Organisation News (Archive)
All News
December 2021 Item 1
Thanks to those who donated items to fly to Ghana with Linda in the 4 suitcases British Air waived for us:
- Bonnie Devine - school items
- Deb Uden - 2 suitcases, clothing
- Diane and Ken Parnell - cell phone
- Helen Rochon - PS2 games and other items
- Jo Kangas - clothing and assorted items
- Karen Kramer - children's clothing and Duplo
- Keltie Stewart - suitcase
- Kim Morris - school items
- Kristy Chantelle - loads of clothing, backpacks, keyboard and mice
- Maricel - loads of shoes
- Michael Walters - a laptop * He gave US a gift on his 18th birthday!
- Ninah Lucila - cell phone
- Regan Scott - linens, eyeglasses
- Rita Goverde and mom - suitcase
- Sharon Quyn - kids' clothing, sheets, loads of fabric and sewing goods
- Sue and Devin Walters - cell phone
- Susan Heagy - suitcase and fabric
- Tracey Martin - suitcase, backpacks and reusable bags
- Wendy and Elizabeth MacDonald - suitcases
December 2021 Item 2
In Dekpor, Abraham was kept hopping for the entire month. There were 23 brand new apprentices starting--that's over and above the students we already had sponsored! Many of them required lodgings in a different town which means a whole lot of groundwork finding an appropriate place and getting them all set up.
In Canada, the focus was running the holiday campaigns and we are so very grateful to all who made donations! A thanks to everyone who gave to the pencil/pen, town tools , or the textbooks campaigns--your generosity was overwhelming!
December 3, 2021
A huge shout of gratitude to the Sprott Foundation for the incredible $5000 donation toward the textbook fund!
December 2, 2021
Tax receipts for the last quarter were issued today. Thanks to everyone who contributed!
November 2021
This month: the sports courts at Dekpor Basic School are still a work-in-progress. Abraham is busy getting every single high school and apprentice set up and ready for their year ahead!
November 30, 2021
Our third year junior high school students have all written their BECE final exams. We have 23 brand new apprentices heading off to start their trades over the next couple of weeks!
November 18, 2021
Thanks to Ninah of Explore Ontario Realtor for donating a cell phone! Please, friends, always keep us in mind as a gently used cell phone is top of our priority list of donated goods!
November 16, 2021
November 4, 2021
Five of our sponsored young men are undergoing Level 2 of their electrician licensing. We are so grateful to our special friends for financing this! There will be a three month wait until results are published. Keep your fingers crossed!
October 2021 Item 1
In Dekpor, the sports courts on school campus are still under construction. There have been further renos done at Dekpor Central Shops with a retaining wall done at the cafe, a workshop enclosed for the carpentry shop, and the motor workshop partially enclosed.
October 2021 Item 2
October's focus has been on the marathon. Unbelievably GREAT news!
$34,233 raised this year! We had 15 fundraising pages rolling for the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon. Get all the info in
our marathon album!
October 19, 2021
Second van-full delivered to the shipper. 30 huge items. Thanks to all who donated — see the list at the start of September because it includes both September and early October donors.
October 18, 2021
One van filled to the roof taken to the shipper by Carol.
October 9, 2021
Thanksgiving weekend is being spent prepping a shipment.
October 5, 2021
Linda made the long, long trek back to Ontario for an extended stay. Carol drove 2.5 hours for an 8 minute, in-person visit! The things we do!
September 2021 Summary
Donations of goods from:
- Alison Gaia - 3 large bags of clothes and shoes (many brand new)
- Amira Hanna - 3 big bags of shoes and clothes
- Anonymous friend - brand new women and children's clothing
- Aurora FC/AYSC - soccer balls, trophies, cleats, backpacks, clothing, water bottles
- Bea Jer - clothing and shoes
- Brenna Wiedrick - loads of children's clothing, shoes
- Brian Bodley - mitre
- Charleson family - hockey bags, clothing
- Farishteh Eriksen - trumpet and 2 trombones and cases!
- Hawkeye - shoes
- Jean Anderson - linens, clothing, canes, suitcase
- Julie Mallany - linens, office supplies, medical supplies, shoes, clothes, and more!
- Karen Kramer - 2 large bags of clothes, footwear
- Laura Mateyak - shoes and clothes
- Laurie Wilson - clothing, buttons, office and school supplies, and more
- Lourita Lue-Shing - 2 large bags of clothing and shoes
- Marina Moir - huge bag of clothing
- Marisol Deres Ramirez - big bag of boys' gently used and new clothing
- Melody Ryan - big bag of footwear
- Nic and Rob Whitla - huge, huge assortment of items for the school and individuals including: clothing, educational goods, inflatable mattresses, kitchen goods, chairs
- Ramya Raghavan - breast pump, shoes, clothing
- Rena Giountsis - belts
- Rita Forte - shoes and clothes
- Sabrina Maggiore - loads of clothing
- Vicky Xekominos - 2 suitcases, shoes, clothes
- Yuen Wong-Lim - suitcase
September 2021
It's been a blur! There was so much going on that we've lost track of the specific dates. In Ontario, fundraising for the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon is in full swing--you'll hear more about that next month. Another shipment is being prepped and it is the type that required a lot of driving, pick ups, sorting, and more finicky packing than usual. In Dekpor, the purchasing of all items for the apprentices was completed, the sports court at Dekpor Basic School campus is in progress, there have been a few jobs happening at Dekpor Central Shops, more street lights are shining bright, the new borehole is hooked into our water system, uniforms are being made to measure, and the work done to improve our school computer lab.
September 30, 2021
Carol took a fourth trip this month to
Aurora FC to pick up donated goods! It has been 11 years now that we have been receiving gently used and new items and we are so appreciative! Thanks to
Laura M. and
Tristan C. for deflating soccer balls that were donated at the start of September.
September 13, 2021
The very successful toothpaste and toothbrush campaign that was held in June allowed us to do a distribution at the school today. See the
Toothbrushes and Paste album!
September 12, 2021
September 9, 2021
Another trip for Abraham and Linda to pick up the shipments. A second vehicle was needed!
September 3, 2021
After a couple of days in Accra getting items for our newly-sponsored students who will be starting apprenticeships, Abraham and Linda stopped at the shipper to cram in as many of the items that would fit! Wouldn't you know it, the loads that left Aurora in June and July all ended up on the same ship!
September 2, 2021
We are grateful for all the work that has been recently done in the school's computer lab and in key locations in town. More than 500 m of networking cable was installed in the computer lab. There is also a new router, networking box, antenna, and lightning arresters have been installed in three key town locations. See the
Computer Lab Improvements album for more info!
August 2021 Item 1
Donations of goods this month:
- Rose-Anne Morier - toothbrushes, uniform khaki bottoms
- Mary Lynne Greer – sewing chair, storage cube
- Wendy MacDonald - suitcases
- Anonymous friends – furniture for Dekpor Basic School
August 2021 Item 2
We are thrilled that so many new students are being sponsored! Thank you to every single person who noticed the Facebook campaign and chose to join our family of incredible student sponsors! Changing lives, one child at a time!
We have started new and improved sports courts at Dekpor Basic School! We'll share the album next month.
A biodigester toilet is in the works… to be finalized in September!
One last biggie, we have a new borehole! Stay tuned for more info in September!
August 28, 2021
Carol, with the help of Andrew Sanderson, saw
another shipment on its way! These two loads were mainly furniture and larger items. A special shout out to Dara and School House Products for supplying new feet for the chairs!
August 25, 2021
Augustine Awiah, a professional Ghanaian football (soccer) player, was in Dekpor for a couple of weeks to work with our students and coaches! See
Step By Step.
August 22, 2021 Item 1
There is so much work happening every day in Dekpor Basic School's
computer lab and we've got our graduates in there as part of the team! A mason, carpenter, ICT grads, electricians and up and coming eager students who want to learn more! Philip Schaeffer is making a difference!
August 22, 2021 Item 2
August 14, 2021 Item 1
A very happy celebration was enjoyed… a grad party for our students who have finished high school and apprenticeships in the past year and a bit! (See the
Step by Step 2021 album)
August 14, 2021 Item 2
Edi Schmickl and Philip Schaeffer arrive in Dekpor. Edi's visit lasted only a few days, but Philip was in the village for a couple of weeks. In that time, he upgraded the entire computer lab, and set in motion wifi connections, and so much more! (See either the
Austrian donor page or the
Computer Lab 2021 album)
July 2021
The July 28th shipment was brought to us by:
- Newmarket Soccer Club (see the new donor page!) (Thanks to Shameela Shakeel for the connection!)
- Mary Beth Kelly - suitcases
- Stephanie Valiquette - for delivering suitcases
- Amanda DeFrancesco - suitcase
- Lorna and Bruce Ferguson - suitcases
- Dann Tardiff - hockey bags
- Helen Giutsos Minchopoulos - suitcase and sports bags
A record-breaking long list of donors for the July 10/12th shipment:
- Stephanie Valiquette - suitcases, purchased khaki items, toothbrushes and more! Plus, she offered a drop off location, sorted, photographed, and delivered more than once!
