: #888888; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px; line-height: 21.56px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Goethe Institut in Ghana</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px; line-height: 21.56px;"> is organising a 3-day information Skills workshop from August 23 - 25, 2016. It takes place at the Institut from 9am to 6pm daily.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px; line-height: 21.56px;">This is a free workshop targeting individuals that deal with research on a daily basis: university tutors, writers, librarians, journalists, bloggers, among others.</span><div>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, Palatino Linotype, Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: 15.4px; line-height: 21.56px;"><br /></span></span><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/pub/rouven-rech/4/333/92a" style="background-color: white; color: #ff1900; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px; line-height: 21.56px;" target="_blank">Rouven Rech</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px; line-height: 21.56px;">, a German documentary film maker, is the main facilitator for the workshop. The head of Library & Information Centre at the institute, Gudrun Widlok, is the coordinator.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px; line-height: 21.56px;">Rouven will be teaching participants where and how to obtain information, evaluate and analyse it, and how best to use it. His unique skills as a documentary filmmaker would be greatly brought to bare.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px; line-height: 21.56px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, Palatino Linotype, Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: 15.4px; line-height: 21.56px;">This is the first part of a series of workshops the Institut is organising this year. The other workshops would be facilitated by the German journalist <a href="http://www.zeit.de/autoren/B/Nataly_Bleuel/index.xml" target="_blank">Nataly Bleuel</a>, and the Wikipedia Group Ghana, respectively.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, Palatino Linotype, Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: 15.4px; line-height: 21.56px;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, Palatino Linotype, Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: 15.4px; line-height: 21.56px;">A participant of last year's workshop shared his experience <a href="http://qaphui.blogspot.com/2015/04/how-do-you-tell-stories-through-research.html" target="_blank">here</a>. </span></span></span><br />
<br />
For participation, please send a <b><i>brief letter of motivation</i></b> and an <b><i>overview of your field of work</i></b> to: <b><u>info[at]accra.goethe.org</u></b><br style="background-color: white; color: #5f676b; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.7014px; line-height: 18.4968px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #5f676b; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.7014px; line-height: 18.4968px;" /></div>
Kafuihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02519627730775881248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7583779845134698052.post-73584993387848693532016-04-12T16:47:00.001+00:002016-06-21T07:34:20.480+00:00Slangish<div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9GqntF7a1xrMfWSn9nd5xyGCQV4KJ59pAc4gXkqMr1Vf2vpvbF-ZqhWCfdpip_oWaym3Ql0d5yGDAGgf5x5sqx1lI25BtWzwREpDw07olrItwYYX-5d6GY_MmJSgZGIIo5Bqu1vEr4c8/s200/the-rotarian-cover-apr16.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="153" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
In the January issue of <a href="https://www.rotary.org/myrotary/en/news-media/magazines/rotarian" target="_blank">The Rotarian magazine</a>, author <a href="https://twitter.com/frankbures" target="_blank">Frank Bures</a> shared his insight into <a href="https://www.rotary.org/myrotary/en/news-media/culture-catch-my-meaning" target="_blank">the growing distance between words and their meanings</a>.</div>
<div>
I shared my opinion on his article, which got published in this month's edition of the magazine (with the same title as this blog post). Read on:</div>
<div>
<div class="gmail_default" style="color: #330099; font-family: 'courier new',monospace; font-size: small;">
<br /></div>
<div class="gmail_default" style="color: #330099; font-family: 'courier new',monospace; font-size: small;">
Frank Bures' article on "Frankenwords" {January) and how they're affecting our culture resonated with me. </div>
<div class="gmail_default" style="color: #330099; font-family: 'courier new',monospace; font-size: small;">
<br /></div>
<div class="gmail_default" style="color: #330099; font-family: 'courier new',monospace; font-size: small;">
It
brought to mind another aspect of word creation that is taking Social
media (specifically instant messaging) to a whole new level -- the
creation of shorthand.</div>
<div class="gmail_default" style="color: #330099; font-family: 'courier new',monospace; font-size: small;">
<br /></div>
<div class="gmail_default" style="color: #330099; font-family: 'courier new',monospace; font-size: small;">
As
a social media enthusiast, I find myself in a number of online groups
where issues of interest are discussed on a daily basis. The WhatsApp
platform is one where I'm in almost 20 groups.</div>
<div class="gmail_default" style="color: #330099; font-family: 'courier new',monospace; font-size: small;">
I
come across a lot of shorthand that either annoys me or does not make
sense at all. Because of this, I often have to seek clarification before
getting the importance of the message. </div>
<div class="gmail_default" style="color: #330099; font-family: 'courier new',monospace; font-size: small;">
Nowadays, apparently, it's normal to see "girls" spelled "gels", "boys" spelled "bois", "you" is "yu" (which conventionally, should at least be "u"), "all right" is now "ayt", and some other crazy and confusing ones like "naa" for "no" (note that Naa is a name for a Ga girl in Ghana).</div>
<div class="gmail_default" style="color: #330099; font-family: 'courier new',monospace; font-size: small;">
Most of these are created on the spur of the moment by the individual sending the message.</div>
<div class="gmail_default" style="color: #330099; font-family: 'courier new',monospace; font-size: small;">
This irks me a lot, especially when letters of the new shorthand are equal to or even longer than those in the actual word.</div>
<div class="gmail_default" style="color: #330099; font-family: 'courier new',monospace; font-size: small;">
<br /></div>
<div class="gmail_default" style="color: #330099; font-family: 'courier new',monospace; font-size: small;">
<div style="color: #330099; font-family: "courier new", monospace; font-size: small;">
In
the case of the shorthand, not only is meaning distorted, it actually
has a negative effect on the writing skill of its creators and users. As
an educator, I've come across some of these while grading students'
papers, and it really gets me down. It's a personal assignment I've
given myself now, to prompt people to use full words when chatting and occasionally use conventional shorthand.</div>
<div style="color: #330099; font-family: "courier new", monospace; font-size: small;">
<br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: small;">I will like to hear your thoughts on this phenomenon as well, via the comments section. Thanks</span></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9GqntF7a1xrMfWSn9nd5xyGCQV4KJ59pAc4gXkqMr1Vf2vpvbF-ZqhWCfdpip_oWaym3Ql0d5yGDAGgf5x5sqx1lI25BtWzwREpDw07olrItwYYX-5d6GY_MmJSgZGIIo5Bqu1vEr4c8/s1600/the-rotarian-cover-apr16.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> </a> </div>
</div>
Kafuihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02519627730775881248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7583779845134698052.post-89338467625628501442016-02-01T23:33:00.000+00:002016-02-02T02:36:23.148+00:00TOURISM: Duasidan Monkey Sanctuary<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbQm6N_qfcGBrZbg1fscWj6Kg82qg6l-AUIexDnPIt8Im2ohesaKiJafonB-VQFth8JBQwnuKf_gs2tjlBfH4lkwKpes9qlB2uWB-asC1b2iTA4taFdITadVyLUo1IOcF0fEuLcg8dz4U/s1600/2016-02-02+01.26.16.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbQm6N_qfcGBrZbg1fscWj6Kg82qg6l-AUIexDnPIt8Im2ohesaKiJafonB-VQFth8JBQwnuKf_gs2tjlBfH4lkwKpes9qlB2uWB-asC1b2iTA4taFdITadVyLUo1IOcF0fEuLcg8dz4U/s400/2016-02-02+01.26.16.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Trying out a selfie. Didn't work out well. :-)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Duasidan is a community in the Dormaa District of the Brong Ahafo Region in Ghana. It is approximately 10Km along the western end of the Dormaa-Gonokrom Road. Do keep an eye out for the Customs check point. The road to the community is immediately after it (on the left).<br />
