It's All About SCHOOL in Axim, Ghana

These are most of the individual children we've have helped stay in school in 2016, in one way or another (a few of the little guys in blue uniforms couldn't be rounded up for the pic!). Fifteen of these students were in vocational school, learning needed trades. Dozens more were helped by library programs, school building renovations, dormitory hosting, new toilets, information technologies, and workshops.

Dear Friends,

We’ve had a good year!  On behalf of ourselves, our Ghanaian colleagues, and the many children we've helped, we give sincere thanks to all of you financial, in-kind, and “hard-work” investors! 

Please click HERE for our Annual Update Letter (if you haven't already seen it!)

...and HERE for News Updates with photos

Now we're focusing on 2017.

We and our friends in Axim have agreed to focus most of our efforts and resources in 2017 on getting and keeping Axim kids in school.

Here's why:

--Although Ghana has made great strides, and provides tuition-free education through junior high, there are still many children not in school in Axim.

--For some, the government-funded school is beyond reasonable walking distance.

--Some parents can’t come up with the $10 US for each of their children's uniforms, plus additional cost of underwear, notebook, pen, sandals, etc.

--Some students drop out to help fish or farm, so younger siblings can go to school.

--Maybe Mom’s market stall is the sole family income, and she cannot afford to send all her children.

--Maybe the student is capable, but can't fund vocational school, or senior high, which are not tuition-free at this point. 

--Or??

We have been doing this for ten years, TOGETHER. We have developed effective ways to get and keep kids in school through our partnership with trusted colleagues in Axim, especially Operations Mgr. Evans Arloo’s strong recordkeeping/financial skills, Queen Mom Nana Adjow Sika’s knowledge of families and wise counsel, input from Headmasters/Mistresses, and James Kainyiah’s oversight and business acumen.

Yes, in some cases, we assume all school costs, including room and board. BUT, in most cases, we share responsibility with families.

Our aim is to get as many children as possible through Grade 6, minimum. At that level, they know basic math and English, can participate in their democratic system at the local and national level, read instructions, understand banking, send messages by mobile phone, etc.

And yes, we’ll definitely continue to send children's books to the Axim Public Library, which is serving 15 schools with the Mobile Library. And we'll shore up a few other needs here and there.

We again assure you that we use 100% of your donations toward our projects.  We on the Ghana Together Board handle all administrative costs ourselves, including all travel expenses.

We ask for your financial support for our 2017 goals – focused on the continuing education of Axim’s children - either by check in the mail, or by credit card via the PayPal link on our website.

Ex-pats may want to help their "hometown" anonymously, take advantage of US charitable deductions, and be confident of trustworthy handling of their contributions. 

And, if you are in Ghana, remember every cedi helps! You can deposit funds into the Western Heritage Home account at Ghana Commercial Bank. Contact James Kainyiah at 024-407-2638 for more info. We support businesses locally in Axim as much as possible.

With our sincere thanks…and our very best wishes for you, dear reader, in 2017.

Ghana Together Directors:  Maryanne Ward, Jerome Chandler, Rich Ward, Louise Wilkinson, and Nathan Ward

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Mailing Address: 808 Addison Place, Mount Vernon, WA 98273

To help: http://ghanatogether.org/HTML/Donations.html

Email: info@ghanatogether.org  (or just respond to this email)

Website: http://ghanatogether.org

We are a US-registered 501c3, FED EIN 2182965

Another Project Done and Dusted in Axim, Ghana

Last weekend, James Kainyiah, on behalf of Western Heritage Home and Ghana Together, “handed over” a renovated men's dormitory and UDDT type toilet to Madame Safiatu Seidu, Director of the Community Development Vocational Technical Institute located in Axim, Ghana.

James Kainyiah (front, 2nd from left in the wild yellow shirt) and Director Safiatu Seidu (pink headscarf) along with teachers in the front row join with students to celebrate the dedication of their newly-renovated dormitory

CDVTI has a long history in Axim, as a training school for textile design, dressmaking, cooking/catering, hairdressing, jewelry making, home and family management, entrepreneurship, basic computer science, English, business math, etc. Historically, most of the students were young women.

A few years ago we renovated the CDVTI girls’ dormitory, opening up opportunity for training to 40 or so young women from surrounding villages.

In the past 2-3 years CDVTI has added welding/fabrication, electrician, construction, auto mechanics, and other trades, all much-needed in the Axim area. These courses have attracted more male students. But without living quarters...