- Shameela Shakeel - shoes, clothing, and provided a drop off location
- Luisa Lloyd - clothing, and picked up items from others
- Adi Halberstadt - assorted clothing
- Adriana Garcia De Lokbik - clothing, shoes, caps
- Alcantara Ridge - shoes, clothes
- Alison Backer - shoes
- Amanda Calmus - sandals
- Amanda DeFrancesco - boys' clothing
- Andrew Lindsay - laptop, backpacks
- Ann Barber - teen clothes
- Barb Bulloch - purchased assorted needed new items
- Becky Robertson - huge amount of clothing, shoes, sunglasses, educational materials, and more!
- Carol McCreesh - shoes, clothes, water bottles, digital camera, many other great items!
- Cheryl Bacon - backpack full of shoes, clothing fabric
- David Greer - tools
- Dianne Cordeau - clothing, shoes, lawn chair, wide variety of items
- East River Dental and Tina Brodsky - 15 cases of toothpaste
- Erin Leonard and Leslie E. - clothing, toothbrushes, footwear, toiletries, educational goods, and more
- Farishteh Eriksen - trumpet, shoes, new educational toys, and more
- Florianne Uwera - suitcase, shoes, belts, mouse
- Forest Walks - clothes, shoes, memory sticks
- Gillian McCreesh - laptop, clinic goods
- Hailey Graham - clothing, belts, shoes
- Hedy Chase-Rattner - clothing, shoes, school items x 2 drop offs
- Jacky Shoesmith - khaki shorts, women's clothing
- Jenny Henderson - shoes, women's clothing, fabric
- Jorien Berg - women’s clothing
- Judith Coveney - clothing and purchased pens, dry erase markers, toothbrushes
- Julie Michaels - lots of clothing
- Julie Robertson - face masks, school goods
- Kayla Moreau - 5 suitcases
- Kelly Marie - large amount of clothing and shoes x 2!
- Kelly Olive-Schad - clothing, shoes
- Kelly Pickard - 2 digital cameras, clothing, educational items
- Kimberley Nelson - toothbrushes, pens, clothing
- Laura Bondy - work boots
- Laura Mateyak - boys’ clothing
- Livia CB - shoes, cleats, school goods
- Lourita Lue-Shing and family and friends - huge amount of clothing, shoes
- Maricella Sauceda - military bags, shoes, red pens
- Marina Marina - 2 phones, suitcases, balls, hard drives, headphones, many amazing tech items!
- Mauren Casey - uniform shorts
- Melan Gerendas - loads of kids’ clothing and shoes
- Melissa Heidi Rautiainen - toothbrushes, sheets for fabric
- Michelle and Brian Bodley - tools, 3 tool boxes, mitre, loads of clothes, shoes
- Michelle Furtado - boys’ clothing, backpacks
- Monica Chee - clothes, shoes, backpack, fabric, school items
- Nadell Hawkins - shoes and clothing
- Nicole Glover - clothing
- Nicole Huang donated plus picked up from LeAnh, Shirley, Lan, Yvette - huge amount of clothes, shoes, school goods!
- Nikki Martin - clothing
- Norma McClinton - phone, suitcase, clothing, education items, sports equipment
- Raven Elliot - 2 cell phones
- Rebecca Prins - boys' clothing
- Rita Forte - clothing, shoes
- Rose-Anne Morier - suitcases, clothes, shoes, toothbrushes, school supplies
- Sama Almaarofi - shoes and clothes
- Sandra Hartman - clothing, shoes, fabric
- Sarita Lakra - clothing
- Shahr Zad and friend - memory sticks, loads of clothing, diapers, diaper bag
- Sigma Promotions (thanks to Nikki and Amanda) - suitcase, 3 boxes of t-shirts, reusable water bottles, drawstring bags, other assorted new items
- Stephanie Rosette Shawky - hardshell suitcase and toothbrushes
- Suzanne Highland MacPherson - clothing, shoes, balls, linens
- Sylvia MacQuarrie - toddler socks
- Tracey Ratcliffe - soccer goods, clothing, sports bag
- Vaia Birrell - fabric, shoes, clothes, backpacks, educational games, and more
- Vicky Xekominos - clothing, 3 hockey bags, balls, computer cases, bags
- Voula Papadopoulos - several boxes of clothing, shoes, cleats
- Warren Lobo - 2 suitcases
July 28, 2021
Wowsers! A massive thank you to the
Newmarket Soccer Club for all of the incredible goods they donated yesterday. Carol got it to the shipper today. See the
Newmarket Soccer Club Album!
July 27, 2021
A thank you extended to our friend, Michael Deh, who donated 4 barrels of goods that were distributed at school today!
July 20, 2021
The
shipment that left Aurora on May 20th was picked up today in Accra and then distributed on July 24th!
July 18, 2021
The eavestroughs at the school campus needed some serious repairs. Three of the five reservoirs were not filling with rain water.
July 16, 2021
Excitement gushing! Today we drilled a new borehole! Read about it (coming soon)! Thanks to
Busch Systems for making this possible!
July 15, 2021
Over the last few days, sponsorship update and renewal letters filled with great news were sent to every single student sponsor! Our student sponsors are the unsung heroes, ensuring that their child can continue to get an education. #Lifechangers
July 14, 2021
The distribution from the May 10th shipment took place today! See the
Shipping Album for photos!
July 12, 2021
Part #2 of the
massive shipment in Ontario made it to the shipper today! There were 18 large items (suitcases and boxes) that just barely all made it in! See the list above to know who contributed.
July 11, 2021
The eaves troughs on school campus were repaired. Unfortunately, they are handmade and do not retain their shape well with the torrential rains… but, we desperately need to collect that rain water for our 5 reservoirs at school.
July 10, 2021
Shipped a huge amount today! 19 items were crammed in Carol's van. A very special shout out to Stephanie Valiquette who went above and beyond! Also, thank you to Shameela Shakeel, Luisa Lloyd, and Nicole Huang who also helped in an extra way.
July 6, 2021
The shipment that Carol sent on May 10th was ready for Abraham and Linda to pick up today. See the
Shipping Album for photos!
June 2021 Item 1
Many thanks to everyone who gave and helped out this month!
- Melanie McAlister - clothing
- Regan Scott - shorts
- Marta McConnell - clothing
- Hawkeye - school goods
- Kim McNeill and Luisa Lloyd - 3 bags of clothing
- Brenda Hillaby - suitcases, clothing and more
- Sharon Quyn - 2 huge bags of clothing
- Charlene Ramnares - box of children's clothing
- Clarinda Luiz - clothing
- Lourita Lue-Shing - clothing
- Sylvia McQuarrie - volleyball net
- Lauri Foss - 3 suitcases
- Annabelle Berger - clothing and shoes
- Tomoko Ichikawa Valiquette - clothing
- Ramya Raghavan - 2 huge bags of clothing
- Jodie MacDearmind - clothing and shoes
- Sara Prince - clothing, safety vest
- Barb Bulloch - clothing, belts, assorted other needed items
- Bonnie Devine - school items
- Laurie Wilson - clothing, belts, dictionaries
- Tracey Martin - clothing
- Ashley Jamieson Hinchley - new pants
- Melodie Robar - uniform shorts
- Haley Lauzon - belts, new shoes
- Miriam Goodger Dos Anjos - easel, magnetic letters, felt
- Nicole Huang - shoes, medical boot, clothing
- Aurora Preparatory Academy - huge amount of new clothing, school materials, assorted items
- Mary Beth Kelly - went on an amazing shopping spree: new khakis, new belts, toothbrushes
- Peggy Beauchamp - sports bags
- Shelley Orbito Queyquep - suitcase
- Rafah Sinan - shoes
- Sonya Grundy - shorts
- Mary Lynn Greer - clothes, toothbrushes, bags, shoes
- Kerra Ruffalo - shoes
- Stephanie Valiquette (who also kindly was a drop off location and did some shopping with financial donations) - toothbrushes, school supplies, shoes, cloth diapers, clothing, and more!
- Anna Chan - shoes and clothing
- Deborah Pratt - suitcases and shoes
- Barbi Pilkington Black - shoes
- Michelle Diane - lots of shoes
- Meghann Anderson's shoe drive:
- Jean Anderson
- Bonnie Aguiar
- Shannon Morrell
- Savana Collier
- Mariluz Molina
- Lisa Graham
- Jordana Osetti
- Melanie Williams
- Patty Prete
- Erin McKay
June 2021 Item 2
We have some students writing their final high school exams while others are completing their final work placement. It's exciting! It means that some sponsors, perhaps, will want to consider taking on a new student, which, of course, is EXTREMELY wonderful.
