Community Development in Accra: An Interview with Jay
When I first met Naa Borkor Quartey (or as we all call her, Jay) in 2009, I was struck by her care for her community and the incredible work she and her partner Nii were doing in Jamestown, a fishing neighbourhood in Accra. Jamestown is considered one of the poorest and most difficult areas of Accra.
I sat down with Jay yesterday in Jamestown to learn more about how she and Nii started the JayNii Streetwise Foundation in Jamestown.
Jay is from Nungua, East of Accra, where she grew up with her father as one of 12 siblings. Her father passed away when she was 10 years old, and she and 6 of her siblings moved in with their mother in Jamestown. She completed primary school and stopped attending secondary school in Form 2 at the age of 13, because there was no money in her family, and she needed to help out. She says that it was a decision we all have to make, and as the second oldest child, she had to look out for the others.
When Jay was 17, she joined a cultural drumming and dancing troupe, and met Nii, a musician and reporter. Nii helped Jay advance her schooling and she learned computer basics in artwork and software. She soon found a job as a graphic designer and marketing manager at a small publication called the Ghanaian Scholar. Unfortunately, the job was far away, and the salary was not even enough for her to pay for transport and food for herself, let alone to help her family. She left the job to find other work.
Jay and Nii, who had become good friends, met an individual who asked them to design and create a new publication. They designed and reported and made one print for the person to show an investor, and then never heard from that person again. As Jay said, "she duped us." Jay and Nii didn't do anything about it, and Jay said it was not worth fighting. They continued their drumming and dancing for various audiences, particularly the Ministry of Tourism. Jay enrolled in and completed a course at the Community School of Textile Designing, but at the age of 22, and looking like she was still a teenager, she could not find work because people believed she was too young. She started to make her own textiles in the house and sell them at the market.
The dance troupe was looking for rehearsal space, and found an abandoned piece of beach near the Jamestown lighthouse, and began to rehearse there. There were always kids around who should have been in school, and this upset Jay. She said, "Looking at my background, I was not able to complete my schooling the way I wanted to. I wanted to go to University. Now that we had performance money, we should help the kids. If we had others to help, maybe we would be better." And so, Jay convinced Nii to use the beach space not only for rehearsals, but also to help local kids in the community.
And so, the JayNii Streetwise Foundation was born. It has grown immensely since then, now housing children, helping with schoolwork, and paying school fees for children who would otherwise be wandering the streets of Jamestown. The organisation is 100% run by Jay and Nii, local community members who saw a need in their area, and decided to do something about it. Many Ghanaians don't create community programs like this, and look to foreigners for aid. When I asked Jay about this, she said that it is that way because "it is hard here. People struggle to make their own life. If it is hard to get to where I am, I have to keep it for me and my family, not the community. But if you help two or three people, maybe they will help two or three people, it will spread. The community will be a better place and proud." Jay was in a similar situation, struggling and helping her family, so I asked why she turned to help the community. She thinks that it is because of the nature of her work. "Our job is promoting peace and unity through drumming and dance. So why not bring it all together? We can also train students and performers."
Think about your own community, and how you can create a better place from within. Urban development isn't all about big buildings, nice streets, and a flashy image. It's about people and pride for your home.
Jay and Nii were married in 2011, and have a beautiful daughter named Meagan. Check out more about JayNii Streetwise's work at the video below, and at jaynii.com.
Lots of love from Accra,
Alex