...maybe this building could be renovated into a guys' dormitory?

Well, yes, it could be. So this year, with a lot of help from local contractors and the students themselves, we fixed up this old building. Now 40 male students have a place to live. 

Dormitory as it looks now after being renovated

They slept on mattresses on the floor for 2nd term, but a local carpenter made 20 bunkbeds. Madame Seidu is thoroughly enjoying greeting the delivery motor-tricycle!

The carpentry students assembled the bunk beds, led by the guy in the yellow hat. Thank you, guys!

BUT, a new problem emerged---the guys were going to have to share the little two-compartment toilet currently used only by female teachers!! WHAT???

But, of course (!) Axim folks now know all about urine diversification/dehyration toilets, thanks to Engineers Without Borders (Bellingham-based...what a group!!). WHEW!!

So, before you know it,  CDVTI had a two-compartment, one-urinal, guys-only UDDT! (Thanks, Mr. Appiah, contractor extraordinaire. You're the BEST!)

Led by Kingsley Lamin (in the white hat), one of our WHH Scholars, the welding/fabrication students built a guard to secure the hand-washing container

One of the hoped-for "spin-offs" from this project is that these students now understand the concept and design behind the UDDTs---keeping urine and feces separate and available for use as fertilizer. Odor is much minimized. They are much easier to maintain. The students learning construction, especially, may find business opportunities, and use this knowledge in future as they graduate out into the work world.

We've been involved at CDVTI for many years. We really like the idea of vocational training, especially in a developing country like Ghana, which is trying to provide basic services, especially in more rural areas.

In addition to the renovation projects, we're currently supporting 14 students on scholarship at CDVTI. 

Ghana Together's Louise Wilkinson and Susan Hirst taught a Leadership Workshop for the entire CDVTI student body in Sept 2015. 

We hosted a Days for Girls Workshop for both guys and gals in March of 2016, led by Bernice Ankrah, Ghana DFG Country Manager, with menstrual kits supplied by Anacortes, Washington Days for Girls Chapter. 

And, we recently received a gift of about 100 up-to-date technical books on construction, plumbing, electricity, etc. for the pretty much, up-to-now, non-existent CDVTI Technical Library.

Thanks to all---financial investors, CDVTI and Western Heritage Home on-the-ground leadership, local contractors, student work teams...

Bit by bit we get it DONE!!! 

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Contact us at info@ghanatogether.org (or just respond to this email)

http://ghanatogether.org

We are a US-registered 501c3. Our FED EIN is: 2182965

Engineers Without Borders Invitation to Ghana Travelogue---See YOU There!!

We are happy to post this invitation to a Travelogue on the recent Engineers Without Borders visit to Axim. (You saw our last News Update...if not, scroll down a bit). Put on your best Ghanaian "duds" and we'll see you there!!

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Hello All,

Please join us for the Ghana Travelogue on Wednesday 11/9 from 5:30-7:00 at Mount Baker Theater's Encore Room (entrance off Champion Street), in Bellingham, WA.

This event is free, and open to the public (donations accepted). Please feel free to bring your family, friends, coworkers, etc. to hear about our recent trip to Axim, Ghana to evaluate the performance of our sanitation project built in 2014. This was our chapter's fourth visit to Axim, and it's great to see all of the progress that has been made. 

Please post the attached flier at your school, office, library, favorite coffee shop, or on your favorite bulletin board.

See you there!!

Colleen Mitchell

(And if you haven't yet, please vote for our Kenya water supply project on Penetron's Facebook page by midnight tonight!! We are competing to win grant funding to help improve water supply for the residents of Kiritiri, Kenya.) 

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info@ghanatogether.org

http://ghanatogether.org

Engineers Without Borders Evaluate UDDT-style Toilets in Axim, Ghana

Yes, we're into toilets again!! Bear with us...:)

First...

Thank you, Pacific Northwest Chapter of Engineers Without Borders, for revisiting Axim to evaluate the “urine diversification/dehydration (dry) toilets” (UDDTs) and generally taking an in-depth look at all things “toilets.”

Colleen Mitchell (you’ve met her before in prior News Updates) and Evan Dahl traveled to Axim this Sept, primarily to evaluate the first UDDT in the Axim/Nzema East area.

Colleen Mitchell, Evan Dahl with sunglasses, and one of UDDT contractor's staff in Axim, Ghana. They are examining the growing area behind one of the UDDTs, which has been fertilized for nearly three years by urine.

