Despite challenges through a pandemic, DSDO had an incredible year! We are so
grateful to our compassionate and giving supporters for continuing to help us make a
difference in rural Ghana!
At School Campus
Campus kitchen pavilion improvements
2 industrial stoves installed
Teaching resources, supplies, and materials purchased and shipped
212 African-authored library books purchased
$6000 of science materials arrived in Dekpor
Shelving built for science materials
9 Raspberry Pi units, monitors, mice, keypads for computer lab installed
3 new laptops and 5 new phones purchased for high school students
Series of professional math workshops by Ghanaian experts
Repairs and maintenance of furniture and buildings
Students and Educators
150 students on food programme
26 elementary student sponsorships
11 apprentices sponsored
37 older students sponsored: high school/prepping for exams/transitioning to
workforce
COVID Classes, September – December for 40 elementary students
6 graduates hired to teach COVID classes
1 librarian and 1 kindergarten assistant hired by DSDO
Study hall available for older students
Library with extended hours for student use
7 international volunteers hosted in Dekpor
Students hired for school maintenance, caretaking, and construction
You’ve Got Mail – personal letters for every sponsored student
All elementary school uniforms made by our seamstress students
Building
8 new buildings at the Dekpor Central Shops (there will be a total of 16 shops
in the 10 buildings constructed by DSDO)
18 business start-ups financed (3 at-home food-related kiosks, 1 welding
business, 14 of the shops)
1 town toilet building pumped out (Yia Facility #2)
Raise the Roof – student’s house extensively renovated
Librarian’s home upgraded and repaired
River excavation
Street lights (replacement bulbs purchased and installed)
Solar lights purchased and installed at town toilet buildings
Integral part of water and sanitation committees
Health-related
National health insurance for all sponsored students
12 adults received national health insurance cards
Emergency medical fund
Combat COVID:
557 tippy taps built
2129 face masks sewn and distributed
Soap and bleach purchased
2 water filtration systems purchased
1000 hygiene kits prepared
Items distributed
1174 fuel-efficient stoves
43 farming tools distributed + $5150 to spend
130 personal-sized solar lights
615 student-made, full-length brooms
$690 of town tools
2045 pairs of girls’ underwear
161 Basics kits containing underwear, undershirts, and socks for students
Miscellaneous
Moringa farmers making money
Ongoing advising and counseling of students
8th year at Toronto Marathon, 7 participants raised $26,892.24
Several shoe drives held by individuals
10 shipments from Ontario to Ghana
Speaking engagements
Meetings, meetings, and more meetings
A big thank you to volunteers: Bill (webmaster), Glen (accountant), and John (the
creator of videos).
Countless volunteer hours to run DSDO given by Abraham, Linda, and Carol.
We get things gone! Thanks for your ongoing support!
Step by Step - 2020
Truth is, one never knows what you may find in this particular photo album! We
always have lots on the go and even small projects or purchases can make a big
impact! For larger campaigns or projects, there will be a photo album designated
specifically to that particular project, but for smaller things you'll find it here!
Be sure to read the photo description and check back often!
We are fortunate that we have many people who like to give! When we have enough
money, we send collected items on their merry little way to Dekpor. There are
countless hours put in getting things ready before they leave Aurora and in
distributing in Dekpor also. However, it all worth the effort because it is
extremely exciting for our students to receive goods.
What do we always need? Gently used laptops and cellphones. Always.
Thanks to all of you who think of us!
Note:Please always contact Carol first, before dropping things off. If you
allocate a financial donation to shipping, it helps!
This album starts each new year as a surprise, because we never know what will end
up in it! Here you'll find an assortment of projects or initiatives or purchases,
often that have been chosen as a tribute gift for someone special. Check back all
year long. Be sure to read the top left hand box for an explanation of the photo.
Thanks to everyone who thinks of DSDO at gift-giving time!
It's the women. They are the ones who have to sweep around the home, usually twice
a day, and they do NOT have brooms as we know them. They gather a handful of grasses
and then have to bend at the waist to sweep away the debris. Imagine this with a
baby attached to your back ... or if you are elderly and can barely balance while
standing upright. Full-length brooms have been made by one of our sponsored students
and a friend, Emmanuel and Wonder, and we commissioned them to make as many as our
Holiday Campaign financed.
We are happy to report that $2300 was raised and 615 brooms were made and
distributed!
It is our hope that once the people of Dekpor realise the value of a tool that
allows the user to stand up, that these full-length brooms will become a desirable
item for purchase at our Dekpor Central Shops!
So, let's just recap here: two young men have been able to earn money, there is
potential for a continued business, and the women from Dekpor Yia, Dekpor Dome, and
Dekpor Horme have had one of their daily chores made a bit easier, and you made it
happen!
As you can see, many of these donors were making tribute gifts, so the smiles are
many!
Donna and Ron Jamieson (in honour of Ken), Ann Macoun (for Cynthia and Malaika),
Becky Longe (for her mom), Peggy and Bob Belcher (for Mabel-Anne and Allan), Kathryn
Kaminski (for Louise), Rachel Egan, Kim Nelson (for Mom, Auntie Ev, Claire and
Grace), Raven Elliot (for Laura), Mary Beth Kelly, Sue Bugos, Kimberly Paul, Pat
O'Connell (for Tylor, Millie, Brianna, Justine, and Kaitlyn), Ines Howe (for
Jessica, Kiana, Sydney, Anthony, Christophe, Margaret and Allen), Jo-Anne Brady (in
honour of Linda), Pat Matheson, Laura Bondi (in honour of Grandma #1 and #2), Barb
Bulloch (in honour of her mom and sisters), Jennifer Weaver, Claudia Silva, Chitra
Roy and Adrika (in honour of Mrs. Cline), Amanda Burns (in honour of Liz), Karen and
Will Burke (in honour of Fred, Allison, Emma and Scott, and Erica and Evan),
Jeanette Hasanoski and Ilienna (in honour of Mrs. Cline), Dianne Lotto and Channing
(in honour of Ms Azzoli), Sue Farrow (in honour of both Audra and David), and Marina
Moir.
Back in the middle of March, the Ghanaian government responded to the pandemic by
closing schools. The academic high school students (4 of them) have not been able to
return to classes, nor have our Dekpor Basic School younger elementary students.
While the rest of our older students were put into work placements, (thanks to the
countless hours spent by Abraham and Linda), we were left with a challenge.
Our Dekpor elementary students do not have the means to do any virtual schooling,
and as time passed and the 2020 - 21 school year should have been commencing, DSDO
chose to step in.
Since our child sponsors are funding the education of their students, we couldn't
just leave them without access to academics. Brainstorming ensued and we came up
with a viable solution! We decided to offer classes every day at Dekpor Basic School
for our fully-sponsored students and for those that were suggested by the
headmasters — 40 students in total.
We have a librarian and kindergarten classroom assistant who are both employed by
us, but clearly, we needed more hands on deck to make sure that physical distancing
could be achieved. The great solution was to hire our academic high school students
as tutors! And, we needed a couple of extra tutors, so we also hired some of our
recent grads.
Literacy and math concepts were covered in classes that ran from 8 a.m. until noon
every morning from September to December. The library was in use every day and there
were ICT classes held for each group one day per week. There was a maximum of 8
students per room with desks spread out, masks worn, ventilation constant (since
there is not glass in the windows), and frequent handwashing was a must. 40
students; 8 educators. A daily meal was also provided.
We are so proud of our older students: Albert, Ruth, Stella, Michael A., Lawrencia,
Wisdom for making this trying time a resounding success!
There is no such thing as mail delivery in Dekpor.
Can you just imagine the excitement caused by an envelope labelled with your very
own name containing a special letter? Many of the student sponsors wrote themselves,
but for those who weren't able, we came up with a plan. Carol wrote to some and then
several lovely neighbours and Highview Public School students also stepped up to
help spread some joy. Every single one of our sponsored students received a
personalized letter. Yes, we are missing a few photos, but, if you don't happen to
see your student please know that they were happy to hear from you! A huge thank you
to the awesome people who took the time to create some smiles!
It is mandated that students wear uniforms at school. They have to be tailor-made
to each individual, and DSDO is thrilled to have employed our young ladies who are
currently studying to become seamstresses to make the uniforms for our sponsored
elementary students!
It's a win all around! Not only do the girls make some money, they gain confidence
and experience.
Mr. Halogbe is our beloved librarian and he has been diligently working with DSDO
since 2010. He doesn't just look after the library — he's a pastor, a town
leader, and an award-winning farmer! Linda frequently mentions just how generous he
is with his time and energy — he is admired and appreciated by so many people.
The family home was a two-room structure made of mud. There are 7 kids living at
home along with Mr. and Mrs., and all 9 of them were crammed into the two small
rooms at night. The four boys often slept outside on the porch just so they had some
space, but mosquitoes and torrential rains don't make that option comfortable,
either. Mr. Halogbe is kept so busy working at Dekpor Basic School, in the fields,
or doing daily necessary chores, that tending to the house was a challenge and
trying to save funds even more so. Over the years, homemade cement blocks had been
made and stored, all with the hope that at some point in time, a new brick room
could be built.
For the second time in July, our 3 student masons, Moses, Mawuko, and Emmanuel,
were called upon to put their skills to work! Benjamin and Wonder were also hired as
labourers, and then elementary students, Emmanuel A. and Alex both spent some time
earning money and learning. This marks the first job done entirely by Dekpor
Construction Company! And it definitely provided an opportunity to learn new skills,
as dealing with mud walls is different than cement block walls. Our DSDO
long-standing mason came by to observe and give his nod of approval, and countless
townspeople were incredibly impressed by the rapid progression and work ethic
displayed.
Even Michael, our first fully-trained electrician, got in on the action as he moved
the meter to the outside of the house! Benjamin and Wonder, current electrical high
school students, also helped by installing a light in the new bedroom. CK and
Philip, graduates from a few years back, were hired to do the painting. Mr. Halogbe
handled the carpentry work, and the Halogbe kids jumped right in and helped by
fetching water, digging, and assisting wherever and whenever possible.
The most cost-effective plan of action to give the family more sheltered sleeping
space was to close in the porch. One end became a third bedroom, while the other is
now a storage room. The walls were repaired and skim coated, the floors all re-done,
new doors and windows with screens were installed, and the whole house was painted
inside and out. Two privacy shower cubicles were built, 3 sets of bunk beds and 6
mattresses were purchased, 8 suitcases were given so there is now somewhere to keep
clothing, and voila, this house is now sound and each person has somewhere to sleep!
One of the seven children happens to have a very special sponsor who visited Dekpor
as a Semester At Sea student in April of 2019. This project never would have started
had it not been for Charles' sponsor, Jessy de Haan, agreeing to start up a little
fundraising campaign. Together with her friends and family, they raised just over
$1600. Thanks to Connie, Allyson, Georgia, Christina, Sonia, Kyle, Lea, Natalie,
Madalyn, Montserrat, Audrey, Abby, Cristina, Jaraka, Jojo, Stephen, Andrea, Jack,
Cory, Jaleesa, Victoria, Erin, Jenny, Charlotte, Jaclyn, Alex, Scott, Samantha,
Ashley, Austin, Alondra, Samantha, Jennifer, Kendal, Olivia, Amber, Lily, Callie,
Hannah, Ally, Maddie, Brianna, Taylor, Miranda, and the biggest shout out to Jessy
for jumping in to rally this lovely donation.
Thanks also goes to Kelly Pongo Duggan, another person who has seen Dekpor first
hand and actually volunteered at the school for the summer of 2013! Kelly held a
Facebook fundraising campaign for her birthday and raised $190. Thank you to: Ben,
Jon, Tara, Colleen, Kay, and Kelly.
And a final thanks to one of our very special donors (who prefers to remain
anonymous) for the substantial donation made that enabled many of the final touches
that weren't expected at the start of this project!
This genuinely was an example of teamwork by folks from Ghana, Canada, and
USA… and the Halogbe family couldn't possibly be more pleased!
Said with delight and wonder while standing from a distance admiring the 'new'
house: "I'm just happy! I can't believe this is my house — it's so beautiful
and this is amazing. I never could have done this. My children now have their own
space to sleep. The girls have their own room. I am so happy!"
DSDO jumped in to help with a job that the Works Department and Dome chief deemed
necessary. There is a river that runs between Dekpor Dome and Dekpor Yia and it
desperately needed to be excavated.
Why?
to stop the flooding during rainy season (planted fields have their crops ruined
and it's dangerous if the road is under water)
to ensure there is water during dry season (when the river was shallow it dried
up too quickly, leaving nowhere close for people to fetch water)
to save many kilometers of walking with heavy containers balanced on heads
to deter a breeding area for malaria-carrying mosquitoes
After almost a week of work, the excavator widened the river to 8 feet across and 6
feet deep. There were two deep reservoirs also dug out to ensure that some water
remains, even during dry season. What a difference it has made! Fishing is possible
again and the townspeople are extremely grateful that there is now a close source of
laundry and bathing water that will last the year round.
A huge thank you to Tony and Susan Anderson for making this possible! More water,
no flooding, fewer mosquitoes… it's a win!
With the world facing the COVID-19 pandemic, we jumped as quickly as we could to be
proactive. Our approach: educate, educate, educate! In March, Carol started a
Facebook campaign in Ontario while Linda and Abraham started preparing in Ghana. We
encouraged physical distancing as much as possible and frequent hand-washing with
clean running water and soap. The purchase of jerry cans and containers, and ongoing
purchases of soap, bleach, and fabric, allowed us to start forming better habits in
Dekpor.
Every day, the local announcer shares vital information to help reduce risk. People
have been asked to: stop greeting each other with a handshake, to set up and
maintain their tippy tap, to wash hands properly with soap, to stop sharing
bowls/cups/utensils, to physical distance, to stay away from anyone who has a fever
or cough, and to self-quarantine if they are ill.
In record time, much-loved and responsible students set up 557 tippy tap
hand-washing stations around the villages and went over proper hand-washing
techniques with each household. A heartfelt thank you to: Christian, Ruben, Godsway,
Ishmael, Patrick A., Joshua, Emmuael D., Wonder, Ben, Mawuko, and Wisdom who took
their job very seriously and spent 3 very full days visiting as many homes as
possible. If you happen to be one of the sponsors of these boys, you have reason to
be proud.
In April, the mass production of facemasks began. Thankfully, Linda is very handy
behind a sewing machine! A total of 2129 facemasks were made with Linda managing a
group of our high school students who are currently learning to sew. At last, there
was an opportunity for the girls to put their skills to work and be hired for their
hours! Thanks to: Selorm, Betha, and Jennifer -- who were the ones who put in the
longest hours, and also to Evelyn, Helen, Rose, Rose, Sefakor, and Esegbe. The mask
tiebacks were threaded by Abraham, Moses, Wisdom, Patrick, and Tity.
Ongoing purchasing of soap and bleach will continue.
We are most grateful to the people who have generously given to this fund:
Class 4a of BG/BRG Klosterneuburg, Diane Bourke, Steve Howell, Meghann Anderson (in
honour of Jean), Jackie Montgomery, Donna Jamieson, Jen McLaren, Jo-Anne Brady, Judy
Ignatowitz, Helmi Fingernagel, Barbara Christ (in honour of her mom), Kelly Cheng,
Giovanna Panzera, Shari and David van de Pol, Michael McManus, Susan Mikulecky,
Leora Rissin, Elle Bowman, Darryl Burt, Gillian Anderson, Sonya McFarlane, Kim
Nelson (in honour of Mom), Nadine Mayers, Karen Burke, Sandra Hartman, Claudia da
Silva, Tom and Linda Edwards, and friends who prefer to remain anonymous.
Two older boys went for a walk off the beaten path about 5 km from home June 10th,
and they saw something that needed to be reported to Linda and Abraham right away.
One of our sponsored girls was living with her two younger sisters and mom in a
building that could only be described as a dilapidated mess. This small family would
huddle under a piece of plastic during the torrential rains at night. They would
then sweep away as much of the water as possible, so the puddles they slept in were
not too deep. Can you imagine?
There was more roof missing than what was there… the walls were covered in
mould both inside and out, and there was a large crack that traveled the entire
height of the far wall. The porch had completely broken away over the years, and
there was nothing left. The one end room that was entirely open to the sky had 4
substantial-sized trees growing out of the ground!
It was shocking to discover, especially since the student has never had a word of
complaint, but rather shows up to school every day, sporting a smile and the
willingness to work hard and succeed.
Without hesitation, we decided that we needed to act quickly. In record time, our
incredible supporters jumped on board to help us RAISE THE ROOF — the
emergency campaign goal was met within 3 days and then exceeded in 4! And in Dekpor,
the work began first thing the next morning.
We are so proud of our high school students!
Masons in training: Moses, Mawuko, and Emmanuel
Carpenter: Ruben
Labourers: Jennifer, Godsway, Wisdom, Patrick, and Henry
Painters: Mawuko, Philip, Jennifer, and CK
Our trusted, experienced mason, Atchu, a man who has been hired for many DSDO jobs,
was on site to take on the role as supervisor and general contractor… and he
kept the students going full tilt!
Watching the rapid progression was exciting, especially because we know that the
end result is a safe and secure home. Added bonus was that the young men got genuine
hands-on REAL life training while their schools were closed due the pandemic.
With the bonus funds, we were able to take this project beyond our wildest dreams,
by putting in a shower privacy wall behind the house, putting on eaves troughs and
building a traditional rain reservoir, making some tables, purchasing chairs and
sleep mattresses, and buying some groceries as a start-up business to sell to nearby
neighbours.
A massive thank you to the absolutely wonderful team of supporters who saw the
photos and were compelled to help without delay. We've said it before, but now more
than ever, we're convinced: our circle of donors may very well be the best out
there!
We have raised the roof!
A heartfelt thank you to:
Michelle Jones, Marina Moir, Laura Mateyak, Dagmara Kwiecinski, Maristella Salvy,
Rita Forte, Susan Mikulecky, Jackie Montgomery, Sandra Hartman, Tony Gariepy, Amanda
Longshaw, Kirsten Stuart, Emma Bauman, Jayme Jenkins, Paul Jenkins, Jessica de Haan,
Laura Bernardo, Laura Bondi, Gerard Baribeau, Joan Ross, Sara Prince, Joanne
McPhail, Nicole Gretes, Amanda and Scott Cholewa, Ginan Fadhel, Rav McKee, Natalie
Longe, Kim Nelson, Helen Scott, Tine Muir, Steve Howell, Chris Vandersteen, Charlene
Ramnares, Riaz Mohammed, Sandy Taylor, Carol McPhail, Lauren Pettinger, Carol
McCreesh, and Brenna and Jordan Wiedrick.
This was a new campaign idea started last year because the need for the most basic
of clothing is dire — Dekpor children don't just own a pair of socks or
underwear.
The girls' kits include: 3 pairs of socks, 2 pairs of knickers, and 3
undershirts/camisoles
The boys' kits include: 2 pairs of socks, 2 singlets, 3 pairs of underwear
A whopping $4500 was raised which enabled us to purchase Basics
Kits for 161 students! The students are absolutely delighted and
extremely grateful!
Thank you to the following wonderful people who made this happen: Kim Dooner,
Andrew Sanderson, Karen Beardsley, Thomas Niederstrasser, Susan Mikulecky, Donna
Jamieson, Diane Bourke, Leora Rissin, Sarah Houle (in honour of Jean Anderson), John
and Shauna, Natalie Longe, Ian Toms, Sara Prince, Jessy de Haan, EveLyn Dunn,
Heather Lanning, Ellie Greenwood, Roberta R., Steve Howell, Jennifer McLaren, Joan
Ross, Barbara Christ, Petra Schmickl, Lauren Pettinger, Mike Kelly, Kathe Brown,
Sandy Stone, Lucy Troisi, Sandy Taylor, Becky Longe, Jen Esmail, Karen Burke, Barb
Bulloch, Nancy Newman, Brenna Wiedrick, Laura Mateyak, Helmi Fingernagel, Jackie
Montgomery, Val Bartlett, Amanda Burns, Marina Moir, Leigh Jackson, Jennifer
Chiarcossi, and Darlene Ramsey-Wu.
The huge variety of science equipment, learning materials, and books that was
purchased and shipped last fall arrived in January! The headmasters and staff were
nothing short of ecstatic to set their eyes on such an incredible gift! Storage
rooms were prepped (and we even installed lighting), shelving was made, and all was
sorted and catalogued. Schools in Ghana have been closed since March, but all of
these goodies will be right ready for use once classes resume at Dekpor Basic
School.
Imagine being a teacher with 40 - 80 students crammed in your room, trying to teach
science, and only having one text book to hold up to show the group of students. No
equipment , no supplies, no way to do an experiment to teach the children. This has
been the reality in Dekpor.
Science has always been a huge challenge for Dekpor Basic School. The nation-wide
final exams are always at a level too difficult for our students to achieve decent
grades. For years now, we've wanted to provide materials so the teachers have the
basic equipment to set the students up for success.
Thanks to Emajjin Children's Foundation, we were able to direct $6000 to purchase
science supplies, equipment, and supporting materials! We are very grateful for the
Pink Tie Affair gala that provided the funds necessary for such an incredible gift!
This album piggyback's on the original Math
Materials album of 2018, and the subsequent
one for 2019. Until just a couple of years ago, the school didn't even have
rulers for teacher use. Boy, things have changed in a wonderful way!
We spent thousands of dollars purchasing much-needed math manipulatives for Dekpor
Basic School, thanks to a donation from Joyce Wilson. The
purchases, along with supplementary materials produced by Carol Sheardown and Donna
Jamieson, were shipped in 2018. Since their arrival, we've had different visiting
outreach teacher volunteers hold mini sessions for the Dekpor teachers and students
to get them familiar with the wide variety of goods.