Rainy season started almost 2 months late - yes, this will likely be very difficult for the farmers.
June 30, 2021 Item 1
Wowsers! What a big shipment! A huge thanks to
Trevor Martin for helping Carol get it to the shipper… and a big thanks to every single person who contributed! See above for the list of names and be sure to check the
2021 Shipping Album!
June 30, 2021 Item 2
June 25, 2021 Item 1
Repairs to the eavestrough, fascia, and reservoir systems at Dekpor Basic School.
June 25, 2021 Item 2
Building maintenance is important! Painted school student toilets, all 3 Yia town facilities, and Dome's also! See the
Painting - 2021 Album!June 20, 2021
Amazing news, we have just received funding to drill for a new aquifer! A huge thanks to
Busch Systems! Things got mighty scary for several weeks when there was zero water because the current aquifer ran dry. This new borehole will be dug substantially deeper and tap into a different aquifer. Stay tuned for the drilling next month!
June 12, 2021
Two of our electrical students are undergoing the rigorous examination process to get their Level 1 in electricals. It will be a bit of a wait before results are published. Fingers crossed for Benjamin and Wonder.
June 7, 2021
Thanks to so many friends, the last of the
multipurpose bowls, all 120 of them, were distributed today!
June 2, 2021
Thanks to Craig Busch and Guys That Give for the opportunity for Carol to speak tonight!
May 2021
Thanks to everyone who gave for the shipment on May 20th:
- Rafeek Baksh - 11 suitcases filled with clothing, shoes, and assorted goodies!
- Laura Mateyak - 2 big bags of clothing and shoes
- Marina Moir - 2 big bags of clothing and shoes
- Stephanie Mae - gym bag and children's clothing
- Tammy - lots of outdoor toys, backpacks, shoes
- Cheryl Bacon - suitcases, backpacks, shoes
- Dianne Lotto Cordeau - shoes, clothes, school goods, assorted
items
- Irene and Jim Sheardown - linens and towels
- Ann Grospe - 3 pairs of steel-toed work boots
- Jennifer Hunter - clothing, shoes
- Alison Backer - clothing, shoes, 2 digital cameras
- Jocelyn St. Germain - 2 huge containers of children's
clothing and shoes
- Luisa Lloyd - clothing and shoes
- Michelle Pozzebon - clothing
Items donated for the May 10th shipment, thanks to:
- Maureen Doucette - infant and toddler clothing
- Kalina Anna Scott - baby clothes
- Julie Mallany - clothing and assorted items
- Tiffany and Emily Wilson - backpack full of soccer clothes
- Pat Drew - laptop, suitcases, canes, shoes, clothing, fabric, sewing needs and loads more!
- Tracey Ratcliffe - gym bag full of goodies
- Karen Kramer - clothing
- Sabrina Howe - 6 big boxes full of new soccer clothes
- Tracey Martin - school supplies
- Niki Playter - children's clothing...new!
- Hailey Graham - clothing, shoes, work boots
- Franca Quartarone-Bichay - shoes, clothing
- Melinda Truong - suitcases
- Nella Di Nenno Fraser - chairs
- Loretta Lau - many suitcases, clothing, shoes
- Lillie Kwok - interfacing, suitcases
Plus items from friends who prefer to remain anonymous!
May 30, 2021
Wow! We reached the goal for the multipurpose bowl campaign! See the photos and
the names in our
Bowls album of the wonderful
people who contributed!
May 20, 2021
Hokie shmokies,
another shipment is on its
way! This time 14 bags/suitcases.
Thanks to the kind people who donated!
May 14, 2021
Bad news: big electrical surge that caused an electrical fault in our library.
Good news: one of our very own previously-sponsored students, Michael, was able to
deal with all of the repairs!
May 10, 2021
The
first shipment of the spring left Aurora
today. Yep, Carol's van was loaded
to the roof! Thanks to everyone who donated (see the list above).
May 8, 2021
We are thrilled to announce that 3 of our electricians are starting an intensive
prep course so they can be fully licensed to do commercial buildings! Congrats to
Senyo, Eric, and Michael!
May 5, 2021
Yahoo! We just had
100 manufactured, single
desks delivered to Dekpor Basic School! This will help with physical distancing
in the older grades!
April 2021
This month we have more of our sponsored students working really hard in
preparation of upcoming exams: 2 electricians (Benjamin and Wonder) and 3
seamstresses (Olivia, Elikplim, and Rosemary)
April 26, 2021
April 13, 2021
Three of our electrical students went to Accra for their energy commission
licensing graduation! A big congratulations to Michael K, Eric, and Senyo who passed this very challenging level on their first try!
April 9, 2021
Our
Basics Kit campaign raised
$6466! The kits have been distributed and we are thrilled! There were 220 students helped by this!
March 2021
We had several of our older students writing NVTI exams this month. It included: 5 electricians, 3 masons, 1 auto mechanic, 1 welder, 2 seamstresses.
February 27, 2021
All student updates were sent out! Thanks to our amazing student sponsors who help children get an education! You are our heroes!
February 17, 2021
The solar lights that were purchased thanks to Shari and David van de Pol, are being installed at our town toilet facilities. See
Step by Step album.
February 16, 2021
Today was the first
ICT class instructed by Wisdom. Thanks to Alan Lawrence for funding this!
February 13, 2021
The
shipment that was sent from Ontario in December arrived earlier this week. Distribution is ongoing, but today the clothing and shoes were distributed in a more remote area.
February 11, 2021
More action at
Dekpor Central Shops as another day of communal labour results in more traffic speed bumps to slow travellers in the area.
February 10, 2021
February 1 - 3, 2021
We are so grateful that we were finally able to host
Health Week at Dekpor Basic School. A team of dentists and vision specialists were brought in, thanks to the fundraising efforts of Emajjin Children's Foundation.
January 30, 2021 Item 1
January 30, 2021 Item 2
Another day of communal labour became an opportunity for the distribution of the last of the farming tools that were purchased with the December 2020 campaign funds. Take a look at the album:
Farming Tools, 2021.
January 19, 2021
Today marked the first day of classes at Dekpor Basic School. It's been a long time since most elementary students have been to school.
January 15, 2021
Today was school clean up day at Dekpor Basic School. Many students show up, as expected, to do their fair share of the work. And, what a bonus this time, because those who contributed were given a brand-new backpack thanks to Staples!
January 14, 2021
Meeting held at Dekpor Basic today for all the sponsored elementary students. Each received a brand-new backpack, courtesy of Staples in Newmarket, Ontario! We are so grateful to the combo of Luisa Lloyd, Liz Gilpin, Adrien Lear, and Sayed and Caroline of Staples Newmarket. (See the
Shipping - 2020, Distributed January 2021)
January 7, 2021
The student-made, full-length broom distribution is almost complete. Thank you to everyone who contributed! Please see the
Brooms - 2020 album.
December 2020
We would like to thank everyone for their support in a year full of challenges.
Please take the time to see the 2020 Accomplishments video (4:27) just above in the At
A Glance section here on the homepage.
This month has seen an incredible amount of work being done at Dekpor Central Shops. Several of the stores have
opened and more are expected to start their business within the next couple of months.
Exciting!
December 31, 2020
Our holiday campaigns were a resounding success! The student-made, full-length broom
campaign raised $2300 and will allow us to
distribute 615
brooms. The farming tools campaign raised $5150 for new
adzes and machetes to be distributed in the new
year! Thank you to every single person who contributed!
December 24, 2020
The second portion of the September shipment from Ontario was distributed by Linda
and Abraham, with the help of several students. Hundreds of photos in the
Shipping album for you to see!
December 8, 2020
Glen Eplett, our wonderful accountant, was recognized at his
workplace for his volunteering with DSDO. A tribute donation is being made to us as a
result! Congrats, Glen and thank you for the hours you contribute!
December 3, 2020
December 2, 2020 Item 1
December 2, 2020 Item 2
Carol got the last shipment of the year sorted, packed, labelled and prepped and off
to the shipper this afternoon. 16 suitcases/boxes/shipping bags/totes are starting their
two-month journey. See
Shipping - Dec
2, 2020.