They were hosted by our Western Heritage Home affiliates in Axim: James Kainyiah, Chair, and Evans Arloo, Operations Manager. Thank you!

In 2013-2014, this EWB chapter designed, funded, traveled to Axim to initiate, oversaw building, and trained students and staff for a new-design UDDT-type toilet at the Axim Catholic-Government Junior High School.

Colleen Mitchell in 2013 just prior to building a new toilet. This was the sole toilet at the Catholic-Government JHS School, for about 200 students

Current toilet at the Catholic-Gov't JHS, thanks to the Pacific Northwest Chapter of Engineers Without Borders. In Sept 2016, having been in use for about three years, Colleen and Evan evaluated this toilet thoroughly as to use, maintenance, design considerations, etc.

We, with our Western Heritage Home affiliates based in Axim, helped a bit by finding a potential school, introducing the concept to school leaders, staff, and parents, and generally using our experience in Axim to pave the way.

And, based on the success and improvements we saw at the EWB’s initial project, we of Ghana Together funded and built two more prototype UDDTs at the Methodist-Government Primary/JHS School, and a smaller one for the young male students at the Community Development Vocational Technical Institute.

Toilet at the Methodist-Gov't School for primary students in early 2015

New UDDT type toilet funded by Ghana Together at the Methodist Government School, in March 2016. We used EWB's design, with some changes based on input from local experience, and the same contractor

But, it was time for the expert EWB engineers to evaluate the viability of the UDDT installations in Axim.

Certainly, these toilets are not the highly-desired, WC-flush-type---we understand that--- but given Axim's current infrastructure development, this concept is a big step forward, and makes sense,especially for children and youth in schools. (Note that about half of Ghana’s 20.000 public schools are entirely without toilets, as are thousands of private schools.)

Evan and Colleen found that, generally, the UDDT concept is working out well.

Some positives:

·         good support and promise of protection while visiting in the area from the Municipal Chief Executive

·         no discharge of untreated waste that can contaminate water sources

·         students clean their UDDT once/week

·         paper and cloth/paper menstrual supplies can go right with waste and it don’t have to be burned or buried separately

·         best toilets students have, so they “hold it” until they get to school

·         soap hanging from a rope is very good—encouraging kids to wash hands after every use

·         urinal size is ok

·         no odor present in inactive chambers

·         compost was high-quality, dry, soil-like

·         students and teachers are catching on to the use of red/green plugs to signal which chambers are in use and which are sealed for a year

·         teachers who had no toilet at their schools for themselves really appreciate the dedicated “teacher stall”

Colleen and Evan met with community leaders, school staffs, and students. They GOT a lot of feedback---they GAVE a lot of feedback!

They left detailed notes/report for each school for recommended changes and improvements.

They and Western Heritage Home representatives also visited the local rubber plantation, which also uses the “dry toilet” concept, along with the fertilizer produced, in the villages located on their lands. There are others in the Axim area, such as coconut farmers, who have expressed tentative interest in the fertilizer produced by these toilets.

It is our hope that the three prototype UDDTs now in Axim, used by students from kindergarten through young adult vocational students, will provide local leaders sufficient information to use this design in future toilet construction.

This is NOT just about providing toilets, although we'd love to build more!!

MOSTLY, it's about bringing to folks in Axim this workable concept to build better toilets, requiring only local materials, labor, and expertise.

 Axim area leaders now have detailed information from the local contractors who actually did the construction; technical drawings and details from EWB; evaluations from meeting with Colleen and Evan; extensive published technical literature we’ve supplied about UDDTs worldwide; and ample feedback from the actual day-to-day teachers and students who use the UDDTs.

Sure, there can be ongoing improvements to the concept—but these 3 toilets set a new benchmark.

The trick, we well understand, is usually not the lack of sincere desire on the part of leaders, but the persistent lack of funds.

New UDDT toilet funded by Ghana Together at the Community Development Vocational Technical Institute and newly opened about two weeks ago. This is for 40-50 male students only, and therefore is smaller. The guys had no toilet at all prior to this one.

Just a little backstory here:

Ghana is having a national election, too, as a firmly democratic country. What struck us about THEIR election is the pledge (the “Manifesto”) by one of the Presidential candidates, made at the Banquet of the State House on Sept 14, 2016 that, if elected, he will end the “age-old menace of open defecation” by 2021!

