Author: Penny

We’re currently building latrines in two villages, Afromano and Bobin. Now that the rains are with us, work in Aframano has come to a halt. The roads are very bad, sometimes impassable, and it’s terribly difficult to work in these conditions. On top of that, Aframano is a long way from town and people have picked up very limited building skills, for example, they have to be taught to make mud bricks.

By contrast, in Bobin, all the mud bricks were made sometime ago and when the rains are light construction can continue. Bobin people are really keen to get latrines, as they’ve heard over and over from other villages that latrines and hygiene training mean that diarrhoea will disappear. So they’re determined to continue work whenever it’s humanly possible. Here are a few pictures of how they shelter their half-finished latrines from the weather.

Dave, our teacher-trainer, has been working via Skype and Whatsapp over the last few weeks, delivering training to all eight District circuit supervisors plus two teachers from the schools for which each has responsibility. The training focused on specific techniques which teachers are expected to use when planning their lessons. It aimed to further increase pupil talk and engagement.

Dave’s working closely with Samuel, one of the circuit supervisors whom he feels is amazing in his understanding of what’s required and how to deliver it. Because of Samuel, Dave feels able to spend a lot more time at home in UK.

More training in each circuit and in individual schools will follow, with teachers trained to share techniques in their own school and to assist colleagues in lesson planning. The circuit supervisors will monitor this work and will be given small amount of money for transportation and refreshment costs.
Samuel has sent samples of lesson plans produced and Dave reckons this method of teacher-training is great value for money.

More photos of the distribution of solar lamps, kindly donated by BasAid. We’re not told which villages were the beneficiaries, but from their clothes one could guess that the people are settlers – people who’ve come south because it’s too difficult to maintain life in Northern Ghana and the Sahara. Settlers are usually exceptionally poor, so the solar lamps must be a great bonus. Apparently there was such a scramble for the lamps that at one point the Chiefs and community leaders had to be brought in to restore order.

When people asked taxi-driver Emmanuel why he worked so hard, he explained that he was saving up to pay for an operation for his little daughter, who had a hole in the heart. Volunteers Dawn and Paul immediately offered to fund it, and here are some pictures of the child, who is doing well after the operation.

We warmly invite you to join us at our annual summer party, when London-based Ashanti’s will cook Ghanaian food to thank us for helping their villages.
It will be held from 4pm to 6pm on Saturday 21st July at (or just outside) The Tenants Hall, Underneath Tresham, Lambs Conduit Passage, London WC1R 4RE, nearest tube Holborn.
There will be Ashanti music, gifts and plenty to eat and drink. You will also meet our amazing, cosmopolitan community of volunteers.