November 2020 Item 1
Thanks to the following people who donated goods this month:
- Lillie Kwok - shoes, clothing
- Jori B - outdoor toy vehicles
- Sara Prince - suitcase, shoes
- Deborah Pratt - 4 large suitcases, duffle bags, shoes (will be
shipped in the spring)
- Michelle and Brian - large assortment of tools, hardware
- Judy Nash Hoffman - DVDs, shoes
- Brandy Kinnear - 2 bags full of shoes
- HPS - shoes
- Mystie Phillips - 2 suitcases, backpack
- Luisa Lloyd - 2 backpacks full of clothing
- Ann Lablans - laptop
- Brigitte Theriault - large assortment of school goods, laptop
cases, educational toys
- Joy Nguyen - dolls
- Julie Mallany - soccer clothing, shoes, suitcase, cooler
- Cheryl Bacon - balls, cleats
- Laurie Wilson - clothing
- Lydia Ridd - soccer goods
- Jennifer Weaver - soccer clothes
- AYSC - 5 big bags of soccer clothes
- Brenda Hillaby - shoes, clothing, school supplies
- Loba Fallah - 5 bags of clothing, backpacks, new infant outfits
- Susan Heagy - 5 large suitcases stuffed with fabric, sewing
notions, school items, medical boots
- Sera Weiss - sand toys
- Bonnie Devine - dry erase paper
- Karen Kramer - clothing, shoes
- Angie and Cooper - shoes, sandals, Duplo, toys
- Laura Mateyak - backpacks, clothes
- Hailey Graham - clothing, shoes
- Amanda Calmus - shoes and clothing
November 2020 Item 2
In Dekpor this month, there has been a lot happening at the
Dekpor Central Shops! We are trying to get all 10
buildings built by the end of the year!
November 26, 2020
Another shipment is being prepared in Aurora, Ontario.
November 14, 2020
We have a new campaign running this year! Handmade brooms made by one of our
sponsored students are being commissioned so they can be given to women. So far there
have been 50 distributed! An album will be available at a future date.
November 8, 2020
Thanks to
Shari and David van de Pol for financing the purchase of
12 solar lights in Ontario that will be shipped to Dekpor for use at the town toilet
facilities and the clinic! See the
Step by Step
album.
November 1, 2020
The Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon, our annual fundraiser, went virtual and
we had an incredible handful of participants who managed to surpass the fundraising
goal! See the
STWM 2020 Album!
October 2020
Thanks to the following people who donated goods this month:
- Marianne Willcocks - suitcase
- Shaheen C - several pairs of glasses
- W.C. Little Elementary School and Valerie Odette - 75 pairs of
shoes
October 31, 2020
Tessa and Sara in Australia
and Jennifer
in Scarborough all finished their 5 k today!
October 25, 2020
Jessy de Haan was in Colorado doing her STWM run today!
October 24, 2020
Philip Schaeffer left today. During his stay, he managed to donate
and install 9 raspi set ups. See our
Tech Items - 2020 Album.
October 23, 2020 Item 1
Yippee! The metal walls for #4 Central Shop were delivered after dark tonight.
October 23, 2020 Item 2
Valerie Odette of W.C. Little Elementary School in Barrie was
responsible for 75 pairs of shoes coming our way! Awesome!
October 19, 2020
The Longe family in British Columbia finished their group STWM
efforts today! See the
album!
October 17, 2020 Item 1
Today, in Michigan, was
Elle Bowman's STWM day.
October 17, 2020 Item 2
Day 2 of Carol's STWM 2020 experience, appropriately on World Eradication of Poverty
Day!
Nolan and Amanda of Sunderland also did their run today! See the
album!
October 16, 2020
Today, World Food Day, Carol did her first outing to participate in the Toronto
Waterfront Marathon Charity Challenge event! 3 hours. Wearing 'A Drop in the Bucket'
costume.
October 15, 2020
With a thanks to
Tony and Susan Anderson, we have 212 brand new
African-authored books for the library! These are ALWAYS the first ones borrowed and are
the most-loved. See our
Step-by-Step album.
October 12, 2020
Linda and Abraham did a pickup at the shipper. The load that Carol sent on August
13th (13 items) is about to be distributed!
October 10, 2020
Our secondary students are either settling in at their work placements, away at
school, or tutoring elementary students at Dekpor Basic School. It has taken a huge
amount of organizing for Linda and Abraham to get every single one of them in a good
place during the pandemic.
October 2, 2020
Philip Schaeffer and
Edi Schmickl have arrived in
Dekpor from Austria. Edi stayed for the weekend, but Philip has 3 weeks to help in the
computer lab and with our latest Dekpor shop. Edi brought 2 huge boxes of goods for the
clinic, arranged by Eva Strotzka and donated by Nicole.
September 2020 Item 1
Thanks to the following people who donated to the September shipments:
- Grace Bauman - resuable diapers
- Jorien B - shoes, magna doodle, clothing
- Janinne Gaspari - soccer cleats, clothing
- Michelle Helene and Brian - clothes, shoes, school goods, sewing
notions, tools
- Krystal Elle - medical books, computer books, DVD player with
DVDs
- Mona Mirshahi - 18 pairs of shoes
- Mystie Phillips - DVDs
- Ron Sheardown - clothes
- Sandee Sharpe - GoPro, cables
- Jessica W - steel-toed shoes
- Jennifer - clothing and shoes
- Alexandra Noel French - women's clothing, shoes
- Brenda Waite - hard hat
- Nancy Lindsay (delivered by Gillian McCreesh) - shoes, clothing
- Julie Cooper Ferris - suitcases, hockey bag
- Anthony, Leilah, and Lourita Lue-Shing - loads of goods all
packed in suitcases (educational materials, sewing goods, toys, and more)
- Lydia Ridd - suitcases, clothes, educational goods
- Dianne Lotto - educational goods, shoes
- Nicole Huang - 30 pairs of shoes
- Aurora neighbour, BD - learning materials, games, school goods
- Hawkeye - plastic containers, bins, organizers, bulletin boards
- Angela Yeoman - 16 pairs of shoes
- Barbie Harris - clothing, assorted goods
- Brenna Wiedrick - shoes, clothes
- Tracey Martin - clothes
- Ansa Gobin - medical goods, glasses, shoes, clothing
- Charlene Ramnares - clothing
- J-H-S - welding items
- Donna Kerr via Elizabeth Jean Graziano - Skin-so-Soft products
for Linda to ward off mosquitoes
- Keltie Stewart - 22 pairs of shoes
- Sarah-Lou Tomlin - Clothing and shoe drive that filled 4 large
shipping bags! > 120 pairs of shoes
- Alison Backer - clothes and shoes
- Shameela Shakeel - soccer balls
- Luisa Lloyd - Shoe and clothing drive; over 200 pairs of shoes!
- K & L Zanardo - clothes
- Marta McConnell - fabric, clothing, laptop carrying case
- Laura Mateyak - fabric, clothing, 2 brand new sets of educational
texts
September 2020 Item 2
We have 14 secondary level students who started work attachments (like an
internship) this month!
September 29, 2020
Today was September Shipment, Part 2! Both Carol and her neighbour,
Trevor Martin, took loads to the shipper. Two-day total of 40
boxes/shipping bags/suitcases/hockey bags! A grateful thank you to all who contributed!
Check out the Shipping Albums.
September 28, 2020 Item 1
Luisa and Ewan Lloyd put out a call to friends and neighbours to
collect shoes and clothing and did they ever come through! Carol picked up the
collection and it filled half the van! Wow!
September 28, 2020 Item 2
Off to the shipper for September Shipping, Part 1! Carol's van was loaded to the
roof with 18 large items!
September 23, 2020
Sarah-Lou Tomlin held a goods drive and managed to fill 2
shipping bags and 2 hockey bags! Tonight, Carol picked it all up! A big thanks to all of
Sarah-Lou's circle who generously gave!
September 16 - 18, 2020
Abraham and Linda picked up the July 34-item massive shipment from Ontario and it
is being distributed in Dekpor! Wow, such fun! Check the Shipping Albums to see if you can find some of the
goodies you gave!
September 14, 2020 Item 1
Our JHS 3 (junior high school, year 3) students wrote their final BECE exams
today. They had to provide their own table and chair/desk at the exam location 50
minutes away. DSDO helped them out with a tractor and wagon by taking a load of desks
from Dekpor Basic School, because walking almost an hour one way while lugging a desk
would NOT be the best way to prep for exams!
September 14, 2020 Item 2
Elementary schools are still closed in Ghana due to the pandemic. DSDO has found
a way to keep our sponsored elementary students learning! We've hired tutors, have very
small groups spread out in classrooms, windows open (as always), masks are on, and
lessons in English, math, and ICT are being taught. And by golly, there is food, also!
The album will be available soon.
September 12, 2020
Exciting news! We have started the construction of the next 7 shops. The foundations are being done by our very own
students!
August 2020
Thanks to the following people who contributed to the August 13th shipment:
- Carla Alcantara - clothing
- Natasha Adzic - vehicle play mat, car track
- Lillie Kwok - magnetic letters
- Cheryl and Benny Bacon - shoes, clothes, soccer balls, backpack
with school goods
- Sharon Quyn - books, several bags of children's clothing, shoes,
and toothpaste for many students! (Thanks for rallying friends and multiple visits!)
- Nadell FH - 3 canes
- Jennifer Francis-Smikle - 4 canes (with fond thoughts of Grandad)
- Michelle Campbell - shoes, clothing
- Tom and Linda Edwards - newly purchased text books for one of the
high school students and 6 laptops!