The sanctuary, which is a small forest preserved as an ancestral grove, has three species of monkeys:
<br />
<ul>
<li>Campell’s monkey (<i>Kwakuo </i>in Akan)</li>
<li>Spot-nosed monkey (<i>Ahenhema </i>in Akan) and</li>
<li>Olive Colobus monkey (<i>Asibe </i>in Akan)</li>
</ul>
<br />
The monkeys were discovered by the ancestors of the community, over a century ago. They are considered sacred and therefore are not to be harmed, or killed by anybody. To paraphrase the words of a guide at the sanctuary, <i><b>“If you plan to kill, or harm any of the monkeys, you won’t live to execute that plan.”</b></i><br />
<table> <tbody>
<tr>
<td><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijj5Ax2sVByo2f1efVpHFcB5xbDOZx4AAFDjdVohcU2lkz4aepG5R-sWtdOoGTGvr2VPqXY_g-X9YDrXOhttz644AnXkhoKt7LPgWRfV20kOYkfN4X_99WjmKYRvnipIdrB6wamFtboNA/s1600/Screenshot_2016-02-02-01-23-06-1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijj5Ax2sVByo2f1efVpHFcB5xbDOZx4AAFDjdVohcU2lkz4aepG5R-sWtdOoGTGvr2VPqXY_g-X9YDrXOhttz644AnXkhoKt7LPgWRfV20kOYkfN4X_99WjmKYRvnipIdrB6wamFtboNA/s200/Screenshot_2016-02-02-01-23-06-1.png" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Female Campell feeding her young</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</td><td><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-iNm9FTIt8UfNUDP1Vc6i5a3PhZKkjrAdPBDeSxKoae27JPv3jXhFSCvR6JpFY7SbheMZw6hfzfktW32ZknXAjJ6Bo77Cd5ULcEwqbw6ViKjfEOD-2Tat29dvPYVBHYCoWpe1UR6OOKI/s1600/Screenshot_2016-02-02-01-22-30-1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-iNm9FTIt8UfNUDP1Vc6i5a3PhZKkjrAdPBDeSxKoae27JPv3jXhFSCvR6JpFY7SbheMZw6hfzfktW32ZknXAjJ6Bo77Cd5ULcEwqbw6ViKjfEOD-2Tat29dvPYVBHYCoWpe1UR6OOKI/s200/Screenshot_2016-02-02-01-22-30-1.png" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I've got my eyes on you, tourists!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
The community has a number of objectives which personally I think would go a long way to develop the community, while placing the sanctuary (<a href="http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/Second-monkey-sanctuary-in-Brong-Ahafo-135698">launched in 2007</a>) at par with its sister sanctuary at <a href="http://www.ghana.photographers-resource.com/locations/Wildlife/LG/Fiema_monkey.htm">Buabeng-Fiema</a>. These include:
<br />
<ul>
<li>Building a guest house to accommodate and entertain tourists</li>
<li>Seek financial help from NGOs and the District Assembly</li>
<li>Solicit technical assistance from the Wildlife Division and Government.</li>
</ul>
Kafuihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02519627730775881248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7583779845134698052.post-60405552201051408602015-09-13T21:12:00.002+00:002015-09-23T12:28:31.149+00:00What is my GROW Model?<script>
(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){i['GoogleAnalyticsObject']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){
(i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o),
m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m)
})(window,document,'script','//www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js','ga');
ga('create', 'UA-68007117-1', 'auto');
ga('send', 'pageview');
</script>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYai4kmsQkZ9yJkQM84QS0wK01bYHs1efFfIgqV12iTmQGPB7OFBiBHIzoFqlM6WRI7UAJm7Sh7l_CBvtknmlYQJf_LYDvK0LoIYw4T_f4Gzlp6T4dDxcd1IUIR5Iqh9QOtmUU6XIZLfI/s1600/GROW-Model-300x157.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="208" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYai4kmsQkZ9yJkQM84QS0wK01bYHs1efFfIgqV12iTmQGPB7OFBiBHIzoFqlM6WRI7UAJm7Sh7l_CBvtknmlYQJf_LYDvK0LoIYw4T_f4Gzlp6T4dDxcd1IUIR5Iqh9QOtmUU6XIZLfI/s400/GROW-Model-300x157.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Credit: Coaching Journey</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Yesterday, <a href="http://twitter.com/#bccapecoast" target="_blank">Barcamp CapeCoast</a> had a discussion on the theme, “Equipping the Youth to plan their Future Today”.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It was a successful, insightful programme – as ALL<a href="http://www.barcampghana.org/everything-you-need-to-know-about-barcamps/" target="_blank"> Barcamps in Ghana</a> are. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The <a href="https://twitter.com/niiobodaisquire" target="_blank">main speaker</a> at the event, adviced barcampers to find out who they are, and what they want to be while in school. I suggested further, that
attendees do a stakeholder mapping, by asking family and friends to tell them
the qualities they see in attendees. This will help attendees understand how
they are wired, thus pursing stuff they are passionate about.<o:p></o:p>
<br />
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">
<div dir="ltr" lang="en">
"I will advise that you find who you are and what you want to be while in school" - <a href="https://twitter.com/niiobodaisquire">@niiobodaisquire</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/bcCapecoast?src=hash">#bcCapecoast</a> <a href="http://t.co/McL9IQGgEA">pic.twitter.com/McL9IQGgEA</a></div>
— #Ghana #NVDay15 (@Barcampghana) <a href="https://twitter.com/Barcampghana/status/642641371229130752">September 12, 2015</a></blockquote>
<script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>
<br />
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">
<div dir="ltr" lang="en">
Stakeholder mapping is KEY. Helps u understand how u r wired. Ask family/friends 2 tell u ur abilities <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/bccapecoast?src=hash">#bccapecoast</a> <a href="https://t.co/MxooL2DALV">https://t.co/MxooL2DALV</a></div>
— Kafui (@Qaphui) <a href="https://twitter.com/Qaphui/status/642645381713645568">September 12, 2015</a></blockquote>
<script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In this post I share how we can apply <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GROW_model" target="_blank">the GROW model</a> to
achieving our visions/plans.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So, let’s say I want to be a Data Scientist, what do I do?<o:p></o:p><br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Goal</b> - <u>How <a href="http://topachievement.com/smart.html" target="_blank">SMART</a> is my goal? How would I know I’ve succeeded
in achieving my goal?</u><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>I want to be a Data
Scientist by December, 2015. I would know I’ve succeeded when I’m able to
perform data analysis, and create visualisations that contribute to development
(in health, education, and other sectors of interest).<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>Also, being useful to
organisations, either as a freelance data scientist, or in-house data analyst
will indicate my achievement of my goal.<o:p></o:p></i><br />
<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Reality</b> – <u>What is currently happening in my life
(work/school/home)? Have I already taken any step towards my goal? Does this
conflict any other goal that I have?</u><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>My job gives me enough
time to pursue this goal if I want to. As a student, you’d have enough time
too. This goal fits perfectly into my career development plans, so no conflicts
there. I’ve got basic statistics, mathematics, and programming skills. Currently,
there are a number of books and online courses I could use to help me achieve
my goal. However, I’m not doing that because I spend a LOT of time on social
media, instant messaging, and watching TV Series. I am yet to take any step to
achieve my goal.<o:p></o:p></i><br />
<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Options </b>- <u>What else can I do, differently? Any constraints
with this option(s)?</u><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>Based on my current
reality, I can reduce the time I spend watching TV Series and movies. I will
take online Data Science courses available on <a href="https://www.udacity.com/course/intro-to-data-science--ud359" target="_blank">Udacity</a>, <a href="https://www.edx.org/course/data-science-machine-learning-essentials-microsoft-dat203x" target="_blank">edx</a>, and <a href="https://www.coursera.org/course/datasci" target="_blank">Coursera</a>, while reading books
and <a href="http://www.ngdata.com/top-data-science-resources/" target="_blank">blogs</a> on the subject.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>I will find datasets,
or create my own, and use them in personal projects, thus creating a portfolio.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>I will also join Data
Science groups, forums online, and contribute to them. <o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>A constraint would be
