We all expected a simple happy story when we arrived in Larabanga to meet Faruk and his family. However, we witnessed the social and financial impact that cleft lip and palate has on families in developing nations all over the world. Faruk’s father rejected him and his mother shortly after his birth. The father, his family and many members of the Larabanga community labeled Faruk and his mother as cursed. Although the community gradually started to accept Faruk and his mother after the repair, they still were living off alms.
Category: International Projects
Ghana January 2014: More to see and learn: Mole and Larabanga
Today we drove from Tamale to Mole on the bus while enjoying an “African massage” from the unpaved, bumpy roads. Along the way we stopped to see a traditional village. The village consisted of several families living in mud huts. Unlike cities such as Accra where it’s more common to have fewer children, men in this area would have multiple wives, and up to 20 children. We met the elders of the village, and were introduced to a chief from the surrounding village who’s daughter had a physical disability. The chief explained that the family treats the child just like all their other children, and Jenna spoke on behalf of the group to agree with this approach, and to share how we try to accept children with disabilities in the US.
Ghana January 2014: Welcomed to Tamale by students and teachers
Our day started dark and early at around 4am. We headed to the airport at Accra to catch our flight to Tamale. When we arrived we were all pleasantly surprised that we had escaped the humidity that we had been growing accustomed to in Accra. Unlike other regions we have visited on the trip so far, Tamale is more like what we expected Ghana to be like. We saw dry desert lands with scarce vegetation. According to George, it is common to see wild life in this more northern region of Ghana.
Ghana January 2014: Fourth and Final Day at Korle Bu
Today was our final day at Korle Bu Teaching Hospital. We spent the morning providing outpatient speech and language therapy to patients who ranged in age and diagnosis, from adult stroke patients to young children with hearing loss, and everything in between! We are grateful to have had the opportunity to work with and learn from the Speech and Language Therapy team at Korle Bu, especially Dr. Albert Osei-Bagyina (the first Speech Language Therapist in Ghana), Josephine, Nana Akua, and Clement.
Ghana January 2014: Day 2 at Korle Bu Teaching Hospital
Oh hello there! Today was another busy, but amazing, day filled with many, many, exciting patient assessment and treatment sessions. We continued our therapeutic strategies with patients who had returned from yesterday and developed new strategies and assessment tools for the unique cases we saw. One case worth mentioning was an adolescent patient with an unilateral vocal fold paresis who had immediate success utilizing the various techniques we taught him!
While the groups continued to evaluate and treat patients, Dr. Crowley and 2 students attended the opening of the Stroke Unit at Korle Bu. They were included in the meeting to introduce themselves and provide any useful information to the intramural team. They also were able to view the renovated building (which looks amazing!) that began in 2009.
After we completed the sessions, we went to the Dean’s House for lunch accompanied by HALF of the SLPs in Ghana (Albert, Clement, Josephine, and Nana). Clement and Josephine revealed their experiences of becoming SLPs, while studying in the UK and returning back home to Ghana.
Then it was off to the Accra Market, where we all bought elegant kente and batik fabric. On the way home from the market, the lovely George discussed the Ghanaian flag, the colors and their significance: green (the land and its vegetation); yellow (the gold); red (the blood of the forefathers); and black (signifies Ghanaian wishes to become the “star” of Africa, and has ties to being the first sub-Saharan African nation to gain independence).
Until tomorrow!
Thanks to Melissa Roth and Henry Gordon for the post.
Colombia 2013 Cleft speech and feeding course Healing the Children
We were invited to bring the speech component to the 20th anniversay of the Healing the Children surgical mission in Neiva, Colombia. With our colleagues, Dr. David Hoffman (medical director) and Dr. Sidney Eisig and a team of 70 surgeons, orthodontists, pediatricians, nurses, and medical records we were together June 5 to 12, 2013. We gathered a team of Miriam Baigorri, Jayne Miranda, Jessica Baquero, and students Theresa Donohue, Carla Montoya, and Kirea Crowley from Teachers College Columbia University. We invited 16 Colombian-based SLPs (fonoaudiologists) to join us in a cleft palate speech and feeding 5-day intensive course. We had a great group of Colombian SLPs. I knew that the Colombian programs were strong because I have met many who were students in the Bilingual Extension Institute. Read More
Lynda Campbell Memorial Lecture at St. Louis University in Missouri
I was honored to speak at the 2013 Lynda Campbell Memorial Lecture at St. Louis, MO. My talk was “International Service that Really Serves.” It was the first time that I had done a full day on my international work. I used the videos from Ghana, Bolivia, Guatemala, and South Africa, but I also brought in the TEDtalks and other pieces that made me think deeper and continue to question myself to make sure the work is beneficial, sustainable, and capacity building. I was so impressed by the faculty there, the past presenters, and the people who came. Special thanks to Dr. Travis Threats, Pat Miller, and Danille Deitz, for making it happen. Thanks especially to Dr. Threats who can give up his day job as Professor and Chair to become a professional photographer. He took some amazing photos.
AAC Market Cards in Ghana, West Africa for Students with Autism and Intellectual Disabilities
Catherine Crowley and Miriam Baigorri lead their Teachers College Columbia University speech language pathology graduate students on annual trips to Ghana, West Africa. There, they work in hospitals and schools for people with communication disabilities including those with autism, intellectual disabilities, cerebral palsy, hearing loss, and speech and language disorders. Read More
