mushrooms are back!

 

After the carpenter disappeared for a couple weeks, the mushroom grow house was nearing completion

And finally, the carpenter finished his part

I want to give an update now because of the progress we have made with the mushroom project (I’m pretty proud of us!) – as is said here, “we’ve done well.” Even though it seems like I’ve been working on flood recovery for such a long time, it only took a little over 2 months to rebuild the grow house and the shelves, then purchase the first batch of substrate and supply the first harvest.

Mr. Kyei, who makes ceremonial umbrellas using bamboo, and Ebenezer, who was the mushroom manager for a couple months prior to the flood and who is happy to stay on while we get underway again, worked together to make the bamboo shelves for the substrate.  

Bamboo salvaged from the original grow house

Ebenezer (standing) and Mr. Kyei (HFL president)

This is all definitely thanks to some donations received early on. Some friends wired money and, the very night of the flood, I received a message from an organization called Cross Catholic Outreach. In May or June, I had applied for a donation to be used for direct assistance with some of our members and for building up Hope for Life branches. I responded to their email notification of the donation a few days after the flood, explained about the destruction and asked if I could divert the donation towards emergency needs and rebuilding, and they agreed.

completed shelves, looking towards the door

to the right of the door, looking back

looking to the left

A view from the back of the grow house. The blue plastic table with detachable legs was in the original grow house and, somehow, it showed up (along with the legs!!) in the rubble and was salvaged. The baskets are all new. 

The previous polytank (the name for water tanks here) washed away. It was two to three times the size of the one pictured here. This one was used for something else in the past and had been in storage for the last several years. It's been resurrected for the mushrooms. However, it had some leaks. Ebenezer and I were working on plugging those up...so far so good....

the first batch of substrate!!

So, the mushroom project is gradually underway once again. This past Tuesday, I delivered the first harvest from our first batch of recovery substrate. Fifteen kilos (roughly 33 pounds) of fresh oyster mushrooms. Now that we understand a bit better about how the process works, I’m trying to build up the mushroom project in a more planned, structured way, by buying some substrate each week, rather than a larger quantity right away. What happens is it comes to our grow house and sits there for a few days to acclimate. Then it gets opened and watered and usually in 3 to 5 days, the mushrooms start coming and we get our first harvest - - - our first “flush.” We can then keep them in the refrigerator for a few days until we have enough to make it worthwhile to supply. The gradual purchasing of substrate means there should be more frequent flushes and a more constant supply of mushrooms.

a week later, a second batch of substrate

another week later, and here is where we bought the third batch of substrate

Joe was home on the day we bought the third batch of substrate and helped Ebenezer place them on the shelves

Ebenezer watering

The first client I supplied is a woman who has a fascinating outdoor kitchen area, with huge boiling cauldrons, where she makes only local dishes. However, they are all vegetarian style. For several months prior to the flood, she had become a regular customer and I love supporting her business. It’s a unique concept here, in a land where not eating meat tends to mean you haven’t eaten and that you cannot possibly be satisfied with what you swallowed. She has a small business and every time I go to supply, her workers all seem happy and friendly and the business seems to be doing well – filled with business people throughout the week. This time when they saw me coming with the 15 kgs, the owner (Pat) and the manager (Felicia) both started chanting, “our boyfriend’s back! Our boyfriend’s back!” I needed the smiles they gave. I have only eaten there once because she is across town, but I look forward to the next set of visitors coming so I have a good excuse to go across town to eat there again.

Unfortunately, Pat does not want me to take any pictures of her place, so, it’ll just need to be imagined….and enjoyed if you come to Accra.

    Just a reminder, if you can help share my GoFundMe, it will be greatly appreciated. We still have car problems and I'm trying to raise the money needed for a replacement vehicle. Feel free to also share the blog - - thanks!  

Support Hope for Life's Recovery from Devastating Flood

 

           I last updated this a little over a week after the flash flood took away a couple of our walls, the car, the delivery van and the entire mushroom project, among other things (like some trees, used tires, trash cans, a shipping container, etc.). Hope for Life members who were at Bethany House during those days, either with crutches or in wheelchairs, focused their next days on thoroughly scrubbing out the house. Those of us who were more mobile focused on the outside - - separating the wreckage that washed up against the delivery van into zinc, wood and bamboo piles, shovelling up the mud and sand to make moving around outside safer and easier, clearing away rubble and shovelling up the muck that now filled open gutters outside the house. In addition to helping with the outside clean-up, the bakery workers thoroughly cleaned out the flooded and mudded bakery and assessed damage to the machines.

