“So we huddled together and f lashed the Trojan victory sign.” Climb a mountain they did. Theising could have been referring to what this group achieved in five short weeks with never-ending barricades. “I was really impressed with their guerrilla-like tactics,” Barreras said of the fellows. “They had incredible obstacles when conducting their research. They had to be very persistent and knock on every door. Everyone adapted and rolled with the punches.” The HIV/AIDS Stigma Theising, for example, quickly hit a brick wall finding anyone with HIV/AIDS willing to talk. Of Ghana’s 24 million people, 1.8 percent reportedly has HIV/AIDS, but Theising believes the number is higher. He expanded his research analyzing the economic effects of HIV/AIDS in Ghana to include studying the stigma associated with the disease. When those with HIV decide to tell their communities, he said, many are fired from their jobs, beaten by community members and kicked out of their homes. “Doctors usually spread the names of people who have HIV,” Theising said. “So someone from Cape Coast will go all the way to Accra, a three-hour drive, to get treatment.” That is, if that person has travel money. The Ghanaian government subsidizes some HIV medicine, but not transportation costs or treatment for opportunistic infections such as pneumonia. Further, schools are forbidden to educate students about safe sex, but must teach abstinence. With the help of the Abura-Asebu-Kwamankesie district youth leader, Elvis Donkoh, Theising was eventually able to interview HIV/AIDS patients. They were predominately female because when a woman becomes pregnant, doctors require she be HIV tested. “Because of the stigma, men don’t get tested,” Theising said. The stigma exists even for babies. Theising recounted one heartbreaking sight. He and Donkoh found an emaciated toddler alone in a house lying on a cement floor, wailing. Neither his mother, nor anyone, could be found. Donkoh, who runs an orphanage, made plans to rescue the child, who was HIV-positive. “These people don’t have anything,” Theising said. “Still, they have this disease and have to make decisions, or not, to deal with it.” Harassment in Schools Four fellows’ research focused on education. Megan Lambert, a psychology and neuroscience double major, studied the barriers to female education in Ghana. Lorenzo Tovar, a senior majoring in philosophy, politics and law, looked at education reform, while Elisabeth Wolfenden, a junior majoring in neuroscience, analyzed the impact of health education in rural Ghanaian schools. James Liu, a senior majoring in philosophy and business administration, researched the performance of Ghana’s business schools. Lambert learned that most females never make it past junior high school. First there is the cost. Uniforms, textbooks, supplies, registration fees and transportation are p h o t o s c o u r t e s y o f B l u e K i ta b u a n d g h a n a r e s e a r c h f e l l o w s
too expensive for most families. Faced with educating their children, preference goes to boys. Her interviews revealed rampant sexual harassment of girls by male students and teacher bias toward boys. By high school, when boys surpass girls 2 to 1, teasing escalates to
You don’t know what independence is until you go to a foreign country and travel by yourself. threats, intimidation and harassment. Girls told Lambert they would rather not eat than face boys in the dining halls calling them “ugly, stupid and bad.” If a girl refuses sexual advances from a boy, he taunts her in front of his friends and spreads false rumors, Lambert said. Reports to teachers are ignored. “The students seem to accept harassment as part of life,” Lambert said. The absence of separate bathrooms for females and males is a major issue. Many girls, especially during menstruation, stay home rather than share a bathroom with boys who will tease them harshly. “One young woman looked at me incredulously after I asked her questions about sanitation, harassment and teacher bias in school,” Lambert said. “She told me no one had ever talked to her about any of this before.” The USC Dornsife students sought permission from officials before visiting schools. That may not sound too difficult, but appointments usually involve a four-hour or so window in Ghana. Tovar recalled an official who told him to arrive on Monday morning. “What time Monday morning?” Tovar asked. “Just come on Monday morning,” the official replied. “I would get there, wait and hope he showed,” Tovar said. The school day, too, started when most of the children arrived. Some youngsters could not afford transportation and had to walk three hours to school. Other children worked mornings and went to school afterward. In his research, Tovar found that many children whose families cannot afford supplies or the proper uniform skip school for fear of being hit by the teacher. When children are unprepared, the teacher punishes them with a small piece of wood or cane. Lambert observed this. “Several students gathered by the windows to see what I was doing in the classroom,” Lambert recalled. “A teacher came out with a stick and started hitting the children away from the windows. They went running trying to escape, and she smacked the slower children repeatedly, rounding them up.” Upon his arrival, Tovar learned that government funds
Ghana Memories From left to right: Elizabeth Barreras strategizes with farmers; fellow James Liu is greeted by a mona monkey; fellow Elisabeth Wolfenden leads the way on a narrow bridge; students climbed a mountain to a waterfall; fellows Casey Schmalacker (left) and Lorenzo Tovar sort more than 100 books Blue Kitabu donated to the Asuansi Farm Institute; market time; President Barack Obama’s image was displayed everywhere in Ghana, here cookies are named after him; crashed out after a long day; tro-tro breaks down; fellow Lane Johnston paddles the boat; Ghanaian students discuss a book; fellow Megan Lambert cooks with the locals.
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