Building and giving thanks

It has been a long process with many obstacles. The latest obstacle has been coming from a contractor that had been very ill with malaria which meant a different team of laborers had to come in for the the project. Because of this, the contract initially agreed upon has become void. This also meant that the others who had joined in this project had different ideas as to the formation of the school, which was another setback corrected almost immediately. The payments for work are now daily, and the supervision must be tightened even more. By the end of this week the rooms will be raised and that leaves the roof. Though many problems have made this all so difficult we have been able to trudge through the mud and make progress.

This week has also been interesting as I have returned to teaching 2 classes. The struggles of teaching young, illiterate (in English), disadvantaged, and ill equipped students has been difficult. However some students have demonstrated potential and interest in learning much more -as are their stomachs, their brains are also hungry. Some are in desperate need to have their intellect developed as they have been held back from advancing due to the constant instability in the school/untrained teachers/lack of textbooks.

Two students in particular have thrived through all of these circumstances and impressed me extremely. Given a fair chance in school, they could be what they wanted... but that fair chance may never come. One of the students told me they wanted to be a nurse when they grow up. The likelihood of this is very slim as she is coming from an orphanage, and poor school with very little stability. The positive aspect is she is quite possibly the smartest girl in the entire school. It is my hope that she will eventually get her chance as it is difficult for me to watch great potential wasted.

In light of all this I am reminded of our holiday in the U.S.

We are very fortunate. Opportunity has been abundant for all of us, and for that I am thankful.

Slow progress

Well I know I came with the understanding that things would not get accomplished as quickly as doing things in the U.S. but there have been many difficulties. To start; the contract agreement we made (the contractor, Godwin, GCS, and myself) was agreed upon in Ewe (local language). Therefore there were some misunderstandings in the whole process as to what the labor fee entailed. Because of this, the cost of a 3 room block for their use as a school is more expensive than the money I have raised. I already went into different markets to find out the cost of materials, but when the contractor spoke through Godwin about what was needed not everything came through in English. As a result I will be raising 2 rooms with the foundation of a third already complete.

To make matters worse, a few days ago both vehicles used for the transportation of kids to school (and transportation of the materials) broke down. The clutch on the blue vehicle went out Friday and on the white van (main vehicle donated by the Irish group) the alternator had gone out previously. Well the planets seem to line up perfectly on a daily basis for more things to complicate every simple thing you try to do because after returning more kids to their homes, the white van overheated while we were in Togo... All of this caused a delay in the work and transportation of supplies for the project. That night we met the mechanic that has been working on the troubled vehicle and again he tried to fix the alternator (which works now) and the fan belt. This costed me an additional 110 dollars, but had to be done. If that isnt bad enough Kpetoe (the village where all this happens) has had no fuel for about a month so we have had to run on fumes to get into the city (Ho) which is a half hour away.

-I bought out all the cement bags in the village so now I have to bring it all from Ho
-No more materials can be purchased in the village
-Abundance of potholes
-Communication is always a battle

Finally all the banks here are not taking more than 250 dollars in american express travelers checks each day due to some issue with conterfeiting. This means I am having to negotiate more with the workers so that they continue working and believe that I will pay them when I get the money. Fortunately some of the workers have taken interest in the school and either have or will have their kids go to school here, meaning it has become a collaborative effort.

Another thing I didnt realize when I came the first time was social services exist here. They arent governing everywhere but I was able to meet a lady that has recently been working with Godwin to help the kids and their foster families. We recently discovered that Mabel, one of the girls I met at the orphanage in the spring, had not been taken care of properly by her family. She was being deprived of a place to sleep and as a result slept outside in the town. She also was not given more clothes than the ones she had on the day we got her. Hopefully things will turn around and she will be able to come back to the orphanage as well as the school as I know that she would be better cared for there.

Hopefully progress will be made each day. One positive thing recently was that the secretary of the area for Education thanked me for what was going on. He remembered me from the spring and was glad that people living an ocean away cared enough to help their kids in the village.

But if I am to complete a 3 room school (for 90 kids) I will need additional funds. If you are able to give still, it would be extremely helpful. I really do appreciate all the support from everyone (letters, messages, money etc.).

From Ghana

I have been in Ghana for nearly one week. Many things have happened in this short amount of time. Fortunately the flight over went well and when I arrived in the morning we headed for Ho as soon as we could, since it was in the morning it was less expensive as well as easier to leave the capital quickly. The first couple of days were needed for adjusting, as the trip of appr. 13 hours was exhausting. After the following day I traveled to Kpetoe with Godwin, who was excited to see me again. Some things are still the same as I have had to relearn; the time it takes someone to come pick you up or take you somewhere is always much longer than back in the U.S., the food is always spicy (breakfast, lunch, or dinner), and the climate is very hot and fairly dry (Ghana is entering the dry season, which also means there are more mosquitoes than usual at the moment).

When I arrived to Kpetoe I was able to see the school. Interestingly enough the contribution of the 4 classrooms was great (by the team from Ireland), but there were a few smaller issues I was not aware of until now. When they came they rushed the building process in a matter of 10 days and chose to shape the entire spread of the school in an 'L' shape. However, it is more typical for schools in Ghana to have a line shape. Many Ghanaians have told me this including teachers of Kpetoe and Ho, as well as other citizens. In addition to this discovery I learned that they were unable to finish the structure's walls to meet the roof, and to divide the final room (which is one large room) in order to have 5 equally spaced rooms. Finally, the dimensions of the present structure does not reflect that of other schools in the area, which are deeper classrooms instead of wider ones -many other schools are uniform structures with the same setup in every room ie. the chalkboards are all on the southern walls, and the windows are all on the east or west walls etc.

Because of these issues the structure I have been trying to raise either needs to stick out like a sore thumb (done the way they would like it where all the rooms are the same) by not lining up flush, or match the current structure by lining up flush but having different arrangements in the classrooms with the windows and chalkboards etc. The decision from this dilemma seems to be going in favor of matching the current structure/continuing from it, since the masons and carpenters from the area believe it would work easier. As always in any situation involving a large investment, it is important to take the time and plan it all out. We have not built anything yet, but today the contract was signed/agreed upon, the cement bags were purchased, and the plan is starting to set in for much progress tomorrow.

GCS (Global Cultural Solution) which consists mainly of three Ghanaians, has been aiding me in my search for things and we have been able to gather prices of several items in order to purchase the lowest priced ones -This was the situation yesterday. The day before yesterday I was drawing up the estimate, which was discussed with by 4 other contractors and eventually their offers were given. I have also been able to help GCS as a member by offering opinions and giving some advice where needed.

As usual, several frustrations have slowed progress. Just to name of few of them; communication issues (Godwin is difficult to understand at times, the masons and carpenters do not speak English, and some of the members of GCS do not speak Godwin's language), driving from point a to point b is always a journey (whether because the several potholes in the road or because the driver decides to pick up several more passengers), travelers sickness (I think you get my drift), another volunteers' money was taken, a teacher was let go, and the 'sense of urgency' never really exists...

Despite these annoyances there have been several good points; I have learned the area much better (I actually drove form Ho to Kpetoe -with people I know which is about a half hour), a father whose kids are attending the school called me his friend and gave me a banner, a contract has been reached for the start of a 3 room structure, another volunteer from the U.S. is at the school teaching (Kathleen), I have learned more words in Ewe, I have met more locals and I feel as if more cooperation has been happening, in this area for this project specifically.

All of these things weigh heavy in my thoughts. Throughout all of it, I have learned patience and goodwill is invaluable.