Chea digging final sludge out of first half of gutter

As this was going on, I also needed to find mechanics who could come to the house to check out the car and the delivery van. We needed a carpenter and mason to plan re-construction of the mushroom grow house and the walls. We needed to deal with the shipping container and the neighbor who lives next to the large gutter that the container is now hanging over. Justifiably, he was worried - - if another flood came, the container could go into the gutter and would then block it up, potentially damaging his property. Meanwhile, he sat outside every day, watching us and questioning our delay in finding a solution for the container. Then, the first day that we were not using our newly purchased wheelbarrow or shovels, he came by asking to borrow them…harumph.

the troublesomely re-located shipping container

          I’ve been surprised and disappointed that no one in the area came by to offer help. I am used to communities pulling together in disasters. However, friends from further away came to help as they could. A week after the flood, a Ghanaian friend called to ask if we had been affected, and when she heard the details, she came that same day to give a hand. In addition to helping in the house, she took the muddy curtains and bedsheets home to wash in her washing machine. Our Liberian friends, who had a 3-hour, one-way trip in public transport to get to our house, came a couple of different times - - once even with food. Another friend who had been coming regularly to maintain the outside once per week in exchange for help with vocational training fees came and stayed 4 nights per week for 3 weeks, earning an award for being the hardest worker in the house.

a long line of our rubble now partially filling the gutted road (a bad panoramic shot, however, the line should be straight)

          While most of July was filled with non-stop physical work for us, my mind was simultaneously planning the steps to be taken further down the road. And then the emergency physical work died down for me by the third or fourth week. It became less urgent and less necessary for all of us to be involved. It will be ongoing for some time, just no longer a crisis. Those steps I had been planning in my mind came into play and I needed to spend more time organizing, being around for and following up with masons, carpenters, mechanics, the welder, etc. I needed to spend time trying to raise funds…

another view of the rubble hauled from inside our compound to fill in the road          ...fading off into the distance

Without the constant physical, emergency occupations, I became restless and tired of everything and everyone while waiting for the tradespeople to show up and do their work. I felt depressed, with little else I could do but wait. I was probably just burnt out…having felt alone in dealing with it all – trying to figure out where we would get the money from, how I could find a more serious carpenter, where and how could I find someone to get the container away from the gutter, waiting for the next issue to come up with the car or delivery van, etc.

a version of a regular view of the car

Almost daily there have been problems with the water-damaged vehicles. When the mechanic finishes with one problem, the following day there is another (uggggh water damage). The delivery van seemed OK more quickly than the car – just a change of filters and oil (supposedly). But, three weeks ago its rear tire seized up. Fortunately, the car had just been brought back (again) from the mechanic the previous day and had survived its test run. For the past 3 weeks, it has been the bakery’s delivery vehicle. It runs (most of the time), despite still having issues yet to be determined: maybe the hubs? maybe another electrical issue? maybe something more because the check engine light appears regularly? and what about that new oil leak…?! No matter what, I’m sure it is a combination of things. It has been struggling with the ongoing delivery needs and has been back to the mechanic a few times. Meanwhile, the delivery van is still at the garage 3 weeks later, waiting for a rear axle to exit the port and be installed. 

seized up back tire, axle issue, drive shaft issue...becoming a one-month issue...

Meanwhile, the grow house has made some progress. The structure is going up, and we expect to start building the shelves soon. Some of the bamboo from the previous shelves washed up against the delivery van and was salvaged and will be re-used. I am hopeful that substrate can be purchased again in a week.

first step of rebuilding the grow house - - fixing the base of its wall and floor

 

 

          My colleagues have had no success in solving the shipping container issue. After organizing the other stuff, I called a contact I have to see if they can help solve the problem - - but, so far, no luck. We need to find a solution soon, though - - I just am at a loss.

At the same time, I am extremely thankful that the school took it upon themselves to rebuild the wall that fell not just between us and them but on the other side of the compound, as well.

the roadside wall...finishing touches remain

I started feeling better mentally after a week or so of the doldrums. I have done some visits to Hope for Life members, which helps, as well as attended a couple of Hope for Life branch meetings. The team from the Liberian camp and I have been able to resume the outreach clinic for kids with disabilities once per week, thanks to a vehicle from some friends who have left the country.

Ruth deciding I should wear someone's winter hat while working with little Renfell
 

Ruth now supervising 

 

Ruth

And how can someone not feel better after working with these sweethearts.

 

            Rainy season here is evolving, it seems. Last year, the rains seemed to go on forever, at least much longer than usual. They came earlier and stayed longer. On one hand, it was kind of nice - - cooler temperatures, good sleeping and happy mushrooms. On the other hand, it often meant that Hope for Life branch meetings were cancelled because it was more difficult to get around. It also meant that, occasionally, a few areas flooded.

            When the rainy season begins, storms come in with a bang: heavy downpours, blasting winds, lightening (frequently leading to more power outages) and thunder. This is often the time for the flooding I mentioned above as well as the time that the dirt road in front of our house becomes a muddy torrent.

This year also started earlier than former years. There have been powerful storms, the road in front of the house became a washed out, muddy torrent and there were discoveries of roof leaks here and there. The rains have been more frequent than usual with little time to dry out in-between.