It was always our plan to have Ghanaian experts also hold workshops for the
teachers and finally it happened! Two of three planned sessions have taken place,
with 4 district staff coming to do 4-hour workshops. They modeled ways to use the
materials that would be easily replicated within the classrooms. A bonus with having
Ghanaian experts in the field is that they could speak both Ewe and English which
helped the teachers grasp the concepts more easily.
We are very grateful to Joyce Wilson who is the one who enabled all of this!
In March 2019, we decided to embark on a new adventure--farming moringa! We had
generous donations that allowed us to plow the unruly land, and more than 45 farmers
chose to give this a whirl. This is a continuation of last year's album as we await
the harvesting of crops, sales, and continued growth!
Research for this incredible endeavor began years ago, and finally the stars
aligned … in a BIG way! We'll spare you the details, but let's just say, we
got an incredible discount, the United Nations is gathering data from us, and we've
managed to get a fuel efficient stove for every family in Dekpor!
An incredible 1174 stoves were purchased!
What's the big deal? Cooking over an open fire has some mighty serious health and
environmental impacts, and the people have never had any other option … until
now!
When you consider that it is the women and children who are most affected, then
some of these stats will be eye-opening:
the stoves reduce smoke and toxic emissions by 80%
this will save hours every single day for the kids and women, because the
stoves require far less wood (60% less) and cook faster twice as fast as an open
fire
their use reduces greenhouse gases by 60%
cooking over an open fire is equivalent to burning 400 cigarettes per hour
We are grateful to the following friends who made this possible: Jen, Joan, Julian,
Gerard, Krista (in honour of both Cathy and Jeff), Becky, Diane and Clive, Matthew,
Pat, Ann, Cory, Tom and Linda, Sara, Ginan, Kim (in honour of Grace and Claire),
Laura, Jo-Anne, Busch Systems, Jackie (in honour of Linda), Peter (in honour of
Arwid), Jonathan, Donna (in honour of both Carl and Jonathon), Lydia, ABC Book Club,
Christina, Lucy, John and Shauna.
And, the Best Costume at the STWM prize money ($1000 total) won by both Carol and
Jennifer was put toward stoves, also!
Underwear. Something we totally take for granted. Imagine not owning even a single
pair?
We are absolutely thrilled that December's campaign was a huge success! 11 friends
helped us raise $1796 and with that amount, we were able to purchase 2045 pairs and
ship them to Ghana! We were able to give 5 pairs to each girl at Dekpor Basic
School, and distributed the larger sizes to our sponsored female high school
students, too. What an incredible gift!
A very special thanks to: Ian Toms, Ana Bacia, Diane Young, Sandy Stone (in honour
of Kit, Laura, and Betty), Rita Forte (in honour of Altaya), Becky Longe, Pat
Matheson, Jo-Anne Brady (in honour of Linda), Nancy Newman, Julie Robertson, and
Amanda Burns (in honour of Liz).
We LOVE these deLIGHTful cubes! Dekpor is basically in the dark for 12 hours every
day, and there are hundreds of families that can not afford to have their home wired
nor pay a monthly electricity bill.
We are grateful to the people who helped us surpass the campaign goal, back in
November 2019, and to Solight for tossing in a bonus 8 lights! We raised
$2306 and were able to get 130 lights!
Thanks to Donna and Ron (in honour of Carl, George and Ai, Jonathon, Ken, Mary and
Shawn, and Neil and Lorraine), Diane and Clive, Joyce, Jo-Anne (in honour of Linda),
Ann (in honour of Cynthia), Barbara, Kim (in memory of Dad, and in honour of Claire,
Grace, and Auntie Ev), Helmi, Pat (in honour of Millie, Bri, Caitlin, Justine, and
Tylor), Darlene, Ines (in honour of Anthony and Christophe), Carol (in honour of
Corinne and Malcolm), Joan, Gerard, Val (in honour of her daughters' teachers), and
Rita (in honour of Tristan).
Our total of distributed solar lights is now at 210!
Visit this album in June when you'll get to see all the lights being distributed!
Alright, so we were mighty pumped with the addition of the cooking pavilion late
last year, but things just got even better! Our generous friends (who prefer to
remain anonymous) financed the whole pavilion, and then in January just gave another
donation for us to make things incredible! We have purchased not one, but TWO
industrial-sized fuel efficient stoves for use at school! They needed to be vented
properly, and because they are expensive items, the pavilion needed to be finished
with secure bars.
The impact has been felt within the first week so just imagine long-term effects!
The smoke and toxins have been reduced by more than 80%, the cook time has been
decreased by 50%, and these stoves use 60% less wood!
We are beyond thrilled--as are the ladies who have to do the cooking, and the
students and staff who used to inhale the toxic fumes every day!
This is a continuation of our album from December
2019. We have wanted to come up with a way to encourage economic growth in
Dekpor for years. Needless to say, we are overjoyed by the incredible donation from
Tony and Susan Anderson that has allowed us to tackle this exciting endeavor! Right
from the start, we've had a student sponsorship program because we fully believe
education is a key method to tackle poverty. Once one has finished school, clearly
the next goal is to find employment. Unfortunately, jobs are very few and far
between in a rural village such as Dekpor. This incredible donation has allowed us
to create a small business area right in Dekpor and gives our secondary school
graduates the opportunity to set up their own business.
The location was carefully chosen — central to Dekpor Yia, Dekpor Dome, and
Dekpor Horme. Previously, people have had to travel to Dzodze, a 20 minute motorbike
ride that costs 8 ghs each direction, and frankly, that 16 ghs round trip is
prohibitively expensive for many. Basic food provisions are the only things that
have been available for purchase in Dekpor up until now.
We started with the opening of three shops in December 2019: Dekpor Central Cafe
being run by Jessica and Lawrencia, a stationery shop run by Michael A., and an
electrical supplies shop run by Michael K.! Craig Busch has helped each entrepreneur
with inventory start up expenses, so we are very grateful for his support, also!
Now, mid-January, shops #4 and #5 are underway. CK will be on one side with a shop
that specializes in screen printing. He will also do sign painting and hire himself
out for painting jobs in the village. The other side will open likely in July, with
Wisdom running a shop that is all things tech. He's going to be able to print photos
(even for passports) and put his ICT training into practice by doing repairs also.
We are considering the environmental impact and are attempting to minimize plastic
waste. Linda and Abraham even involved the MEHO informing him of our innovative
ideas. Some meals will be wrapped in leaves, while others will be packaged in
biodegradable take away containers. Items purchased from shops will be given without
plastic bags, or with reusable totes that have been donated to DSDO.
We are thrilled that we are able to take on 7 more buildings and utilize all of
the property at this prime road-side location… now! Another massive thank you
to our most wonderful friends, Tony and Susan Anderson, for
financing this!
The foundations were done by our current masonry high school students, with the
labour being done by other Dekpor students. Yes, they were hired and made money! The
actual metal tops are put together in Dzodze and then travel via tractor and wagon
from Dzodze to Dekpor. It's usually a 20-minute drive, but, as you'll see in the
photos, it's closer to 2 hours when a load this massive is making its way. Yes, it
is also one of our students who is constructing the roofs! This is such a boost to
everyone involved and to everyone who will be able to shop closer to home!
This album will continue to grow and more information will be added as each shop is
completed.
All of Dekpor is excited about this. We are forever grateful to the Andersons for
making it possible!
December Update
As 2020 came to a close, there was a flurry of activity at Dekpor Central Shops! At
this point, all 10 buildings are in place on their foundation and are in varying
degrees of completion.
Midway through the year, 2 shops opened: the Tech Shop and the Painting/Signage
Shop.
At the end of the year, we also saw the opening of: the shop containing Sound
(DJ)/Security/Satellite, the Masonry shop, the Housewares shop (there were customers
lined up before she could even unpack the boxes!), Sewing/tailoring/sewing goods,
the Cold Store, and the Clothing Shop.
There are more set to open in January! In the 10 buildings, there will be a total
of 16 shops. Truly, we are excited!
Grand total of 257! Right at the end of 2019, we were given lovely donations by Ana
Vegega, Lauren Pettinger, Shari and David van de Pol, and Mary Card which allowed us
to purchase the latest 43 farming tools for women!
The vast majority of people who live in Dekpor are subsistence farmers. They
struggle to make ends meet. They struggle to make the land farmable -- the weeds are
something else. Women are truly the poorest of the poor, and many try to deal with
either worn out or broken tools, or worse yet, none at all. Helping a woman helps
her whole family.
Allocating donations to the women's farming tools fund is always appreciated as the
ripple effect reaches far!
December 2020 Update
A further $5150 was raised at the end of 2020 and the purchases will be made in
January. Please check the 2021 album!
Gently used laptops and cell phones are ALWAYS gratefully accepted. There are no
landlines in Dekpor. High school students require a smart phone in order to receive
much of the learning materials from their teachers. People in the village can run a
business if they have a phone. If you have a cell that is stuck in the back of your
drawer, consider giving it a new life! Phone plans are cheap in Ghana, but phones
are definitely not.
Donated laptops are used either in our Dekpor Basic School computer lab, or by a
high school student. ICT is part of the curriculum and it's necessary for us to give
our students a fighting chance to pass exams.
A massive thank you to every single person who has donated!
October 2020
There is no possible way to come up with the words to adequately express our
extreme gratitude! Philip Schaeffer came back to Dekpor for a 3
week visit and has donated and prepared 9 more Raspberry Pi set ups. There are
raspis, keyboards, monitors, cords, connectors, micro SD cards, multi sockets,
adaptors — the whole shebang!
Now our computer lab at Dekpor Basic School has a total of 41! One is hooked up to
a projector, and the others are student work stations. A very special thank you to
those who funded this incredible addition: Philip,
Teresa, friends, and the Klosterneuburg
School community. Philip, you have changed the entire computer lab
— we are excited by the possibilities and forever grateful for the hours you
have given to help the people of Dekpor!
We are fortunate that we have many people who like to give! When we have enough
money, we send collected items on their merry little way to Dekpor. There are
countless hours put in getting things ready before they leave Aurora and in
distributing in Dekpor also. However, it all worth the effort because it is
extremely exciting for our students to receive goods.
What do we always need? Gently used laptops and cellphones. Always.
Thanks to all of you who think of us!
Note:Please always contact Carol first, before dropping things off. If you
allocate a financial donation to shipping, it helps!
1895 pairs of underwear for girls distributed, further $1800 donated and 2045
pairs to be distributed in new year
116 Basics Kits with underwear/socks/undershirts distributed to students
13 shipments sent from Ontario to Ghana
5 shoe and backpack drives in Ontario
214 farming tools to date
5 metal bowls (218 to date)
40 solar lights distributed in January, and an additional $2300 raised to
purchase 130 more in December (distribution in 2020)
42 Moringa farmers – fields ploughed and crops planted
Information sessions held for students and parents
Ongoing advising and counselling of students
7th year at the Toronto Marathon (raised $21,955)
Recipient charity for the Emajjin Children’s Foundation annual gala (received
$40,000)
Speaking engagements
Meetings, meetings, and more meetings
Big thanks to webmaster, Bill, and accountant, Glen – both volunteers.
Countless volunteer hours given by Linda, Abraham, and Carol to run DSDO
We get things done! Thanks for your ongoing support!
Designated Giving - 2019
This is the album that will continue to grow all year long! Here you'll find a wide
assortment of items that people have chosen to get in honour of someone special.
Honestly, it's always a fun surprise for us to find out what others want to choose.
The photos are labelled to help you figure things out!
Thanks to all of you who think of DSDO at gift-giving time!
With a huge thanks to Bill of Quality Integrators Corporation, Steve, and Donatella
for their donations during the last week of December 2019, we have been able to
replenish the supply of town tools for each of the three Dekpor villages.
There are now 10 new shovels, 3 pick axes, and 5 cutlasses for each of Dekpor Yia,
Dekpor Dome, and Dekpor Horme, for a grand total of 54 new tools!
What's the big deal? Well, contributing to communal labour is an expectation. Many
people can not afford to own any of these tools, so it makes it rather difficult to
chip in to help with the work required during a community project. Also, some people
may need to use a shovel, for example, for a couple of hours, but not need one for
consistent use. The tools are kept in a central location in each town and an elder
is in charge of signing them in and out, much like a library system. We first
implemented this in 2015 and it has been working very well!
We've wanted to come up with a way to encourage economic growth in Dekpor for
years. Needless to say, we are overjoyed by the incredible donation from Tony and
Susan Anderson that has allowed us to tackle this exciting endeavor! Right from the
start, we've had a student sponsorship program because we fully believe education is
a key method to tackle poverty. Once one has finished school, clearly the next goal
is to find employment. Unfortunately, jobs are very few and far between in a rural
village such as Dekpor. This incredible donation has allowed us to create a small
business area right in Dekpor and gives our secondary school graduates the
opportunity to set up their own business.
The location was carefully chosen -- central to Dekpor Yia, Dekpor Dome, and Dekpor
Horme. Up until now, people have had to travel to Dzodze, a 20 minute motorbike ride
that costs 8 ghs each direction, and frankly, that 16 ghs round trip is
prohibitively expensive for many. Basic food provisions are the only things that
have been available for purchase in Dekpor.
We've started with the opening of three shops: Dekpor Central Cafe being run by
Jessica and Lawrencia, a stationery shop run by Michael A., and an electrical
supplies shop run by Michael K.! Craig Busch has helped each entrepreneur with start
up expenses, and we are also very grateful for his support, also!
We are considering the environmental impact and are attempting to minimize plastic
waste. Some meals will be wrapped in leaves, while others will be packaged in
biodegradable take away containers. Items purchased from shops will be given without
plastic bags, or with reusable totes that have been donated to DSDO.
The opening ceremony happened December 22nd, 2019. More shops will be coming!
Imagine being a teacher with 40 - 80 students crammed in your room, trying to teach
science, and only having one text book to hold up to show the group of students. No
equipment, no supplies, no way to do an experiment to show the children. This has
been the reality in Dekpor.
Science has always been a huge challenge for Dekpor Basic School. The nation-wide
final exams are always at a level too difficult for our students to achieve decent
grades. For years now, we've wanted to provide materials so the teachers have the
basic equipment to set the students up for success.
Things have just radically changed! Thanks to Emajjin Children's
Foundation, we were able to direct $6000 to purchase science supplies,
equipment, and supporting materials! We are very grateful for the Pink Tie Affair
fundraising event that provided the funds necessary to provide such an incredible
gift.
Uniforms. Many people don't quite understand the whole bigger picture about why
providing uniforms to Dekpor students is a really big deal. It is actually a
government mandate for students to wear a uniform to school. Some families
desperately want their children to have the opportunity to go to school, so they
send them even if they don't own the required clothing. And then there are parents
who are far too embarrassed to allow others to see the extent of their poverty --
they would rather their children work in the fields than let it be obvious that they
cannot afford a uniform. Imagine clothing preventing a child from getting an
education. So many students do not own a uniform. So many students are wearing
threadbare, ripped, or tattered uniforms. Families don't even have a needle and
thread to repair loose buttons or open seams. This is the first time we've been able
to help students who are not sponsored with providing and repairing uniforms and
they are SO grateful!
November 2019
Thanks to an incredible donation from BG/BRG Klosterneuburg International
School in Austria, we were able to provide 60 students with NEW uniforms!
We purchased the fabric, and then hired many of our student seamstresses to tailor
the uniforms. Oh, the gratitude and pride! We are extremely happy about this
wonderful donation!
We now have a designated cooking area right on Dekpor Basic School campus! What a
great addition this is and we are so thankful to our generous anonymous donors for
making this possible!
Recently implemented is a government-funded lunch programme being offered at some
elementary schools. By chance, the closest one is in Dzodze. Due to some lobbying,
Dekpor Basic School is also receiving daily food. The snag? Dekpor Basic School did
not have a cooking area on campus, so food was being driven from Dzodze…
something that could not continue for the long run. We are thrilled that now we have
ourselves a sheltered pavilion room for lunch to be prepared, right on campus!
Our DSDO food programme will morph into a breakfast-only programme, and due to the
fact that we're only going to focus on one meal, we'll be able to feed double the
kids that previously were helped.
As an added bonus, we were given enough funds to go out and purchase bowls to
decrease the typical plastic baggies used for transporting food so that we can be
financially and environmentally responsible. The students will properly wash their
bowls after they've enjoyed their meal.
And, to make this whole situation even more special, several of our high school
students helped with the construction! Hands on experience!
Our students do things that put smiles on our faces, and up until now, we haven't
really had anywhere on our website to highlight achievements and good news. Voila!
In this album you'll find a wide assortment of photos highlighting students who have
made us proud this year. Be sure to read the captions!
This is our 8th year running vacation school for elementary students at Dekpor
Basic! Classes are held each morning for 3 weeks and it's a wonderful chance for
students to get extra math and literacy practice.
This year we hired 12 Dekpor teachers: 10 in classrooms, 1 in the computer lab, and
1 in the library. Enrollment is over 225. All of our fully sponsored students and
food programme students attend. And, any other Dekpor Basic School student who pays
a very nominal fee is also welcome. During the regular school year class sizes are
enormous, but this opportunity gives each student far more individualized teacher
attention.
Truly it's a win for all involved: teachers get to earn extra money and students
benefit from the lessons and additional practice.
A very big thanks to all of our student sponsors and to the people who allocate
their donations to the food programme for making this possible!
In May, we had a team of 5 dentists visit
Dekpor… and it was overwhelming in many ways. Far too many of the
students have never owned a toothbrush, which is heart-breaking. As a result, in May
and June, we held a toothbrush campaign and we're so grateful that $450 was raised!
We are always incredibly grateful when we're able to host an all-school luncheon.
This was #13, and it was made possible by friends in Austria especially: Dr.
Karin and Dr. Robert Haas, Dr. Rudolf Riesenhuber, and
DI. Herbert and Margarethe Hofmann.
An order of 1000 kenke lunches was provided by 5 Dekpor cooks.
Who enjoyed this? All of the students, staff, and 24 high school students at
Atorkor Technical Vocational Institute.
What is kenke? A local favourite that most do not get to enjoy because it takes a
lot of time to prepare! It is a maise dough ball that is served with a hot pepper
and tomato sauce and served with tiny dried fish. Each student also enjoyed the
biscuits they received.
It is difficult to describe the level of excitement and the extreme gratitude.
Malnutrition and under-nutrition are the norm. Kids are always hungry. In some
photos, you'll notice just how focused they are. Sadly, for many of the students, it
would be the only meal they get in a day. To get the opportunity to share a very
special meal in the company of their friends is cause for great celebration, and you
can see it in all of these photos! These children are absolutely thrilled to be
getting a delicious meal.
There are plenty of reasons why we collect shoes in Ontario to ship to Ghana, but
snakes, scorpions, and parasites rank right up there. Dekpor kids NEED shoes. We are
so grateful that we have partnered with several Ontario schools that make holding a
shoe drive an annual affair!
Check back, as this album will grow, and you'll also see the shoes being
distributed in Dekpor.
The 33 boxes of food arrived at the very end of July and was distributed early
August. All Dekpor families could use help, but with approximately 8000 people
living in Dekpor, DSDO targeted the students and families of Dekpor Basic School who
were in the most dire need of food. What a beautiful gift! Just take a look at the
photos!
Again we extend our thanks to Kids Against Hunger Canada and the wonderful Milton
group of people who made the food packaging event in May a reality!
May 2019
We are most grateful to everyone involved with the 5th Food Packing Event held in
Milton on May 5th! We received 33 boxes of Kids Against Hunger food. In each box, is
36 bags of food. In each bag is a day's worth of nutrition (vitamin-fortified) for
six children. That's 7128 rice casserole meals to distribute to our most needy
students!
It takes a lot of fundraising and hours put in by dedicated volunteers to hold a
food packing event. We'd like to thank:
Milton Area Christian Churches Working Together (MACCWT)
Be Alive Christian Fellowship (BACF)
The Milton Rotary Club
Keybase Financial Group
St. George’s Anglican Church
40 students from Guardian Angels Catholic Elementary School, Bishop Reding
Catholic High School, and Craig Kielburger Secondary School who came to pack the
food
Kids Against Hunger Canada
It is astounding to see what more than 80 wonderful volunteers can do in a matter
of hours, and it was made possible by the leadership and encouragement of Kinh
Quach. After the 33 boxes were loaded into the van, Carol drove straight to the
shipper so that they could be on their way to Ghana as soon as possible.
Never, ever has a Dekpor child been seen by a dentist. Well, not until one of our
sponsored kids had such pain that treatment HAD to be found. It was at that visit
that Linda and Abraham discovered that there was a team of dentists at Sogakope
willing to come to Dekpor!
Early May, a team of 5 dentists arrived in Dekpor. They put on information sessions
so the students could learn about dental health. They screened every student at
Dekpor Basic School — that's 933 kids — and the staff! And then they did
any procedures necessary. In comparison to North American fees, what the Ghanaian
dentists charged for their talent and time was nominal. They stayed for 2 days,
working long hours, to see everyone possible.
Our high school students had to be taken at later dates to Sogakope directly, as
did a handful of elementary students from Dekpor who required procedures that
required the proper setting with all of the necessary equipment.
The conditions in Dekpor were very challenging, and it was extremely hot, but the
five dentists, Blessing, Selassie, Esinam, Peter, and Simon worked with incredible
efficiency and professionalism. We are also grateful that our local midwife/nurse,
Adrianna, worked right along with the dentists to dispense medications for
infections.
We sincerely thank the following who financed this: one anonymous donor, Ledgir House, Jackie and Dave
Montgomery, Windfields Middle School,
Susan and Scott Mikulecky, Barrie North Dentistry,
Shari and David Van de Pol, Krista Scaldwell,
Kim Nelson, Steve Howell, Lucy
Romyn, Nat Jedman, Orianna Brodbeck,
Ellie Greenwood, and Lauren Pettinger. A wonderful
$4167 was raised!
Our local midwife and nurse said:
We noticed a very great need for both student and parental education
about dental and physical health. Far too many parents avoid having their children
treated for even minor illnesses or tooth pain. This leads to further illness and
infection. We hope to do more education sessions in the future for the community.