- Michelle Helene - crutches, cane, dictionary, shoes
- Margaret Skelly Keenan - hard hat, new children's clothing
- Barb Porter - fabric
- Shirley Hockin - sewing machine
- Amanda Longshaw - a barrel full+ of clothing, soccer balls, baby
items, hockey bag
- Sigma Promotions - clothing and bags
- Stephanie Mae Valiquette - suitcases, variety of luggage bags,
laptop case, clothing
- Vukicevic family - shoes, clothing
- Kims Kaur - shopping excursion of brand new shoes
- Rachel Good - clothing, fabric
- Kirsten Stuart - shoes, clothing, backpack
- Amanda DeFrancesco - Megablocks, water containers
- Victoria LaRocque - loads of Hotwheels, books, backpacks
(Shaelyn, thanks for deflating the soccer balls!)
- Addy and Cam Johnson - shoes
- Kelly, Reed and Crosby Schad - shoes, clothing and soccer balls
(Thanks for making 2 trips, Crosby!)
- Christina Marie Jevez - clothing
- Marta McConnell - assorted goodies
- Aurora Neighbours - shoes, clothing, containers for use at school
All of the above left in the August 13th shipment. All of the below will be shipped
at a later date.
- Grace Bauman - reusable cloth diapers
- Jorien Berg - children's shoes
- Michelle Helene - clothing, shoes, computer mouse
- Janinne Gaspari - clothing, soccer goods
- Krystal Elle - medical books, computer books, DVD player and DVDs
- Mona Mirshahi - 18 pairs of shoes
- Mystie Phillips - large container of DVDs
- Ron Sheardown - clothing
- Sandee Sharpe - GoPro, cables
- Jessica W - safety shoes
- Jennifer - kids' clothing and footwear
- Alexandra Noel French - shoes, clothing
August 31, 2020 Item 2
A personal letter was written for every sponsored student -- see You've Got Mail!
August 31, 2020 Item 3
Secondary students have finished their exams and JHS 3 are prepping for exams.
Library books are still being borrowed via Linda and Ab's house — thank goodness
Linda thought ahead on this!
August 31, 2020 Item 4
Wisdom opened up his shop and has had business already!
August 29, 2020
Work has started on the next shops — the
masonry students are cutting the blocks!
August 27, 2020
The seamstresses have started sewing the uniforms for the elementary sponsored
students!
August 27, 2020
The shipment Carol sent on June 12th is being distributed by Abraham and Linda in
Dekpor starting today. Check the shipping albums to
see if you can find the goodies you donated!
August 24, 2020
We are very proud of Wisdom and Saviour for writing their final exams and
completing their ICT studies! On to an exciting future!
August 13 , 2020
Carol is off to the shipper with a van of goodies. This time, 7 shipping bags, 1
barrel, 1 hockey bag, 1 wheelchair, 1 bag with crutches, and 2 boxes! A hearty thank you
to all who contributed to this load — see the list above. See the Shipping Album for more photos.
August 11, 2020
Carol was interviewed by Kate van Buskirk of Canada Running Series! We are hoping
to turn the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon into a global affair! If you are
interested in participating, please contact info@dekporschool.org!
August 10, 2020
This is deLIGHTful news! We are happy that 130 solar lights are being
distributed! Please see the Solor Lights album
for more info.
August 9, 2020
We appreciate everyone who donates goods, but sometimes there is a donation that
is just rather mind-blowing! Today, Tom and Linda Edwards, former
outreach volunteers who spent the summer of 2016 in Dekpor, donated a set of required
texts for one of our high school boys AND an incredible 6 laptops! We are so grateful!
August 5, 2020
The May 29th shipment arrived yesterday, and the distribution of clothing, shoes,
suitcases and a few other items will be done within the next couple of days. See the Shipment Distribution albums… all FIVE of
them!
July 2020
Thanks to those who gave to our shipment for this month:
- Zero20kids - huge bags of beautiful new pajamas (night shirts and
pants), fabric
- Maristella Salvi - 2 bags of clothing
- Laurie Wilson - dictionary
- Rafeek Baksh - many suitcases filled with goods, a walker,
clothing, shoes, school needs, dry erase markers, pens, and more! Wow!
- Ron Sheardown - water bottles, men's clothing
- Annette Gray - laptop bag, clothing, suitcase, toothbrushes, hard
hat, sewing goods, and more!
- Melodie Robar - shoes
- Shanice Brown - shoes
- Shelley Bertini - women's clothing
- Nasrin Parvin - baby boy clothing
- Marta McConnell - sewing machine, 2 bags of clothing
- Barb Bulloch - digital camera, USB memory sticks, sewing goods,
toothbrushes, clothes, crutches, running shoes (thanks for shopping!)
- Jacine Harrington - Hooked on Phonics, cassette player, art
goods, women's clothing
- Jodie McDearmid - shoes, clothing
- Cheryl Bacon - suitcase, clothing, linens, school materials,
shoes, children's dishes
- Alison Fair - cane, new clothing for boys
- Jessica W - steel toe shoes, shoes, women's clothing
- Mary Beth Kelly - 2 suitcases, clothing, shoes, and an incredible
shopping spree of red pens, dry erase markers, sharpeners, toothbrushes
- Margaret Skelly Keenan - 3 iPhones (WOW!), 3 suitcases, clothing,
shoes
- Paula Lemyre Kalfon - shoes, clothing, art goods, fabric
- Natalie Cameron - soccer ball, cleats, shin pads, sewing goods,
lots of clothing
- Barbie Harris - women's clothing
- Adriana Garcia De Lokbik - shoes, children's clothing, women's
clothing
- Melissa Anne - loads of shoes, clothing, soccer balls, and
educational goods
- Lillie Kwok - toy vehicles, school goods, clothing, shoes
- Melanie Chocron Abalos - loads and loads and loads of clothing,
shoes, and educational games and goods
- Charlotte Sargent - soccer balls
- Annabelle Berger - shoes, hats
- Ivana Di Placido - shoes, clothing
- Suzy Binstock - shoes, pencils
- Victoria Heaslip - suitcase
- Brenna Wiedrick - a special Linda request
- Christine Salama - clinic goods, clothing, books, shoes, and more
- Michelle Helene - clothes, hats, dictionary
- Laura Bondi - women's clothing
- Clarissa Mahnkopf - women's clothing
- Tanya Fletcher Mathurin - clothing, suitcase
- Sasha Reznik - shoes, clothing
- Luisa Lloyd and friends - loads of clothing, books, shoes
- Karen Kramer - several digital cameras, clothing
- Mary Kramer - brand new children's clothing
- Paula Lamanna - crutches, shoes, balls
- Christine Romas - soccer balls, clothing
- Charleson family - 3 well-timed hockey bags
- Mavis Burnham - fabric, soap, toothbrushes
- Staples Newmarket - approximately 300 backpacks
July 29, 2020
What? Another shipment? Thanks to the help of Liz Gilpin and Luisa and Ewan
Lloyd, there were extra hands on deck to prep more than half of the goodies from
Staples. Five hours after backing the length of Staples' loading dock to empty the skids
at Staples, Carol's van was full and the contents were ready to be delivered to the
shipper! Three hours later, and it was a fait accompli!
July 29, 2020
A team effort by Adrien Lear, her mom Lee-Ann, Luisa Lloyd, her son Ewan, Liz
Gilpin, and Caroline and Sayed of Staples Newmarket -- Staples made a donation of
approximately 300 new backpacks a beautiful reality! We are so grateful to all who
helped make this happen!
July 23, 2020
Oh, what a day! Another 34 suitcases/shipping bags/hockey bags were loaded into
Carol's van for TWO trips to the shipper in one day! So many new DSDO supporters donated
goods! We are very grateful! This shipment should arrive late September. (See the Shipping - 2020, July 23 Shipment)
July 22, 2020
The Halogbe house was finished and we truly
are bursting with pride for the wonderful work done by OUR sponsored young men! Please
read how so many donors contributed to fund this and how quickly and efficiently the
team of boys worked to complete the job!
July 19, 2020
The past week in Aurora, Ontario has been spent collecting, sorting, and
preparing goods for a BIG shipment!
July 10, 2020
Construction has begun on our beloved Mr. Halogbe's house, thanks to Dekpor
Construction Company. Moses, Mawuko, Emmanuel, Ben and Wonder have been hired and this
is all possible because Jessy de Haan sprang into action and asked her
friends and family to help finance this incredible make over! See the album!
July 9, 2020
Sponsor updates were emailed to all of the wonderful people who support a
student! We are so incredibly grateful to all of these real-life heroes who are changing
the futures for so many Dekpor kids!
July 4, 2020
The dilapidated house has been fixed up! Please see the story and photos in Raise the Roof. What a jaw-dropping change!
July 2, 2020
Zero20kids has done it again! This time a van load of beautiful
new nightshirts and sleep pants, along with lovely fabric for our seamstresses to use.