And then this past Monday, June 29, happened.

It had been raining most of the night. Ebenezer, the current mushroom guy was away to plan his mother’s funeral with the family, so I was on harvest and watering duty. I opened the door and saw exactly how much rain we had been, and still were, getting since the previous night --- the compound had flooded up to the tires of the car and delivery van and the dirt road in front of the house was a torrent, with water splashing in under the gate.

It wasn’t anything to worry about, so I went to the mushroom grow house (on the left in the picture above), harvested and decided to take a small break and go eat breakfast before returning to open new substrate we had purchased the week before and then water all.

I was upstairs a couple of minutes and about to get some eggs and veggies to cook up. I have two visitors who were with the bakery supervisor looking out the upstairs side window towards the school compound that is alongside and behind us. It borders the main road, as well. They called for me to come see…the school’s wall that borders the main road had just collapsed and the main road was a raging river. The waters began pouring through the school compound and in a minute or so we heard a bang but, from where we were, we couldn’t see what had caused it. I ran downstairs….water was already coming into the house. The supervisor joined me to watch from the door I had just gone through an hour earlier to harvest the mushrooms…

The wall behind the mushroom grow house that was between us and the school was the bang we heard when it collapsed. Water was now pouring through the gap and into our compound. After a minute or so, the supervisor commented that the car was moving…he was right…then the van was moving…then the entire mushroom grow house moved…

this was where the grow house had just stood

        We have 3 people currently in the house who are wheelchair users and 2 people with crutches, 2 bakery workers, my two visitors and me. We took everyone and their wheelchairs up the stairs as the water was already between our ankles and knees with no idea of how high it would continue to get. Some of us went back down to stand in the muddy water and watch from the door....

some of the grow house remains, stopped by the delivery van that had been stopped by the clothes line pole

            As the water gradually reversed course and started going out of the house, we stepped out of the door to get a better view of it all, and I happily saw the car had gotten caught up just outside our gate and was no longer on its way to the Atlantic.

As the flooding receded more, we slushed through the calming, but still flowing, water to see the extent of the damage, the trees down, how far the broken walls extended, how the road out front was still a raging mud river, etc. 

 

 

view from the hole in the school wall, looking over the floor of the grow house

fortunately the bordering wall fell short of crashing through the house's side wall

       Here's a view from the roadside a couple days before the flood and then a couple of views afterwards. The mushroom grow house is there, trees are there, the car is where it was parked prior to the flood.

            ....and after:

            Looking back towards the road/river...the former wall...the car outside....

            After some stunned moments, the interior clean-up began. It was already afternoon and we had a layer of muck throughout the house. That first afternoon was all about cleaning inside, making floors safe to navigate and giving the bedrooms a chance to still be slept in that night.

my visitors, two french women, cleaning out the mud from their bedroom 

 

After a few days of scrubbing floors and the lower parts of walls, Rose has moved onto cleaning and scrubbing cupboards and their contents.

            The rest of the week (and ongoing) is clearing out and cleaning up. Over the two days following the destruction, the grow house’s carcass, stopped by the bakery’s delivery van, was separated into piles of zinc roof, wood beams, reusable and no longer useful bamboo. In the next days, Ebenezer removed nails from the reusable bamboo, broken cement from the walls started being cleared and used to fill in gullies that had been formed, uprooted trees and other non-useful burnables were stacked up roadside for later burning. Removing mud, silt and all else that washed into the gutter in front of the house still needs to begin. At the end of last week, a mechanic began working on the car - - there is hope it will run again. 

         Friends from the Liberia camp - part of Joe's outreach team - came for a day of helping to clean up:

The bakery workers were not only cleaning out the flooded bakery, but have been pitching in outside, as well.

 

cleaning the ramp for wheelchairs

trying to dry

Ebenezer cleaning the muck from inside the car

Throughout this time, my mind is planning the steps forward….

The cement blocks and crumblings from the broken walls need to continue being removed. They can dumped in the gutted road to start filling in some of the gullies…

The carpenter came to discuss reconstruction of the mushroom grow house - - we need an estimate so that we can try to raise the money. A plan is in my head for how to adjust the interior a bit to expand future production….

The bakery delivery van runs, but shouldn’t be run until it goes for servicing and repairs. Then it can get back on its regular schedule. However, the Nissan garage was heavily hit by the flood and they are trying to salvage what they can. Maybe next week they will be ready for customers…

The shipping container that had once been a shop for a Hope for Life member and lately has been storage in front of the house was washed across the street and turned on its side. But it needs to be dealt with – put back in place, sold… something…

 

this is a couple days before, with the container on the right of the picture

Deeper cleaning needs to continue in the house to make sure we can keep mosquitos, rats and other pests at bay…

As is said here, "we are on it."