the availability of reliable internet connectivity, and constantly motivating myself when progress is slow.<o:p></o:p></i><br />
<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Will</b> – <u>What do I need to do now, and when? How can I keep
myself motivated? When do I review my progress?</u><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>I look forward to
dedicating 4-6 hours a week, to study Data Science (including the R and Python
programming languages). While studying, I will also use the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pomodoro_Technique" target="_blank">Pomodoro Technique</a>
to help me be focused on my studies.(<a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=personal.andreabasso.clearfocus&hl=en" target="_blank">This app</a> switches off internet data while
you use it).<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>I will do well to
contribute to Data Science groups I will join, frequently. I will review my
success weekly. I am sure my plan of action will yield 90-100% success rate.<o:p></o:p></i><br />
<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It is my hope this helps someone out there as it has helped
me – and still does.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Do share your thoughts via the comment section. Thanks<o:p></o:p></div>Kafuihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02519627730775881248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7583779845134698052.post-78057035926550938372015-09-09T06:46:00.001+00:002015-09-23T12:30:12.772+00:00Why my (2) barbers cannot charge me equally<script>
(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){i['GoogleAnalyticsObject']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){
(i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o),
m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m)
})(window,document,'script','//www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js','ga');
ga('create', 'UA-68007117-1', 'auto');
ga('send', 'pageview');
</script>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0-tJC4QtWNO_-kI6uvuJH7sDvjhgoNT5cH0J202b6IhsmzBTflTJNyo-J_8iwH7LiQhuzT4AoC3lX-umzSWLKXxSOz4GRsAU-RqypRZp42ugC2tXblb3yduUtZgf7ilq3J1h18rdc-ag/s1600/barber.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0-tJC4QtWNO_-kI6uvuJH7sDvjhgoNT5cH0J202b6IhsmzBTflTJNyo-J_8iwH7LiQhuzT4AoC3lX-umzSWLKXxSOz4GRsAU-RqypRZp42ugC2tXblb3yduUtZgf7ilq3J1h18rdc-ag/s320/barber.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Credit: Pinterest</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div dir="ltr">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr">
Some days ago, I overhead a conversation where a rep of an institution had tried to justify why his outfit was charging its customers a certain amount for services rendered.</div>
<div dir="ltr">
He compared his institution to another that delivered far better services than his.</div>
<div dir="ltr">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr">
His mistake.</div>
<div dir="ltr">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr">
You see, I've got two barbers who are good at their jobs. They both deliver the same services, but the quality of their service delivery, differ.</div>
<div dir="ltr">
The first one has an air-conditioned salon, nice sitting area, with newspapers and magazines, and a fully stocked fridge of customers' favourite drinks.<br />
He uses smaller clippers, rather than razor blades in trimming the edges of customers' hairs. Instead of the 'usual alcohol' used by the second barber after a shave, he uses Nivea's after shave. He disposes off the heated towels used on cleaning clients' head before applying hair cream to it. He's got a back up electricity power system that ensures customers are attended to, even when <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dumsor" target="_blank">dumsɔ </a>hits.</div>
<div dir="ltr">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr">
My second barber doesn't have these investments to enhance his service delivery. He therefore cannot charge the same rate as my first barber.</div>
<div dir="ltr">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr">
In service delivery, we are sometimes tempted to charge rates based on what our competitors charge, without doing.a proper homework on improving our services to match the rates we are charging.</div>Kafuihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02519627730775881248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7583779845134698052.post-23973524419914266862015-09-08T21:31:00.000+00:002015-09-23T12:30:33.084+00:00GhanaThink Foundation's #JCIP is a career booster<script>
(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){i['GoogleAnalyticsObject']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){
(i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o),
m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m)
})(window,document,'script','//www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js','ga');
ga('create', 'UA-68007117-1', 'auto');
ga('send', 'pageview');
</script>
<script id="infogram_0_ghanathink_foundations_jcip_is_a_career_booster" src="//e.infogr.am/js/embed.js?WVE" type="text/javascript"></script><div style="width:100%;border-top:1px solid #acacac;padding-top:3px;font-family:Arial;font-size:10px;text-align:center;"><a target="_blank" href="https://infogr.am/ghanathink_foundations_jcip_is_a_career_booster" style="color:#acacac;text-decoration:none;">GhanaThink Foundation's JCIP is a career booster</a> | <a style="color:#acacac;text-decoration:none;" href="https://infogr.am" target="_blank">Create infographics</a></div>Kafuihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02519627730775881248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7583779845134698052.post-74585038432428015582015-08-06T14:59:00.001+00:002015-09-23T12:30:51.911+00:00Meet the 10 enterprising SHS interns of the JCIP<script>
(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){i['GoogleAnalyticsObject']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){
(i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o),
m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m)
})(window,document,'script','//www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js','ga');
ga('create', 'UA-68007117-1', 'auto');
ga('send', 'pageview');
</script>
<p>The <a href="http://qaphui.blogspot.com/2015/04/ghanas-shs-graduates-to-get-paid.html">first ever paid internship for Senior High School students in Ghana</a>, being run by the Junior Camp Ghana initiative of the <a href="http://ghanathink.org/">GhanaThink Foundation</a> has passed its first month. Another month awaits. Here are the first 10 interns of the JCIP, sharing their reasons for applying to the programme:
</p>
<p>
<table>
<tr>
<td>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCndNACdCa2dgaIyWPeBYtUSRy5ZCHrSJynrJc2nk98XprCUNhhixVfeubEu5-Nc41tXI8q1c4Bo8LXmgIYSPZqq1ys_sIi7FBJncjB6kiTs5fCH976fHxM76BI0dMR6y7-jVKDMaC5TE/s1600/felixD.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCndNACdCa2dgaIyWPeBYtUSRy5ZCHrSJynrJc2nk98XprCUNhhixVfeubEu5-Nc41tXI8q1c4Bo8LXmgIYSPZqq1ys_sIi7FBJncjB6kiTs5fCH976fHxM76BI0dMR6y7-jVKDMaC5TE/s200/felixD.JPG" /></a></div>
<strong>Felix Dewornu,</strong> <em> Lamudi Ghana</em><br/>(Alumnus, St. Augustine's College)<br/>
"I see the JCIP as a networking platform to create relationships that would go a long way to help me identify my innate skills, and map them to my future career goals.I see myself in the military, with a degree in Pharmacy. I hope to further my education while in the military, and enter the corporate world as an entrepreneur.
My hobbies are reading,watching movies,playing video games,playing and watching soccer. My favorite position is right full back(2) and my favorite team is Chelsea fc, my
favorite Chelsea player is Willian Borges da Silva."</td></tr>
<tr><td><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEULMEn1g4UpoE5MmhZJnULNhrkZxc_-b6CWaoHC6ovtLx9CnJDctCDXnynOIi-lvg6Z6pVnLX8q_LdhJDmun50foLH2JkWAWdNja1UgVHCZAEmSNJtVWPFvU8cgyZGCLC3vEfic-5zIE/s1600/ben.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEULMEn1g4UpoE5MmhZJnULNhrkZxc_-b6CWaoHC6ovtLx9CnJDctCDXnynOIi-lvg6Z6pVnLX8q_LdhJDmun50foLH2JkWAWdNja1UgVHCZAEmSNJtVWPFvU8cgyZGCLC3vEfic-5zIE/s200/ben.JPG" /></a></div><strong>Benjamin Kornu,</strong><em> Hatua Solutions</em><br/>(Alumnus, St. Mary's Seminary High School)<br/>
"The JCIP I believe would help me gain skills, and experience needed to achieve my dreams. I trust the programme will help me get an ideal idea about my career goals. I want to become an IT Engineer in future, with a great interest in humanitarian development.
I enjoy playing soccer,watching movies, playing the comic relief, and using the computer."
