Worm Project for Settler Villagers, Health Report, Water Filter Breakthrough, The 2016 Reith Lecture
News
A Hard Rain’s A Gonna Fall
… as Bob Dylan would say.
The rains are not far off now, so in Ashanti they’re trying to fast track latrine projects. Here are some photos of Ohemaa-Dida village (Dida means we eat here, we sleep here – not sure about Ohemaa), where they’re busy digging, and constructing masonry slabs and moulding mud bricks for the buildings.
We were asked to bring latrines to Ohemaa-Dida by the Queen Mother, who believed it would help her village gain good health. Sadly, she died before we’d raised the money. She’d have been so pleased to see it all happening.
Twin Coconut Trees
Nkubeta is the last village in a line of ten, and it’s lucky enough to be sponsored for latrines and hygiene training by Softwire Ltd, London-based producer of bespoke software systems. This is Softwire’s second sponsored village. They are making a real difference.
Nkubeta tell us that they came to the area from Denkira during the Ashanti Wars. They said that the Queen Mother of Petransa agreed to let them settle and told them to go into the forest and chose their own land. They did this, and came upon two coconut trees that were joined at the top. They decided to settle beside the trees and called their village Nkubeta, or ‘twin coconut trees.’
Boreholes
Our three successful boreholes at Dagati, JY and Ankumadua have now been joined by a fourth, at Esereso. Here are some photos.
Helping the Disabled
The photographs show the opening of our latest building – a centre for the disabled of Nsuta and District. The main donors, a Swiss charity called BasAid, sent representatives to the ceremony and were very impressed by the whole project. So little is provided for the disabled in Ghana that we feel this is one of the most worthwhile things we’ve done.
Three To A Desk
Campton Lower School generously donated funds to make desks for children in Atonsu Primary School. The two schools are twinned and regularly exchange letters and messages.
Atonsu School wrote to thank Campton, saying the (absence of desks) had been a serious need, and promising to cherish and remember Campton’s sensitivity to Antonsu’s problems.
A Way Of Living
One of the Ashanti villages I visited last month was called Wonoo. Some of the community are local Ashantis, but others are settlers who came south because climate change was making it nearly impossible to scratch a living in Northern Ghana or Burkino Faso.
They told us they were from the Dagumba, Fra-Fra, Dagati, Fulanji, Gunja and Mossi tribes. They are collectively called ‘Zongos,’ and they have their own line of authority. A village Zongo Chief will report to an area Zongo chief. Not sure how far up the chain goes.
Most of the Zongos are Muslim, but some are Christian and others follow traditional religions, led by people including the guy in the bottom photo. (Sorry, can’t persuade the photos to turn the right way up.) They all live peacefully together, regardless of ethnicity or religious beliefs. Why can’t we take a leaf out of their book.
Drilling in Dagati
Last week we managed to drill three successful boreholes in Ashanti – one in Dagati, one in JY (both privately sponsored villages) and the third in Ankumadua, where we’re also building a clinic. Our success rate was 100 per cent, which is a great improvement on past efforts when at best we averaged two in three.
Apparently the improvement is because we’re using a different sort of geophysics, which depend on radar to detect puddles of water below ground. Whatever – it’s turning round the villagers’ lives.
Awestruck In Ashanti
The photos show a meeting at the village of Timber Nkwanta, with everyone amazed to learn that a group of UK barristers and a young man called Rufus have decided to sponsor them for latrines. Apparently, the work is going really well – everyone very well motivated and anxious to get on with the work and get their latrines.
Teacher-Training Project
Dave Banks has just returned to Ashanti, where he’s got off to a flying start with his teacher-training project. He spent Mon/Tues preparing and planning; Weds training circuit supervisors; Thurs training 50 headteachers; Fri planning/training at St Monica’s teacher-training college. All very busy and positive, he says.
