Asset Based Community Development (ABCD): This model, created at Northwestern University, is used to create a substantial community by analyzing the communities "assets" or talents. This model utilizes community assets to underdeveloped communities that can run independently. This reflection seeks to analyze the various assets and needs in the village, Ekumfi Techiman, we served in Ghana.

          The most interesting part about Ekumfi Techiman is the way they are able to use their gifts and talents to create a unified yet unique community. The ABCD model was certainly present throughout the community. Each member of Ekumfi used his or her talents to spread their culture with the rest of the community. The slideshow I have attached with this reflection outlines many of the talents I saw during my time in Ghana. These talents include dancing, music, art, family nurturing, religion, and cooking. All of these talents are unique and specialized to Ekumfi Techiman. Over time, these talents become assets to the community by creating a way for members to come together and share ideas.

While many of these talents can be used as assets in the community, there are still many needs within the community. For example, although there are many talented farmers in Ekumfi, they do not have the means to grow crops that are needed in a balanced diet. The diet of the community members consists mainly of starch and some fruits. While these are necessary for a healthy lifestyle, there are other important nutrients missing from their diets. If the farmers had better supplies or more knowledge about nutrition, they might be able to improve their health.

 Another example deals with family nurturing. While family care giving is one of the most important values in Ekumfi, many parents do not have the ability to keep their children clean and healthy. The community of Ekumfi does not have access to clean water or many hygiene products. This makes it difficult for both adults and children to protect themselves from diseases. With access to proper sanitation devices, parents in Ekumfi Techiman may be able to keep their children free from disease. Additionally, we learned that every citizen of Ghana is provided with free healthcare. Unfortunately, this healthcare is extremely limited. This is one of the biggest needs that I noticed in Ghana. With better healthcare, disease could be reduced tremendously throughout the country.

The Ghanaian government mandates that every community provide free education until high school. In theory, this sounds great, but there is a catch. The families must pay for books and school supplies. Many families do not make enough money to purchase these supplies and are unable to send their children to school. Many communities are also too poor to maintain the schools, which creates an unsanitary environment for the children to be in. These are extremely important issues that need to be focused on within the Ghanaian government.

In my opinion, global brigades used the ABCD model throughout our brigade. The way global brigades schedules the trips for brigaders gives us the opportunity to see and explore the assets as well as needs in the community. During the door-to-door visits, brigaders are able to experience the talents of the Ghanaians and in some occasions participate. For example, a group of girls had the opportunity to make food with one of the families. In some instances, global brigades provided the community members a way to share their talents with us.  One specific instance was when the global brigades team brought a sound system and DJ into the community. This gave the community members an opportunity to share their unique dance moves with us.

One of the purposes of the brigade is to provide medical supplies to the communities. The purpose in itself exposes many of the needs of the community (medicine, sanitation, etc.). The door-to-door visits allowed us to explore the unique culture of the community members, but it also showed us how terrible their living conditions are. Through talking with the community members, we learned about the many problems in their education and health care systems. While we were able to see many of the wonderful things that contribute to the culture of Ekumfi, the program of global brigades itself brings to light the many needs of the community.