Day 15 - Soar and Explore

Our day started off very early with a 6:30am wake up and breakfast. We then boarded the bus for our first stop of the day, Zipline.

Zipline is a drone medical delivery company that serves the Lake Volta region of Ghana. It delivers potentially live saving medicine like snake anti-venom to rural communities. Zipline also works with the government to help fill quotas for hospitals in their area. For many, the highlight of this visit was seeing the inventory area, watching the workers pack a box for delivery and then launching the drone into the air. Zipline operates six total distribution hubs in Ghana and has completed more than half a million lifetime deliveries since its founding in 2019.



Next, we made our way up to Lake Volta, the second largest man-made lake in the world. Our tour guide, Michael, talked a lot about Lake Volta's history, how it was started in 1965 with the construction of the Akosombo Dam. He also touched on recent issues - such as a 2023 controlled spillage resulting from excessive water levels that displaced thousands of residents in local low-lying communities. 



Our final stop of the day was the Shai Hills Resource Reserve, a 51-square kilometer protected area established in 1962. The reserve features a mix of grassland and dry forest and is home to wildlife such as olive baboons, green monkey, and over 172 bird species.  We embarked on a hike, learning about the Shai and their cultural traditions. Near the end of our visit, we also had the opportunity to see ostriches and monkeys. We wrapped up the day back at the program site for dinner and much appreciated rest.


Doug

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