Ashanti Spring Sponsored Swim
Oasis Outdoor Pool, 32 Endell Street, WC2
Saturday 7th May 10am-3pm
Join us for a fun day of swimming and home baked goods to raise funds to sponsor a whole village in Ghana called DOME. Our target is £1,900.
To take part and for sponsor forms please email Penny David [email protected]
You can donate through our JustGiving Page at crowdfunding.justgiving.com/AshantiSpringSwim
Refreshments will be available all day.
We’ve got a huge amount of work underway in Ashanti. Eight villages have found sponsors since January – some are waiting for a gap in the queue to get started – and we’re also building our third clinic.
Despite all this, Nicholas has found time to seek out two new villages. Timber Nkwanta (meaning ‘Timber Crossroads’) started as a wood cutter’s hut and now consists of around 300 people; while Domeabra has only 100 people, mainly settlers from the north of Ghana. They’re both located near the town of Abuontem, where we’re putting in sanitation. Here are some photos.
Sponsorship for sanitation and hygiene training is estimated at £6,510 for Timber Nkwanta and £3,100 for Domeabra. It would turn around their lives.
We’re looking for volunteer teacher-trainers to spend three terms in Ashanti helping develop our teacher-trainer work.
A few years ago, retired teacher Dave Banks set out to improve the quality of teaching in Sekyere Central District. After observing lessons and talking to teachers, he documented a method of improving their performance, and at first was inclined to publish it.
But then he realised that the programme might well be seen as a foreign invention, created by an arogant foreigner who thought he knew it all.
So Dave decided to work with the eight top supervisors in the District. Together they revised the work, and then the supervisors cascaded the information to all the local schools. Since then, exam results have dramatically improved, and Dave is under pressure from neighbouring Districts to extend the programme to them.
We’re now looking for more people to join him – to work with District supervisors to amend and improve the programme so that local people can take ownership of it, and then to cascade it to large numbers of teachers.
This might be a great opportunity for recently retired people, or people looking for a change in life-style. No pay, but you’ll get free board and lodging, the knowledge you’re making a big difference to the life chances of many children, and the undying gratitude of some of the nicest people in Africa.
We’re building latrines now in seven villages – more than we’ve ever worked in before at one time. One of them, Abuontem, is also the largest village we’ve worked with and has at least nine different religions – Catholic, Presbyterian, Pentecostal, Methodist, Anglican, Muslim, Church of Christ, Seventh Day Adventists and Traditional. The Chief is also the fetish priest.
Our Country Director is anxious to get the work in Abuontem started quickly, so as to get a good headstart before the rains come. At first progress was stalled because he couldn’t find a mason, but luckily the local assemblyman has now found one in Pentem village, which isn’t too far away. So now it’s all systems go.
tem, which isn’t too far away, so it’s all systems go.
In Gyetiase, we recently managed to set up Skype in Gyetiase and Bonkron Primary Schools. Their twinned schools in the UK are now planning to connect with them.
We also showed children’s films to both schools. The photos were taken while the children were waiting for the films to start, and show David W making friends with the locals.
Mpantuase-Nkwabrim has sent a lovely thank-you letter for some teachers’ latrines. I can’t get it to photocopy reasonably, so here’s what it says: –
Dear Sir/Madam
A LETTER OF APPRECIATION
The Headteacher, Odikro, Assemblyman, staff, Parent/Teacher Association /School Management Committee … wish to express their profound thanks and gratitude to you for accepting to construct a six-seater toilet facility for us.
The Headteacher as well as the people are highly delighted for your financial support …
We are, therefore, writing to honour appreciation and pray that the Almighty God bless you greatefully (sic).
We hope this humble letter would be accepted in good faith.
And here are a couple of photos of the work in progress.
Although there’s free primary school education in Ghana, the two little girls in the photo can’t attend. This is because their nearest school is at Kwamang, which is at least five kilometres distant. However, thanks to a generous sponsor, at least they’ll soon have household latrines.
Esereso Village is quite remote from any town. It consists of a local community and separate settlement of Tuaregs – settlers from the north. Tuaregs or Fulanis are quite warlike and aggressive, and local people tend to keep their distance.
We’ve recently found a sponsor to develop Esereso and everyone, including the Tuaregs, is very happy. It looks as if the newcomers will at last start to integrate, as otherwise they may miss out on the latrines.