Linda's words:
This is one of the most important steps that DSDO has made. The
condition of the children's teeth is appalling. There were deep, deep cavities,
teeth broken off at the gum line, abscesses, extreme plaque build up, infections,
and many other issues. How the children were living with the pain is beyond me. The
children had never seen nor even heard of a dentist. Some have never used a
toothbrush. Toothpaste is an expense not afforded by most families. Even the school
staff had many issues with their teeth. A good number of extractions were done. We
need to get the kids and parents to understand how important their health is, both
physical and dental. And we need the materials to make dental health accessible for
them: toothpaste, toothbrushes, and at least an annual dental check up.
Yes, now that we know there are dentists who are willing to travel, we will have to
run yearly campaigns to ensure that we can provide basic dental care to our
students. And yes, we will gratefully accept donations of toothpaste and
toothbrushes in Ontario.
We've never experienced this before, but action had to be taken.
In November of 2018, Linda and Abraham noticed a new child in town… and he
was clearly very ill. DSDO decided to immediately get him put on the food programme,
because he was terribly emaciated. We also decided to pay for a national health
insurance card and get him to the local clinic.
Turns out that John has been suffering since at least early 2016, and possibly even
longer. He was taken to a doctor back in 2017, but his family couldn't afford
treatment. He was left to live with an uncle in Dekpor Fall 2018.
We decided to finance the trips to the children's hospital in Accra, and to do what
we could to help. Considering we have 933 students at Dekpor Basic, and another 29
high school students under our wing, we couldn't deplete the entire emergency
medical fund on one student. In February, we put out the desperate cry for help, and
in a matter of days, $4302 was raised! Goodness, we could NOT believe the outpouring
of compassion from our beautiful supporters!
John has Langerhans Cell Hystiocytosis, and depending on the medical professional
you ask, it is considered a form of cancer. The great thing is, it IS treatable! We
will continue to document his journey, but the photos already are telling a very
uplifting tale! John went from not being able to swallow food and being exceedingly
weak, to sporting a smile and a whole new ability to enjoy life!
A very warm thank you to the following people who immediately jumped to help:
Jackie and Dave Montgomery, Chris Fitzgerald, Helen Rochon, Donna and Ron Jamieson,
Rita Forte, Lynne Brown, Elizabeth Rivers, Liz Clarke, Carol Sheardown, Paula Forte
Lamanna, Lucy Romyn, Erich Forler, Antony Gariepy, El Goy, Sue Walters, Joan Ross,
Riaz Mohammed, Claudia Da Silva, Nina Forte, Gerard Baribeau, Marissa Lee, Paul
Jenkins, Julia Fingernagel, Steve Howell, Julie Robertson, and Ingrid Smith.
Boy oh boy… are we ever excited about the potential of this! Have you ever
heard of moringa? Google it! Did you discover that it's like a miracle tree? Easy to
grow? Full of protein, vitamins, and minerals? And, not only that, we've found a
guaranteed purchaser!
We have decided to embrace this and give it a try. There are more than 50 farmers
jumping on the moringa bandwagon! Many are choosing to intersperse other crops,
especially for the first years of growth. For each half acre, 250 seeds are being
given.
It is going to take some time for things to get rolling, but the excitement is
palpable and the farmers are eager to try.
We are very grateful to the Mikulecky family for starting off the
fund, and then to Sonya McFarlane for ensuring we had the entire
funding necessary to get this started. Clearing and ploughing the fields started in
March.
Stay tuned for more photos throughout the year, because this album is going to
GROW!
There are many things that most of us take for granted, such as socks. But, if
you're a child in Dekpor, chances are you don't even have any. The Basics Kit was
originally offered to our child sponsors, and then opened up to anyone who wanted to
contribute. What a wonderful response we had! By the end of March, the kitty had
$2990!!
We'd like to thank the following people for allowing us to help 116
students:
Joanne McPhail and Jim Graszat (who paid for 33 kits!), Donna Jamieson, Steve
Howell, Susan and Scott Mikulecky (3), Michelle Lee, Jean Anderson, Thomas
Niederstrasser, Rune Johansson, Jen Esmail, Melanie Gruber, Markus Gruber, Becky
Longe, Andrew Sanderson, Diane and Clive Bourke (2), EveLyn Dunn, James Betts, Ann
Macoun (2), Christian Gruber, Karen Burke, Petra Schmickl, John and Shauna (4),
Christian Mayer, (5) Max Mayer (2), Ian and Leslie Toms (3), Louise Dyer, Jennifer
Laforest, Jennifer Chiarcossi, Kyla Laforest, Monika Schmickl, Heather Lanning, Kim
Hensley, Krista Scaldwell (2, for Brendan and Chloe), Joan Ross (7), Julie
Robertson, Gerard Baribeau (10), and Judy McLeod (2).
Well, where would we be without the annual boost from Busch Systems? Likely with very few Dekpor residents
drinking clean water. Busch Systems has replenished our water needs with a donation
$10,000!
Here's what it covered:
a stand for the reverse osmosis units
several filters
filter housings
multiple pumps (assorted varieties)
antiscalant
meters
a booster
borehole cables
coils
assorted other supplies (sockets, glue, tape, pipes, etc.)
labour required for all the upgrades and installations
We had to fundraise for years and accomplish the water system in manageable phases.
It has been a huge undertaking! Busch Systems has been a big part of our water story
since 2013. We have a WATSAN (water and sanitation) committee in place because this
system is supporting thousands of Dekpor residents.
Increased sales reflect greater use of the system, and therefore, an increased
number of filters and parts are needed for general upkeep. This donation, in
essence, subsidizes the cost of water, which ensures that more people can afford
clean water and choose it over the contaminated stream. The bottom line is that
people are listening; they are beginning to understand why they need to choose clean
water. Without the incredible donation by Busch Systems, allowing us to buy all the
necessary system components, we’d have to raise the price at the standpipes to
sustain the system. We are extremely grateful that we're able to keep the costs for
residents at a very reasonable level!
Typically our albums are showcasing things that were recently purchased or given by
donors, but this one is a bit different. It was last year when Joyce Wilson made a
big donation that allowed us to purchase more than $3500 worth of math
manipulatives. Last summer, two outreach volunteers, Sasheen Niles and Becky
Thompson, did a sharing session with 9 of the Dekpor teachers.
Now, here we are in 2019 and several of the staff from last year are no longer in
Dekpor… so it was time for another workshop! There is no point in having
thousands of dollars of fantastic resources just sitting collecting dust. A huge
thanks to Ian Marshall and Jennifer McLaren for putting on a wonderfully informative
math session for our Dekpor teachers. Hands on — THAT is the way to learn!
Add to that, Jennifer did a couple of after school workshops for our girls in JHS 1
and 2! The girls had a great time and were fully engaged — just look at the
photos!
What a great way to ensure the materials that Joyce financed will get put to use
and further help our Dekpor students understand math concepts better. Thanks to
Jennifer and Ian for sharing their talent, knowledge, and experience!
Imagine not owning any underwear. Or, how about if you only had one pair.
And then just try to think about HOW all of our Dekpor Basic School girls feel now
that they were given several new pairs! Yes, in a very quick and successful December
campaign, we raised $1325 and were able to purchase 1895 pairs of underwear for our
girls! All of the younger girls received 3 pairs each, and the older girls,
including the sponsored ones who are away at high school, received 4 pair each!
A big thanks to the following people who made this possible:
Josie Muniz
Jo-Anne Brady
Ana Vegega
Carol Sheardown (in honour of Mom and Dad)
EveLyn Dunn
Donna and Ron Jamieson (in honour of Jonathon and Judy)
Carol Takagi (in honour of Corinne and Malcolm)
Ines Howe (for Jessica, Kiana, and Sydney)
Becky Longe (in honour of Mum)
Darlene Ramsey-Wu (in honour of Amy)
ABC Book Club
Kelly Pegg ( in honour of Mrs. Mills and Mrs. Domjanic)
Julie Robertson
Dagmara Kwiecinski (in honour of Anders and Audrey)
We held a quick campaign in December and were thrilled to have
$885 allocated to a hygiene fund! We used tote bags that had been
donated to us in the fall (thanks for the connection, Sigma Promotions!) and filled
each with: a toothbrush, toothpaste, handkerchief, soap, and deodorant. The nurses
from the local clinic came to give some basic instruction to our junior high school
students. A total of 120 kits were distributed to all of the
students in JHS 2 and JHS 3!
A big thank you to: Quality Integrators Corporation, Ana
Vegega, Windfields Middle School,
Murray Bowser and Sandra Hartman, Rahnuma Panthaky
in honour of Meher, Sogut Gulec and Derin in honour of Mr. Peters
and Ms Dufour, and Elidia Marraccini for making this possible.
Imagine having a class of 60 or more students and only having ONE text book to
instruct the whole class. Unfortunately, that's a reality in Dekpor. The teacher
walks up and down the aisles, holding open the diagram in the book, hoping that the
quick glance is enough for the students to see what is being discussed. Then the
teacher walks to the board and students are expected to copy the notes, word for
word, because they don't have their own text to hold.
We have more than 900 students enrolled at Dekpor Basic this year. The need for
text books is undeniable.
Extreme gratitude is felt for the two donations allocated to text books in
December:
Diane Young and Robert Pecile donated in
honour of their nieces and nephews: Claire, Emma, Jordyn, Justin, Liam, Olivia,
Sophie, and Alex.
Jason Kaptyn donated in honour of Jon and Amanda.
DSDO purchased 95 English text books in January and the teachers
are extremely happy! The students in grades 3, 4, 5, and 6 will truly appreciate
having books to share!
Single women households are the poorest of the poor. They are often left with lots
of children, many not even their own, and somehow they need to survive. The vast
majority of people living in Dekpor are subsistence farmers who either own or rent a
plot of land to try to grow the food they need. The ground is overgrown and requires
a lot of manual labour before it is ready for any crops to be planted. So many women
are attempting to tackle this backbreaking job with their bare hands, or tools that
are basically falling apart. DSDO has taken a special interest in trying to make a
difference. Abraham knows a tool maker in Togo who designs cutlasses and adzes
specifically for women (meaning they are slightly smaller and easier for women to
manipulate).
Last year, we'd reached the 161 mark… and here we are now, after Christmas
donations, able to distribute an additional 49, putting us at 210 farming
tools distributed!
We are very grateful to: Peter Skillen for making a tribute gift
in memory of Paul Wallace which has provided 24 tools, and then a second donation
allowing for 16 more; Ines Howe for giving 4 to her grandsons,
Anthony and Christophe; and Darlene and Dan Wu for giving Liam 4.
And there was an extra tool that DSDO gave out. These 49 tools were
distributed in January to women who were delighted to receive such a needed gift!
We are deLIGHTed with our pilot run of Solights and knew that we wanted to purchase
more when the opportunity arose. Due to a great sale in November, we ran a 2 day
campaign to take advantage of the best price possible, and we were able to get
40 lights.
A huge thanks to Kim Nelson (in honour of Auntie Ev, Mom, Claire,
and Grace), ABC Book Club (Lydia Ridd, Louise Dyer, Jennifer
Weaver, Sue Bugos, Darlene Cann and friends), Gerard Baribeau,
Steve Howell, Becky Macoun Longe, and Sue
Walters.
Keep in mind that Dekpor is in the dark for 12 hours every day. Basically students
go to school, go to the family plot of land to do chores, and head home in the dark
for dinner. It's impossible to do homework at night without any light. Now we have
40 families who will benefit from the gift of light!
Our Austrian friends are truly giving the Dekpor Basic School computer lab a
complete makeover! BG/BRG Klosterneuburg staff, students, and parents sent another
load of Raspberry Pi units and assorted peripherals! Their financial donation
allowed us to get the SD cards required for the Raspberry Pis and also to purchase
AV equipment for the library hall! A very special thank you especially to
Philip, Max, Eva, and
Lori.
September 2019
We have 3 more students starting ICT studies in high school this year, and also a
graduate whose sponsor wanted to set her up for success. Yes, 4 students just
received fully refurbished laptops purchased in Ontario!
August 2019
Philip Schaeffer of Austria just spent a week in Dekpor and he is
giving our computer lab a face lift! Philip personally purchased and brought 10
brand new Raspberry Pis with him, and then was able to find all the peripherals
necessary for set ups in Ghana by using funds from BG/BRG Klosterneuburg!
And then, in anticipation of the next visit when more Raspberry Pis will be
delivered, Philip got another 12 of everything (monitors, keyboards,
etc.) — again funded by BG/BRG Klosterneuburg.
What a difference this will make!
Philip, a teacher, also took the time to help some of our ICT secondary students
(who just happened to be home in Dekpor) get excited for their futures by involving
them and teaching them how to choose good items and how to set up!
Philip, we are extremely grateful for all you have done to improve our computer
lab!
January 2019
Something new this year! We've taken the plunge and purchased 5 wonderful laptops
for our 5 students currently in ICT at Atorkor Vocational High School. Wisdom,
Saviour, Zinabu, Tity, and Joy are extremely grateful to the following people who
have made such a pricey investment possible: Tony and Susan
Anderson, Helen Rochon, and her mom Helen
Rochon, Lynne Brown, Edna Michael, and
Pat Matheson. Another shout out to Best Buy,
Aurora, where we were treated very well and given deep discounts. We are
very hopeful that these students will be able to put their skills to great use!
Gently used laptops and cell phones are ALWAYS gratefully accepted. There are no
landlines in Dekpor. High school students require a smart phone in order to receive
much of the learning materials from their teachers. People in the village can run a
business if they have a phone. If you have a cell that is stuck in the back of your
drawer, consider giving it a new life!
Donated laptops are used either in our Dekpor Basic School computer lab, or by a
high school student. ICT is part of the curriculum and it's necessary for us to give
our students a fighting chance to pass exams.
A massive thank you to every single person who has donated a cell phone or a
laptop!
Extensive repairs to: furniture, eaves troughs, downspouts to reservoirs, soccer
field and goal posts, library roof
Rescreeded 6 classroom floors
Cleaned out teacher toilets, repaired floor
Repainted students’ toilets
General maintenance and repairs including painting, tires for seating, planted
trees and grass, cleaning
3 classrooms wired with an electrical socket and light
$10,575 donated to cover exam fees
Students and Teachers
36 elementary student sponsorships
27 high school sponsorships
2 young adults supported while transitioning from school to work force
3 week vacation school with 300 students, 12 Ghanaian teachers, 3 Ontario
educators
6 outreach teacher volunteers hosted
Study hall – 2 hours every week night
5 tutors/librarians hired by DSDO
Students hired for tippy tap maintenance, school caretaking, construction
projects, cleaning, hen management
150 students on food programme
Hygiene items distributed (toothbrushes & toothpaste, soap) and further funds
allocated for January purchases
2 school-wide luncheons (September, December)
$3000 of bike repairs
Water and Sanitation
Integral part of the towns’ Water and Sanitation committees
$19,500 to water system upgrades, equipment, and supplies
Extensive repairs to the water system including water towers
Added more meters to water system
5th town toilet facility constructed, complete with rain harvesting and hand
washing stations, Yia #3
Major repair of Yia #1 town toilet
16 Street lights at existing toilet facilities
Health-related
National health insurance for all sponsored students
10 adults to receive NHIS cards
Emergency medical fund
$900+ of medical supplies and equipment received by clinic
Funds allocated to mosquito nets
Donations of eyeglasses
Miscellaneous
4 shoe and backpack drives
500 undergarments distributed, further $1300 allocated and purchased before the
end of year
We shipped: clothing, suitcases, glasses, shoes, learning materials, toys,
toothbrushes, laptops, eyeglasses, cell phones, sewing goods, suitcases, school
supplies, and many other items
54 farming tools purchased
29 multipurpose metal bowls purchased
40 solar lights purchased
148 tippy tap hand washing stations constructed
22 students with hens
4 business set ups financed
International visitors hosted throughout the year
Information sessions held for students and parents
Ongoing advising and counselling of students
$21,008 raised in Toronto Marathon
Speaking engagements
Numerous meetings
Countless volunteer hours given by Linda, Abraham, and Carol to run DSDO; and by
Bill (webmaster) and Glen (accountant)
We get things done! Thanks for your continued ongoing support!
Be sure to re-visit the albums often as we’ll be adding to it throughout
the year!
Shipping - 2018
We have plenty of goods that are donated to us and when we have enough money
allocated to cover the cost of shipping, we send things from Ontario over to Ghana.
It takes a whole lot of time to pick up, launder, organize, sort, inventory, label,
pack, transport, unpack, re-sort, and distribute both in Ontario and in
Ghana… but it is always exciting for the people of Dekpor to receive items
and please know that we are very grateful when goods are donated to us.
Most wanted?
Gently used laptops
Gently used cell phones
Note: We do accept other items, but it is essential to check with Carol first and to have funding in place to cover the cost
of shipping.
We had 3 shipments leave Ontario late November/December… and they arrived in
early 2018. Lots of clothing; lots of primary school goods. Be sure to read the
upper left box to see who donated it!
We thank Sigma Promotions for all of the notebooks, pens, and clothing that they
gave us last fall (two vans-full of goods). Aurora FC (formerly AYSC), we thank you
for your continued support — every few months you are always sending something
our way! And to everyone else who makes a point of sharing with us… thank
you!
Be sure to re-visit the album often as we’ll be adding to it throughout the
year!
Designated Giving - 2018
Often our supporters like to allocate their donation to something specific, and
it's always fun for us to find out what they will choose. Often these are tribute
gifts, being made in honour of someone special.
As you look through the album, read the description to the upper left so you can
see who was responsible for the purchase.
Thanks to everyone who makes all of these wonderful additions possible!
Be sure to re-visit the album often as we’ll be adding to it throughout the
year!
A Special School Luncheon - December 6, 2018
Just look at the photos to see what a big deal this is!
This is the fourth time that a school luncheon has been held
because of Karen Burke! Amazing stuff! (We've been
able to do this a total of 12 times now.)
What happened? Well, DSDO hired 4 local women to to prepare kenke. Kenke is a local
delicacy — a maise dough ball that is served with tiny dried fish and a hot
pepper/tomato sauce. It takes quite some time to make, so it honestly is a rare
thing for our kids to ever get to eat it. Every single student and all of the staff
got to enjoy a meal together. It's a celebration! But as you can notice in the more
candid photos, the business of eating is a serious one. Many, many students are sent
to school without any food at all. Having the opportunity to socialize and eat
together is a genuine treat!
Due to absentees, there were several meals left over which worked out perfectly
since Linda and Abraham were visiting Anloga and Atorkor high schools. Kenke for
them, too! What an unexpected surprise!
It takes plenty of organizing and a lot of energy to execute feeding more than 900
students so efficiently, but Linda and Abraham have done it enough times now that
they know how to manage the cooks, the distribution, and the photos!
Sometimes things don't go quite as planned. The first toilet built in Dekpor Yia
was not one that DSDO designed or even constructed. This toilet was 'in progress'
when Linda first arrived in Dekpor, back in 2009. But to be honest, what had been
done was choosing the site location, the attempt to save money, and the making of
some building blocks. Over the years, a small amount of work was completed. In 2015,
we were asked to help with the funding, and DSDO paid for many of the materials, and
the rain harvesting system, the hand washing stations, and the attendant room. They
relied heavily on communal labour to complete the project. Unfortunately, without a
general contractor in charge of the job from the get go, there have been some major
repairs that were required this year. Huge cracks in the walls had to be repaired
because the integrity of the entire structure was in trouble, the outer walls had to
be braced, and the entire building, therefore, required painting.
We're grateful to Tony and Susan Anderson for their incredible
donation that has enabled us to do many, many necessary jobs that others may not
find terribly glamorous!
Scorpions, snakes, parasites… three great reasons why our students truly
need to be wearing something on their feet. When we first started our work in
Dekpor, the vast majority of students did not own a pair of shoes. We're changing
that! Holding shoe drives at Ontario schools has become an annual occurrence and
we're very happy that we have a great circle of people who like to see the smiles on
the faces in Dekpor once the shoes are distributed.
This fall, we had four schools hold extremely successful shoe drives:
Minesing Central Public School
Aurora Preparatory Academy
Moraine Hills Public School
Windfields Middle School
We are thrilled to have received hundreds of pairs of running shoes and soccer
cleats! An added thank you to Aurora Prep and Minesing Central for also collecting
backpacks.
Stay tuned to this page to see both the before (while the shoes were in Ontario)
and after photos.
Oh, what a great day! A big thank you to Ledgir
House in British Columbia for sponsoring a school luncheon at Dekpor Basic
School! It's been a very, very long time since we've been able to do this; to say
the students were thrilled would be an understatement!
A delicious lunch of kenke is served, and then to top it off, the students also got
biscuits. Kenke is fermented maise dough balls, and it is served with fish and hot
pepper sauce. This time DSDO hired 4 local women to do the time-consuming cooking.
It is rather labour-intensive to make kenke, so it is a rare treat for our children
to enjoy such a fine meal!
Thank you, Ledgir House, for putting smiles on faces!
We'd like to thank Tony and Susan Anderson for giving us the
funding to allow for a job that otherwise never would have received the attention it
required. Way back in our early years, Abraham and Linda lobbied the government to
have a block of classrooms built on our campus (2012). Lucky it happened; unlucky
that the workmanship left much to be desired. Over the years, DSDO has had to do
several repairs to fix the rooms. Now here we find ourselves having to chip up the
old cement in each of the 6 classrooms and the front porch. It's a time consuming
job. All the furniture had to be removed, then the floors has to be entirely broken
up. To apply a top coat of cement requires the cement to be mixed by hand…
and you can see for yourself that there are not any of the typical tools or
equipment that we'd have to accomplish such a task.
A big job. A job that we are really glad to have completed. A grateful thank you to
Tony and Susan!
In 2012, we first launched this wild idea, and it has bloomed since then! This is
such a great chance for students to solidify concepts in both English and math.