We are so very grateful. See Shipping - 2020, July 23
Shipment
June 2020
Thanks to those who gave to our shipment for this month:
- Sonya Kos - clothing, shoes, play mat, educational materials
- Sharleen McAuley - sewing machine
- Jon Moffat - shoes
- Shannon Clark - phone, cane
- Dianne Lotto - hard hats
- Lydia Ridd - sand toys, blocks, clothing
- Anne Marie - suitcase, shoes, clothing
- Nicole Huang - crutches, children's shoes, clothing, fabric,
brand new steel toed shoes
- Shirley, Xuan, Lan - clothing, toys, shoes
- Shameela Shakeel - suitcase, clothing, shoes, DVDs, boots
- Charlotte Sargent - clothing, school goods, easel
- Katie Donnan - hockey bag, clothing and shoes
- Ainsley Sanderson - clothing, shoes, hockey bag
- Tracey Ratcliffe - clothing, several pairs of keeper gloves
- Michelle Helene - 2 cameras, shoes, clothes
- Barb Bulloch - case, and needed school items: red pens, dry erase
markers, pencil crayons
- DesRochers family - shoes, clothes, school goods, backpacks
- Laura Mateyak - hygiene items x 30! (toothbrushes, paste, soap),
clothing, cleats
- Heather Sheardown - sewing machine
- Carol Takagi - cell phones and cases, suitcase, shoes, memory
sticks, hard drive
- Laura Bondi - hard hats, steel toed work shoes, running shoes,
clothing, pencils
- Janine Woodfield - cleats
- Jori Berg - children's clothing
- Kirsten Stuart - clothing, shoes
- KS's friend - laptop, school goods, and assorted goodies
- Wendy Carvalho - suitcases
- Stephanie Conway - clothes, shoes
- Brenda Hillaby - shoes, memory sticks
- Camila Machado Rodello - clothing, toys
- Michelle Jones - a huge donation of sand toys, shoes, clothing,
fabric, canes
- Melodie Robar - shoes, fabric
- Friends from York Region - clothing
All of the above left in the June 12th shipment.
- Amanda Longshaw - loads of girl's clothing
- Zero20kids - 39 pairs of new shoes
- Sara Prince - assorted clothing
- Michelle Helene - women's clothing
- Kims Kaur - 4 suitcases, a walker, a wheel chair
- Tony and Susan Anderson - laptop
- Charlene Ramnares - puppets, children's clothing
- Shaheen Kassim Moledina - school goods
- Ron Sheardown - clothing
These goods will leave Ontario in July.
June 26, 2020
Many of our high school students headed back to the dorms today because classes
are about to resume.
June 20, 2020
Another day of community service done by the students!
June 16, 2020
It was lovely to meet the owners of Zero 20 Kids, Anna and
Santina, as they donated 39 pairs of brand-new beautiful shoes!
June 15, 2020
Basics Kits are almost all handed out now.
In all, we were able to outfit 161 students with a few pairs of socks,
knickers/underwear, and undershirts/camisoles.
June 14, 2020
WOW! In less than 3 days, our incredible supporters gave generously to allow us
to Raise the Roof!
June 13, 2020
It was time for another school campus clean-up day. The grass and weeds had taken
over, there were many trees and branches that had fallen, the eaves troughs needed
emptying, and 125 students showed up to help.
June 12, 2020
With a van filled to the roof, Carol drove to visit the shipper today. A huge
thanks to the many people who contributed this time! See Shipping - 2020 for more photos.
June 12, 2020
With a van filled to the roof, Carol drove to visit the shipper today. A huge
thanks to the many people who contributed this time! See Shipping - 2020 for more photos.
June 10, 2020
A sad discovery that one of our sponsored students was living in a dangerously
run-down home. See Raise the Roof to hear how
many people jumped in to help and the incredible transformation!
May 31, 2020
Thank you to the following people who contributed to the goods shipped this month:
- Dagmara Kwiecinski - hundreds of shoes (with a big thanks to King
George Jr. Public School kindergarten division) and loads of clothing
- Sharon Quyn - walker, shoes, clothing, children's cases
- Barb Porter - ribbon, tote bags
- Jen Turla - clothing
- Brenna Wiedrick - clothing
- Michelle Helene - suitcases, clothing, cane
- Naomi Attar-Nry - clothing
- Jean Fedrigoni Robertson - sewing machine
- Christine Salama - suitcases, soccer clothes
- Michele Rauh - suitcases, clothing
- Livy Chan - suitcases
- Rikki Chojnacki-Pennacchio - suitcase
- Sara Prince - children's clothing
- Barb and Dana Bulloch - volleyball uniforms, eyeglasses
- Ali Afshari and mom - backpacks
- Dianne Lotto - toothbrushes and assorted goodies
- Marta McConnell - 6 huge bags of clothing and more
- Marianne Willcock - suitcase
- Kim Bilous - clothing, 6 suitcases
- Lenore G - suitcases and clothing
- Carrie McLucas - clothing and shoes
- Marina Moir - hockey bag
- Ginan Fadel - children's medicine, clothing
- Rebecca Prins - suitcase
- Dean Stuart - 2 suitcases
- Kirsten Stuart - 2 suitcases and clothing
- Wendy Grecht - clothing
- Mavis Burnham - 2 phones, fabric, crutches
- Rita Forte - 2 sets of crutches, suitcase, clothing
- Christine Montgomery - 3 cell phones, markers, toothbrushes
- Judy Maclachlan-Dow - 3 pairs of crutches
- Sara Prince - clothing
- Sonya McFarlane - 2 canes
- Karen Kramer - clothing
- Golou Naderi - cane
- Laura Bondi - 3 suitcases
- Nadell FH - shoes and clothing
- Sue MacPherson - crutches
- Carol Montgomery - cell phone
Laptops donated by: Donna Jamieson, Julie
Robertson, and Milla Yurman are being shipped this time
since they can not go directly on a flight.
And 'shy' friends and neighbours from York Region - assortment of goodies!
May 28, 2020
Carol has been busy for the past week and a half with what may be the quickest
accumulation of goods in the shortest amount of time! Today was a shipping day! Included: purchased solar lights for
the town toilet facilities, purchased laptops (3) for ICT students, 130 solar lights
that we got in the fall campaign! (The personal solar lights came from Florida, but then
stayed in Ontario longer than expected.) Laptops, clothing, shoes, fabric, crutches,
canes, and many other goods were sent on their way in 32 different suitcases, bags, and
boxes. A very grateful thanks to Trevor Martin for also helping by
driving a vehicle-full of these goods to the shipper!
May 26, 2020
May 25, 2020
Thanks to the Rotary Club of Aurora for having Carol as their guest speaker
tonight -- via Zoom!
May 20, 2020
Thank you to every single person who contributed to the Basics Kits
fund! This year, $4500 was raised so we can purchase socks,
underwear/knickers, and undershirts/camisoles. Stay tuned for the album!
May 15, 2020
May 2, 2020
The second lot of masks have been completed and distributed. That is an
incredible 2129 face masks cut by Linda, sewn by Linda and a few of our
sponsored girls, and then threaded by Abraham and some of the boys. In about a month,
you will see the photos in the Combat COVID photo album.
April 30, 2020
An incredible 989 facemasks were made, with Linda in the lead as
she organized the girls who have studied sewing at school. More will be started shortly.
April 29, 2020
The Combat COVID campaign is still running and we are very thankful to those who
have chosen to contribute. This fund allows DSDO to purchase soap, bleach, and the
materials necessary to make facemasks.
April 14, 2020
Three different days were set up in the last 3 weeks for students to give back by
doing communal labour: clearing weeds, shoveling out the road gutters, and picking up
garbage.
April 12, 2020
Linda has started to make facemasks. She has tried out a couple of patterns and
is in the process of cutting the fabric. Some of the new seamstress students will be set
to work.
April 10, 2020
The shipment that left Ontario at the very
end of January arrived in Ghana in April. Distribution of the school portion will be
delayed, but the clothing, using very careful social distancing, was given to the kids.
Just take a look at the hundreds of photos! We are extremely grateful to have had many
first-time donors give to the children of Dekpor!
March 31, 2020
We have started the Combat COVID campaign and are using funds to purchase soap,
bleach, and tippy tap materials: rope and jerry cans. An incredible 557 tippy
taps have been set up in the past couple of weeks!
March 31, 2020
Schools in Ghana closed this month due to COVID-19, including Dekpor Basic. High
school students came home to Dekpor and some of their schools have attempted to set up a
form of distance/online learning, although it is extremely difficult when the students
don't have a smart phone to receive messages via WhatsApp. One day at a time. We're very
grateful to Sara Prince who happened to send 2 cell phones in the last shipment!
March 18, 2020
Our focus has turned to educating and reminding the people of Dekpor that they
must be vigilant to stop the spread of sickness. The use of tippy taps, soap, frequent
hand-washing, social distancing, and modifying typical practices has been encouraged,
modeled, and announced as much as possible. If you would like to give to our Combat
COVID fund, we surely appreciate the assistance!
