The President of Ghana, A Beginner Volunteer, News in Brief.
News
Plugging the hole in the heart
The photo shows, on the left, Emmanuel, our favourite taxi driver, receiving money sent by Paul and Dawn. They’ve very generously offered to fund an operation for his little daughter, who has a hole in the heart. As soon as Emmanuel got the money, he rushed off to Accra to register his daughter at the hospital.
Paul comments: “It’s not often people have the opportunity to completely change the course of a life and to make such a difference to a family. We should be grateful for that opportunity.”
The smile on the motor bike
The big smile on the motor bike belongs to Mavis, our microcredit manager. Many Ashanti women are reluctant to be seen on bike and motorbikes, but Mavis loves it, She needs to travel constantly from village to village, and the bike will speed things up no end.
The sweet sound of money
Shop quality Ashanti Development honey, making its first sales. Congratulations to Dawn and Paul for working out a terrific project, which is seriously increasing the income of local people. Honey is now produced from 102 hives across sixteen Ashanti villages.
Never forgotten
Early this week, a little ceremony took place in Gyetiase – the unveiling of a bust of Ashanti Development founder David Williamson. It was David who finally worked out how to get clean water to the village, and he was much beloved by the community. He would have very touched to know that the village commissioned the bust and is determined never to forget him.
David’s daughter, Dawn, is standing near the bust, and we’ve put in one of the last photos of David for comparison!
Sight and sound
The Adontenhene of our village recently sent us a plea for help. He said he was going deaf, which must be a problem for a Chief who’s work includes judging disputes.
So last December volunteer Mark gave Nana Adu an on-line hearing test, using his laptop. And this month, volunteer Elisabeth took him out some prescription hearing aids. We’re told he likes them a lot.
PS Spectacles courtesy of SpecSavers
Skittling success
The wonderful SpecSavers fund-raisers ran a skittles evening to raise money for their sponsored village, Mpantuase-Nkwabrim. No less that 73 people turned up to support them and they raised nearly £400.
A great day for eyes
It’s been a great day for eyes in Gyetiase. SpecSavers sent us thousands more secondhand specs, and they’re going like hot cakes.
Hey Google, tell me a story
Our friend Mark brought a ‘Google Home’ to Ghana last month. It’s the size of a doughnut, and tries to answer questions by searching for information on the web.
In the little village of Gyetiase, it was a wow – everyone wanted to have a go. Mark mounted it in a box on the back of a church, and day and night we could hear voices asking questions – for the name of the President of Ghana, or who Michael Essien was, or what was the capital of Togo, or just to be told a story.
Saying it like it is
In a recent speech, our Founder Martha Boadu called on Ghanaians to always think outside the box in their quest of developing the country.
More about Martha’s speech, and some photos