Classes are held each morning for three weeks. This time we've hired 12 Dekpor
teachers: 10 in classrooms and 1 in the library and 1 in the computer lab. We also
have 3 outreach volunteers assisting this summer: Sasheen Niles,
Helen Rochon, and Becky Thompson, all from
Ontario. This year we had almost 300 students attending!
All of our fully-sponsored students and food programme students are enrolled. Any
other Dekpor Basic School student who pays a very nominal fee can also attend.
During the regular school year, class sizes are still much larger than we'd like to
see, but these three weeks allow for a much better teacher-student ratio. Additional
computer lab time is also key as we're just starting to see some of our sponsored
secondary school students choose to enter ICT.
This is an incredible experience for all involved… the teachers who get to
earn some extra money, the students who benefit from the lessons, and the outreach
volunteers who will forever be touched by their opportunity to share their talents.
An extra bonus is that 3 suitcases with some of the newly purchased math manipulatives (thanks Joyce
Wilson) traveled with the outreach volunteers. The Ontario teachers had
an opportunity to demonstrate many of the new materials to both the Dekpor teachers
and the students!
Thanks to all of our student sponsors and people who give to our food
programme… YOU are the ones who make this possible!
There are a lot of people out there who don't want to talk about toilets, but hey,
we would not fit into that category. Toilets. They are necessary. They save lives.
Skeptical? Think about the health ramifications of open defecation, the
environmental concerns, and human dignity.
Yia #3 is our fifth town toilet facility and we are forever grateful to our
extremely generous donors… the shy ones who prefer to stay anonymous…
the ones who also financed Dome's facility and a big chunk of the water distribution
system. We are so thankful that they understand the magnitude of tackling these
necessary improvements.
Like the other toilet facilities built with our design, there are 10 cubicles, a
rain harvesting system, hand washing stations, a storage closet, and a booth for the
attendant. Dekpor Yia is the largest of the three villages, and so it is necessary
to have a third building to service the population.
We are very excited that we are able to build this year!
Math has always been a huge challenge for our Dekpor Basic School students.
Unfortunately, there has been a very dismal pass rate. We've decided that we need to
focus on improvement and do our best to give the teachers and students the tools to
help.
This is where our amazingly generous friend, Joyce, steps in. Joyce
Wilson has been with us right from the start, and she has funded several
important projects. Thanks to her latest financial contribution, we spent
more than $3500 on a wide variety of math materials that teachers here in
Ontario are accustomed to having in our schools.
In Ontario, before shipping, Carol started some basic learning centres for many of
the manipulatives (dice, tangrams, pentominoes, dominoes, attribute blocks, etc.). A
special shout out to Donna Jamieson for working on models and
sheets for the Fractions kit.
Thanks to student volunteers, Rachel Lee and Claire Wilson, for
their assistance getting materials ready.
We hope that giving Dekpor students a hands-on approach will help them understand
the concepts.
We are absolutely thrilled by the generous donation made by Tony and Susan
Anderson that is allowing us to complete the last item on our
construction wish list for school campus! Yes, after financing rooms 1 to 4 (along
with other wonderful things) last year, the Andersons have made another mind-blowing
donation, and part of it is allowing us to finish off the kindergarten pod by
building rooms 5 and 6!
Back in 2010 when DSDO first started our work in Dekpor, there were anywhere from
150 to 170 kindergarten kids crammed on benches under a mango tree. The teacher,
Patience, (and goodness knows that incredible woman must have been absolutely FULL
of patience herself), taught these sweet children without a room, without teacher or
student materials, without assistance.
The floor and about one metre in height of the walls had been completed last summer
so that the area was safe for the children to be using the kindergarten pod. Now,
we're excited about the speed and efficiency in which the rest is being completed.
Just like last time, we have hired our most industrious students to work and learn
alongside the professionals. Many of the students are planning their high school
studies to be in the trades. This opportunity not only gives them tremendous
hands-on experience, but it also puts money in their pockets to help cover their
expenses.
We are eternally grateful to Susan and Tony. They have financed the entire
kindergarten pod: 6 classrooms + a sandbox + a secured courtyard = INCREDIBLE!
DSDO has 50 bikes: 45 of them were donated in Ontario and shipped over to Ghana,
while the original 5 were purchased in Ghana. The gift of a bicycle can radically
change a student's life! Whether it is travelling to and from school each day, the
trips to and from the family's plot of land, or going to study hall in our library
in the evenings, owning a bike can save a student hours every day!
We made a decision to redistribute the bikes we currently have in Dekpor in lieu of
shipping more over. But, conditions in Dekpor are particularly brutal: sand, salt,
humidity, torrential rains, blistering sun, few roads… and students do not
have any money to purchase parts when something breaks.
In April 2018, we ran a two-day campaign to raise funds to start a Bike Repair
kitty. We raised just over $3000!
We'd like to thank the following for helping us keep the wheels rolling: Windfields Junior High School, Class 1B of BG
Klosterneuberg in Austria, Amanda Burns, Chris Fitzgerald, Gerard Baribeau, Steve
Howell, Nancy Newman, Domenic Molinaro, Silvia Gallagher, Aisling Mathews, Nat
Jedman, Sue Walters, Kim Hensley, Ellen Dunn, Lorraine O'Sullivan, and Corinne
O'Neill.
With an extremely generous donation of $5000, this wonderful group
of people has made going to the town toilet facilities a whole lot safer. It's dark
12 hours/day, and uneven pathways, snakes, and scorpions can make the nighttime trek
to the toilets more of an adventure than anyone is willing to risk.
We put in a total of 10 lights: three at Yia Town Toilet Facility #1, four at Yia
Town Toilet Facility #2, and three at Dekpor Dome's Facility. Just take a look at
the photos—it takes a team to put in the poles and get the wiring done.
What a difference this will make for the people of Dekpor! Health, safety, and
dignity.
Thank you to Rotary Club of Aurora for all you've done to help us!
Back in July 2017, Carol started sourcing materials for use in the four
kindergarten classrooms that were about to be constructed. When there are
approximately 200 students and the starting point is zero, well, that means there is
plenty of work to be done! Our Dekpor kids have no experience with toys. They
haven't played with Duplo, they don't have puzzles, imaginations have never been
stimulated. The teachers don't even have counters for use in math lessons to teach
addition and subtraction. What's that mean? Well, ANYTHING that was found, donated,
or purchased was an instant hit!
We thank Susan Heagy for her keen eye last summer sourcing goods. (See last year's
Kindergarten Goods album.) We also thank Children's Forest and Ridley Orchard School
for choosing us as one of the recipients of their Christmas drives! And yes, Carol
has been constantly on the search for items to add to the collection. In this album
you'll see plenty of the kindergarten goods IN USE! And it's true, the students
haven't really grasped all the possibilities yet, but they are learning! As you'll
see, even the teachers are joining in on the play because this is a new experience
for them, too. Learning is a process, and we are happy that we are now able to get
our youngest on the path to a brighter future.
If you have something that you'd like to donate, contact us.
Every year, three times a year, each student (from kindergarten to grade 9)
enrolled at Dekpor Basic School has to pay exam fees—to buy the paper and to
pay for the photocopying of their own exams. Only the exact number of exams paid for
are printed. If there is nonpayment, a student is 'sacked' three weeks before the
exam period and is not allowed to return until after. What's that mean? In the span
of a school year, students miss three whole months of school because the family is
unable to pay for the exam fees. Frankly, it's heartbreaking.
We are absolutely delighted that the ETFO Humanity Fund Board of
Directors voted to support our application for $10,575! They have
ensured that we can pay the fees for Terms 2 and 3 of this school year, and Term 1
of the 2018-2019 year for every student enrolled at Dekpor Basic School!
The ripple effect of this donation is huge and we are incredibly grateful to the
Elementary Teachers' Federation of Ontario and the Humanity Fund!
Busch Systems has done it again! $12,900 was
donated to help us make sure that we have all the back up equipment
required to keep our clean water flowing through all three villages.
The things we needed include:
cylinders with head gaskets
bags of resin
filter housings
filters
reverse osmosis membranes
auto control boards
switches
an electrical board
pumps
filter sand
ability to pay for the electrician, plumber, and water testing
It took years of fundraising in Canada, and work done in manageable phases in
Ghana, but we managed to accomplish the most challenging feat—supplying clean
water all over Dekpor, from Dekpor Yia in the west, to Dekpor Dome in the middle, to
Dekpor Horme in the east. It takes time for the WATSAN committees to get a handle on
the sheer magnitude of this system. We are thoroughly grateful that Busch Systems is
giving us the needed boost to ensure we have supplies and equipment in reserve so
that the flow of water to the residents of Dekpor goes uninterrupted.
Busch Systems has been supporting our water initiatives since
2013!
Be sure to re-visit this album. We’ll be adding more photos soon!
Tippy Taps - 2018
In January, Rotary Club of Newmarket gave Dekpor School
Development Organisation an honorarium when Carol was the guest speaker at their
meeting on the 25th. We decided to make tippy taps.
Tippy taps… what are they? An ingenious way of washing hands that requires a
minimal amount of water and materials.
Why does this matter? Quick stats:
3.5 million children die from acute respiratory infection and diarrhea in
developing countries every year.
It is estimated that 1.2 million of those lives could be saved if they merely
washed their hands with soap! We're not talking about vaccinations or anything
fancy—we're talking the very simple act of washing ones hands with soap and
water.
Hand washing with soap and water has been cited as one of the most
cost-effective health interventions!
A group of junior high school students from Dekpor Basic School gathered to improve
the health of many. Under the instruction of our two librarians, Linda, and Abraham,
the kids set to work gathering appropriate tree limbs and assembling all the
necessary components to build 25 tippy taps. We added 5 more on
school campus, 4 where our food providers are set up (for our food programme), and
16 at private family compounds. Cleverly placed in obvious locations, we are hoping
that others may start asking questions and set up their own!
This is an initiative that we are going to continue. Not only has this helped every
single person who washes their hands, but it counts towards course work for all of
the students who took part in the construction. It's a win all around!
April 1, 2018
When 25 Semester at Sea students visited Dekpor, they worked together with our
students to build an additional 30 tippy tap hand-washing stations! A fun and
important activity that all participants enjoyed!
And… we are thrilled by the initiative shown by one of our sponsored
students, Jennifer Dagbi. When the crew of SAS and Dekpor Basic
School students were making their rounds, they were surprised to find one already in
place where they were expecting to construct. After the first building session in
February, Jennifer took it upon herself to build a tippy tap at her own home!
Education is where it's at! Make that +1 more!
April 7, 2018
Using the April monthly donation from Lucy Romyn, Ron Tanaka, and Barb
Porter, we decided to put in another 25 tippy taps while we were on the
roll! See the photos in the album!
August 2018
Thanks to a successful Mother's Day campaign, we received support to install
67 more tippy taps. A big thanks to Gerard
Baribeau (25), Mike Smiley (15), Carol
Sheardown (15), and Rebecca Prins (12) who made
donations to honour someone special. The students are able to do this without adult
intervention, and they get credit for their BDT course (basic design and
technology). We're at 148 tippy taps so far this year!
Since 2010 when we first started our work, providing classroom furniture has been a
continuous need.
Most classroom furniture in Ghana is entirely handmade, without the help of power
tools. That means all the wood is cut by hand and there aren't screws to hold the
wood together. Unfortunately, as these traditional desks get used and moved around,
the nails wiggle out and then we are left with countless repairs. It is a constant
struggle to keep up with fixing broken furniture.
We are thrilled that Busch Systems just made a
donation that has allowed us to purchase 60, yes, SIXTY, of these beautiful new
desks! We've never had anything so slick!
We are so excited to be piloting these new desks from Ashfoam, a new Ghanaian
company! As you can see, they are intended for two students, so we now have sturdy,
durable, attractive seating for 120 of our students!
Thank you Craig Busch, for making this possible!
September 2018
In our wildest dreams, we couldn't have imagined that we would be in the position
to be able to purchase more of these desks, yet here we are! With a very heartfelt
thank you to Susan and Tony Anderson, we were able to take a
portion of their extremely generous donation so that we could get more desks!
If you look in the album, you'll see the truck delivering 80 double
desks… that is seating for 160 students! Happy students, happy
teachers, no repairs required!
Tony and Susan, you've done it yet again! Thank you!
Laptops are the #1 needed item for us to collect and send to Dekpor.
Whether they are put into the computer lab at Dekpor Basic School or given to one
of our high school students to use while they finish their studies, laptops are
changing the lives of our students!
A most heartfelt thank you to all of you who donate.
If you have a gently used laptop, cell phone, or iPad, let us know!
Medical Equipment & Supplies for the Clinic - 2018
January 2018
A tragedy that struck one of our school staff members brought to light the extreme
lack of medical equipment and supplies at the local clinic. Even the most basic of
items were missing—not even one functioning thermometer! In a one week blitz,
funds were raised to get items that were most wanted by the nurses and midwife at
the clinic and deemed necessary by medical professionals here in Ontario.
We would like to thank Chris, Steve,
Kerry, Lydia, Tracey,
Rebecca, Jean, Lauren,
Becky, and Claudia for stepping up to help.
We were able to make our dollars stretch further with the help of ToronTek, who graciously donated the doppler and
gel, and gave us deep discounts on the oximeters.
Thanks also to Deb Uden for the donation of a BP monitor and Ramya Raghavan for the
donation of a second doppler.
On January 23rd all of the items were presented while members of the Ketu North
Health District were there to witness this generous gift. You won't see many smiles,
because they were completely overwhelmed and take this sort of presentation very
seriously.
The following morning, the local staff showed up at Abraham and Linda's house to
say their personal thank yous.
We are grateful to all of you who helped make this happen!
Students who receive two hens and feed are very excited about the potential.
Malnutrition and undernourishment are a very real part of life in Dekpor—no
one gets sufficient protein in their diet.
Dr. Foli Mensah, who works for the Department of Agriculture at the Ketu North
District assembly offices, continues to work with us.
We are grateful to the people who choose to make tribute gifts and allocate the
funds to our hen programme!
Every year we have plenty of smaller projects or purchases that help us make life
in Dekpor a little better. (As you look through the album, be sure to read the label
to the upper left.)
We are grateful to everyone who helps us accomplish these important things!
Designated Giving - 2017
It's always a fun surprise when people decide how to allocate their donations.
Often times it is done as a tribute gift for someone special. This year, we had
quite a number of wonderful requests—most happened in December.
Ten Solights were purchased in Canada and sent to Ghana with Linda in November.
They were given to students who have absolutely no light at home and who are serious
students wanting to study in the evenings. (distributed in December)
A tribute gift was made to improve all things soccer. A broken goal post was
welded, new nets, practice cones, captain bands, whistles, and penalty cards were
purchased. The field will be harrowed when the weather permits. It's a total
overhaul for the soccer field on school campus that is used by all of our students
and all of the town teams!
After a very heartbreaking situation was made known, we had many people step up to
allocate money toward purchasing medical equipment and supplies. Even the most basic
items are lacking at the local clinic—things that include thermometers,
scales, oximeters, blood pressure monitors, a baby doppler, stethoscopes…
Items were donated and purchased in Ontario and will be traveling with a teacher
volunteer in January 2018.
We opted for something new this year; there were 56 huge multi-purpose metal bowls
that were purchased. These are a staple for every household and are used for
fetching water, gathering firewood or crops, moving soil, bathing babies, and the
list goes on. (purchased and distributed in December)
We had a very generous donation given so that a large number of teacher materials
could be purchased. We got 53 posters (these things are massive!), 48 abacuses, 50
compasses for math, A4 paper, and tape, wood mounting strips, and the labour to have
the strips installed in the classrooms. (purchased and taken to school during
December holidays and ready for the new term)
The teachers at Dekpor Basic School let Linda know in December that they were
desperate to have some exercise books to be able to give to students who were coming
to class without even so much as a scrap of paper. We were thrilled that a number of
our followers saw just how necessary they are. (purchased in December, distributed
in December and thereafter)
Communal labour town tools (5 flat shovels, 5 loader shovels, 3 pick axes, 2 adzes)
have been bought. These are used very frequently and no one wants for their personal
tools to be used, in case of breakage or inevitable wear. Truth is, many people
don't even own any tools. This is a much better way to ensure that each man
attending has the proper equipment.
We purchased 15 benches for the library with one donation, and sand toys and mats
for the kindergarten classrooms with another. Someone else paid for the sandbox
cover.
A donation from Quality Integrators Corporation allowed us to to
do furniture repair, properly finish the white boards in the new kindergarten
classrooms, and purchase padlocks, and more than 36 yards of fabric to cover all the
shelves in our new kindergarten classrooms.
We are extremely excited to have been able to get so many different things! THANK
YOU to each and every single person who helped make this happen!
December School Luncheon - 2017
Jason Kaptyn wanted to surprise Jonathan and Amanda for the holidays—what
better way to do it than a tribute gift?! A school luncheon was held December 13th,
the last day before the three week Christmas holiday break at Dekpor Basic School.
Kenke, a local traditional dish that is made with fermented maise dough balls, was
on the menu! It is served with tiny fish and a hot pepper sauce. Because it is very
time-consuming to make, many people of Dekpor rarely have an opportunity to eat it.
The staff and students are extremely excited to enjoy such a delicacy. Linda and
Abraham also got biscuits (that taste somewhat like Arrowroots) to make the meal
even more of a treat.
Four students who are special to Amanda and Jonathan took leadership roles in
helping with the food distribution. Just look at the smiles! It is a wonderfully
appreciated gift for all the students and staff.
'Summer' Vacation School - 2017
We've come a long way, baby! We started 'summer' vacation school back in 2012 with
only 30 students attending. And now, we are over 225 students, with 11 teachers
hired, for a three week period! All of our fully-sponsored students, and food-only
students are enrolled. Any other Dekpor Basic School student who pays a very nominal
fee can also attend.
The focus is on basic math and literacy skills. During the school year, class sizes
are still mighty large. These special three weeks give valuable time with a much
better teacher - student ratio. Extra time in the computer lab is another major
perk!
This is a win for everyone involved—the teachers are hired for extra work and
the students get extra help with core subjects.
We are able to offer summer school because of the people who sponsor children and
give to the food programme. Thank you!
Kindergarten Goods - 2017
Until now, our kindergartens have had precious little. In 2010, the teacher had her
class of 150+ students crammed on benches under a massive mango tree. She had only a
chunk of chalkboard and some very low quality chalk.
Now that we finally have some dedicated kindergarten classrooms, it's time to start
sourcing some teaching materials and toys.
See the photos. If you have anything that you'd like to donate that is along the
lines of what you see, let us know!
New Vehicle - 2017
Okay, so this may not be a project, but without this gorgeous 9-seater Hyundai van,
DSDO wouldn't be able to operate very efficiently in Dekpor. Linda and Abraham drive
all over the place for DSDO. They pick up shipped goods, they transport most of the
building materials themselves, they take loads of students to events, to get their
health cards, and they take secondary students to their schools. They host volunteer
visitors and take them for tours. They have to drive all the way to Accra to deal
with banking and, several times a week, they drive to get a signal so photos can be
sent to Carol for our Facebook, website, and other social media use. They are
constantly running errands to pick up needed items for either students or our
building projects. It's safe to say that not a day goes by that a vehicle isn't
needed!
The whole story behind how this gift came to be is worth a smile, but let's suffice
to say that we are forever indebted to Susan and Tony Anderson who
saw and understood the absolute necessity of DSDO having a vehicle and providing it
for us. They have given to us so generously and support us in the projects we
tackle. Just how do we say thanks for such a wonderful gift? We're not sure, but we
are getting a kick out of the reaction of the kids and we keep sharing the fun.
What's going on in these pics? Well, the children of Dekpor have never seen their
own image. Some people in Dekpor have a tiny pocket mirror, but that's about it.
They've never seen their reflections! They are fascinated with the van because it is
mighty shiny and they can see themselves, head to toe. From 3 - 20 years old,
students gather around the van and watch themselves pose, dance, jump up and down,
piggy back others, and they giggle hysterically. Such entertainment!
Thank you, Susan and Tony for a gift that will keep on giving for years to come!
You've effectively allowed DSDO to keep running full tilt!
Watch the fun video (21 sec) of kids dancing in the reflection from the van:
Sewing Machines - 2017
Sewing machines are helping our students! We've had two girls finish a three year
seamstress apprenticeship and go on to open their own shops this year! We're so
proud of Janet and Mawuenyo!
We also have other girls in high school right now who are going to need access to a
sewing machine. Although they have to have a hand crank machine for their first
years in high school, once they graduate, they'll need an electric.
We'd like to thank the following people for donating sewing machines to us this
year:
Barb Bulloch (1)
Ali Afshari with his mom Lily Molavi (2)
Susan Heagy (3)
Yvonne and Joyce McKinnon (3)
Note: No further machines are needed at this time.
Laptops and more! - 2017
What do we always need? LAPTOPS!!!
In the February of 2012, Linda returned from an Ontario visit with 7 donated
laptops that had been collected here. At that time, we used the small storage room
off of the main part of our library as a makeshift computer space. In June 2014, we
finally had a real room to call a computer lab. Since that time, we've done several
upgrades to the room, and we keep on collecting laptops.
We genuinely are grateful to each and every person who gives us a laptop to take to
Ghana. At any given time, we have about 30 functioning computers, but there are
still classes with more than 80 students, so do the math. We need more! Add to that,
our secondary students now require laptops too. See the pics to find out who donated
to us this year!
Remember, if you, your company, or anyone you know has a gently used laptop to
donate, we will gladly accept it! Contact carol@dekporschool.org
4 Kindergarten Classrooms - 2017
When we first started our work in Dekpor, there were 150 - 170 kindergarten
students squished on benches under a massive mango tree—one teacher, no walls,
no teaching materials other than a chunk of chalkboard. The students would show up
without any paper or pencils, so they would grab a stick and practice the alphabet
in the sand, day after day. Then, as we built more classrooms, the kindergarten
moved inside. But, picture more than 100 students on any given day, crammed into a
classroom that was never intended for that many bodies! Both scenarios were far from
ideal.