</td></tr>
<tr><td><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM7GYkWzoUhevw7IYZRdpA0za4atIFkXzZ8JGmclhtiL7NkI7VY4l-mQugU6kXeXyV02xWCyXAi6oOAX3aZLZq-qpK1hmxqnaWYDedlzPuazbFel1A03alKwip0kuz2i9CVS7Smh3LPpg/s1600/gena1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM7GYkWzoUhevw7IYZRdpA0za4atIFkXzZ8JGmclhtiL7NkI7VY4l-mQugU6kXeXyV02xWCyXAi6oOAX3aZLZq-qpK1hmxqnaWYDedlzPuazbFel1A03alKwip0kuz2i9CVS7Smh3LPpg/s200/gena1.JPG" /></a></div><strong>Georgina Damilie,</strong><em> Agripro</em><br/>(Alumna, Accra Girls' High School)<br/>
"I relish the immense networking opportunity the JCIP promises to provide me. I hope to learn of relevant skills and trends that would inform my career decisions. I’ve developed a curiosity for journalism and communications related careers, and hope to pursue a degree in broadcast journalism and marketing communications."</td></tr>
<tr><td><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd3FJFCOSEbpmgOUJqfs3VBPz-7fXPMAkif4E9bwzZGlclleWf1FToejtMROz6oo68jG8w3aVsFvtGmrraZr0N5LYt5sJS7Que7PQUHyX_rgE61MxXUCFTxXCp6aGpvSUi_0jJyJcuphE/s1600/felixG.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd3FJFCOSEbpmgOUJqfs3VBPz-7fXPMAkif4E9bwzZGlclleWf1FToejtMROz6oo68jG8w3aVsFvtGmrraZr0N5LYt5sJS7Que7PQUHyX_rgE61MxXUCFTxXCp6aGpvSUi_0jJyJcuphE/s200/felixG.JPG" /></a></div><strong>Felix Gborglah,</strong><em> Impact Hub Accra</em><br/>(Alumnus, Pacesetters Senior High School)<br/>
"I see the JCIP as a platform to ‘test drive’ possible jobs based on my interests. The possibility of gaining new insights that can’t be got from the classroom is an attraction of mine to the programme. I aspire to become a medical doctor, to help fight diseases and find permanent solutions to some tropical ones."</td></tr>
<tr><td><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEM6PQG6io8_iHF_Qb91oG_O7YjN2RpqJHjNsIUOmGC-2UeVgculhhZFdKdjSkNtm3aJANgNuo8pTgHnkS8udPCvehSLqp8-OSeAAGqVYovKsz1-kGWP694gcLsEmzTO8eCN2gmRYmFzY/s1600/cedric.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEM6PQG6io8_iHF_Qb91oG_O7YjN2RpqJHjNsIUOmGC-2UeVgculhhZFdKdjSkNtm3aJANgNuo8pTgHnkS8udPCvehSLqp8-OSeAAGqVYovKsz1-kGWP694gcLsEmzTO8eCN2gmRYmFzY/s200/cedric.JPG" /></a></div><strong>Cedric Nudanu,</strong><em> Jovago Ghana</em><br/>(Alumnus, St. Martin's Senior High School)<br/>
"I applied to participate in the Junior Camp Internship Programme because of the experience and exposure I believe I’d gain. I also see it as a launch pad into my tertiary education and career. I want to become a lawyer in future, to help promote justice in my community. I have interests in Archaeology and Heritage Studies."</td></tr>
<tr><td><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij4EYEyL9oS3JHr0SDXoHk6E3ZgaaVYhRSogx5dlZz4gHOJDk-ecIlN0sw1k_Ht_A2-cHpW4Kjnv6xNQKsVPzJWb9pv34Snmx9ZNjyNQC0aQnrHzAnv3bpyNTweP-AVgMVhLCYhlX57JE/s1600/maameYaa.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij4EYEyL9oS3JHr0SDXoHk6E3ZgaaVYhRSogx5dlZz4gHOJDk-ecIlN0sw1k_Ht_A2-cHpW4Kjnv6xNQKsVPzJWb9pv34Snmx9ZNjyNQC0aQnrHzAnv3bpyNTweP-AVgMVhLCYhlX57JE/s200/maameYaa.JPG" /></a></div><strong>Maame Yaa Serwaa Bona-Mensa,</strong><em> iSpace</em><br/>(Alumna, Archbishop Porter's Girls Senior High School)<br/>
"I am optimistic the JCIP would help me focus my interests better to achieving my career goals. I believe it will improve my networking skills as well, while making me discover my strengths and weaknesses. My career interests are diverse: Engineering, Music and Arts, and Film-making!
My hobbies are; listening to music, writing my journal and poems, acting in my mirror, taking pictures, reading interesting books, watching interesting movies, funny videos and music videos." </td></tr>
<tr><td><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBINyo_JaJwWCvGIrfq_-1h-H7y7c79DsUpKu1mEniEjV2QnVHIw2b_m5fJ4G9iDAdRKcj0pu1z-W8OXShmdFQm_eyMAnVeiBfLh8meLlM9HOrhbrFxCnYUHsNeFRAViVEm8HbNMEHCgw/s1600/ishmael.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBINyo_JaJwWCvGIrfq_-1h-H7y7c79DsUpKu1mEniEjV2QnVHIw2b_m5fJ4G9iDAdRKcj0pu1z-W8OXShmdFQm_eyMAnVeiBfLh8meLlM9HOrhbrFxCnYUHsNeFRAViVEm8HbNMEHCgw/s200/ishmael.JPG" /></a></div><strong>Ishmael Adjei,</strong><em> Oilseed Investments</em><br/>(Alumnus, Osu Presbyterian Senior High School)<br/>
"I believe the JCIP would set me apart from other candidates as I progress in life. Networking with my fellow participants and other stakeholders is also an attraction for me applying to the programme. I aspire to be an investigative journalist in future, and harbour a passionate interest for graphic design, which I wish to use to enhance communication of information to the public.
I enjoy advocating on radio and on social media too as well, aside that, I also like designing and writing poems in relation to issues affecting young people and the world at large. I envision a world where, children enjoy their rights and other policies also work."</td></tr>
<tr><td><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-ya02cZlNbNKP7Yy_t2yovOVeTJAj2GrVNWaoW9E2hjWrGB4wVcfjcBnLk12bALALxfBXsWfNA_dStCGx81BGVz4yxDRODzcCg2Vmww13LSKM5RIeVwS4tlsZXccsxR6NIqfKxKkbxOc/s1600/thomas.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-ya02cZlNbNKP7Yy_t2yovOVeTJAj2GrVNWaoW9E2hjWrGB4wVcfjcBnLk12bALALxfBXsWfNA_dStCGx81BGVz4yxDRODzcCg2Vmww13LSKM5RIeVwS4tlsZXccsxR6NIqfKxKkbxOc/s200/thomas.JPG" /></a></div><strong>Thomas Agoe Armah,</strong><em> Agripro</em><br/>(Alumnus, Nungua Senior High School)<br/>
"I applied to the JCIP to experience the work environment and also gain a great insight into my chosen field. I look forward to honing my skills and meeting other individuals from different backgrounds. I hope to attain the highest academic laurel I can, and work in the medical or agricultural fields."</td></tr>
<tr><td><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXrRALssq3KV9eXbjo8URjrTpKdxIy9Zf2XHgS94bW4RjoIHn6OVG9iqRDWAW1fswpU2kKSTEQKMlSCMVkcO-VwGuaLRKg0H5fqGbrPdMnffykSwp2rPlnofEZTfz_Hy5N2eqw_BFXSzY/s1600/thelma.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXrRALssq3KV9eXbjo8URjrTpKdxIy9Zf2XHgS94bW4RjoIHn6OVG9iqRDWAW1fswpU2kKSTEQKMlSCMVkcO-VwGuaLRKg0H5fqGbrPdMnffykSwp2rPlnofEZTfz_Hy5N2eqw_BFXSzY/s200/thelma.JPG" /></a></div><strong>Thelma Agbakpe,</strong><em> Impact Hub Accra</em><br/>(Alumna, Keta Senior High & Technical School)<br/>
"I see Ghana as a country where there’s more talk, and less action. I applied to the JCIP as I believe it would help me perfect my potentials which would be geared towards making a positive impact in my community. I am looking forward to studying English at the university and see myself as a public speaker, author, and lawyer."</td></tr>
<tr><td><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSb1VgEcuk1kTD53hdaWR2vhEk9f3V9_4Vod5E-mDFyimeufeTmYXjNayhqdz30e0BHw7BaD60_ebgL_d-AG6u7KbwG1trXsQzEOzYxsAXwcFY1bz7YTSpRh1YrjOsIWSPlpobf025cTE/s1600/sheilla.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSb1VgEcuk1kTD53hdaWR2vhEk9f3V9_4Vod5E-mDFyimeufeTmYXjNayhqdz30e0BHw7BaD60_ebgL_d-AG6u7KbwG1trXsQzEOzYxsAXwcFY1bz7YTSpRh1YrjOsIWSPlpobf025cTE/s200/sheilla.JPG" /></a></div><strong>Sheilla Gyamfi</strong><em> Lamudi Ghana</em><br/>(Alumna, Swedru Senior High School)<br/>
"I see the JCIP as a platform, to enable young people develop their skills and talents while waiting to further their education. I look forward to networking with other individuals and putting into practice what I learnt in the classroom. I want to study Business Administration, and build a career in Organizational Planning and Management."</td></tr>
</table>Kafuihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02519627730775881248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7583779845134698052.post-30208018884885260872015-07-30T16:50:00.000+00:002015-07-30T16:50:08.636+00:00Sobolo chemistry, and flour dough physicsFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE<br />
<br />
Students and teachers will celebrate the achievements of Lab_13 Ghana, a pilot project which has been running in the Bosomtwe District since March, on Saturday 1 August.<br />
<br />
Lab_13, a space dedicated to practical experimentation and hands on learning, is aiming to change the way science is taught in schools, starting with the Bosomtwe District.<br />
Pushing books aside, instead of pictures of circuits, students of Lab_13 Ghana have wired up standing fans, handkerchief driers, and moving boats. Instead of reading about how aeroplanes can fly, students have explored principles of aerodynamics with paper aeroplanes, ping pong balls and straws.<br />
<br />
The closing ceremony will be held at the lab's host school, Agape Academy, Jachie, Bosomtwe District, and will take place between 9am and 3pm. The programme wil be run by the Lab_13 Ghana Student Management Comittee, 7 students from JHS1 and JHS2 who oversee the running of the lab space.<br />
