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.).
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