We are tremendously grateful for the unparalleled donation from Tony and
Susan Anderson this August that allowed us to build 4kindergarten
classrooms! (We will eventually have 2 more classrooms to finish off the pod.) It
has been designed such they have a separate play area from the rest of the school.
Finally there will be more manageable class sizes and perhaps teachers will have the
opportunity to teach using centres instead of having to stand at the board.
The building of the kindergarten classrooms was a great chance for our hardest
working students to make money! It allowed DSDO to further train many of our
students—especially the ones learning masonry got a genuine hands-on
opportunity. Some of our students trained others to mix cement. Our older students
made the blocks, while others brought water, and stacked the dry blocks.
It truly became a large group effort due to the fact that a couple of days during
vacation school the entire body of students in attendance helped fill in the
foundations!
The excitement generated from these rooms is palpable. It's the first time that
there will be a proper learning space for our youngest learners.
Susan and Tony have ensured that our students will start Dekpor Basic School with
an area designed for them and we all are extremely grateful!
Shoes. It's kind of difficult for many of us to imagine just what a big deal owning
a pair of shoes could possibly be—but it is if you live in Dekpor. So many of
our 800 students still have never owned a pair of shoes.
It's warm there. It's not like it snows. So what's the big deal? Well, consider
glass and debris and avoiding cuts and infection. Consider parasites. How about
snakes and scorpions? There's no doubt about it, shoes are needed. Unfortunately
Dekpor families can't afford to buy a pair for their children or even themselves,
often.
How exciting it was when we had FOUR Ontario schools jump at the challenge and
agree to hold shoes drives! We'd like to thank all the students, parents, and staff
who made our DSDO Fall Shoe Drive such an amazing success!
These four schools have all helped DSDO previously. They are full of students who
want to make a difference! The students of Dekpor are extremely appreciative of the
soccer cleats and running shoes that have been given. A genuine thanks to everyone
who helped!
Please stay tuned to see the shoes once they are distributed in Dekpor!
In January we started Study Hall. What is it? A time for our oldest students (in
junior high school or secondary school) to come to Dekpor Basic School's library and
take advantage of LIGHT! Usually both of our librarians are there, and often
classroom teachers come to help also. Students have the opportunity to gather with
their peers to work on homework and get extra tutoring/assistance with their work.
When? Every week night from 6 - 8 p.m. Typically 30 - 50 students are there most
evenings, and sometimes there are as many as 75 eager learners, wanting to better
themselves!
DSDO, students, and teachers all agree… this new initiative has been a
resounding success!
July School Luncheon - 2017
July 12, 2017
July 12, 2017 was a happy day to celebrate just before final exams started. The
students and staff absolutely LOVE the special meal of kenke. Kenke is a local
traditional dish that is made with fermented maise dough balls. It is served with
rice, fish, and a hot pepper sauce. Biscuits, (that taste somewhat like Arrowroots)
were also given as a special treat.
There were 4 local women who were hired to provide the food. Linda, Abraham, Doris,
Betha, and our three DSDO-hired staff members all help with the distribution
process. They've gotten mighty efficient and can have the whole school (just under
800) served in about 40 minutes!
We are very grateful to Ali Afshari who sponsored this luncheon in
memory of his father, Reza Afshari. Thank you, Ali. The smiles say
it all.
May School Luncheon - 2017
May 31, 2017
The students of Moraine Hills Public School did some outstanding
fundraising last fall when they were taking part in our Ghana Gift Bag project. In
fact, they raised enough funds to ship all their bags and had surplus to sponsor a
Dekpor Basic School special luncheon! This is the eighth luncheon we've
hosted… and it is an extremely exciting event for everyone!
As usual, the local women we hire to prepare food made kenke. It is a local
delicacy of dumpling-like maise dough balls that is served with tiny fish and a
tomato and hot pepper sauce. It takes a long time to make it, and because of that,
many children never get to eat it. Face it, many children are sent to school without
having had breakfast, and with little or no lunch. It is a HUGE TREAT to have such a
fantastic meal provided!
A big thank you to the students, parents, and staff of Moraine Hills Public School
for the donation that made this luncheon such a happy success!
Helping Hungry Students - Sloane Public School - 2017
May 10, 2017
Sloane Public School in Toronto is an amazing place! Apparently it is the first
elementary school in Ontario, with students this young (JK - grade 5) to host a Kids
Against Hunger food packaging event… and they raised enough money and
provided the labour to do THREE skids of food! Unreal!
We were the lucky recipients of 33 boxes of Kids Against Hunger
Food. What does that mean?
In every box there are 36 bags of food.
Each bag has a day's nutrition for 6 children.
TOTAL = 7128 meals.
A very special thank you to Mr. Douglas Penfold who organised the event. Thank you
to the students and parents for their support in fundraising. Thank you to the staff
and grade 4 and 5 students for packaging all the food! Thank you to the Sloane and
KAH people who stayed to help load the van!
What a gift! We are very grateful and the students of Dekpor Basic School are
extremely appreciative.
Helping Hungry Students - Milton - 2017
May 13, 2017
We are grateful to Kinh Quach who met Carol last year at a KAH food packaging
event. Kinh was the leading force behind the coming together of almost 100
volunteers who gathered this year on May 13th to participate in a Kids Against
Hunger food packaging event in Milton. We are very grateful to: the 7 churches under
the umbrella of Milton Area Christian Churches Working Together (MACCWT), the Rotary
Club of Milton, and the Halton Multicultural Council, and of course, Kids Against
Hunger Canada! These wonderful groups did extensive fundraising and provided the
labour to assemble all of the meals.
We received 7128 nutritious rice casserole meals (that is 33 boxes) to distribute
to our most vulnerable students at Dekpor Basic School. What a gift!
Thank you to every single person who helped make this a reality!
March School Luncheon - 2017
The students and staff are very grateful to Marzi and Kermin
Byramjee for making March 29th a special day at Dekpor Basic School!
Seven local women did all the time-consuming cooking—they are always thrilled
to get the extra business. They made a local delicacy, kenke. Kenke is fermented
maise dough balls with fish and hot pepper sauce.
This was the seventh school luncheon that we've held in our history, and as always,
it was a huge, happy event. For children who face malnourishment and
undernourishment, having an occasion like this is truly a gift!
Thank you, Kermin and Marzi, for your generous donation that made this possible!
Water Distribution - 2017
There was much excitement on January 7th as the Dekpor Dome water tower and stand
pipes were officially opened! As of January, Dekpor Yia and Dekpor Dome residents
have water towers and stand pipes that are a reasonable distance to walk.
Next in line? Dekpor Horme. There are a lot of trenches to dig and pipes to lay. We
need to mechanize the third borehole that exists in Dekpor Yia, and purchase more
pumps, and build another water tower.
This is a massive undertaking, but one step at a time, we are making progress!
November 2017
November 22, 2017 will go down as an incredible day in the history
of DSDO. We held the opening of the Dekpor Horme water tower and distribution pipes!
We built a tower in Dekpor Horme, mechanized another borehole, put in a pump at
Dekpor Dome, and laid pipes through Horme.
We are proud to announce that we just accomplished what we never thought possible.
Linda and Carol were originally stuck in the 'a borehole is too big of a
dream—and distribution pipes are way outta the picture' kind of thinking. The
challenges were many. But, with the support of many, many people (with a couple of
large donations from donors who prefer to remain anonymous), we have found ourselves
shaking our heads in wonder. Three mechanized boreholes, two reverse osmosis units,
water towers, and distribution pipes running through Dekpor Yia, Dekpor Dome, and
Dekpor Horme. It IS a dream come true!
Clean water is now available throughout the three villages of Dekpor!
Thank you to each and every person who contributed along the way!
Flower Beds - 2017
March 2017
Thanks to a donation made via Conny and Edi Schmickl from their family and friends
in Austria, we have been able to put in flower beds in front of the most of the
buildings! (In front of the library and newly built 6-classroom block were
previously completed.)
Why does this matter? Well, it is going to look nice for starters, but more
important than that is it helps us with the erosion problems on campus.
Looking good!
Security Lights on Campus - 2017
March 2017
Truly a joint project!
We've just put in 4 outdoor security lights on campus! One light was donated by the
MP; 2 poles were donated by the chairman of the department of chieftancies; and a
recent donation from our Austrian friends paid for three of the lights, the wiring,
the switches, and the labour to install.
The townspeople, still shaken from the computer lab robbery last August, are really
excited about this additional security measure!
Let there be light!
Ghana Gift Bags - 2017
From August to December 2016, we experienced the widest outpouring of generosity
imaginable. Ghana Gift Bags morphed into a project that ended up bringing together
thousands of people in Ontario with one common goal—to produce 786 special presents
for our very needy Dekpor students.
Companies and individuals donated drawstring bags, water bottles, baseball caps,
travel-sized shampoo and body lotions. There was an incredible two van loads of new
goods from Sigma Promotions, and new shorts from AYSC, 4 cases of toothbrushes from
Dr. Shasha, and 48 tubes of toothpaste from Dr. Weaver. Busch Systems donated
Frisbees, pencil cases and pencil sharpeners. Hilroy donated notebooks; Johnsons
& Johnsons donated toothbrushes. Lee Valley gave us a discount on hand-crank
flashlights. Please, as you look through the photos, be sure to read the captions.
The number of people who helped gather goods is extensive!
The call was put out for industrious individuals to take on a ‘manager role’, to
rally their friends or staff to participate in filling drawstring bags with
essential hygiene items, school supplies, fun little surprises, and personalized
notes for the students of Dekpor Basic School. The response was amazing!
To the following people, a huge thank you. These are our managers—people/schools
who took on several Ghana Gift Bags:
Darlene Cann (120+)
Rita Forte (100)
Minesing Central P.S. (100)
Windfields Junior High School (60)
Highview Public School (60)
Meher Panthaky (60)
Moraine Hills Public School (40)
Karen Burke (35)
Mapleview Public School (31)
Lydia Ridd (29)
Tine Muir (26)
Donna Jamieson (21)
Church Street Public School (20)
Susan Anderson (18)
Denise Bilodeau (15)
Carol Sheardown (15)
Gillian Anderson (10)
Louise Dyer (9)
Valerie Bartlett (8)
Debbie Halinaty (5)
Wendy Emerson (4)
We had SIX schools participate, which means the staff, students, and parents all
joined together to make the project a success. In each case, it entailed further
fundraising to cover the cost of shipping. That is a whole lot of people who chose
to help the Dekpor students! We’re so grateful to each school community.
Some of our managers went above and beyond, and raised a surplus of funds for DSDO
to help us ship extra items, to buy more flashlights, and to hold a couple of school
luncheons. We are thrilled with the enthusiasm and generosity!
A special thank you must go to Phil Sawula who, twice, helped Carol deliver all of
the barrels and boxes to the shipper. December 3rd and 17th, hundreds of pounds of
amazing items travelled from Aurora to North York to embark on the journey to Ghana.
Fast forward to March 2017 when the GGBs arrived. Linda and Abraham absolutely
loaded their van, twice, to deliver the goods to Dekpor.
Distribution was something else. Keep in mind, the children of Dekpor for the most
part, have never had a gift given to them. Sure, since DSDO has been on the scene,
they have received a pencil or notebook, or article of clothing, but, NEVER before
has each student been handed a present, something to open, something that was
literally bursting at the seams full of fantastic items! So many of the kids were
actually stunned into silence, too shocked to even smile. Some were too overwhelmed
to even squeal, they just stared in wonder. And then the kindergarten students
didn’t know WHAT to do, so they sat with grins on their faces, hugging their
drawstring bags and not knowing that they could dump the contents! There were gasps,
shrieks of delight and fright (true story—a couple of kids were scared of the small
stuffed animals!), and a whole lot of overjoyed children. Their gratitude is
immeasurable.
Each Dekpor Basic School student and every sponsored secondary school student
received a GGB. The teachers were treated to many wonderful items as well!
What an absolute success! What an unforgettable moment for the
students! Children and parents alike keep expressing their thanks.
To every single person who helped make this Ghana Gift Bag project such a
resounding triumph, we thank you.
More importantly, the children thank you!
Although we do not plan to undertake this again, we sincerely hope that those who
were involved this time will continue to follow our work, and find ways to further
help the people of Dekpor.
Thanks for making a difference!
**For more specific information, you can use the search feature on our Facebook
page. We tried our best to thank each person/group who contributed to this most
successful endeavour.
We continue to improve our hen project and are looking forward to continued
expansion. Sure, there are bumps along the way, such as those hens that are
accidentally hit by motorbikes, or attacked by wild dogs, but the introduction of
specific inoculations last summer has greatly improved the health of the poultry. By
mid-February, some students were ready to start 'paying back' DSDO with two hens.
What does this mean? We can start up more and more students with two hens and feed.
Add to the donors who allocate their funds toward our hen project, and we're hoping
to double our reach within this year.
Shipping - 2017
We now have a viable solution to 'how do we get this to Ghana' challenge, but it is
still very costly to ship. It takes plenty of organizing, sorting, effort, and time
in both Ontario and in Ghana, but we are grateful when goods are donated to us.
Wanted items include:
Teen-sized bicycles
Laptops
Sewing Machines
Trumpets
Trombones
Sometimes we do accept other items, but be sure to check with Carol first and to
have funding in place to cover the cost of shipping. Contact carol@dekporschool.org
before you get started.
Thank you to the hundreds of people who have given—we LOVE sharing the
photos!
Check out the photos to see what has arrived in Dekpor in 2017!
During the holiday season we received several unallocated donations which allowed
us to discuss what would make the most impact. Last year we piloted Junior High
School (JHS) texts by purchasing a set of math books. It was a resounding two thumbs
up, and so we've been waiting and hoping to be able to purchase sets of books for
all the other curriculum areas! Thanks to a long list of generous supporters, we
have 240 new texts! These are used by all students in JHS 1, 2, and 3 and with our
'Study Hall' hours being so wonderfully attended, we are feeling confident that
having these resources will greatly benefit our oldest Dekpor Basic School's
students!
What is Study Hall? Every Monday - Thursday from 7 - 8:30 pm, and Sunday afternoon
for three hours, we are opening up the library to JHS and secondary school
students… and it's been an astounding success! There are between 70 - 90
students who show up each time! The students finally have a place WITH LIGHT to
gather to work on school assignments. Let that sink in. Dekpor experiences 12 hours
of dark per day. It's impossible to study in the pitch black. We're extremely
grateful to have this amazing space to be able to give the students an area to
gather!
Thank you to all of the people who made the purchase of so many text books
possible!
Teacher Furniture for New Block - 2017
January 2017
We are very grateful to Busch Systems for the
donation that allowed us to purchase 6 chairs, 6 desks, and have 6 cabinets made!
Last summer we built a six-room block of classrooms, and we didn't have any teacher
furniture. Problem solved!
Linda and Ab had to travel a great distance to Kumasi to purchase the chairs and
desks. Patrick, our local carpenter, made the cabinets. The teachers are absolutely
grateful!
Thank you, Busch Systems of Barrie, for your continued support!
Helping Hungry Students - Rotary District 7010 - 2017
Cool things happen!
The Rotary District 7010 Conference took place the late October
2016… and they did a Kids Against Hunger Canada food pack. That means Rotary
did some heavy duty fundraising, and then put a few hours of teamwork into
assembling the packages. We received 24 boxes (that's a day's worth of nutrition for
5184 people) because Mike Selva, someone we've never met, was willing to drive from
the conference at Rousseau to Richmond Hill with the boxes in his truck and meet
Carol at the shipper the next morning!
Linda and Abraham were able to distribute the food late January 2017. It was given
to the most needy students enrolled at Dekpor Basic School. 138 students and 6
adults received 6 bags each. What a wonderful gift!
A huge thanks to all Rotary Club members who assisted with the food packing event:
your time, effort, and fundraising are very much appreciated! Thanks to Kids Against
Hunger Canada for choosing to support our work again! Thanks to Mike Selva for the
transportation!
Team work! We're grateful!
February School Luncheon - 2017
February 2, 2017
With a big thanks to Kim Nelson, the students and staff at Dekpor Basic School
started the new year with a celebration!
Here in Ontario, Kim made tribute donations in honour of Claire, Grace, Patricia
and Evelyn, so that the entire school body in Dekpor could benefit! Seven local
women were hired to prepare kenke for the school luncheon. Kenke is a local
delicacy: fermented maise dough balls with fish and hot pepper sauce. It takes quite
a while to make, so it is a genuine treat!
This is the sixth luncheon that we've held and it was met with great excitement and
anticipation. The children and teachers are so grateful to enjoy a special meal.
Thanks, Kim, for giving your mom, daughters and Auntie Ev such an amazing gift!
Bicycles - 2017
Bicycles donated in the Greater Toronto Area are making a tremendous difference in
the lives of our Dekpor students!
Imagine spending 3 hours a day just walking to and from school! That is a reality
for some Dekpor students. There is very little 'spare time' in a day for any Dekpor
resident. Chores begin at 5 a.m. when it's still dark, and between school, household
chores, and farming, there aren't many daylight hours for anything else. With a
bicycle, students can get to both school and their farm land faster. It helps
immeasurably.
Bikes are changing lives and we are so grateful to those of you who have given us
one. If you have a teen / adult-sized bicycle in good working condition, please
contact Carol.
A warm thank you to every single person who has donated a bike! Keep spreading the
word!
Farming Tools for Women - 2017
We were very fortunate to have had many people make donations during the holiday
season and they left it up to us to decide how to spend. One thing stood out to
us— find a way to specifically help women. The statistics are there to back
this up: help a woman, she in turn helps her entire family.
Linda and Abraham went to a tool maker in Togo to have cutlasses and hoes designed
for women (they are slightly smaller and easier for women to manipulate). We wanted
to get the best we could!
The vast majority of Dekpor residents are subsistence farmers, struggling to grow
enough crops to feed their family. Female-only households are the poorest of the
poor. The truth is, life is particularly difficult for any woman in Dekpor, never
mind for the ones who are forced to survive on their own, looking after several
children, too. Helping a woman helps all of the children she looks after also.
Female representatives from each of the villages: Dekpor Yia, Dekpor Dome, and
Dekpor Horme, were the ones to choose the recipients of the farming tools, selecting
women from female-only households. 102 women have benefited from this wonderful
gift! We already KNOW that this is something we will do again! To say they were
thrilled is an understatement—don't let the lack of smiles in the photos fool
you. Most have never had their photo taken and don't quite understand how a camera
works. The women are so incredibly grateful!
Linda's words:
These women have no income other than farming. One old lady showed me
her old cutlass—I have no idea how she was using it at all. With no tools or
very poor tools, subsistence farmers really don't stand a chance of surviving, of
providing enough food for their families. Sometimes they grow enough to trade for
fish (one of the only sources of protein in their diet), or to sell to get enough
money to pay for their children's school fees or pencils. Many women are left with
children that aren't theirs, and they do their best to look after them.
Thank you to the 17 people who contributed to this and the purchase of the JHS text
books (link). This is one meaningful purchase!
May 2017
In honour of Mother's Day, Carol gave a tribute gift of ten
farming tools for women to her mom, Irene Sheardown! Numbers at 112 now!
June 2017
Joan Ross made a tribute gift for Ashley, and another nine women
received tools. Now 121 women have benefited this year!
December 2017
Thanks to a donation made by Diane Young and Robert
Pecile, in honour of their grand-nieces and nephews, another 31 women
received either an adze or a machete!
Rain Harvesting System #5 - 2017
January - March 2017
This is our fifth and final rain harvesting system at the school compound. There
are a couple of challenges in Dekpor: there isn't enough water at the school campus
and erosion is a problem. How do we deal with that? Build another reservoir! We are
using the roof of our newly-built block of six classrooms this time. Cylindrical in
shape, the reservoir is more than 5 m (about 16 feet) deep and 5 m in diameter.
Building a reservoir is heavy, hard work. There are no backhoes to dig the hole.
This venture is done with cooperation between DSDO and the townspeople. Each village
plans a day of communal labour in which they are responsible for digging at least 4
ft down. This time, our older students also put in some hours of 'Citizenship
practical' time, and dug a section themselves, and they also moved the soil from the
reservoir site to the foundations of our future kindergarten rooms.
Then we hire a professional to make the bricks/blocks, others to build the
reservoir. We have a carpenter who builds the roof of the reservoir, and a worker
who specializes in gutters who installs the final piece of the whole system!
Many, many hours and many people help make a water harvesting system like this
possible. We'd like to thank all the people of Dekpor Dome, Dekpor Yia, and Dekpor
Horme who volunteered their time.
All of this was made possible due to a generous donation by Busch Systems! We are so grateful for their continued
support!
Accomplishments - 2016
Two additional 10 seater town toilet facilities completed with rain harvesting
systems and hand washing stations (Dekpor Yia #2, Dekpor Horme)
Ran water pipes to the health clinic, built another 25’ water tower, and are
midway through our large scale water distribution project which includes 7
standpipes and an upgraded pump
Integral part of the towns’ Water and Sanitation Committees
Built 6 new classrooms for the school
Upgraded and painted 7 additional classrooms
Built benches and bookshelves for the library, and tables and benches for the
computer lab
Built 2 additional hand washing stations and 2 drinking water stations at the
school
Had more bookshelf covers made for the library
Bicycle rack designed and built for the school
Continued landscaping and planting trees on school campus
Cleaned out the school toilets
Repainted inside all the cubicles
Completed our 4th rain harvesting system at the school
Security system installed in the library and computer lab
52 one-on-one elementary school student sponsorships
10 high school sponsorships
2 apprentice sponsorships completed in the fall
1 high school graduate supported as he transitions to the work force
Financed 3 business start-ups
Hired 4 staff to run the library, computer lab, and tutor
125 students on our food programme
Hosted 3 school-wide luncheons for students and staff
3-week vacation school—11 teachers, 6 outreach volunteers, >300
students
Hosted international teacher volunteers throughout the year
Emergency medical fund and medical supplies available
National Health Insurance for all enrolled Dekpor Basic School students
22 adults provided with national health insurance
Improved our hen program, over 60 children raising chickens and eggs for food
Multiple shoe and clothing drives held
Collected, shipped, and distributed bicycles, shoes, backpacks, eye glasses,
laptops, and clothing, soccer uniforms, trophies, and balls from Canada
Distributed 30 solar lights and 30 boxes of food
Purchased many tools including a complete bicycle maintenance and repair kit
Purchased teacher and student supplies
Purchased African-authored books for the library
Purchased student texts, resource books, and exams
Information sessions for students and parents held in the library
Ongoing advising and counselling
$18, 185 raised at the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon
786 Ghana Gift Bags prepared in Ontario and shipped in December
Speaking engagements in Ontario schools and Rotary Clubs
Step by Step – 2016
Every year we take on a lot of small projects, and although they aren't usually big
ticket items, all are important improvements to help in Dekpor.