The ceremony will showcase some of the activities LAb_13 Ghana have carried out over the last four months and will include speeches from the Students Management Committee, science demonstrations, and cultural displays. Work from the Lab_13 students will be exhibited, including boats from the Lab_13 Titanic 2015 inter-schools boat making competition, and inventions and creations from the Lab_13 Saturday Science Club.<br />
<br />
The Lab, which has been been working closely with the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), has provided hands-on learning opportunities to over 800 students from 30 different schools overt the last four months.<br />
<br />
Saviour Okine, alumnus of KNUST, and Scientist in Residence of Lab_13 Ghana, is one of the facilitators making the lab a success.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
The ability to solve problems through practical scientific approaches is a prerequisite in the development of generational leaders. Lab_13 Ghana gives students the opportunity to question and to experiment, it provides a space where they can harness the skills they, and Ghana, need for success, growth and positive change.</blockquote>
Teachers in the Bosomtwe district have been extremely positive about the lab.<br />
Obed Adjei, Science Master at the Future Academy, Adagya said, "There has been a tremdous impact on my students from the Lab_13 Ghana project. Not only has Lab_13 helped encourage as an interest in science but it has also improved the confidence levels, communication skills and practical abilities of my students."<br />
<br />
The end of term celebration will mark the end of phase 1 of the project. Phase 1 was supported through an online crowd-sourcing campaign run by UK Science charities, Lightyear Foundation, and Ignite Futures.<br />
<br />
Moving forward the project is looking for support through local sponsorship. Phase 2 of the project sees the Lab expands to ore districts through the support of an Advisory Board made up of Ghanaian experts in education, science and industry.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://twitter.com/gamelmag">Gameli Adzaho</a>, member of the Ghanaian Advisory Board for the project said, "As a science educator, I recognise the potential of the Lab_Ghana model in transforming the cognitive and problem-solving skills of the pupils under training.<br />
Having interacted extensively with Lab_13 Ghana junior scientists and SiRs, I have no doubt the project is igniting dreams and shining the spotlight on the brilliance of the pupils and the difference they can make to Bosomtwe and beyond.<br />
we want to take this further afield, maybe one day to the other parts of Ghana. What we need now are funds and other logistics to bring our aspirations to life. Too many times good ideas in Ghana wither away due to lack of support.<br />
The Ghanaian Advisory Board is committed to partnering with interested individuals and organisations to ensure that the project thrives and continues making the amazing impact already in motion."<br />
<br />
ENDS
<br />
<hr />
<p>For further information, please contact the Lab_13 Ghana:
<br/>
Lab_13Ghana(at)lightyearfoundation(dot)org</p>
Kafuihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02519627730775881248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7583779845134698052.post-10553275883547779972015-07-06T11:57:00.002+00:002015-07-06T11:58:28.843+00:00A bit of me revealed?<p> Last night, my friends (university classmates) on WhatsApp put me on the group's 'Hot Seat'.<br/>
This is a practice we began last week to get to know ourselves better and also get answers to some questions we've long wanted to ask one another.<br/>
Here's a record of how mine went. I understand it's the first round of questions for me. (oops!)</p>
<iframe height="550" src="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1-jlNWw-b9l9zN8rxLbse8MT6w9RgbHI0Dd7Me3G7Wjs/pub?embedded=true" width="550"></iframe>Kafuihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02519627730775881248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7583779845134698052.post-65398437796556636282015-05-11T23:30:00.000+00:002015-09-23T12:31:17.688+00:00What Yahoo! can learn from a kelewele seller<script>
(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){i['GoogleAnalyticsObject']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){
(i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o),
m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m)
})(window,document,'script','//www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js','ga');
ga('create', 'UA-68007117-1', 'auto');
ga('send', 'pageview');
</script>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghwweeqZtVqSgyY29ooXuUSJ34I86rHNbE5lW2lZH3N-cvgrRdY6nTsWM7miI4wtEbliReiMKhTS0-FGG8odKO8U2xDXAqXVCP7WbMTI1xACw_HV9sd_ASMVG4fbsNK2MWsYrJdnBaDjo/s1600/Screenshot_2015-05-10-13-56-07.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghwweeqZtVqSgyY29ooXuUSJ34I86rHNbE5lW2lZH3N-cvgrRdY6nTsWM7miI4wtEbliReiMKhTS0-FGG8odKO8U2xDXAqXVCP7WbMTI1xACw_HV9sd_ASMVG4fbsNK2MWsYrJdnBaDjo/s400/Screenshot_2015-05-10-13-56-07.png" width="400"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yahoo! says Flicker isn't available in Ghana</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Naa Merley is one of the earliest <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kelewele" target="_blank">Kelewele </a>sellers in her neighbourhood.<br>
She enjoyed a greater share of the market until other Kelewele sellers began operations in the same neighbourhood. Naa wasn't disturbed because she still had customers loyal to her 'brand'.<div><br><div>Then reality hit.</div><div><br></div><div>Customers were patronising other vendors who had both kelewele and groundnuts for sale. They no longer bought Naa's kelewele, as it meant they had to go to another place to get the groundnuts.</div><div><br></div><div>The above scenario is what Yahoo! is facing. As a Yahoo! Mail user in Ghana, I am able to download and use the mobile app, but then I'm surprised I can't download and use the Flickr app -- Yahoo! says it's unavailable in Ghana.</div><div><br></div><div>I. Don't. Get. It.</div><div><br></div><div>If I can use the web versions of both services in Ghana, why can't I equally use the mobile apps?</div><div><div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoJYEsVTvVfb5UE15cT4ePSCmRENNz_4VGf0wNioQOIPv9AX_zjbTYyMNNXxDy9rGzXqiFAkkge2_TPWro6ba4d85MJ1VZda38lud_yaPljDTww-eDQDZgmVmOOEGNbBqEuZeMAqKkW7Y/s1600/Screenshot_2015-05-11-08-04-32.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoJYEsVTvVfb5UE15cT4ePSCmRENNz_4VGf0wNioQOIPv9AX_zjbTYyMNNXxDy9rGzXqiFAkkge2_TPWro6ba4d85MJ1VZda38lud_yaPljDTww-eDQDZgmVmOOEGNbBqEuZeMAqKkW7Y/s400/Screenshot_2015-05-11-08-04-32.png" width="400"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yahoo! Mail App is ready to be installed.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div dir="ltr">
<br></div>
<div dir="ltr">
<br></div><div dir="ltr">Customer retention is based on value being got out of using a product. If Yahoo! is really looking at gaining popularity and usage for its photo-sharing app Flickr, it has to make it available in countries -- like Ghana -- where photo marketing; local content creation using pictures is gaining ground.</div>
<div dir="ltr">
<br></div>
</div></div></div>Kafuihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02519627730775881248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7583779845134698052.post-1382860007381237222015-05-09T13:29:00.002+00:002015-09-23T12:31:34.547+00:00Live blogging of #BlogCamp15: Social media for good<script>
(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){i['GoogleAnalyticsObject']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){
(i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o),
m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m)
})(window,document,'script','//www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js','ga');
ga('create', 'UA-68007117-1', 'auto');
ga('send', 'pageview');
</script>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv4rFQlWNS06u1Cz22Wi74DhBiLjpmM2Ksc2HR3xJeTfZIXbr4xFPteRumzQA3om6bQwJxcJzwclHnd5r_PZiHa7tQ0o2dcMmng_wgyBRCoKFIADZAeFlT2cQeJH1VnGn2sBshBlrg0xE/s1600/IMG_20150509_155639_kindlephoto-12228326.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv4rFQlWNS06u1Cz22Wi74DhBiLjpmM2Ksc2HR3xJeTfZIXbr4xFPteRumzQA3om6bQwJxcJzwclHnd5r_PZiHa7tQ0o2dcMmng_wgyBRCoKFIADZAeFlT2cQeJH1VnGn2sBshBlrg0xE/s400/IMG_20150509_155639_kindlephoto-12228326.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Projected banner for #BlogCamp15</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
The 4th Blogacamp to be held in Ghana takes place outside Accra -- for the first time.
