{"version":"1.0","provider_name":"EWB Canada","provider_url":"https:\/\/www.ewb.ca\/en\/","author_name":"carly","author_url":"https:\/\/www.ewb.ca\/en\/author\/carly\/","title":"Learning to fail: adventures of a Junior Fellow in Ghana - EWB Canada","type":"rich","width":600,"height":338,"html":"<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ewb.ca\/en\/news-and-events\/news\/learning-fail-adventures-junior-fellow-ghana\/\">Learning to fail: adventures of a Junior Fellow in Ghana<\/a><\/blockquote>\n<script type='text\/javascript'>\n<!--\/\/--><![CDATA[\/\/><!--\n\t\t\/*! This file is auto-generated *\/\n\t\t!function(c,d){\"use strict\";var e=!1,n=!1;if(d.querySelector)if(c.addEventListener)e=!0;if(c.wp=c.wp||{},!c.wp.receiveEmbedMessage)if(c.wp.receiveEmbedMessage=function(e){var t=e.data;if(t)if(t.secret||t.message||t.value)if(!\/[^a-zA-Z0-9]\/.test(t.secret)){for(var r,a,i,s=d.querySelectorAll('iframe[data-secret=\"'+t.secret+'\"]'),n=d.querySelectorAll('blockquote[data-secret=\"'+t.secret+'\"]'),o=0;o<n.length;o++)n[o].style.display=\"none\";for(o=0;o<s.length;o++)if(r=s[o],e.source===r.contentWindow){if(r.removeAttribute(\"style\"),\"height\"===t.message){if(1e3<(i=parseInt(t.value,10)))i=1e3;else if(~~i<200)i=200;r.height=i}if(\"link\"===t.message)if(a=d.createElement(\"a\"),i=d.createElement(\"a\"),a.href=r.getAttribute(\"src\"),i.href=t.value,i.host===a.host)if(d.activeElement===r)c.top.location.href=t.value}}},e)c.addEventListener(\"message\",c.wp.receiveEmbedMessage,!1),d.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\",t,!1),c.addEventListener(\"load\",t,!1);function t(){if(!n){n=!0;for(var e,t,r=-1!==navigator.appVersion.indexOf(\"MSIE 10\"),a=!!navigator.userAgent.match(\/Trident.*rv:11\\.\/),i=d.querySelectorAll(\"iframe.wp-embedded-content\"),s=0;s<i.length;s++){if(!(e=i[s]).getAttribute(\"data-secret\"))t=Math.random().toString(36).substr(2,10),e.src+=\"#?secret=\"+t,e.setAttribute(\"data-secret\",t);if(r||a)(t=e.cloneNode(!0)).removeAttribute(\"security\"),e.parentNode.replaceChild(t,e)}}}}(window,document);\n\/\/--><!]]>\n<\/script><iframe sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ewb.ca\/en\/news-and-events\/news\/learning-fail-adventures-junior-fellow-ghana\/embed\/\" width=\"600\" height=\"338\" title=\"&#8220;Learning to fail: adventures of a Junior Fellow in Ghana&#8221; &#8212; EWB Canada\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" class=\"wp-embedded-content\"><\/iframe>","description":"In the three weeks since the end of my EWB Junior Fellowship and return to Canada, people have been curious about my time abroad. When asked \u201cHow was your time in Ghana? It must have been great, right?\u201d,my go-to response has been \u201cIt was educational.\u201d It\u2019s the best way to sum up four months of character development, emotional labour and a bit of fun. For my placement I was paired with Voto Mobile (now Viamo), a tech social enterprise that works toward giving a voice to people in underserved areas. They do this through surveys and hotlines that are administered via SMS and voice call. Each survey or hotline contains pertinent information that can be used to tailor products for a specific area, distribute educational information, or collect feedback. For instance, if you\u2019re a farmer you might opt in on a hotline that educates you on agricultural best practices, or maternal care if you\u2019re an expectant mother. It was this mission (giving others a voice and bridging the knowledge gap) that drew me to Voto. Learning to ask questions My work with Voto helped me to see a new side of development. Voto, like all of EWB\u2019s ventures, takes an alternative approach to development in which our stakeholders (i.e. venture clients, locals calling in to access a hotline) are at the heart of the matter. If the stakeholder isn\u2019t satisfied or if our product has failed to serve them, then we\u2019ve failed in our mission. My Junior Fellowship mission was fulfilling but it was also difficult and filled with failure. In particular, I faced a sense of inadequacy in myself. For much of my fellowship I struggled to ask questions. I struggled to engage with my work because I didn\u2019t want to accidentally delete something on the platform or miss [&hellip;]","thumbnail_url":"https:\/\/www.ewb.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/Copy-of-Concordia_ChampagneParty1.jpg","thumbnail_width":1600,"thumbnail_height":1066}