January
The teachers' resource room (a small room off the main library) had books piled
high on a table, but it wasn't conducive to having resources readily accessible.
Thanks to a donation by Dianne and Ken, we built a large bookshelf!
It's really dusty on the school grounds and our library books need to be
protected or else they get destroyed. We hired our young ladies who did the
training at NEWIG to make batik shelf covers.
Last year we built a large thatched roof outdoor shelter that serves as three
classrooms. Every year, repairs are necessary because of weather damage, so we
made sure that we are keeping things maintained.
Designated Giving – 2016
During the holiday season, we often have tribute gifts made and this year we had a
nice assortment of items chosen to help our school. We had Junior High School text
books purchased… and oh, how happy the students and teachers were! There were
a number of new books bought for the library and some much-desired teacher materials
sourced. We had a backpack full of goods given to a lucky student. Six women were
thrilled to receive their National Health insurance cards.
Thanks to everyone who made these special gifts possible!
Government Block Upgrades - 2016
Back in 2012, Abraham and Linda lobbied like crazy to get the government to choose
Dekpor Basic School to be one of the elementary schools to receive a new building.
They were successful! We were very grateful to have the additional six rooms, but at
this stage of the game, they were in need of some work.
Thanks to a very generous donation from Susan and Tony Anderson
this summer, we were able to take on MANY projects… and fixing up this block
of classrooms was one of them. The poorly designed shutters were removed from the
front (students kept banging their heads), and design blocks were put in the front,
and secure bars in the back. The entire building, inside and out, was painted by our
student painters.
Looking good!
Grateful!
Water Distribution Pipes, Phase 2 – 2016
No access to clean water. It's hard to imagine, right? With the completion of
mechanizing boreholes, building a water tower and installing a reverse osmosis
system, things changed in the fall of 2014, but the challenge of walking all the way
there, and all the way home with a 50 pound container on one's head, several times a
day, was still not an easy task. The truth is, it was too far for many people.
Phase 1 of our
distribution pipes saw clean water reaching the clinic in
Dekpor Dome earlier this year, and we are thrilled with the
difference it's made for those who live close.
Phase 2 has us putting in pipes throughout the rest of
Dekpor — through the more western and southern parts of
Dekpor Yia, and throughout Dekpor Horme — we will end up with
a total of 10 public & 1 private stand pipe locations in
Dekpor!
Dekpor Yia - 5
Dekpor Dome - 3 (which includes the one exclusively for the clinic's use)
Dekpor Horme - 3
And we've built another water tower at the Dome junction!
What's this mean? Countless hours will be saved. Since it is the women and children
who have to fetch water, the 3 - 6 hours saved every day will hopefully be spent on
school work for the students and increased time available for farming or other
productive work for the women. Not only that, but the physical strain will be
greatly reduced. Many suffer from headaches, neck and back pain, and it is no wonder
when carrying such a heavy load on one's head for an extended period of time.
Our two generous sponsors have chosen to remain anonymous, but they know just how
much we appreciate their support and the difference this will make to all the women
and children who have had to endure years of wear and tear on their bodies. We also
thank the citizens of Dekpor who dug the trenches to bury the pipes.
This is what we were reluctant to even dream — clean water running through
all of Dekpor! BAM! Done!
Hens - 2016
August 2016
There is great potential in this programme and we are continuing to meet the
challenges that we've faced along the way. We now have the district vet (who works
for the Department of Agriculture at the Ketu North District assembly offices)
administering medication, advising and educating us.
Our fully-sponsored students are the ones piloting this project, and with the
support of Dr. Foli Mensah, we are looking forward to success and expansion!
Our feathers were happily ruffled when the Lennie family decided to step up with a
donation that has allowed us to improve our hen programme. We were able to buy new
stock, high quality feed, medications, and pay for travel for the vet to make
visits! We're clucking excited that we get to keep working on this most eggscellent
project! Our gratitude to John and Janice is no yolking matter—we're ready to
get crackin'!
'Summer' Vacation School - 2016
Vacation school is an annual favourite. Yes, it's true!!! This year we ran it for
only three weeks (because students really do need a little break before the new
school year starts) from 8 am to 12:30 pm, Monday to Friday.
We were bursting at the seams with 300 students signed up! DSDO paid the wages of 7
teachers to run the classes, an additional 4 teachers were hired using admission
fees, and this year we had an added bonus because six amazing Ontario outreach
teacher volunteers were there too! All of our fully sponsored and food sponsored
children are automatically enrolled… and the balance were students who paid a
nominal fee to attend.
There were secondary students who chose to volunteer to help the classes run more
smoothly by distributing supplies and assisting in the computer room.
A very special thank you to Alvarine, Alan, Craig, Linda, Tom, and Ziya, who
undoubtedly have left their mark and enriched the lives of the students, the
teachers of Dekpor Basic School and the parents!
What a huge success!
School Toilet Clean Out - 2016
September 2016
It's a crappy job, but it has to be done!
The students' toilets at Dekpor Basic School are basically like out houses, but
with two pits in each cubicle. They are called KVIP toilets (you can Google that!).
In January of 2013, we did some major repairs and maintenance, and switched from one
side of the pit to another in each cubicle, but at this point in time the pits
needed to be emptied.
We chose a time between the end of vacation 'summer' school and the start up of the
new school year when the students and staff were not on campus.
It's an important part of maintenance… and we're thankful to our special
sponsors who made this possible.
Completing Classrooms 1, 2, & 3 - 2016
August and September 2016
We've just been able to do something completely unexpected!
Pavilion 1 was built in 2014.
Pavilions 2 &
3 were just done in June of this year. A pavilion is a permanent structure,
but lacks the security bars in the windows and shutters at the back of the building,
the design block windows in the front, a door, and the walls being parged and
painted inside and out.
Thanks to a very generous donation from our friends Susan and Tony, we are able to
do many projects this summer. Turning the pavilions into classrooms is just one of
them!
What is great about finishing a pavilion into a completed classroom is that the
furniture can STAY in the room, the door can be locked, the few supplies that exist
are kept untouched, the shutters can be closed to stop the torrential rains from
coming into the rooms, and the general sense of pride of sitting in a brand new
classroom.
The parents, students, teachers, and headmaster are all excited about the
transformation of these three rooms!
Sending Goods to Ghana – 2016
For years we've grappled with goods in Ontario and HOW to get them to Ghana without
spending an arm and a leg. Thankfully, we found ourselves a reputable shipper who
specializes in sending containers to Ghana. We piloted our first barrel in October
of 2015 and it arrived safe and sound in December. Since that first guinea pig run,
we've been sending all sorts of things! AYSC has supplied an astronomical number of
items, including: soccer uniforms, t-shirts, back packs, water bottles, soccer
balls, and trophies. We're thrilled to be receiving bicycles, laptops, clothing,
shoes, soccer cleats, and even a trumpet! (Yes, we really DO want trumpets and
trombones!) Sometimes items go on a flight with one of our travellers (Linda or any
of our volunteers) and sometimes they take the two month trek in a shipping
container— but either way, once they arrive in Ghana, the fun begins! Take a
look! From the solar lights to the Kids Against Hunger food, there are plenty of
happy smiles from the people of Dekpor as they receive the gifts from Ontario!
Karen Burke has done it for the third time! That's right, Karen
has been responsible for 3 of the 5 special luncheons that have been held at Dekpor
Basic School. All of the students and staff are thrilled to have the chance to eat a
delicious meal of kenke. (It's a local delicacy that takes quite a long time to
prepare. It's basically fermented maise dough balls with fish and hot pepper sauce.)
Linda and Abraham have managed to come up with a way to organize this so the
distribution of food to all 800 students goes relatively quickly and smoothly.
Everyone is grateful for the opportunity for fellowship and food!
What a lovely way to celebrate the end of the school year… with full tummies
and smiles of gratitude.
Due to our largest donation ever, we found ourselves in the wonderful position of
being able to do more than expected this summer! What's that mean? Well, we received
enough to build the last three classrooms of our latest six classroom block, and
instead of just leaving them at 'pavilion' stage, we are finishing them complete
with design block windows on the front, security bars and shutters on the back,
doors, and with walls fully parged and painted. What's even better? We are able to
finish Pavilions 1,2 & 3 to the same
extent so now they, too, can be considered 'classrooms'.
At Dekpor Basic School, many rooms have 60 - 140 students crammed into them…
and these are classrooms that were intended for groups of 30. It is not conducive to
productive learning when there are too many children. What an amazing difference
this will make being able to utilize three more classrooms!
We are so very grateful to Susan and Tony who have made this possible! Your
generosity is unparalleled!
National Health Card Renewals - 2016
It takes a whole lot of trips and a crazy amount of time and patience to get 800
students to and from (some several times) to Agorve or Dzodze to get their health
cards renewed. But—Linda and Abraham get it done!
The students of Dekpor Basic School have been very fortunate since the opening of
the local clinic in 2014, because Busch Systems has paid for health cards for all of
the students who are not fully sponsored and not on our food programme.
As much as parents know it is wise to sign up, they simply can not afford to do it
for themselves nor their children. Now understand, we're talking close to 700
students who were helped by Busch Systems in 2014 and 2015. And 2016 was to be no
different. We again received a generous donation to cover the fees—but in
April we got heart breaking news.
Out of the blue, National Health Insurance fees increased by five
times. As Linda and Carol were struggling with HOW to decide which
students would be covered and which 480 would not, Craig Busch wiped our worries
away. Busch Systems stepped in with an additional huge donation to ensure every
student at Dekpor Basic is covered again this year!!! Unreal!
We simply are blown away by the sheer generosity and compassion of Craig and the
incredible team of people at
Busch Systems. Check them
out… it's a company with great products and lots of heart!
National Health Insurance allows students to be seen by health professionals at our
local clinic or at the closest hospital. We've had countless children treated for
malaria—their lives saved—all because they have this precious card.
Saving lives. We're grateful!
Rain Harvesting System - 2016
Erosion at the school campus is a real challenge. Not having enough water to
service all of our students is also a problem. How do we solve both? Build a rain
harvesting system. Our newly extended library has quite the roof and we're now
taking advantage of it to collect all the rain that hits it! How does it work? Rain
runs down the roof, into gutters, through a downspout into a huge water reservoir
that is mainly built underground. The diameter is about 15 feet across… and
it's about 15 feet deep! That's a lot of water!
Building a reservoir is incredibly hard, back-breaking work. Just take a look at
the album and see for yourself. There are no modern tools or machinery. Communal
labour helps with the digging. Students also do their part, moving the dirt away
from the work site.
We are so grateful to our amazing donors for making this rain harvesting system
possible:
Richmond Rose Public School in Richmond Hill,
Aurora Preparatory Academy in Aurora, and
Brigitte Baumgartner of Austria. A lot of different fundraising
activities made this possible.
Thank you for your wonderful support!
Library Benches - 2016
June 28, 2016— Linda and Abraham went to Weta Secondary
School to pick up the result of student work. With funds from our Austrian friends,
Racketlon Federation Austria, Edi Schmickl, Dr. Conny Schmickl and friends and
family, we contracted out a little carpentry job.
Construction and design students in the technical section of the secondary school
find that there are limited funds for materials to do practicals. The teacher and
the students were very happy to be able to do some real hands on work! The result?
20 beautiful benches to be used in our library extension/ meeting room! This was a
win - win situation for sure!
Our local Dekpor Basic School students painted the benches. Again, they are
learning a skill that, without DSDO, they wouldn't otherwise have.
Many thanks to our generous donors as well as to the students and staff of Weta
Secondary Technical School!
Tools - 2016
Ok, so imagine trying to fix something or make something… but you have no
tools. A bit difficult, right?
Well, that has been DSDO's situation and we've decided to start changing that.
One of our goals is to train someone to fix bicycles IN Dekpor. Right now, Abraham
drives to Dzodze and finds a man who is able to tune up the bikes. (At least we're
now going to try to get the initial tune ups done in Canada first.) And goodness
knows, there are plenty of other things that could be fixed if we had the tools.
We purchased 4 tool kits from Canadian Tire (screwdrivers, wrenches, pliers, and
sockets). An extremely generous donation from Jim Tyler has put us in the amazing
position of now owning a totally brand new stocked bicycle repair and maintenance
kit! Yay Jim!!! We've also had some tools donated by Jim Sheardown and we're happy
to expand our collection.
We're just going to keep searching for deals and accepting donations… so if
you have something to contribute, let us know!
Started June 2016
Pavilions 2 & 3 - 2016
We are beyond thrilled that Pavilions #2 & 3 are getting built at the same time
and will be functional before the beginning of the 2016 - 2017 school year! Our
contractors worked at an amazing pace!
We received a very generous, unallocated donation this spring from a supporter who
prefers to remain anonymous, so it was an easy decision to build more areas for our
students! Overcrowding is still a huge challenge. Our goal is to have a total of six
rooms in a row, and now we're halfway there!
Namaste, my friend. We are so grateful!
LuminAID Lights - 2016
Electricity made its way to Dekpor in 2011. But, many people in Dekpor do not have
their house wired, or if they do, it could be that they tried having electricity and
then discovered the bills were too expensive. And if someone DOES actually have
electricity, usually that means one electrical socket and one bare light bulb
hanging from the roof.
There aren't street lights. Dekpor is pretty close to the equator, so that means
there are about 12 hours of dark/day.
Imagine the challenge our students face: they go to school, have DSDO-sponsored
tutoring after school hours, head home or to the farming plot to help with chores,
have their dinner… and then it's dark! HOW can they possibly do homework?
We decided to try piloting LuminAID lights. They were relatively inexpensive, they
were easy to pack into Linda's luggage, they use lithium-ion rechargeable batteries
and can handle hundreds of recharge cycles, and are designed to last many years of
continued use.
On June 26, 2016, the Assemblyman and his committee joined Linda
and Abraham as they distributed lights to those he deemed most in need. To say these
wonderful gifts lit up many a face would be an understatement! 30 lucky families now
are thrilled to have light!
A big thank you to our donors who made this possible:
EveLyn, Chris, Nancy, and
Danielle and another thank you to Jim and Irene
Sheardown for getting them to Ontario!
Helping Hungry Students - 2016
Now THIS is cool!
To start things rolling, the Rotary Club of Scarborough (with a
special shout out to
Gerard Baribeau) and Joseph Brant Public School
(Mrs. My-Linh Hang-Coleman leading the way)
both had done an impressive amount of fundraising — over
$6400! (22% by JBPS and the rest by RCoS) With that money, they
chose to host a food
packing event, facilitated by Kids Against Hunger Canada. We
were so thrilled to be one of the three chosen charities!
April 16, 2016 was an exciting day! What a sight to get to witness
and participate in such an organized, kind display of helping others.
Many Rotary Club of Scarborough members, Joseph Brant Public School students, and
community members volunteered at the food packing event
and put in a long day. The three assembly lines were running like clockwork, and in
the end, 99 boxes of food were packaged.
We received 30 of those boxes. In each box is 36 bags of food. In each bag is a
day's worth of nutrition (which is vitamin-fortified) for
six people. Do the math… that is 6480 meals!
Carol took the boxes from the Guildwood Presbyterian Community
Church directly to our shipper.
The Assemblyman and his committee came up with a food distribution plan and on June
26th, Linda, Abraham and the crew set out to give it to the most needy families.
They traveled by van, by motorbike and by foot. The recipients are all people who
struggle on a daily basis to secure enough food for the day. Malnourishment is a way
of life. But for now? Such smiles! So grateful!
We are deeply thankful to everyone who made this gift of food possible to the
families of Dekpor.
Bicycles - 2016
Bicycles are making an astounding difference for many students! We started this
initiative by purchasing bikes in Ghana, but then discovered shipping donated
bicycles from Ontario was a much better solution (cheaper and better quality).
A bike allows a Dekpor student an efficient mode of transportation to get to their
high school in Weta. It's about a 25 minute ride, one way, so walking takes at least
three times longer than that! There is NO secondary school in Dekpor—Weta is
the closest.
All of our sponsored high school students were the first to receive a bicycle last
fall, when we purchased bikes in Ghana. We have started working our way down the
line in order of grade level—and will continue to do so. We also decided that
it was an important piece of equipment for Doris and Betha to sell their soap around
town, and for Philip to start up his farming operation.
Just look at the smiles…
Bikes from Ontario are making a difference! A huge thanks to all of our donors. If
you have a teen-sized bicycle in good working condition, contact Carol.
Special Luncheon - April 1, 2016
In November 2015, the lovely Becky and
Madi decided to celebrate their 13th birthday and do something WOW.
Instead of birthday gifts for themselves, they asked their party invitees to make a
cash donation to split equally between their grade 8 graduation and Dekpor School
Development Organisation.
An amazing $862.50 came to DSDO! The twins carefully allocated the
funds, and chose to buy some goods AND to host a celebration from afar!
On April 1st, 2016, 800 students and staff from Dekpor Basic
School were delighted with the special luncheon!
A huge thank you to Madi and Becky, their parents Sabrina and Rob, the members of
their ringette team, and students from both Highview Public School and Mount Albert
Public School. Enjoy looking at these photos. ..you made 800 students and the hard
working teachers very, very happy today!
Giving and compassion at its best!
Thanks, everyone!
Water Distribution Pipes, Phase 1 – 2016
Back in 2014, we were thrilled to have completed our biggest dream at the time:
mechanizing two boreholes, building a water tower, and installing a reverse osmosis
system. It is wonderful to have CLEAN water, yet the challenge remained—not
everyone lives close by. Many of the containers used to hold water weigh upwards of
50 pounds (20 kg) when full and it is painful for the women and children to walk
long distances with this weight on their heads.
Solution?
Distribution pipes.
For Phase 1, distribution pipes were run from the water tower through the main
stretch of Dekpor Yia to the health clinic in Dekpor Dome! There are now standpipes
at the community centre in Yia, the Dome junction, and the clinic. There were also 5
households that paid to have a standpipe put in at their family compound.
This wonderful undertaking was made possible by two generous Barrie groups:
Busch Systems and
Kempenfelt Rotary. We are extremely
grateful!
Accomplishments - 2015
Two 10-seater town toilet facilities completed with rain harvesting systems and
hand washing stations (Dekpor Yia #1, Dekpor Dome)
Renovation started of Dekpor Horme Town Toilet Facility #1
Started 3rd town toilet facility (Dekpor Yia Town Toilet Facility #2)
Assisted in the set up and organization of 3 town Water and Sanitation
Committees
60' extension to library—the space to be used during school hours by students,
and after school hours for tutoring, town educational sessions, meetings, etc.
Furniture for library constructed and purchased
47 Elementary students sponsored
7 High school students sponsored and 2 graduates sponsored while transitioning
to work force
3 Apprentices sponsored
3 Students sponsored to attend 3 months of intensive career training
121 Students on the food programme
Vacation School for all fully sponsored and food programme students
6 DSDO teachers hired for 5 weeks to run vacation school
4 Staff members sponsored for the 2015 – 2016 school year to run the library and
provide after-school tutoring
Hosted international teacher volunteers at the school
Medical supplies and an emergency fund available
Professional resurfacing of school volleyball court
National Health Insurance for all enrolled students (more than 800) at the
school
Soccer uniforms delivered several times
Books added to the library
Shoe drives in Ontario —hundreds of pairs distributed
Business start-up funding for 4 graduated students
Purchased teacher and student supplies, Ghanaian books, soccer balls,
volleyballs
Purchased an assortment of tools for each town for communal labour
Two hens and start up food given to all sponsored children
Bookends made for library use
15 Laptop covers made
Spare equipment purchased for the upkeep of DSDO constructed boreholes, water
tower and reverse osmosis system
Savings fund started for distribution pipe from the water tower to the clinic
Town information sessions on use of toilets and hand washing
Guidance counsellor held a session for upper grades about wise choices, careers,
high school
Shipped goods from Ontario to Ghana twice (books, glasses, bikes, clothing,
water bottles and other needed items)
Continue to deliver extra luggage full of collected goods, every time someone
leaves Ontario to visit Ghana (shoes, summer clothes, soccer goods, etc)
$15,872 raised at the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon
Several speaking engagements in Ontario at schools and Rotary Clubs
We get things done! Thanks for your ongoing support!
Linda took more soccer clothes with her as she left Ontario and
returned to Ghana. We continue to use the donations from AYSC as incentive prizes at
Dekpor Basic School, as a thank you for helping with odd jobs, and most importantly,
to give to those who are in great need of clothing. We also had a donation of
lanyards which are coming in handy for the student cards that the kids are expected
to carry on them!
February
We made some purchases with allocated donations… in fact these were
Christmas 2014 and birthday tribute presents! The
Aurora Book Club donated so that we could purchase Ghanaian-written
books for our library.
Erica's successful Indiegogo birthday campaign saw $425 allocated
to student and teacher supplies. And
Kim also made generous Christmas gift donations to allocate $400 to
student supplies!