<br />
The venue is the College of Science auditorium at the KNUST.<br />
<br />
The event began this morning with a photowalk by social media enthusiasts in three areas of Kumasi: <i>Suame</i>, <i>Adum</i>, and <i>Asafo</i>.<br />
A link to the pictures will be updated soon.<br />
For updates, checkout <a href="http://twitter.com/#blogcamp15" target="_blank">#BlogCamp15</a> on Twitter.<br />
<br />
A panel discussion on Social media for good is ongoing. Three panelists from PZ Cussons, Blogging Ghana,and the creative art industry are sharing how they use social media in their work, for the good of all.<br />
PZ Cussons applies Social media in it CSR<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Cussing Baby Ghana</li>
<li>Recipes of Life Ghana</li>
<li>Cared Ghana</li>
</ul>
<div>
These have widened the reach of the company in interacting with its customers.<br />
<br />
Blogging Ghana has helped in the application of social media in politics. Remember GhanaDecides in 2012?<br />
This project helped educate the electorate on their rights and responsibilities. It also helped to push 'responsible' citizen journalism.<br />
Another project of theirs is InformGhana.<br />
<br />
The third speaker uses plastic for furniture and other cool stuff. He uses social media to learn new stuff, market himself and his projects, and networking. He believes social media is a great resource.<br />
<br />
Do we feel social media has made us 'non serious'?<br />
A participant thinks it really hasn't as it helps relieve some stress.<br />
Another doesn't think it's either here or there. So long as we are discussing issues of relevance.<br />
How has social media helped in solving unemployment?<br />
Yes it has. A number of people are now creating and managing content for organisations. This is even increasing the ROI of such companies.<br />
A panelist believes Googling is also a way of getting information and ideas on how to implement ideas an individual may have. He uses his story of getting a name for his project as an example.<br />
Crowdsourcing.<br />
<br />
For bloggers looking at getting a piece of the digital marketing growth in Ghana, they are advised to position themselves very well by creating a niche for themselves as 'experts' in a particular field Hatfield relevance to an organisation's marketing goals.<br />
Nehemiah thinks children should not be left out of the social media crusade. "If they can be guided to learn how to code, they equally can be guided to use social media."<br />
<br />
Messages from sponsors:<br />
Jeanne from the U.S. Embassy is glad to be a part of this event, especially with the female presence. She believes that the creation of local, relevant content is imperative.<br />
On the YALI fellowships, she mentions that the number will be increased for next year.<br />
<br />
#####Breakout sessions #####<br />
So topics for the sessions are:<br />
<br />
<ol>
<li>Blogging 101</li>
</ol>
<div>
<b>How does one at start a blog in 5 steps?</b></div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>Think about what you want to say</li>
<li>Name your blog</li>
<li>Sign up with a blogging platform</li>
<li>Create content regularly</li>
<li>Share your work with the world</li>
</ul>
<br />
2. Can Social Media cause change</div>
<div>
I am participating in the second session.</div>
Edward asks whether it is enough to talk about issues on Social media, and whether this is enough to cause change. Is it enough to create awareness?<br />
<br />
Always think it's not just creating awareness, but how touching -- how affective --how substantive is your message?<br />
A participant believes that the awareness of a campaign lies on two things, logic and emotions. This awareness also needs to be targeted at a particular group/audience.<br />
The more voices we have speaking on an issue, the higher probability there is for change to occur. Some participants believe that, but Eddie thinks otherwise. He thinks more voices joined the #BringBackOurGirls chants, but little efforts were made in rescuing them. Do you agree?<br />
<br />
Do you feel that social media is to account for the public figure who 'branded' 30+ year old Ghanaian spinster as prostitutes?<br />
<br />
<b>Some campaigns that have influenced participants, on Social media:</b><br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Ebola</li>
<li>Nepal's earthquake</li>
<li>#NoChobo</li>
</ul>
<div>
Currently, we have the gangs of the photowalk competition presenting their pictures. The story of the #suamegang is a compelling one.</div>
<div>
Children playing in dangerous environment, and accidents/injuries occurring.<br />
The #Asafogang's theme is Resistance. A historical perspective of the Asafo market area is the basis of their presentation.<br />
The #Adumgang showcase a clean central business district.<br />
<br />
The Winner will be chosen soon.<br />
And the winners are:<br />
Suame Gang<br />
Asafo Gang<br />
Adum Gang<br />
My team and I are leaving for Sunyani soon.<br />
I hope this live blogging of today's event has been fun.<br />
<br />
Did I mention that the transportation of the Sunyani team was sponsored by Blogging Ghana?</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>Kafuihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02519627730775881248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7583779845134698052.post-72054497688325314302015-04-10T22:13:00.000+00:002015-09-23T12:31:54.115+00:00Final day of Information Skills Workshop: Internet Research<script>
(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){i['GoogleAnalyticsObject']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){
(i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o),
m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m)
})(window,document,'script','//www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js','ga');
ga('create', 'UA-68007117-1', 'auto');
ga('send', 'pageview');
</script>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuNv7hSMLDbCmCbmFJOx61H50-jObnSmXO1VFyFHlMIz0MEyGvJgo4C571RlbGBdiNPScDidOMtFc511aNCMer_gBF-tEV26q9m35aErecsE3miIx5Fu_MS9aCIryeNk5fbVy5O6BWGzA/s640/IMG_20150411_163704.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuNv7hSMLDbCmCbmFJOx61H50-jObnSmXO1VFyFHlMIz0MEyGvJgo4C571RlbGBdiNPScDidOMtFc511aNCMer_gBF-tEV26q9m35aErecsE3miIx5Fu_MS9aCIryeNk5fbVy5O6BWGzA/s640/IMG_20150411_163704.JPG" height="267" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rouven & Gudrun, with some participants</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
To get a complete sense of the need to get information from all angles necessary for a research, Rouven took participants through Internet research today.<br />
<br />
Google -- for most researchers -- has become the go-to place. However the engine doesn't have all the answers to questions a researcher has.<br />
Participants were also advised to turn off <a href="https://support.google.com/websearch/answer/186645?form=bb&hl=en-GH" target="_blank">instant results</a> occasionally so as to get exactly what they were looking for.<br />
<a href="http://www.googleguide.com/advanced_operators.html" target="_blank">This guide</a> shows how one can apply some operators in their queries on Google Search to help them get better results. Additionally, one can also take <a href="http://powersearchingwithgoogle.com/" target="_blank">this self-paced Google Search online course</a>. I highly recommend it. ;-)<br />
<br />
Here are some links one can use to augment the information Google has to offer:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.crawli.net/" target="_blank">Crawli</a> (in German)</li>
<li><a href="http://www.yahoo.com/" target="_blank">Yahoo!</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.twingly.com/" target="_blank">Twingly</a> (for finding blogs)</li>
<li><a href="http://www.duckduckgo.com/">DuckDuckGo</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.metacrawler.de/" target="_blank">Metacrawler</a> (this searches other search engines)</li>
<li><a href="http://www.searchengineguide.com/" target="_blank">Search Engine Guide</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.ipl.org/" target="_blank">ipl2</a> (Internet library good for academic research)</li>
</ul>
<br />
The 'perception' that an information found on the Internet must be correct needs to be watched. To test participants, Rouven gave a number of tasks on verifying information found online.<br />
This. Was. Interesting.<br />
<br />
Two resources one can consult to check domain ownership are <a href="http://whois.net/">WHOis.net</a> and <a href="http://www.iana.org/whois" target="_blank">IANA WHOis Service</a>.<br />
Also <a href="http://bit.ly/19m14VD" target="_blank">read this blog post</a> on how to verify a tweet.<br />
<br />
This workshop has been fun, educative, and inspirational. It's my hope that my colleagues at the workshop -- and myself -- will go on to enrich our research careers, by applying all that we learnt.<br />
As for you my fellow reader, I'm sure these posts of mine equip you as well to enrich your research approaches as well.<br />
Thanks.<br />
<br />
Related stories:<br />
<h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-stretch: normal; font-weight: normal; margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; position: relative;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://qaphui.blogspot.com/2015/04/day-2-of-information-skills-workshop.html" target="_blank">Day 2 of Information Skills Workshop: Field research</a></span></h3>
<div>