Great goal, but tempered by the Ghana Demographic and Health Survey 2014, which found twenty-one percent of Ghanaians have no access to a toilet and still use the bush or open field for defecation. And this is even worse in rural areas, such as Axim, where it reported at least thirty-four percent of the population still practice open defecation.

This is a call to action for Ghana’s leaders. We hope the efforts of EWB, to share knowledge that is being used successfully in many parts of the developing world, and with help from us, will help improve the situation for folks in at least one town in Ghana.

NOW, we ask you to click on the Ashley-Vance Engineering website link below.

Then make sure to click at the end of the brief article, where it says “click HERE to see the video…”  

http://ashleyvance.com/blog/engineers-without-borders-axim-ghana

(Evan is employed by the Ashley & Vance Engineering Company.)

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NOTE: Readers, especially Ghanaians, interested in more details can contact us at info@Ghana Together.org and we’ll get you connected.

For prior News Updates, go to http://ghanatogether.blogspot.com/

Email us at info@ghanatogether.org 
OR REPLY TO THIS EMAIL (YES WE KNOW, "...NO REPLY", BUT TRY IT!)

See our website at http://ghanatogether.org

We are a registered 501c3 non-profit, ID 26-2182965

Way to go Emmanuella and George--Western Heritage Home Scholar Graduates!!

Graduating Junior High School when your home town is Axim, Ghana is no small accomplishment!

Just this month, Emmanuella graduated from the School for the Deaf and Blind in Cape Coast and George graduated from Manye Academy in Axim.

And they not only graduated, but they found out just yesterday they did so well on their final “BECE” exam that they qualify for Senior High School! No mean feat in Ghana, where the slots for Senior High are limited. A high level of scholastic achievement and strong test scores are required to qualify.

New JHS graduates Emmanuella and George, Sept 29, 2016

Queen Mother Nana Adjow Sika II has taken special interest in all the Western Heritage Home scholars, and especially in Emmanuella.

She has supported Emmanuella emotionally, and has encouraged her at every step.

Nana is a founding member of the Western Heritage Board and continues to serve.

Queen Mother Nana Adjow Sika II congratulating her protégé (Sept 2016)

In her early childhood, Emmanuella was given the opportunity to live at the Western Heritage Children's Home. She needed special care due to her early onset of Stargardt Disease, a juvenile form of macular degeneration. At this point she is legally blind.

George also spent his early years at the Western Heritage Children's Home, due to difficult home circumstances.

Emmanuella and George both attended Manye Academy in Axim early on. George continued there, but about five years ago, Emmanuella had to be transferred to the Cape Coast School for the Deaf and Blind.

Emmanuella and George, both Western Heritage Home Scholars, and also age-mates and school-mates. George is showing her how to use the magnifier we brought from the US so she could work with an XO children's computer.

George in 2007

Saturday chores at the Western Heritage Home

George the scholar and also a guy who loves sports!

When Western Heritage Home phased out their residential program, George moved into the Manye Academy Dormitory.

We have provided for his tuition, room, board, and personal supplies during his entire school years and will continue to do so.

Meanwhile, Emmanuella transferred to the Cape Coast School for the Deaf and Blind. The school supports her tuition, room and board, but we help out with clothing, personal supplies, traveling back and forth to Axim during vacations, etc.

Emmanuella and Maryanne Ward at the Cape Coast School for the Deaf and Blind

Emmanuella is well-known in Axim for her musical talents, especially singing! She sings at special services in her church and at community events.

At her school in Cape Coast, she sang the Ghanaian National Anthem during the March 6 Independence Day celebrations (with a microphone she said!). And she told us that since the blind students can hear her sing, they dance with her; the deaf students can see the blind students dance and join in. This celebration was actually featured on Ghana TV!

Emmanuella singing at the dedication of the Chief's donation of a television to the Community Center. Western Heritage Home's James Kainyiah is offering a little support!
His motto is "Making leaders of the least!" and so he has.

Emmnanuella managed in August to take her final exams by reading some of the test at very close range, especially the math, and also by having some of the test read to her and she could answer orally. She can read Braille.

So what's next for these two scholars?

George’s dream is to attend a vocational high school and learn welding.

Emmanuella's dream is to return to her Cape Coast School and earn her SHS high school degree.

We're going to love helping them do just that!!

