Africa Day 1: ER-D in Ghana

Well I'm here.

I've flown "across the pond" several times before, but I've never travelled across the Atlantic to then get on another 6+ hour flight. If you're keeping score, that's a lot of time on an airplane. But I'm here, and I'm glad to be here.

I'm in Africa for two separate trips that overlap closely enough to allow one long journey. The first trip has brought be to Ghana with ER-D. We're touring all over Ghana to see what ER-D is doing here. We're learning about asset-based development. Although I still have a lot to learn, the fact that someone on my flight to Accra, when I mentioned "asset-based development" asked, "Like micro-finance?" suggests that it's becoming more common. There's more to it than micro-loans, but that's an example. 

Hopefully, by the time this first part of the trip is over, I'll know a lot more about it, about ER-D, and about what the Episcopal Church can do to support people in places like Ghana without sustaining a cycle of poverty. I'll be taking notes and posting them here.

Tomorrow is a quiet day. I arrived a day ahead of most people because apparently it takes a little longer to get to Ghana from Decatur than most other places. I'm hoping to go to some Anglican church nearby--maybe All Souls' Cathedral. I'll try to get accustomed to this place so that, when everyone else is here, I'll be ready.