<h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-stretch: normal; font-weight: normal; margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; position: relative;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://qaphui.blogspot.com/2015/04/how-do-you-tell-stories-through-research.html" target="_blank">How do you tell stories through research?</a></span></h3>
</div>
<!-- Blogger automated replacement: "https://images-blogger-opensocial.googleusercontent.com/gadgets/proxy?url=http%3A%2F%2Flh5.ggpht.com%2F-IGCT4ZPeDcE%2FVSlR4nv5kmI%2FAAAAAAAACiY%2Fqy1yY3yFBBQ%2Fs640%2FIMG_20150411_163704.JPG&container=blogger&gadget=a&rewriteMime=image%2F*" with "https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuNv7hSMLDbCmCbmFJOx61H50-jObnSmXO1VFyFHlMIz0MEyGvJgo4C571RlbGBdiNPScDidOMtFc511aNCMer_gBF-tEV26q9m35aErecsE3miIx5Fu_MS9aCIryeNk5fbVy5O6BWGzA/s640/IMG_20150411_163704.JPG" -->Kafuihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02519627730775881248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7583779845134698052.post-49134369291328938572015-04-09T20:21:00.000+00:002015-09-23T12:32:14.441+00:00Day 2 of Information Skills Workshop: Field research<script>
(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){i['GoogleAnalyticsObject']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){
(i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o),
m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m)
})(window,document,'script','//www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js','ga');
ga('create', 'UA-68007117-1', 'auto');
ga('send', 'pageview');
</script>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmHBUcqdQTDoUB1gAVURM79Bv4udfVqFNnmWdA9q9nYdU8UYZdvbds1XeeY5enO-usJDx99SmJq9mGwaQKzEjPTu-q9NlUH-8YEIDGkYmx4rW1Yz-39x067Z_PKrqryLyRLk4A-FsR9LM/s1600/Screenshot+2015-04-09+14.20.25.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmHBUcqdQTDoUB1gAVURM79Bv4udfVqFNnmWdA9q9nYdU8UYZdvbds1XeeY5enO-usJDx99SmJq9mGwaQKzEjPTu-q9NlUH-8YEIDGkYmx4rW1Yz-39x067Z_PKrqryLyRLk4A-FsR9LM/s1600/Screenshot+2015-04-09+14.20.25.png" height="215" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Screenshot of the online survey for my research</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div dir="ltr">
Today began with participants of the <a href="http://qaphui.blogspot.com/2015/04/how-do-you-tell-stories-through-research.html" target="_blank">Information Skills for Research workshop</a>, at the Goethe Institute, undertaking their research (on the field): interviewing respondents, creating/designing questionnaires and online surveys, observing respondents, et cetera.</div>
<div dir="ltr">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr">
In the afternoon, participants gathered to discuss their research plan, detailing steps they took in gathering data, insights got from the field research, and the results got from the research.</div>
<div dir="ltr">
From the discussions, participants understood some perks of research, while identifying mistakes they made, and how to rectify them next time.</div>
<div dir="ltr">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr">
Personally, the field research showed a courage I hadn't tapped -- to go out and interview people, getting to understand them by listening actively, and gaining insights that went to improve my research (because I kept an open mind).</div>
<div dir="ltr">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr">
My research was on the user experience (UX) in using ATMs in Ghana. I wanted to understand how users felt about the services their banks' ATMs provided, and whether users expected more services.</div>
<div dir="ltr">
I also wanted to understand the sense of security users had in using the ATMs and whether they felt safe while making transactions. </div>
<div dir="ltr">
Moreso, I was bent on learning the ease of use of these ATMs by users.</div>
<div dir="ltr">
This research interest has been on my mind for close to a year, but it became more pressing when I helped a Professor of mine to withdraw money from an Ecobank ATM, and was frustrated when the interface didn't show 'Current' as part of the accounts one can withdraw from. It rather had <b><i>Checking</i></b>, <b><i>Savings</i></b>, and <b><i>Credit Card</i></b>. This made me ask if the bank -- and indeed all banks in Ghana, had a manual they gave to first-time ATM users.</div>
<div dir="ltr">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr">
An insight I got also from my research while interviewing a staff at the Fidelity bank was the fact that users who didn't bank with the bank could withdraw money using the banks ATM! <a href="http://qaphui.blogspot.com/2015/04/who-needs-card-to-use-atm.html" target="_blank">This is a cardless transaction that makes use of SMS.</a> It's a form of mobile banking.</div>
<div dir="ltr">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr">
A detailed report of my research will be shared shortly. I need more inputs, so kindly take <a href="http://goo.gl/g0h99O" target="_blank">this survey</a> if you've not. It will be greatly appreciated.<br />
<br />
Related stories:<br />
<h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-stretch: normal; font-weight: normal; margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; position: relative;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://qaphui.blogspot.com/2015/04/who-needs-card-to-use-atm.html" target="_blank">Who needs a card to use an ATM?</a></span></h3>
<div>
<h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-stretch: normal; font-weight: normal; margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; position: relative;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://qaphui.blogspot.com/2015/04/how-do-you-tell-stories-through-research.html" target="_blank">How do you tell stories through research?</a></span></h3>
</div>
<div>
<h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-stretch: normal; font-weight: normal; margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; position: relative;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://qaphui.blogspot.com/2015/04/final-day-of-information-skills.html" target="_blank">Final day of Information Skills Workshop: Internet Research</a></span></h3>
</div>
</div>
<div dir="ltr">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr">
<br /></div>Kafuihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02519627730775881248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7583779845134698052.post-54179997927094389972015-04-09T19:30:00.000+00:002015-09-23T12:32:32.970+00:00Who needs a card to use an ATM?<script>
(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){i['GoogleAnalyticsObject']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){
(i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o),
m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m)
})(window,document,'script','//www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js','ga');
ga('create', 'UA-68007117-1', 'auto');
ga('send', 'pageview');
</script>
<div dir="ltr">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgak-UREz7b9tKVZ4rQdwvZqqiIKRKqv8C-AhF5apcHDTmGc12GvSuuace2VV5LHvoMFs4uWYgziJU8PDweMJUo5O-6whV08fhD0tlkFFx0Q3cVu4iT0A2JIf_KcZKLjkzBCmsaqlS4v9s/s640/IMG-20150410-WA0001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgak-UREz7b9tKVZ4rQdwvZqqiIKRKqv8C-AhF5apcHDTmGc12GvSuuace2VV5LHvoMFs4uWYgziJU8PDweMJUo5O-6whV08fhD0tlkFFx0Q3cVu4iT0A2JIf_KcZKLjkzBCmsaqlS4v9s/s640/IMG-20150410-WA0001.jpg" height="251" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">SMS sent to initiator with 2nd part of 8-digit code</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Do you really need to have an ATM card before using the machine to withdraw cash?<br />
Is it possible to give a user a mobile money 'feel' that is enabled by an ATM machine?</div>
<div dir="ltr">
I was intrigued this morning when I learned of Fidelity Bank's cardless ATM transaction. It's a transaction that enables an individual to transfer money from his or her Fidelity account, so that a non Fidelity Bank customer (recipient) can withdraw the money, using the bank's ATM!</div>
<div dir="ltr">
<b>How it works?</b><br />
The initiator sends a short code to their telco (for now, this works for MTN and Vodafone subscribers). This connects them to their account(s). After choosing the account, they enter the phone number of the recipient, then specifies the amount to be transferred.</div>
<div dir="ltr">
A SMS is sent to the recipient with the first part of an 8-digit code, needed for the withdrawal. The 2nd part of the code is sent to the initiator.<br />
This is a security measure. The recipient therefore has to contact the initiator for the second part of the code.</div>
<div dir="ltr">
<b>Recipient at the ATM</b><br />
The welcome screen has an option 'Cardless transaction', that the recipient chooses.<br />
He/She then enters their phone number, followed by the 8-digit code, then the amount that was transferred.<br />
The recipient has to withdraw ALL the amount that has been transferred.</div>
<div dir="ltr">
Then viola!</div>
<div dir="ltr">
Mobile banking has come to stay, and technologies/innovations such as this are welcome interventions. <br />
<br />
I stumbled on this info while researching on ATM usage in Ghana. It was an assignment for <a href="http://qaphui.blogspot.com/2015/04/how-do-you-tell-stories-through-research.html" target="_blank">the workshop</a> I'm attending.<br />
<br />
Related stories:<br />
<h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-stretch: normal; font-weight: normal; margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; position: relative;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://how%20do%20you%20tell%20stories%20through%20research/?" target="_blank">How do you tell stories through research?</a></span></h3>
