Looking back, I believe that the entirety of my Global Brigades experience in Ghana was based upon the asset-based community development (ABCD) model that Kretzman and McKnight identified in their article Basic Guide to ABCD Community Organizing.  I noticed this model at work both within our Loyola group during the time we were in Ghana and within the community members of the community of Techiman.

Our group of about twenty-five Loyola undergraduate students, three friends of our leaders, and one Loyola professor came together in profound ways to work together toward a common goal.  Every single one of us came into this trip from different backgrounds, different stories, and different reasons for being there.  Furthermore, we came from different majors, different organizations, and different levels of experience working with patients in a clinical setting.  But, like Kretzman and McKnight explained in their article, these differences are what made our trip great.  And furthermore, these differences are what made our Brigade such a success.    

Without the unique personalities and unique skills of every member of our Brigade, we would not have succeeded as we did.  Every single person on our Brigade, just like every person in the Techiman community, brought something different to the table.  Every person had something unique to offer, some bit of advice to give, and some laughter to share.  And most importantly, our community worked together for the greater good of the Techiman community itself.    

Like Kretzman and McKnight explained, a community begins with the recognition of the gifts of each member of the neighborhood, or in our case, each member of our Loyola Brigade.  And we all brought different gifts and different skills to the table.  We had people like Jessica, who had the gift of storytelling, who could make anyone laugh with her stories and antics.  We also had people like Liz, who had the gift of organization, and could shape our group into working order when work needed to be done.  Furthermore, we had people like Thomas, who had the gift of listening, who you could talk to about your entire day and get wonderful advice from in return.  Additionally, because of my education as a nursing student, I was able to bring a different gift to the table.  I was able to work in triage with efficiency and quickness because of my practice in clinical and at my job at a pediatricians’ office this summer.  I was also blessed to have the gift of knowledge of the type of illnesses we were treating at our clinic, such as malaria and malnourishment.  Together, these many gifts allowed us to form a viable community, as Kretzman and McKnight stated, “A competent community builds on the gifts of its people”. 

We became a community because of assortment of unique gifts and our foundation in friendship, determination, and trust.  Not many of us were friends before going to Ghana, but being in close quarters allowed us to get to know one another both well and quickly.  Furthermore, we became a community based upon our shared determination to serve the people of Ghana in a big way.  Lastly, we became a community based upon trust, and as Kretzman and McKnight stated, “Trust grows from the experience of being together in ways that make a difference in our lives”.  So, speaking for all of us, I believe that our time in Ghana made a difference in all of our lives.  We bonded closely over our shared desire to do more, to give back, and to love the community in which we were working.  And while we served in Techiman, we learned from them, a village dating back many decades, a village that exemplified the strengths of being an ABCD community.  

Techiman is the name of the community in which we worked while in Ghana, and it was one of the most beautiful and inspirational communities I have ever seen.  As a smaller community, made up of mostly farmers, you could see the basics of the ABCD model at work.  Neighbors helped neighbors, and the community came together, and because of that, they thrived.  Although they were mostly farmers, you could see the ways in which individual members took on other roles.  There were men who were musicians, women who cared for the children, children who worked to help support their families, and village chief who looked over it all.  Furthermore, there was a school, a mosque, and a village center.  The school was where children went to be educated by teachers, who were also members of the community.  The mosque was where families went for faith services, which were led by the religious leaders within the community.  Lastly, there was the village center, where all members of the community gathered to hear information, celebrate, and come together to strengthen their communal bonds.  Thus, all members of Techiman worked together for the greater good of their community. 

Additionally, while on our Brigade, we hired Ghanaian professionals to work with us, including three physicians, four nurses, and one pharmacist.  By bringing in Ghanaian healthcare professionals, we were able to reach out to other communities to get the help that Techiman both needed and deserved.  The Ghanaian healthcare professionals, although mostly from the capital city of Accra, were ready and willing to help the Techiman community in their healthcare needs.  And although this is wonderful, it brings to light the fact that Techiman did not have their own community members who could help with healthcare needs.  Thus, this was an obvious deficit, need, and problem in the Techiman community.  Yet, rather than looking at it altogether negatively, we realized that this was a community problem and it could be easily fixed by hiring the help of an “outsider”.  So, we realized our deficit and our need, and we were able to hire healthcare professionals who could help us overcome then.  And despite the fact that they were technically “outsiders”, we welcomed them with open arms and hospitality into our community because we realized, like Kretzman and McKnight stated, “The outsider has gifts, insights and experiences to share for our benefit”.     

So, overall, the ABCD model was prevalent throughout my entire Global Brigade experience.  It was visible in both our Loyola group of students and in the village of Techiman itself.  In both communities, the ABCD model was slightly altered to fit the pressing needs of that current community, but overall the outcomes were the same.  Both communities had members that brought something different to the table.  Both communities were based on a foundation of friendship, determination, and trust.  And both communities worked together for the greater good of the community itself.  Yet, it’s still important to remember that the community work is not finished, nor will it ever be finished.  There will always be work to be done and aspects to be improved upon.  However, we must all recognize that we both belong to a community and we help that community function, and because of that, we have succeeded.  So, like Kretzman and McKnight concluded, “A community that has found its way is nonetheless always on its way.  It has an anchor and it has sails – a history and a dream.  But it is finally lived by each one of us”.