March 12, 2020
A team of instructors has done 2 half-day math workshops for our teachers, showing them
ways to use all of the math manipulatives we have purchased.
March 9, 2020
The Cline family arrived, and although their visit was
shortened, they made a wonderful difference in the village with Teresa teaching math and
science lessons, the whole family packing 1000 hygiene kits, reorganizing the library,
and a doing a few other helpful jobs. Thank you, Cline family! See the Outreach album for more photos!
March 4, 2020
Midyear updates were sent to our student sponsors today. Enjoy seeing the photos
and reading the news!
March 2, 2020
Donation receipts for January and February were issued today. Check your email!
February 29, 2020
Thanks to the following for donations this month:
- Jen Turla - clothing
- Mystery person - fabric, eyeglasses, Lego game
- Karen Scott - eyeglasses
- Friends - science books
February 26, 2020
Further construction is happening at the shopping centre. Ramps are being
constructed, a rain harvesting system is being constructed, and Ghanaian-style urinals
are being built since the closest town toilet is too far away.
February 22, 2020
The distribution of 1174 fuel-efficient stoves
is finished! We are grateful to the following friends who made this possible: Jen, Joan,
Julian, Gerard, Krista ( in honour of both Cathy and Jeff) , Carol, 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.
February 17, 2020
Shelley and Jim made a donation in memory of Myrtle and it's allowing us to get
national health insurance cards for 12 adults. We are happy to give the gift of improved
health! See our Designated Giving 2020 album.
February 15, 2020
The farming tools for women have been
distributed. 43 women just received either a cutlass or an adze, thanks to: Ana Vegega,
Shari and David van de Pol, Lauren Pettinger, and Mary Card.
February 10, 2020
Wahoo! Thanks to many friends, 2045 pairs of
underwear for girls were purchased in December in Ontario, and they just were
distributed today! The girls at Dekpor Basic received 5 pairs, and the older girls away
at high school also received underwear, too! Thanks to: Ian, Ana, Diane, Sandy (in
honour of Kit, Laura, and Betty), Rita (in honour of Altaya), Becky (in honour of Ann),
Pat, Jo-Anne (in honour of Linda), Nancy, Julie, and Amanda (in honour of Liz).
February 5, 2020
The December shipment was picked up today!
There are hundreds of toothbrushes, eyeglasses, all of the girls' underwear from the
December campaign, as well as some other goodies! Stay tuned as items are distributed.
January 31, 2020
Thanks to the following for donations this month:
- Sara Prince - huge amount of clothing, both children's and adult,
2 cell phones
- Nadell FH - clothing
- Bea Jer - clothing
- Charlene Ramnares - clothing
- Michelle Helene - clothing
- Jenny Yam - non-fiction books, girl's clothing
- Janet Dorie - clothing, running shoes
- Mauro Morano - clothing
- Malak Mos - clothing, backpacks, shoes
- Wendy Gerecht - children's clothing
- Naomi Attar-Nry - baby clothes
- Ramya Raghavan - children's clothing and shoes
- Alma Tapang-Loverita - baby clothes
- Ginan Fadhel - children's clothing
- Marta McConnell - clothing, water bottles, toothpaste
- Alison Backer - children's clothing and shoes
- Lea Kovacs-Comission - girls' clothing
- Olisa Adekayode - clothing and eyeglasses
- Niki Playter - little girl's clothing
- Laura Mateyak - children's clothing
- Caitlin Briscoe - children's clothing
- Kirsten Stuart - children's clothing
- Dianne Lotto - clothing and an assortment of goods for the school
- Rita Forte - clothing
- Brenna Wiedrick - children's clothing
- Sharon Quyn - children's clothing
- Cory C. - clothing, shoes, speakers
- Suzanne Fusco - 7 suitcases, backpacks, fabric, and more
- Ashley Hinchliffe - children's clothes and shoes
- Heather Todd - 3 suitcases
- Donna and Ron Jamieson - glasses
- Pat Speers - sewing notions
January 31, 2020
Cool news! Apparently #7 really IS lucky! After participating in the Scotiabank
Toronto Waterfront Marathon Charity Challenge and wearing a costume every single year,
THIS year netted the desired results – Carol finally won the costume contest and
won $500! To make it even sweeter, first time participant, Jennifer McLaren, also won
and directed her $500 prize money to DSDO also! Crazy costumes have helped us purchase
more fuel-efficient stoves for Dekpor!
January 31, 2020
Thanks to Trevor Martin who dropped the final 4 shipping bags to
the shipper today!
January 28, 2020
Carol headed to the shipper today with 4 shipping bags, 5 suitcases, 1 bin, and 9
chairs. Thanks to Hans Kang for helping load!
January 24, 2020
The distribution of the personal cook stoves
is starting! There are 1174 fuel-efficient stoves that are being given
to each woman who does the cooking for the household! We are extremely grateful to the
wonderful people who understand what a big deal it is to be able to acquire these
amazing stoves! We are part of a UN study!
January 22, 2020
We have 2 new industrial stoves inside the cooking pavilion now, and secure bars
enclosing the area to make it safe and protected. See the Cooking Pavilion album for more photos! A
huge thanks to our special friends who made this extra step possible! We are so
grateful!
January 19, 2020
The cooking pavilion on school campus is getting a little improvement already!
Secure bars are being put in… for the surprise that is going inside!
January 12, 2020
A Dekpor first: outreach volunteer, Helen Rochon, is the first woman to ever fire
one of the guns at the Warrior Festival!
January 8, 2020
January 6, 2020
Ms Eva Stotzka's BG/BRG Klosterneuburg class in Austria just made another
donation! This time, it's $1100 CAD, and it's going to help one of our
students who will be starting up a shop at Dekpor Central in June. See our Austrian Friends album.
January 4, 2020
Well, it's not just every day that we have an honorary Queen Mother and Chief as
part of our NGO, but alas, Linda and Abraham were just installed!
December 31, 2019
Thanks to the following for donations this month:
- Jodie MacDearmid - clothing
- Karen Kramer - clothing
- Jyoti and Anil Sanwalka - suitcases, glasses, and shoes
- Dr. Myrna Wong - 5 boxes of glasses
Glasses: Dr. Myrna Wong (5 boxes, including an entire case of eyeglasses cases!), Eva
and Pam Perreira, Laura Wideman, Julie Robertson, Sandee Sharpe and friends, Jyoti
Sanwalka, Barb Bulloch and friends, Jyoti and Anil Sanwalka, Aruna Duggal, Melissa
Yarmus, Highview Public School, Busch Systems (thanks Mandy), Spectrum (thanks
Suzanne), Dublin Heights (thanks Rochelle)
December 31, 2019
December 31, 2019
Helen Rochon is on her way to Ghana for her third visit to volunteer!
December 31, 2019
What a great way to end the year with designated giving! We are grateful for the
$690 raised for the town tool fund by Bill, Steve, and Donatella. Jim
and Shelley made a donation in memory of Myrtle Rout so that 12 adults will be given a
national health insurance card. And then Ana, Lauren, and Shari and David have raised
$800 for us to purchase farming tools for women!
December 30, 2019
The shoes from the 4 shoe drives done at
Windfields Middle School, Aurora Preparatory Academy,
Minesing Central Public School, and Moraine Hills Public
School have been carefully displayed in the library hall, and the
distribution began today. It will continue when school starts back next week.
December 27, 2019
Another shipment has arrived! This one holds
the $$$$ worth of science goods that Emajjin Children's Foundation has
covered!
December 23, 2019
Linda and Abraham pick up another shipment! Stay tuned for photos. Since Carol
sent 5 van-loads from Ontario in late September/October, Linda and Abraham chose to wait
for them all to arrive to do the distribution. Check the Shipping 2019 albums.
December 22, 2019
The Dekpor Central Shops have opened! We are so
wildly excited about this! Dekpor Central Cafe is being run by Jessica and Lawrencia,
the stationery shop is run by Michael A., and the electrical supplies shop is being run
by Michael K.!
December 18, 2019
Preparations for the shops continue!
December 16, 2019
Last shipment of the year leaves Aurora. A special thanks to Trevor Martin for
helping Carol get the goods to the shipper. (9 shipping bags, 3 suitcases) What is
included? Hundreds of toothbrushes, hundreds of eyeglasses, 2045 pairs of underwear,
clothing, and assorted goods for the students and school.
December 15, 2019
The girls' underwear campaign was a total success! Thanks to the following for
helping us reach our goal: Sandy (in honour of Betty, Kit, and Laura) , Ian, Rita (in
honour of Altaya), Diane, Becky (in honour of Mom), Patricia, Jo-Anne (in honour of
Linda), Ana (in honour of the Niculae and Nikolic families), Nancy, Julie, and Amanda,
Jon and Nolan (in honour of Liz).
