Carrying a 'small boutique on their heads': Homeopath Mel Dupres is helping head traders in Ghana with their spinal problems.

Head traders are a common sight around Accra, but the impact that this exercise has on their spines is quite another matter. Resident homeopathic doctor Melanie Dupres explained that she has been working on many of these saleswomen at the Ghana Homoeopathic Project.

Miss Dupres went to the West African nation 10 months ago for a short stint at the clinic, but has found the work so rewarding that she decided to extend her stay. Over the months, she also produced a film on head traders and its impact on their bodies. She had planned to show it during a fundraiser next month, but it was unfortunately stolen. She is planning to re-shoot the project, but until then the Ghana Homoeopathic Project, which is a UK-based charity, needs support from the public.

Miss Dupres spoke to The Royal Gazette about the plight of many of the Ghanaian women, the cost of treatments and the fact they turn no one away based on their lack of funds. The head traders are classed as the lowest of the low, but day after day, they walk for miles with incredibly heavy loads.

"One lady said she left the house at dawn and arrived back around 3 p.m. in time for her son to come from school," said Miss Dupres.
"She walked like this because she encountered more customers. She sells pineapples and papaya (paw paws). If she just sells pineapples she sells only a few, when she mixes them she sells more. She carries a knife and small plastic bags. She will peel the fruit and put it in the bag without touching it – it is quite an art.
Some people stay in a certain area like a trotro (bus station) where there are still lots of people, but they don't have to walk as far, although there tend to be people selling the same thing in one particular area so there is more competition."

To fully experience the gravity of head trading, Miss Dupres donned a basket with goods and set out on a selling mission.
"When I did the trading myself I was at the station," she said.
"It was interesting, as you have to be very vigilant and quick to get the sale otherwise someone else will take it from you." Of the items they sell, she said: "I have a theory that if you sit long enough in one place absolutely everything that you could ever want will walk by on someone's head. Foods include cookies, soft drinks, ice cream, plantain chips. Pharmaceuticals like de-wormer and ibuprofen, beauty products including shaving materials, soap and even female sanitary napkins.
Hair accessories and jewellery – some people have a small boutique on their heads. All fruits: oranges, pineapples, bananas, paw paws. Pots of food with condiments, plates, essentially a small kitchen!"

When asked whether the head trading position was financially viable, it was disappointing to hear that after a morning's hike, being on their feet selling all day, they were lucky to earn $5.
"Yes I guess they are able to eek out a living through this form of trade," said the homeopath.
"One lady told me she makes three cedis, which is equivalent to $3 a day and she has two children to feed. It is amazing. Another lady explained that she previously had a shop selling soft drinks, but she did not make any money so she switched to head trading at a big trotro station. She now sells cream crackers and ginger biscuits, which are the most popular among her biscuits. She makes a profit of about five cedis a day. It varies of course because of numbers passing through the station vary. Popular travel days are Fridays and Saturdays when people travel to their villages for funerals.

"It also it depends on what you sell, as some things are more popular than others. There are always pure water sellers around because people obviously need water, as it is so hot. But after making very little, they have to contend with condescension and disdain. In a society dominated by class, head traders are seen to be at the bottom of the ranking," said Miss Dupres.

"While people generally are used to buying things in this way, the traders are not often respected. I have seen people throw money at them; especially the ones trading in the street, if the light goes green and the car is pulling off the driver may throw the money.
It must be quite demeaning. It is also dangerous dodging the cars. You see young women and sometimes children and it is quite disturbing at times. I have been told that sometimes students can earn their money to go to school in this way."

But the impact on their health is what is of a concern to Miss Dupres.

"When I have asked them, they generally laugh and deny it that there is any impact, but from simple observation in the clinic, the women – and it is usually women that seek help that speak of chronic headaches, waist pain and often the numbness in legs and arms, which must be attributed to the compression of the spine from carrying heavy loads for years," she explained.

"It is the tradition and they start from a very young age. It is not just the head traders, but also the farmers who suffer. They also carry heavy loads of cassava, yam and firewood for miles from the farm itself to the village so that they can use it."
Asked whether the pain was severe, she said: "The pain is bad enough for them to seek help, but I think that many Ghanaians just live with it, especially if they can't afford to go to the hospital.

They may take paracetamol (pain killers) or take some local herbs that help for a while, but in the long term these are not real solutions. The problem is many people don't have a choice.
What else will they do as they may have limited education and no financial resources so they see no way out. They just get on with it."

Since hearing about the treatment at the Centre, many have come in for assistance.

"In the last 10 months I have seen maybe 200 patients or more in various locations around the country," she said.
"The majority come with pains of various descriptions and we always ask if they are head traders. Most suffer with malaria too. There are many people suffering too much and unlike us in Bermuda they don't have a choice because they can't afford treatment.
This is why the Ghana Homoeopathic Project is so important. We give people a safe and affordable health care option.

The Ghanaian people are very grateful. Some are sceptical because they leave our clinic with maybe a couple of week's worth of pills. When they go to the hospital or allopathic clinic they can leave with a bagful of drugs, creams and vitamins. Sometimes the prescriptions are up to 10 items long!"

The work that is being carried out at the Ghana Homoeopathic Project is being spread by one of the oldest forms of advertising.

"Word of mouth is a powerful means of advertising!" she said. In the village in the Volta region, where I travel twice a month, there are people that come from miles away for treatment, because they have heard that 'the white pills' really work! In the city I have noticed that people come for more complicated conditions as well as their aches and pains."

Miss Dupres explained that they take all their symptoms and then give homoeopathic remedies that will alleviate the pain.

"I also encourage them to stretch their spines, as obviously if the spine is being compressed all day from heavy loads over the years then it is important to counteract this," she said. "I show them some exercises then we do them together.

For a Bermudian, a treatment of less than $10, would be cheap, but for many of the head traders that is an entire day's salary. "Treatment costs five cedis which is the equivalent of $5, however, we don't turn anyone away if they cannot afford to pay."

Regarding the Bermudian public's assistance, she said: "Many Bermudians have already assisted, but donations are always welcome. "It takes an average of about $25 to run a low cost clinic in the city; including travel there, medicines and giving a contribution to the students that come to sit in for their transport and lunch. We are moving towards self-sustainability, but this takes time and in order to keep the project up and running. We are at the moment still relying on generous donations from the public globally.

The majority of fundraising is done in the UK where we are a registered charity. In Bermuda, there is a special GHP account in Bermuda HSBC 010-363711-002."