Jean's birthday gift also allowed us to buy student supplies!
Yahoo!
March
Ken Glance, our most dedicated volunteer teacher, lugged over 100
lbs of shoes that were collected at
Highview Public School. The children are so grateful to be able to
own a pair of shoes!
April
We had some covers made for our laptops, to help keep out the dust.
May
More goods from Ontario made it to Dekpor. It was mainly shoes from
Highview Public School in Aurora.
July
We had our first guest speaker come. More than 240 of our grade 5 to junior high
school 3 students gathered in the courtyard to listen to
Madam Philipine, a former teacher and the present Ketu North
District guidance and counselling officer. It was AWESOME!!! She expressed the need
to study, to discover one’s own inner drive, the value of technical, vocational and
apprenticeship training, and making realistic plans for the future. This is
precisely what our Dekpor students need to know. Many are resigned to thinking that
the most they will ever be able to do is farm… and then there are others with
very unrealistic hopes. We want our kids to do their best, finish to the end of JHS3
at Dekpor Basic, and then make wise choices that will allow them to start breaking
the cycle of poverty. We are so thankful to Madam Philipine for her visit. She has
given valuable information for the students to consider!
Also in July, we resurfaced the volleyball court. It is a prized focal point of the
school and the town… and so we want to keep it in tip top shape!
August
The Headmaster of Weta Secondary School came and talked to our
oldest students, giving them an idea of what to expect if they somehow find
themselves able to continue their education. Usually lack of finances dictates no.
Also in August we made some bookends for the library. A small project, but it helps
keep things looking neater.
October
Carol and Dani visited AYSC in Aurora and received an enormous
amount of donated jerseys, shorts, socks and used soccer balls! A van full! We are
so grateful for the ongoing support of the
Aurora Youth Soccer Club!
December
We shipped our first barrel of goods (see the photos) in the fall and it arrived in
December, and we sent another shipment late November and it is due to arrive early
next year. We also had one of our former volunteers, Kelly, take an extra suitcase
of ‘things’ for us at Christmastime too.
West Jet donated shirts, and Linda and Ab took them to
Weta Secondary School where the choir and band were excited to
receive them!
We had several volunteers sell bracelets this year—so a big thank you goes out to
Becky ($297), John and
Pippa ($290), Louise ($185) and
David ($312).
Throughout the entire year, our staff does after school tutoring. It is a great way
for students to get extra help.
Every little bit makes a difference!
Designated Gifts – December 2015
Our new catalogue is a hit! We are thrilled that people are choosing items that
suit the personalities of the recipients!
Take a look at some of the things that have been bought.
A Special Day at Dekpor Basic – December 16, 2015
December 16th was a BIG day at Dekpor Basic School. While the entire student body
and staff were gathered for a luncheon
funded by Karen Burke, DSDO had some extra surprises in store.
And… as Linda describes it, both students and teachers alike
were jumping with joy!
On a daily basis, there are many children who go to school without a lunch. To be
able to share food with all of their
school mates is a genuine treat! The teachers were just as happy as the children to
be able to partake in a celebratory meal,
eating delicious kenke. It is a local specialty, and requires quite a bit of time to
make. As a result, there are plenty who
rarely ever get to eat it. We are very grateful to Karen who has made yet another
school luncheon possible.
Back in Ontario, Becky and
Madi's 13th birthday party raised a lot of money for DSDO. The
twins carefully allocated their
funds and allowed us to purchase a pencil (for kingergarten to grade 3) or pen for
every student in the school. They also are
responsible for half of the notebooks handed out to the students. Annnnd they
allocated funds to the 5 brand new, good quality
soccer balls and a sport whistle! Madi and Becky sure know how to make a lot of
people happy to celebrate their birthday!
Kim made a donation for her mom, in honour of her dad, and we got
the other 300 notebooks needed so that every student in
the school has one. Yippee! Never before has every student been given a pencil and
notebook.
But, that's not all!
Dagmara and Ezra made a donation on behalf of
Mr. Ciarello and Mrs. Murja, Andrea and Laura made
a donation for
Carol, and
Heather gave Craig a gift of DSDO too… The
teacher table held packs of pens, whiteboard markers, 3 power bars for the computer
lab, and notebooks.
We are so very thankful for these special donations. Tribute giving is awesome!
Comissioning 3 Projects – 2015
September 25, 2015, hundreds gathered in Dekpor for the official
commissioning of not one, but
three big projects!
There was a lot of excitement as speakers thanked the hard work of those involved
and explained the importance of each
project. The library extension is the only indoor area
in Dekpor that can hold a large crowd and we're thrilled to be
using it during the school days for student-use and after hours for guest speakers,
meetings and learning sessions.
Dekpor Dome Town Toilet
facility is complete with its own rain harvesting system and hand-washing stations.
Dekpor Yia's Town Toilet facility was
initiated by the town, but the completion was overseen and funded by DSDO.
The town members were encouraged to use the toilet facilities consistently to help
the entire town to decrease communicable
diseases and improve general hygiene and sanitation.
Linda and Abraham presented each town with tools to be used for
communal labour. They also presented the
town volleyball team with a new ball as a thank you.
After the formal commissioning, the invited dignitaries from the district
government toured all three sites and had an
opportunity to ask questions. They were all impressed with the work that Dekpor
School Development Organisation accomplished.
A wonderful day to celebrate amazing achievements!
Dekpor Horme Town Toilet #1 Renovations – 2016
This is another DSDO major renovation project!
There was a town toilet facility built in Dekpor Horme, looong before Linda
arrived. Problem? It had never been maintained. Never.
December 2015 we decided that we could forge ahead with the renovations. Step one
was to clean out the old vaults.
To bring it in line, quality-wise, with our other town toilet facilities we are
converting the design so that a pumper truck will be
able to remove the waste when necessary; replacing the roof and fascia; and adding a
rain water harvesting system, hand washing stations,
storage closet and a kiosk for the attendant.
Work started December 2015
Dekpor Yia Town Toilet #1 – 2015
This project is a little different, in that Dekpor Yia had their town toilet 'in
the works' when Linda first arrived.
But what that really meant is they had chosen a location and were trying to save
money, but work had not commenced.
Over the years, only a tiny bit had been done. It was determined that they didn't
have the resources or expertise
to continue or complete the job. So in 2015, DSDO was asked to help with financing,
and the management and supervision
of the construction work. We are very grateful to Ben, who went above and beyond to
make sure that the construction was
completed properly.
Their plan is not the same as the one we designed for Dome. They relied heavily on
communal labour, far more than usual,
in order to complete the project. DSDO also wanted to make sure that it was managed
properly and set up for success, so we
have included a rain harvesting system, hand washing stations and an area for the
attendant.
Dekpor Yia Town Toilet #2 – 2016
We are thrilled that the Rotary Club of Aurora has financed this wonderful project!
The townspeople of Yia are extremely excited
that a second town toilet facility is being built. When you gotta go, no one wants
to walk several kilometers, so this is the second
of three facilities that Yia will have.
This is our design complete with: 10 cubicles, a rain harvesting system, hand
washing stations, a storage closet and a kiosk for
the attendant.
Our fully-sponsored students and the children who are part of the food programme
spend 5 weeks after regular classes end in our
'vacation school'. We hired 6 teachers again this year and they are focussing on
math and literacy skills. This is a fantastic
chance for the children to get some extra individual attention. Usually class sizes
are rather huge, but at summer school they are
capped at 20. The kids truly enjoy this chance to improve their skills… and
it happens because of our generous sponsors!
Thank you!
Library Extension – 2015
Wow, are we ever excited about the potential of this project!
We are building a rather substantial 60 foot/18 metre extension to our existing
library. This addition will allow
us to not only house more books and have more classroom space, but our biggest goal
is to continue educational
opportunities with all Dekpor residents—students and adults. We want to use the
library to hold meetings, information
sessions, workshops and a variety of experiences that will benefit everyone. Right
now there is no space in the village
where large groups can meet inside after the sun goes down. Being a farming
community, the daylight time is precious for
farmers to attend to their crops. At night, the mosquitoes are out, there is no
large lit space, and rainy seasons don’t
allow for outdoor meetings either!
We have so many areas in which we want to further educate and inform people. We
already have plans to have nurses,
agricultural department representatives, inspirational speakers, and guidance
counsellors come to share their knowledge.
Cultural learning is also very important so that traditions can be passed from one
generation to the next. There are
countless topics that will make an impact: from hygiene to nutrition, crop rotation
to immunizations. There are many
experts who can share information to benefit the people of Dekpor. We are very
excited about the opportunities to educate
everyone!
This extension was initiated after a wonderfully generous donation was made by
Joyce Wilson.
Subsequent donations from the Rotary Club of Aurora, Richmond Rose Public School,
Kempenfelt Rotary Club and various
unallocated donations from our 2015 supporters have made it possible for us to carry
on this important project!
Thank you to everyone for your support!
Sanitation and hygiene. We are saving lives and we’ve figured out a great way to
make the most of it! We're building
our first block of town toilets (we need 5 in total); we're building town hand
washing stations at the toilets.
We need soap. Hmm, no one local makes soap. Linda and Abraham found
out about NEWIG, a wonderful
NGO that specializes in training and empowering women. We have three JHS graduates
who, on July 1, 2015, made their way to
Tefle. For $250 each, these young women will live away from home and enjoy the
intensive 3 months of training…
and then be able to return to Dekpor with the knowledge to make a living for herself
and her family.
The training encompasses the following disciplines:
Soap & Cosmetics Making
Textiles
Bead Works
Entrepreneurship
Leadership Skills
Design Concept & Packaging
Marketing & Customer Relations
Gender Training
Business Communications
Hat Making
Floral Arrangement
The training period is for 3 months with classes from Mondays to Fridays from 7:30
a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
We are very thankful to our generous donors. We had one person step up to pay for
the training of two of
the girls, and a group of 4 people pooled their donations to enable us to send the
third.
On July 1st, Linda and Abraham drove the girls to Tefle and got them settled in. As
an added bonus,
their moms and a few siblings were able to go to drop off the very excited young
ladies and tour the grounds.
Dekpor Dome Town Toilet – 2015
Toilets. No one really wants to talk about a crappy topic… but they should!
Open defecation is a very real problem in Dekpor. People simply do not have any
sort of toilet or outhouse
facility to use. We are changing that! This is the first of five proposed town
toilets and we are absolutely
thrilled to be able to start this project! It's a big undertaking. It's really
expensive! We had 2 anonymous
donors step up and choose to fund this for us!
What is it? We're building a 10-seater facility. 5 cubicles on one side for women,
5 on the other
side for men.
We're also building hand-washing stations.
There is also a rain harvesting system, so the water needed to keep the tank at the
right level, and
for the hand-washing stations is right there on site.
There will be an attendant at a kiosk. Yep, this is how it works. People pay to use
the toilet/purchase
their toilet paper. The funds gathered pay the wages of the attendant, the toilet
paper, the upkeep and
maintaining the toilet and pumping out the tank when necessary.
Before we open our doors for business, there will need to be some extensive
education about the
proper use of the toilets.
There is a lot of excitement about our latest project! In May 2015, we chose 15
children who have the space
and desire to give this a whirl! 11 of the students started with two hens, and four
of them started with just one.
It is a big responsibility for a child to build a hutch, feed their hens, keep track
of them (they wander the town
part of the day), and monitor the eggs and chicks.
The goal is for each family to have a supply of eggs, since sources of protein are
scarce. And then, of course,
when the time comes, they will have fresh poultry too.
We really hope this is a success, because we already have others asking if they too
could give it a try!
We are thankful to the donors who helped get this off the ground!
As part of our annual child sponsorship renewal, we have made purchasing two hens
for their student an option.
National Health Card Renewals – 2015
Thanks to Busch Systems, we are able to renew the National Health Insurance cards
for all of our non-sponsored students at
Dekpor Basic School! It is a huge undertaking to renew the cards. We had
approximately 430 done the first day, and then
160 kindergarten students done the second day!
We need to wait until May for the rest to be updated.
With the town clinic up and running, having National Health Insurance is a huge
gift!
Borehole - 2014
Our biggest dream has become reality!
Dealing with the challenge of providing Dekpor with clean water has been quite the
task! Much research,
time, and planning has gone into this huge, yet necessary project.
We tried drilling 3 times, hoping to find a new desirable location that would give
enough good pure water, but no such luck.
We ended up being able to utilize 2 old borehole sites, mechanize and go from
there.
The water requires a reverse osmosis system, which we’ve also supplied. Trenches
were dug to bury pipes to bring the water
from the boreholes to the water tower, and to take the run-off water away from the
R/O unit.
This is a collaboration of efforts and donations from literally all over! We are
very proud of this amazing accomplishment.
Next steps include piping water to various distribution sites.
We are continuously taking on projects: some are big, some small… but all
make a difference.
We had cages built for our school lights.
In January, we built three additional hand washing stations for
the school. We are thrilled that the compliance is so high!
On April 4, 2014 we held a DSDO free lunch at the school. It
was a huge success! Seven local women prepared meals for 780
students! On the menu was Kenke (a dough ball made from fermented maise) served
with small fish and a hot pepper sauce.
See our blog post
Lunch on us for more info.
We bought a Sawyer water filter for use at Mr. Tay's family compound. Mr. Tay is
our beloved librarian, who goes above and beyond
to share his wisdom, and help implement school and DSDO initiatives. He lives
close to the dammed lake in Dekpor Horme, and we want
him modelling the use of the water filter, to purify the water, so others will
take note.
July 16th we held our second school-wide lunch
celebration. This time it was as a result of Tribute Giving for
Karen Burke's birthday.
After Linda submitted a proposal a couple of years ago, the Standard Chartered
Bank in Accra of came through with a
donation of 100 desks! (October)
Soccer uniforms go from Aurora to Dekpor every time we have someone travelling.
Soccer jerseys are the most prized possession!
Health Clinic - 2014
Now, located at a 15 minute walk from school, there is a clinic with three nurses.
This is the first time that health
care has ever been accessible for the residents of Dekpor!! The nurse practitioners
dispense medicine for simple things
like malaria, but refer patients to the hospital in Dzodze for more severe ailments.
They treat injuries, minor infections,
and do community work educating people about hygiene, child care, inoculation and a
variety of other health-related topics.
Dekpor School Development Organisation provided a donation to pay for necessary
furniture for the clinic so it could open.
We purchased 3 desks, 6 chairs, and had shelving units and 2 benches made.
What a wonderful difference this will make for Dekpor!
Shoes - 2014
Shoes are important!
Shoes protect the feet from the obvious cuts and scrapes that can occur, but also:
hook worms, strongyloidiasis,
sand fleas, erysipelas, sepsis, callouses, and tetanus. And yet, most Dekpor Basic
School students do not own a pair.
Lucky children wear flip flops that are expected to last for years.
In the fall of 2014, we held a shoe drive. The Leadership Team encouraged
Minesing Central Public School to collect
over 200 lbs in just 4 days! Highview Public School's Eco Team
lead the collection in Aurora and collected enough shoes
to fill two large suitcases. Busch Systems of Barrie also collected
30 lbs of shoes for us.
The children and parents are so grateful! Thank you to every single person who
donated a pair!
'Summer' Vacation School at Dekpor Basic - 2014
All of our fully-sponsored students and also the children who are on the food
programme attend 5 weeks of vacation school during
August after the regular school year has ended. It is an opportunity for the kids to
have a lower student: teacher ratio, and focus
on math and literacy skills. The children are grateful for this extra opportunity to
improve their skills!
We were able to hire 6 of our DSDO teachers to instruct the classes! A win-win
situation!
Computer Lab – 2014
ICT is on the curriculum, and it's mighty tough to pass an exam when students had
never even SEEN a computer!
We introduced our first laptops to the school in February 2012, and decided to use
one of the tiny storage rooms
in the library as our makeshift computer lab. With only 7 laptops, we were able to
cram them in and make do.
In the spring of 2012, the government finished building a 6-room block that
included what they called a 'computer library'.
This much-needed building was constructed due to Linda and Abraham lobbying like
crazy to make it happen! It was 'completed'
but there was no electricity put in, and it was not finished the way classrooms are
here in Canada. We used it as a classroom
until June 2014, at which point, Linda and Abraham donated what was needed to make
the room functional as a computer lab,
in order to accommodate the 18 computers we presently have.
The work included:
New wiring, using a new box different from the rest of the school
8 new double outlet boxes
2 new outside security lights
Secure bars on all windows
Extending the frames and installing louver glass and wire screen on windows
Repairing 5 shutters
3 new tables built
4 new benches built
Purchasing a large electrical stabilizer
As we acquire more laptops, we will need to expand our resources in the computer
lab, but for now we are
happy to have space and a functioning room! This is very exciting!
Note: We are always looking for donations of gently used laptops that
are in great shape. If you are in
Ontario, please
contact Carol.
Pavilion Classroom – 2014
Thanks to very generous donations from both Lucy Romyn and Timothy
Romyn, friends from the UK, we have built our first
pavilion classroom. What is it? Well, the photos really explain it.
It consists of the foundation, the floor, the pillars, the lintels, 2 end walls and
then it is roofed. The other walls, doors and
windows are not completely done. It doesn't have the top coat, and it isn't painted.
Later, when more funds are available, we'll be
able to complete it, but for now it will give a comfortable sheltered space from the
sun and rain. It is the beginning of a permanent
building. The truth is, we went a bit further than a typical pavilion room, because
the gable ends are bricked all the way to the roof.
Eventually, we want to build an additional 5 pavilion rooms that will be in a row,
in order to accommodate all the students
who are enrolled at the school. One step at a time!
Completed June 2014
Desks and Chairs for Teachers - 2014
Thanks to a generous donation from Racketlon Austria, Edi Schmickl, Conny
Schmickl and family and friends, we are able to further
boost the morale of our staff. Our teachers are thrilled to finally have a chair and
desk to call their own! There were 6 desks
at the school that we have had the carpenter repair, and we purchased 18 new desks
and 31 chairs are being made. A big thank you
to our Austrian friends!
Spring 2014
National Health Insurance Coverage for our Students – 2014
We are extremely thrilled to announce that Busch Systems has made
a life-saving donation that will enable us to register the
balance of our Dekpor Basic School students on national health insurance! (Children
who are sponsored and those on the food
programme are already registered. Of the remaining, as long as they can provide
their birth date, then they can be registered.)
We held two sign up days in March 2014, and the third will take place later this
school year.
There are now three nurses, (who are considered community health workers), at the
clinic. They will be very involved with
the school, giving hygiene and sanitation lessons, and from there we hope to branch
out.
The clinic is about a 15 minute walk north of the school. Having medical care close
by has NEVER been available to the people of Dekpor.
Receiving any sort of health care, for the most part, has been completely out of
reach for the majority. But now, eventually, it will
become recognized that trained professionals can make a difference.
With the health card, our students are eligible for free malaria medication, basic
antibiotics and de-worming medicine, which are the
most needed drugs, and the visit is also covered by the insurance. They will also
have free access to doctors at the hospital in Dzodze
for more serious medical concerns.
Medical Kit and Emergency Fund – 2014
Thanks to a generous donation from Busch Systems, we now have a
first aid kit, with some medical supplies
and basic medicine, and an emergency fund to assist those who desperately need help.
Within the first couple of days that Linda returned to Dekpor with the supplies
early in 2014, they were put in use.
And, with a badly cut finger, one of our students needed a trip to the clinic.
It is a relief to have some way of helping those in need!
Whiteboards - 2014
Wahoo—whiteboards!
Our teachers have NEVER had a proper surface to share lessons
and notes with the students. Think about JUST how LIMITING that
is. They are already challenged by huge class sizes and no teaching
materials… and then just to make it more of a struggle, they've
had to use a makeshift solution—chalkboard paint applied to the rough
handmade blocks. The paint and the chalk itself are both of poor
quality. Since there are no lights in the classrooms, the writing
on the "chalkboards" is really difficult to see. It's very frustrating.
Thanks to a donation by Busch Systems, we are upgrading! Two
whiteboards are now in each class. It is much easier for teachers
to write, for students to see, and it cuts down on the dust! Having
"modern materials" also gives a much needed morale boost for both
the instructors and learners alike.
March 2014
Outdoor Classrooms - 2014
We have lots of students, but a lack of classrooms. In fact, our reputation is
getting around…
the enrollment is up to 740 this year!
DSDO is responsible for hiring 9 of the Dekpor Basic School teachers this year
(2013-14), bringing
the total staff number to 25 (which includes our headmaster and librarian). To use
the teachers most
effectively, each one needs their own space for their class. Building 'outdoor
classrooms' is a way to
give shelter but keep costs way down.
The weather has challenged us. After experiencing two poor growing seasons in a
row, finding the
thatch for the roof proved to be far more difficult than usual, and so it has taken
longer than projected
to complete the rooms. In January, although not fully completed, we started putting
them to use.
Linda’s words: "I actually quite like them! They have a cozy feeling."
What do we NEED??? 7 – 9 more standard classrooms.
Thatched rooms completed March 2014
Curriculum Kits - 2014
Our teachers do their best with precious little. Before, they had never had copies
of the full curriculum… now they do. We are putting together subject-related
kits so that there are some basic resources at the school. It's a small start, but
at least now teachers can model and students can see. We know that children learn
better by doing… but now they can watch a demonstration instead of relying on
looking at photographs in a text book. Our goal is to continually build on these
resources.
Imagine not owning a protractor, never having held one, yet being expected to know
how to bisect angles. Now that there is a large scale protractor for the teachers to
use, the students can watch the teacher modelling the method. Some will be able to
come up to the board and try it also. It's a step in the right direction.
A big thank you to Busch Systems for getting the tech, science,
math, music and phys ed kits started! The teachers are thrilled; the students are
excited!
If you have something that could be used, be sure to contact Carol. We gratefully accept donations!
Started February 2014
Teachers' Cabinets - 2014
It is hard to imagine teaching 80 or more students at a time, every day, with no
assistance.