For prior News Updates, http://ghanatogether.blogspot.com/

http://ghanatogether.org

Contact us: info@ghanatogether.org
We are a 501c3, EIN: 26-2182965
808 Addison Place, Mount Vernon, WA

1st Term 2016-2017 Scholarhips

Yes, we know. The chart below is barely readable…but we wanted to show it to you anyway. It shows the 1st term, 2016-2017 school year, scholarship costs for 69 Axim students, sponsored by Ghana Together.

In most cases, these costs are shared with the extended families, as with the CTK Academy students where parents supply uniforms, underwear, notebooks, shoes...and we pay tuition...for students living in this remote area, where the only reasonably available school is a private school.

We also list WHH staff salaries for three months and Internet-In-A-Box internet support, so the North American team can troubleshoot this incredible resource at Axim Girls High School and the Axim Public Library, which most Axim children frequent. 

Note that "CDVTI" stands for Community Development Vocational Technical Institute, a government vocational training school. Note that secondary schools in Ghana are NOT tuition-free at this point.

Payee	Beneficiary	Item	CEDIS	USD (3.9)
Axim Girls Sr High	Ernestina	tuition, textbooks, math tutorial (Term One)	769	$197
Manye Academy	Ben, Gladys, Johnson	Tuition, boarding, fees, notebooks, textbooks, uniforms, sandals…	2942	$754
Various vendors	6 WHH Scholars	Personal supplies: health/hygiene, snacks, pocket money, etc.	1560	$400
CDVTI	Kingsley	Tuition, room, board	380	$97
CDVTI	10 women, 2 men	Tuition, room, board	2860	$733
Nsein SHS	Peter	Extra Classes, student council, sci club, debate/drama, practicals	970	$249
Midwifery/Nursing School	Dorothy	Nursing-midwifery tuition, room, board, texts, etc. (one semester)	2175	$558
Christ the King Academy	50 primary students	tuition, 1st term	5850	$1,500
WHH Staff	Arloo, and 2 watchmen	salaries July-Sept (three month)	1500	$385
Azim Girls SHS	Computer lab support	Cellphone subscription for internet-in-a-box support	400	$103
TOTAL			19406	$4,976

Maybe you can’t quite make out the small print, but the bottom line is almost exactly $5,000 for most of the school costs for 69 students, averaging about $73 each. And some of those costs are "once/year" only, like uniforms, sandals, and textbooks.

Some of you have asked how we get such accurate, detailed info from our friends in Axim, esp. when it comes to school costs.

Well, we won’t burden you (J) with the incredibly detailed 16 sheets of statements/invoices that our guy in Axim, Evans Arloo, collected from the schools and forwarded to us.

Every detail is in these statements!

Did you know, for example, that Dorothy’s “obstetrics textbook” for her 2^nd year will cost exactly 30 Ghana cedis? That’s about $8.00. Or that Peter will pay 10 cedis (about $2.50) for his Science Club dues…the Club of which he, as an outstanding student, is the “Executive.” Or that Kingsley will pay 270 cedis (about $70) for food for Sept-Dec (quite a bargain for 16-year old guy!)? Or that Ernestina’s “bed user fee” will be 2 cedis (about 50 US cents) for her 1^st term, along with 399 cedis ($102) for her tuition?

The schools’ administrative offices prepare these  statements and give them to parents, or in our case, scholarship sponsor. The sheets are stamped and signed with the name of the school and the accountant/preparer.

And, I'm sure you are DYING to know...how exactly does Arloo get these 16 typed or handwritten sheets to us 10,000 or so miles away?

Why, of course, by the magic of “Camscanner”, the cellphone app. With it, he photographs the statements and saves them as PDF files. He then forwards them using “Whatsapp”, another nice little free tool, using the nice signals pouring out from the cell tower in Axim Town. And we use Whatsapp too, to "receive" the files, and also for follow-up communication. Our Ghanaian friends are total whizzes when it comes to cellphone use, seriously! They've taught us all we know!!

So, friends, these are children we’ve been supporting for some years. Knowing the needs of local families well, Queen Mom Nana Adjow Sika II and James Kainyiah have chosen these students, along with input from Headmaster David and Director Seidu, and have overseen their progress. Evans Arloo helps the scholars with their day-to-day needs and challenges.

And yes, we would appreciate your financial help in launching the new school year, 1st term, for these 69 youngsters, beginning mid-September. Thank you.

Ghana Together

808 Addison Place

Mount Vernon, WA 98273

360-848-6568

For Paypal, go to http://ghanatogether.org/HTML/Donations.html

info@ghanatogether.org

We are a 501c3, Fed ID 26-2182965