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<!-- Blogger automated replacement: "https://images-blogger-opensocial.googleusercontent.com/gadgets/proxy?url=http%3A%2F%2Flh6.ggpht.com%2F-JHJl72dlsEQ%2FVSe8cyBfnyI%2FAAAAAAAAChY%2F628m6NJsKIA%2Fs640%2FIMG-20150410-WA0001.jpg&container=blogger&gadget=a&rewriteMime=image%2F*" with "https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgak-UREz7b9tKVZ4rQdwvZqqiIKRKqv8C-AhF5apcHDTmGc12GvSuuace2VV5LHvoMFs4uWYgziJU8PDweMJUo5O-6whV08fhD0tlkFFx0Q3cVu4iT0A2JIf_KcZKLjkzBCmsaqlS4v9s/s640/IMG-20150410-WA0001.jpg" -->Kafuihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02519627730775881248noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7583779845134698052.post-72833179134064166732015-04-08T22:00:00.000+00:002015-09-23T12:32:50.481+00:00How do you tell stories through research?<script>
(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){i['GoogleAnalyticsObject']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){
(i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o),
m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m)
})(window,document,'script','//www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js','ga');
ga('create', 'UA-68007117-1', 'auto');
ga('send', 'pageview');
</script>
<div dir="ltr">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipmgG86qyMHqol6lVD7GzS8JmvLPJ9JWzowzp3Kg1YKIjxPPU6uwDErj0e9QGyramkgnG5Q-iH2ivepwMBeQJROHY8bV0Z5oI95kBsOfD5OosyrqTf4gQAVAd52ZhEZCNeLFXawleebMM/s640/IMG_20150411_120033.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipmgG86qyMHqol6lVD7GzS8JmvLPJ9JWzowzp3Kg1YKIjxPPU6uwDErj0e9QGyramkgnG5Q-iH2ivepwMBeQJROHY8bV0Z5oI95kBsOfD5OosyrqTf4gQAVAd52ZhEZCNeLFXawleebMM/s640/IMG_20150411_120033.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some answers got from the task given before the workshop began</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The <a href="http://www.goethe.de/ins/gh/de/acc.html?wt_sc=ghana" target="_blank">Goethe Institut in Ghana</a> began a 3-day information Skills workshop today.<br />
This is a free workshop targeting individuals that deal with research on a daily basis: .<br />
<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/pub/rouven-rech/4/333/92a" target="_blank">Rouven Rech</a>, a German documentary film maker, is the main facilitator for the workshop. The head of Library & Information Centre at the institute, Gudrun Widlok, is the coordinator.</div>
<div dir="ltr">
<br />
To get a sense of research methods being used by participants, they were given a fact-finding task prior to the start of the workshop. These were:</div>
<div dir="ltr">
</div>
<ol>
<li><i>Ask the next seller how much 1 mango or 3 bananas will cost, and find out how the seller calculates the price.</i></li>
<li><i>How much is a regular lunch in your area?</i></li>
<li><i>How much does your neighbour(s) spend on electricity monthly?</i></li>
</ol>
<br />
<div dir="ltr">
This really set the tone for the workshop as participants discovered 'truths' about research they have been overlooking.</div>
<div dir="ltr">
<br /></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">News is what somebody somewhere wants to suppress; all the rest is advertising. - Lord Northcliffe</span></b></blockquote>
<div dir="ltr">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr">
Being a film maker with a journalism background, <a href="https://twitter.com/dokfilmer" target="_blank">Rouven </a>showed a movie, <a href="http://www.adopted.de/pages/movie/crew.htm" target="_blank"><b><i>Adopted</i></b></a>, that he'd produced with <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0927130/" target="_blank">Gudrun</a>. It showed how Ghanaians were opened to adopt lonely Europeans.<br />
Yes, it's real.</div>
<div dir="ltr">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr">
Rouven advised participants to be courageous in their research endeavours, while taking note of the fact that research isn't easy. Based on responses to the task given prior to the workshop, Rouven emphasised the need for active listening, and open-mindedness to be important skills for any researcher to have.</div>
<div dir="ltr">
An activity that users also undertook was to read the same story in different sources (mostly newspapers), to put to test, their understanding of the <b>5 Ws</b> and <b>1 H</b> of research.<br />
He further went on to explain the different kinds of research available, the various impulses/triggers that informs a researcher's facts, and a checklist to consult when on a fact-finding mission.</div>
<div dir="ltr">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr">
The day ended with participants choosing topics of interest to them, and tasked to go on fact-finding missions, culminating in research proposals, and recommendations.</div>
<div dir="ltr">
The results of their research would be presented and discussed tomorrow.</div>
<div dir="ltr">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr">
Did you get the impression I am a participant at this workshop?</div>
<div dir="ltr">
I am!<br />
<br />
Related stories:<br />
<h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-stretch: normal; font-weight: normal; margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; position: relative;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://qaphui.blogspot.com/2015/04/day-2-of-information-skills-workshop.html" target="_blank">Day 2 of Information Skills Workshop: Field research</a></span></h3>
<div>
<h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-stretch: normal; font-weight: normal; margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; position: relative;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://qaphui.blogspot.com/2015/04/final-day-of-information-skills.html" target="_blank">Final day of Information Skills Workshop: Internet Research</a></span></h3>
</div>
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<!-- Blogger automated replacement: "https://images-blogger-opensocial.googleusercontent.com/gadgets/proxy?url=http%3A%2F%2Flh5.ggpht.com%2F-EGcl-86_sFQ%2FVSkUj9u0ViI%2FAAAAAAAACh4%2FKZc_UKAA9b8%2Fs640%2FIMG_20150411_120033.jpg&container=blogger&gadget=a&rewriteMime=image%2F*" with "https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipmgG86qyMHqol6lVD7GzS8JmvLPJ9JWzowzp3Kg1YKIjxPPU6uwDErj0e9QGyramkgnG5Q-iH2ivepwMBeQJROHY8bV0Z5oI95kBsOfD5OosyrqTf4gQAVAd52ZhEZCNeLFXawleebMM/s640/IMG_20150411_120033.jpg" -->Kafuihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02519627730775881248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7583779845134698052.post-43374608145360803722015-04-02T15:27:00.000+00:002015-04-07T18:49:39.693+00:00Ghana's SHS graduates to get paid internships<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
From June to August 2015, Junior Camp Ghana is rolling out a
Ten-Week Internship Programme for Senior High School leavers. This programme is
meant to expose them to the world of work. The Internship Programme will focus
on grooming 10 participants in their various fields of interest, as they
undergo 8-week internships at companies in Ghana. These will include
Agriculture, Technology, Art, among others. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The <b>Junior Camp
Internship Programme</b> (<b>JCIP</b>) will
boost their confidence and capacity to improve their employability. </div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
“Experience
is the best teacher, which is why internships are so valuable for career
development,” Thelma Boamah, the JCIP project lead said. “JCIP participants
will be supported to gain a better understanding of their career interests and,
through practical experience, develop the soft skills employers want to see.”</blockquote>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Final year students in Senior High Schools in Ghana should apply via <b><a href="http://bit.ly/JCIPAppForm">Bit.ly/JCIPAppForm</a></b> before 1<sup>st</sup>
May, 2015. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Junior Camp Ghana is a career guidance and mentorship
programme run by the <a href="http://www.ghanathink.org/" target="_blank">GhanaThink Foundation</a>. This foundation believes in
investing in the potentials of young Ghanaians, especially at the Junior High School
and Senior High School level. They believe this will help heighten their
interest and participation in ensuring the progress of the country. The main
message in the Junior Camps is to encourage students to build skills. JCIP will
give 10 driven high school graduates the opportunity to experience work and
implement learnings as they continue to build skills.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Last year, over 3,000 students benefitted from the career
guidance and counselling sessions on their campuses with mentors from various
industries. This is an extension of the overall vision of the GhanaThink
Foundation which has the slogan; “Less Talk, More Action”. JCIP is an effort to
put more action to all the talks where students learnt about building skills in
the previous year. The internship programme will offer successful applicants a
unique opportunity to gain vital work experience and industry exposure.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Stay updated on this internship program and Junior Camp
Ghana via our <a href="https://twitter.com/juniorcampghana" target="_blank">Twitter</a>, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/JuniorCampGhana" target="_blank">Facebook </a>and <a href="https://plus.google.com/109280620539153736846" target="_blank">Google+</a> channels.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />Kafuihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02519627730775881248noreply@blogger.com0