Now to make matters worse, try doing that without teaching materials, supplies,
furniture…
This year a priority has been to help give teachers some very basic supplies, but
alas, they
had NO WHERE close by to put them! Through a generous donation by Busch Systems, we
have been
able to build and paint 18 cabinets and equip them with locks. Our carpenters did
the construction,
the students assisted with the sanding and painting. We are able to make this part
of their tech
studies.
The teachers are so happy to finally have a place to put materials. Seems like a
small thing…
but it is huge when you’ve never had a space of your own before!
Completed – January 2014
Accomplishments - 2014
31 Elementary students sponsored
6 High school students sponsored
3 Apprentices sponsored
84 students on the food programme
9 Staff members sponsored
Host teacher volunteers at the school
2 Whole-school special luncheons for all students and staff
Landscaping school courtyard with shrubs, bushes, and flowers
3 additional hand washing stations built
2 filtered drinking water stations built and put into use
18 locking cabinets for classrooms
Painted Junior High School and Administration buildings, inside and out
Curriculum kits for technology, math, phys ed, science, art, and music started
Medical supplies and an emergency fund made available
Professional volleyball court completed
Emergency repairs to administration building
National Health Insurance for all enrolled students (more than 700 children) at
the school
3 ‘outdoor’ thatched-roof classrooms built
2 Whiteboards installed in every classroom
Water Reservoir # 3 completed
Soccer field completed
31 Teacher chairs and 18 desks purchased, 3 desks repaired
25 Semester at Sea Students visit Dekpor
Pavilion classroom built
Computer Lab upgraded for proper use
Vacation School for all sponsored and food programme students
Hired 6 DSDO teachers for 5 weeks to run vacation school
Health Clinic opened—we built and donated desks, chairs, benches and
shelving
Soccer uniforms delivered several times this year
More books for the library
22 Laptops donated
100 Desks donated
Shoe Drives in Ontario & England, hundreds of pairs distributed
Boreholes mechanized + RO unit working = Clean Water for Dekpor!
We get things done! Thanks for your ongoing support!
Accomplishments - 2013
2nd water reservoir completed in January (funded by Sam Chapman P.S.)
School courtyard was graded to help with erosion during rainy seasons
Students’ and teachers’ KVIP toilets were renovated and painted, maintenance
plan in place
Purchased huge instructional posters for each classroom
60 new junior high school desks built and painted
40 tables and 40 benches built and painted for our kindergarten/primary classes
1000+ aquabottles donated for our filtered water project
100s of pounds of school supplies, books and soccer uniforms have made it
from Ontario to Dekpor
2 groups of Semester at Sea students and various other volunteers were hosted
4 Ontario teachers volunteered and taught classes at Dekpor Basic
Clean Hands Project launched in May, included extensive education & 4
hand washing stations built
Purchased 6 new outdoor garbage cans & built 2 ladders for the
school
62 children on our food programme
21 elementary, 5 high school and 3 seamstress apprentices being sponsored
62 students receiving National Health Insurance
9 teachers sponsored by DSDO for the 2013-14 school year
Adult literacy classes (since 2010)
‘Summer’ vacation school offered for all sponsored and food program students
(August)
Additional bookshelves for the library were built and painted
6 additional laptops at the school
Started building 4 new ‘outdoor’ thatched roof classrooms
Worked on soccer field, soccer goal posts built
Volleyball court started
Started painting the administration and junior high school buildings,
inside and out
3rd reservoir started, hole dug in December (funded by Busch Systems, BDO and
Barriston Law)
Set up 2 filtered water stations ready to commence in January (funded by
Busch Systems, BDO and Barriston Law)
Accomplishments - 2012
15 elementary students sponsored
6 high school students sponsored
8 teachers sponsored
57 children on the food programme
56 children with health insurance
Repaired the floors and repainted the primary block
Installed fans, lights and a finished ceiling in the library
Started a small computer lab
Built the Highview P.S. water reservoir
Held ‘summer’ school for 30 students
Adult literacy classes held year round
Hosted many volunteers
Lobbied the government and got a 6-room block built
Purchased teaching supplies
Distributed school supplies for students
Graded schoolyard to improve drainage
Started the Sam Chapman P.S. water reservoir (completed January 2013)
KVIP renovations started (completed January 2013)
Step by Step - 2012
In 2011, the Ghanaian government promised that there would be no more classrooms
under trees and set out on an
ambitious building programme for primary and junior high schools. Dekpor Basic was
NOT slated for the first wave
of building, but with some insistent nudging from the headmaster, chief, and Linda
and Abraham, we managed to get
lucky. It is the largest building in our school compound and consists of 6
classrooms, a large room that is intended
as a computer lab, an office and a storage room. It houses our lower primary
students. The building was completed
late in the fall of 2012.
DSDO added gutters (so we could harvest rain water), lights, security windows,
locks, and additional electrical
outlets for the computer lab to be functional, and outdoor security lights.
Step by Step - 2013
Consider this…there was almost NOTHING at Dekpor Basic. There was no electricity
until 2011, the
teachers had crumby chalk; the dilapidated classrooms had some desks. Over the
years, we’ve been
working to add things, a bit at a time, that make the school safer, better looking,
more functional,
and that improve the teaching and learning environment.
We’ve taken photos of some of the things that we’ve put in place over the past
year:
AYSC uniforms continue to make a huge impact. We provide various incentive
awards for students
(school supplies, toys, certificates) but the jerseys are the ultimate favourite!
With every trip a volunteer or Linda makes from Ontario to Ghana, more books get
to the library.
As a result, we need more library shelving! In August we built some more…
We purchased 6 trash bins in December. We want to keep the campus tidy and to
raise environmental
awareness.
In December we had a couple of ladders built. They are important! Students can
now keep the gutters
free of leaves and other debris, which helps keep the rain water that is harvested
as clean as possible
as it runs through the gutters and is collected into the reservoirs!
Our JHS windows needed repairing. We looked after it right away so no further
structural damage could
happen to the building.
Several generous donors purchased $50 gifts. Money was designated to buying
teaching supplies, notebooks,
and shoes. It is difficult to express just how IMPORTANT these items are and how
excited everyone is to
receive them.
We also purchase hand soap and bleach …properly maintaining our hand washing
stations and toilets is vital.
Indeed, there are lots of little things that DSDO is constantly doing to improve
and maintain. We are working
hard!
Emergency Repairs to Administration Building - 2014
Picture a building splitting right open, cracks from top to bottom. The photos show
it all.
The admin building was not well-constructed to start with, but it was built far
before our time,
and as far as we’re concerned, we want to maintain what we have as best as possible!
With torrential rains on their way, the building would NOT have made it through the
rainy season!
Needless to say, we repaired the administration building quickly!
February 2014
Busch Systems/BDO/Barriston Law Water Reservoir - 2014
In August 2013, three wonderful Barrie companies: Busch Systems, BDO and Barriston
Law, all took part in
the Barrie Dragon Boat Festival and raised funds for Dekpor School Development
Organisation.
Between them, they raised $9,325.50, and those funds were directed towards our
various water initiatives.
Harvesting rain water is a smart thing to do!
We are taking advantage of a natural resource AND helping prevent erosion and
property damage on the school
site. Before we could get started, we needed to have gutters put on the front and
back lower level of our
newest block of classrooms in order to catch the rain.
This is our third reservoir, so our team is getting good at this! Students helped
this time, by starting the digging.
To help one of our other concurrent projects, they also moved the dirt to the
volleyball court to level the area.
We had three groups of communal labour, each day from a different part of the
village. We put our new school ladders to
use too! As you can see from the photos, the work is tough, the hole is deep, and
there is no modern equipment to make the
job easier. For the men, it was three full days, from the break of dawn right until
it was dark.
The blocks were made by hand, the mason needed three weeks to do his part, and our
carpenter finished by
doing the roof and connecting the gutters to the reservoir. It’s ready in time for
our next rainy season.
Completed March 2014
Filtered Drinking Water Stations - 2014
In August 2013, three wonderful Barrie companies: Busch Systems, BDO and Barriston
Law, all took part in the Barrie
Dragon Boat Festival and raised funds for Dekpor School Development Organisation.
Between them, they raised
$9,325.50, and those funds were directed towards our various water initiatives.
In Dekpor, just finding ANY water can be a struggle depending on the season. At
school, the cleanest water our
students have is the harvested rain water that we collect in reservoirs. This water
is FAR cleaner than what families
fetch from the stream, but we want to provide the best we can, raise awareness,
educate, and take steps towards our
ultimate goal—to dig a borehole/well that will service the village.
This particular project, the filtered water stations, entails many steps.
In December 2013 we had the Sawyer filter representative come from Accra to do a
presentation for the staff and
various local dignitaries. To make a long story short, everyone was shocked to see
visibly dirty water go in…and
pristine clean water come out—MAGIC! These filters were first marketed to suit the
American camping crowd, to purify
water from a lake or stream. It soon became apparent that there was a real use for
them in developing countries where
the typical streams are full of a far greater number of bacteria and diseases.
We chose two sites close to reservoirs to place our stations. One had a ready-made
base on the verandah of the
block of classrooms; the other needed to have a base built. You can see from the
pictures that there were plenty of
hands on deck to help get the job done. To avoid hours of daily labour, we purchased
a pump to pull the water from the
reservoirs to fill up the huge cube holding tanks. From the tanks, the water is then
filtered into dispensing buckets.
Like our hand washing stations, we are introducing these first with several
instructional sessions for the students
to teach them about CLEAN water and how dirty water can make one ill, cause diseases
or worse. To coordinate the
students, fill the holding tanks, ensure the filters are being used properly,
back-flushed, that the materials are
kept clean and properly maintained and that the filtered water is delivered to each
class and so on, is an
organisational challenge…but one well worth it!
We are so grateful to our three Barrie companies for funding this very important
project. We also thank 4imprint
and another company that prefers to remain anonymous, for donating more than 1000
water bottles. Each student and
staff member has their own bottle and will now be able to drink safe water!
What a gift!
Implemented January 2014
Painting JHS & Administration Buildings - 2014
When Linda first arrived in Dekpor, it was entirely run down, every building either
needed extensive work,
or to be torn down. Now? We take pride in our school. As we’ve been able, we have
made the school a more
attractive, better maintained, improved learning environment.
Thanks to a generous donation from Busch Systems, we were able to
re-paint both the junior high school building
and the administration building—both inside and out!
Students sanded the walls to prep them, and then our high school students did the
painting over their Christmas
holidays. It looks great!
Completed January 2014
Volleyball Court - 2014
This was truly a joint venture! With funds from the town, Edi and Conny Schmickl
and Racketlon Austria,
and DSDO, the students and staff of Dekpor Basic and village members worked
tirelessly to build a showcase
volleyball court. There is nothing like it anywhere in the entire region!
Dirt that was dug to make the hole for our third reservoir was moved by the
students to level the area.
As you can see in the photos, there were a LOT of hands on deck to help each day of
this project.
With reason, the whole community is very proud of this recreational area that is
going to bring years of
fun and excitement…a little break from the underlying daily struggle to survive.
Started December 2013; completed February 2014
Landscaping the School Compound - 2014
With a couple of goals in mind, we figured it was time to landscape the school
grounds.
When it rains in Dekpor, it REALLY rains. Torrential downpours cause a lot of
erosion when
the dusty sand and clay is so dry. By planting in strategic areas, we are helping
prevent
damage to the court yard, and ultimately buildings. Also, let’s face it, landscaping
looks nice!
So, as part of the curriculum, each class has the area in front of their own
classroom and a
section around the new volleyball court to tend to.
We take pride in our school. When we work together to make things look good,
everyone feels better
about it!
This is a work in progess… and will always be growing!
January 2014
Dekpor Basic School - 2009
The Dekpor Basic School truly is as 'basic' as can be.
The kindergarten class gathers on simple benches, under a tree. The teacher has
only a small table, a broken chunk of chalkboard, and some chalk to be able to
deliver her lessons to 150-170 tiny students.
The primary students fair slightly better, in that they have a thatched roof
overhead.
There are no comfortable desks or chairs anywhere on school property. 'Chalkboards'
are simply black paint that has been applied to the bricks.
No TVs, no video players, no globes,no maps, no math manipulatives, no calculators,
…
And, of course, no computers, even though 'technology' is a required part of the
curriculum.
Compare to what you have in your local school…
Since 2009, Dekpor School Development Organisation has been working very hard to
improve the conditions at the school. Thanks to our generous supporters, we are able
to keep making progress.
Library Construction - Spring 2010
DSDO's first big achievement, the building of the Dekpor School Community Library,
was truly a collaboration of
efforts. Generous donations from friends in Canada made our first project possible.
Our contractor,
Trust Construction, discounted their fee to a bare minimum to help us meet our
budget. The three Dekpor
villages all contributed days of labour in cutting the cement blocks for the
building. Also, one generous Dekpor native,
Amuzu Numana, donated a load of construction lumber for the framework.
In order to get the books we had purchased and had
collected from friends, family and Edu Ref over to Ghana, our teacher volunteers and
Linda's family members each took an extra
suitcase packed full on their flight to Africa. As well, volunteers in Canada and
our teacher volunteers helped to catalogue
and process the books to get them ready for the library shelves.
DSDO has hired two librarian-literacy teachers to run the library for the students
during the day and to offer classes to adults
after school hours. We are VERY thankful for our sponsors who are paying their
wages. The work being done by these
teachers reaches hundreds of the people of Dekpor.
Update: We were finally able to completely finish the construction
of the library in March 2012!!
Using money raised from selling bracelets in Canada, we put in the ceiling, finished
the electrical work, and installed lights
and fans. It caused quite a commotion, as many have never seen a building with a
finished ceiling complete with fixtures!
Soccer Uniforms - Fall 2010
Soccer is one sport that can be enjoyed by all ages and
doesn't require too much equipment. Think about what kids in
your community have: jerseys, shorts, socks, cleats, shin pads,
a proper ball, pump, goal posts…
At Dekpor Basic School, the children also love soccer, but they
have had to make do with far less. Forget uniforms… most children
only have the clothes on their backs. They don't have cleats…
only the lucky ones have a pair of flip flops. And a ball? The
kids make use of a dried up gourd or plastic bags, one inside the
other, until it is about the right size. The school now has team
sets.
Receiving the first set of soccer uniforms from Aurora Youth
Soccer Club in Ontario sent the students into a wild frenzy in the
November of 2010. Such excitement! They whooped with joy… Most
had never had shoes on their feet before… They looked like a
team… They ran through the school yard and then proceeded to run
through the village. Pure joy.
Now we use the soccer clothes as the most amazing wearable awards
ever! We have recognised some of our stand-out students with school
supplies, dictionaries and certificates, but the best treat, by
far, is to receive a soccer jersey and a pair of shorts! The
students are so proud to sport their prizes—talk about creating a
happy ruckus!
Thank you for the generous donations from the Aurora Youth Soccer
Club!
Junior High School (JHS) Repairs - June 2011
Acts of Kindness Circle the Globe
In January 2011, DSDO received a HUGE donation!
Philanthropists Joyce and John Wilson of Merseyside, England made a huge donation
in memory of their
Aunt May and Uncle Lawrence Simpson (who lived in North York, Ontario).
The timing was perfect considering the JHS (equivalent to Canadian intermediate
grades) block of
classrooms was on the verge of being condemned. DSDO was able to completely renovate
the three unit
building, repairing walls, re-cementing the floors, replacing the roof, installing
windows, electricity,
lights, ceiling fans, chalk boards, doors, building a new porch, and painting both
inside the classrooms
and out. The work was extensive and the results remarkable!
A great big thank you to Joyce and John Wilson, two wonderfully
giving and generous
people!
The official commissioning happened on June 3, 2011.
Administration Building Repairs - June 2011
Early spring 2011, Linda and Abraham Kordze decided to make a
donation to repair the
Administration Building in honour of both of their fathers. A 2 inch crack, from
floor to ceiling,
made the building dangerous and subject to collapse in the next big rain storm. The
building had the
cracks fixed, and the addition of louver glass windows and screens, doors, fans,
lights and being painted
gave the building a much needed facelift! The Administration Building was
commissioned on June 3rd,
2011 along with the Junior High School block.
Highview Public School Water Reservoir - May 2012
Highview's graduating grade 8 class of 2011 raised enough money to build a
much-needed new water reservoir!
The water collected in this reservoir will be used for student use, and any extra
can be sold as a school fundraiser
for Dekpor Basic School.
The community came together to do the digging and carrying water to make the
concrete blocks. As can be seen in the
photos, it was back-breaking work. Construction was completed in May 2012.
After the reservoir was finished, the dirt needed to be moved out of the school
yard. The children all pitched in and
helped… by carrying the dirt in bowls on their heads!
Thank you, Highview grads, for your generosity!
Primary Block Repairs - Spring 2012
In a collaboration of efforts by Edi Schmickl, Conny Schmickl and Racketlon
Federation Austria,
money was donated in March of 2012 to repair the Primary Block.
Racketlon International World Cup players and spectators gave generously! The funds
have been used
to make necessary masonry repairs. The existing primary block had cement floors that
had disintegrated
and the stairs leading to the porch were in bad shape.
While the mason was at the school, repairs were made to the walls of the library
where the wiring was put in.
In order to stretch the money as far as possible, DSDO decided that it was
worthwhile for the students to learn
the painting process instead of hiring a professional painter. Linda showed students
how to prep the walls by sanding
and senior students did the painting!
The Primary Block has been given a much needed face-lift thanks to Edi, Conny and
RFA!
Library Completion - 2012
The library was built in 2010, but we learned that we needed to 'finish it'. Bats.
Using funds raised by selling Ghanaian glass bead bracelets, the ceiling was
completed, the building was wired for electricity and fans and lights were
installed. It caused quite the commotion as the vast majority of Dekpor residents
have never before seen a building with a finished ceiling!
Thank you to everyone who sold or purchased bracelets to help us fundraise for this
important improvement!
Sam Chapman Public School Water Reservoir - January 2013
Sam Chapman Public School in Markham, Ontario got very creative! Students, staff
and local professionals
got together to produce art for an auction on June 6, 2012, aptly named 'Ghanart'.
Enough money was raised to
enable DSDO to build a second water reservoir for the students at Dekpor Basic
School.
Rain water from the newly built block of classrooms will run down the roof, get
caught by the gutters, and
then run through the downspout into the water reservoir. Just take a look at the
photos, it is hard, hard work.
It took 4 full days, dusk till dawn, and crews of men from Dekpor Yia, Dekpor Horme
and Dekpor Dome to complete
the digging.
As the dirt came up out of the hole, Dekpor students carried it away to help with
another little DSDO project…
to grade the courtyard and build a berm.
The bricks are all made by hand, and this job too, is completed by community
labour. We, of course, hire a professional
mason to lay the bricks. This is yet another project that shows how teamwork can
make a wonderful difference.
Construction was completed in January 2013.
Thank you Sam Chapman staff, students and parents for your generosity!
KVIP (Kumasi Ventilated-Improved Pit) Repairs - January 2013
Toilets. Sure, no one really wants to talk about them, but they are
necessary.
Dekpor Basic School has an 8-seater KVIP and a urinal for student use, but they had
never been properly
maintained since they were built, many years ago. DSDO decided that hygiene is a
priority. In
January 2013 we had all of the broken bricks repaired, re-stuccoed, improved the
ventilation, switched
the useable pit in each cubicle (which means moving the concrete plug to cover the
other pit opening
within each cubicle), painted inside and out, and installed gates. There is now a
maintenance plan which
includes daily cleaning and disinfecting.
In kindergarten, even with the children crammed in as tight as possible, there
wasn't space for everyone to sit.
In the upper grades, there was definitely not enough furniture. The students were
required to lug their own chair
and table, to and from school, (more than 2 km each way for some of kids), EVERY
DAY!
In February and March of 2013, we were able to make a difference. 40 benches and 40
tables were made for the kindergarten
and grade 1 students, and 60 one-piece desks were made for the junior high school
students.
As you can see from the photos, this was another example of us working together.
DSDO hired carpenters to do the
construction, but students were responsible for sanding and painting. The colours
are bright and happy, just like the
faces of the children who get to enjoy the new furniture!
Clean Hands - May 2013
UNICEF estimates that diarrhoea kills 1.1 million children every year, and
pneumonia-related illnesses take
another 1.2 million child lives. Hand washing with soap prevents disease in a more
straightforward and
cost-effective way than any single vaccine. The simple act of washing hands with
soap at critical times is an
easy and affordable intervention that can reduce the incidence of diarrhoea among
children under five by almost
50%, and cut respiratory infections by as much as 25%.
When you have to walk a minimum of 4 km to get water for your family, that precious
water gets used for cooking
and drinking.
Washing hands is something that we are having to teach.
We are starting at the school level. The children are being taught the important
reasons for washing their hands.
We have set up stations at the school and have just started our training process. We
KNOW it is going to take time
to implement this change. But it's an important one.
Our kick off was on May 30, 2013. The Assemblyman, and DEHO and his staff, joined
the students and teachers for the
launch. There were speeches, dancing, singing, drumming, dramas, and the
presentation of the soap and wash stands. This
is a school-wide initiative, where students and staff are working together to create
new healthy habits.
We want to continue building water reservoirs on the school compound so we can take
advantage of the rain that falls
during rainy seasons. We need to use the resources we have. Washing hands is going
to save lives!
Computer Lab - February 2012
Dekpor School had been presented with a curriculum challenge. ICT is part of the
curriculum, but how
are children to really know anything about computers, and pass the required exam, if
they have never seen
one? In 2009 when we started our work, there wasn't even electricity in Dekpor,
never mind a computer!
In February 2012, Linda returned to Dekpor, after a visit in Ontario, with 7
donated laptops. First, the
teachers had to be trained. Now the students have to get opportunities to try using
a laptop.
Do the math: 653 students, only 7 laptops. Yes, we need more. Gently used,
functioning laptops are gratefully accepted.