December 12, 2019
Carol was invited to speak at the Sandbox CEO CNNX meeting to introduce Dekpor
School Development Organisation--a nice opportunity!
December 11, 2019
Linda and Abraham picked up a load from the shipper. And, they have spent some
time in Accra shopping for the necessities to open up our first shops! Totally exciting!
December 9, 2019
Dr. Myrna Wong of Aurora Family Eyecare donated FIVE BOXES of
eyeglasses! Incredible!
December 7, 2019
After two shopping sprees at Walmart, and a stop at Bargains Group today, we now
have 2045 pairs of girls' underwear to send to Ghana!
December 3, 2019
The solar lights were ordered from Solight today. They generously gave us an
incredible deal, and then threw in an extra 8 lights! Can't wait to get these to Dekpor.
Thanks again to everyone who helped us surpass our campaign goal: 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 honour of Mom and Dad, 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), Rita (in honour of Tristan).
November 30, 2019
Thanks to the following for donations this month:
- Sigma Promotions - aprons, hats, pens, notepads, puzzles, tools
- Aurora FC - 6 bags of soccer clothes, balls
- Lydia Ridd - laptop
- Marta McConnell - clothing and shoes
- Rita Forte - shoes
- Sandee Sharpe and friends - laptop case, suitcase, glasses
- Laura Fedirchuk Brecht - eyeglasses
November 29, 2019
We are thrilled to announce that our solar light campaign surpassed the goal with
$2190 raised! Thanks to the following people who are giving the gift of
light to the students of Dekpor: Donna and Ron Jamieson, Diane and Clive Bourke, Joyce
Reves, Jo-Anne Brady, Ann Macoun, Barbara Christ, Kim Nelson, Helmi Fingernagel, Pat
O'Connell, Darlene Cann, Joan Ross, Gerard Baribeau, Val Bartlett, and Rita Forte. The
photo album will be available in 2020.
November 17, 2019
There are 60 students who are mighty happy about the brand new uniforms that are being tailored for them,
thanks to our friends at BG/Klosterneuburg International School!
November 9, 2019
Carol was off to the shipper with the goods received from Sigma and Aurora FC!
Stay tuned. 2 months. You know the drill!
November 8, 2019
Sigma Promotions, thank you for the aprons, hats,
pens, notepads, puzzles, and tools!
November 7, 2019
Linda and Abraham have been delivering the letters to all of the sponsored
students! Facebook has the album. Thanks to so many of you who took the time to make
your sponsored child feel special! What a great display of caring this was!
November 7, 2019
Thanks to Aurora FC for the 6 huge bags of goodies!
November 5, 2019
Linda and Abraham picked up 19 items from the shipper! Check the shipping albums to see if you can find the items you
donated!
November 3, 2019
Emajjin Children's Foundation held their Pink Tie Affair gala for us and, wow,
what a night it was! We are beyond grateful for the incredible amount of time that they
put into planning and for giving Carol the honour of being the evening's keynote
speaker! We are over the moon to announce that they have given us
$40,000! Please see the album for more details and photos of the
evening!
November 1, 2019
Our amazing Austrian friends at BG/BRB Klosterneuburg International School raised
2000 euros which has allowed us to purchase: SD cards, an AV system for the library
hall, an electric drill, dry erase markers, and teacher notebooks, and to repair a
secure window and cover 4 students on the food programme. They also donated more
Raspberry Pi units! Incredible! See the Austrian Friends album for details! (photos)
October 31, 2019
Thanks to the following people for donations this month:
- Donna Jamieson - shoes and clothing
- Laura Wideman - children's clothing and shoes
- Dr. Ruth Baumal Muskat and Dr. J. Malowany - toothbrushes
- Aruna Duggal - suitcase, clothing
- Tine Muir - suitcase, shoes, and sewing notions
- Marta McConnell - water bottles
- Heather Williams - eyeglasses
- Margaret Quigley - sewing goods and loads of fabric
- Melody Schindelheim and Jean Anderson - shoes
- Sophie Graszat - sports clothing
- Jurgen and Anja Brecht (delivered by Laura Fedirchuk Brecht) - 2
hard shell suitcases (all the way from Germany!)
- Toni Chahley - sewing goods
- Mrs. Pecile - 5 big containers full of sewing goods and fabric
- Moraine Hills Public School - 12 huge bags of backpacks, shoes
- Christina Girardi D'Souza - clothing, shoes
- Susan Heagy - 3 suitcases full of fabric and towels
- Friend named HawkEye - 4 filing cabinets
- Aurora Preparatory Academy - 42 backpacks, over 200 pairs of
shoes
October 28, 2019
Our incredible friends at Keilor Views Primary
School in Australia held their annual Kids Feeding Kids fundraising event and
raised $2425 AUD ($2168 CAD) — that is enough to pay for 13
students on our food programme for an entire year! Awesome!
October 25, 2019
We are extremely grateful to the Rotary Club of Klosterneuburg
for their generous donation of 1000 euros! The funds were directed to our food programme
so children can receive a nutritious breakfast and lunch while at school.
October 23, 2019
Linda and Abraham welcomed our friend, Edi Schmickl of Austria,
for a quick visit. Edi brought some donations and goods for DSDO! Check out the photos
in our Austrian Friends Album.
October 23, 2019
Another Emajjin Children's Foundation meeting… the Pink
Tie Affair is going to be a great night!
October 20, 2019
October 16, 2019
Linda has headed back to Dekpor after a brief Canada visit. Inside her suitcase
are 4 laptops for our new ICT students! Check our Tech Album for more.
October 14, 2019
Oh, the joy this will bring! There is a letter for every single sponsored
student! Bound to bring smiles and a glimmer of hope. We are grateful to all of our
amazing sponsors who participated! (See the Child
Sponsorship Album for a photo of every currently-sponsored child with their
letter(s).)
October 8, 2019
Carol headed to the shipper yet again! This time there were 9 shipping bags and 1
suitcase. Sewing goods from Diane, Susan, and
Toni, clothes and shoes from Christina, and Moraine
Hills Public School's entire goods drive donations.
October 8, 2019
Our 4th amazing school to finish a back pack and shoe drive this fall is Windfields Middle School. Unbelievable response! This is
their 3rd annual drive for us and they knocked it out of the park! A big thanks to
Madeleine Harvey-Raymond for her leadership!
October 4, 2019
October 2, 2019
With 4 filing cabinets and all of the goods from Aurora Prep's drive, Carol
headed to the shipper again!
October 2, 2019
Aurora Preparatory Academy jumped right in to
make an impact… and their 3rd annual drive was a big success! 42 backpacks, over
200 pairs of great shoes, and $350 to pay for the shipping! We are so grateful!
September 30, 2019
Thanks to the following people for donations this month:
- Marta McConnell - clothing and fabric, and other goodies
- Julie Robertson - pencil crayons and the connection to Ryerson's
volleyball team
- Dustin Reid/ Ryerson University - volleyballs and carrying case
- Neilly Robertson - shoes
- Carol and Michael McCreesh - 2 massive bins of clothing
- Sigma Promotions - notebooks, totebags
- Leila Molavi - suitcase full of running shoes
- Aurora FC - 4 big bags of soccer clothing, water bottles
- Susan Heagy - 4 suitcases packed with fabric
- Tracey Martin - glasses
- Vivian Wulle - clothing
- Olisa Adekayode - shoes
- Rita Forte - clothing
- Aruna Duggal - clothing
- Tracey Ratcliffe - back pack full of clothing
- AJ and Ainsley Sanderson - 3 bags of shoes
September 27, 2019
September 26, 2019
Another meeting in Ontario for the Emajjin Children's Foundation's Pink Tie
Affair! Get your tickets now at Emajjin.org
September 25, 2019
School cooking pavilion is finished!
(Well, it still needs to be painted, but we have to wait at least a month for that.) We
are so grateful to the donor, who prefers to remain anonymous, for making this wonderful
addition possible!
September 10, 2019
Carol's van was filled to the roof with a shipment this afternoon. 19
shipping bags/boxes/containers/suitcases are on their way to Dekpor.
September 10, 2019
Today was the first day of classes for the new school year at Dekpor Basic!
September 9, 2019
Thanks to Aurora FC (formerly Aurora Youth Soccer
Club) for the 4 huge bags of soccer clothing!
September 6, 2019
We have some extremely amazing news to share! Thanks to an incredible donation
from Tony and Susan Anderson, we will be able to start building a
central market area in Dekpor! Today the foundations were started and the light posts
were put in. This is going to be an exciting endeavor.
September 3, 2019
All donation receipts for this quarter were sent out today. Thanks to everyone
who gave!
September 3, 2019
Dekpor Basic School campus clean up was done by high school students before they
leave for their new school year. They washed the classrooms, planted the flower beds,
trimmed trees, and cleared the eaves troughs.
September 3, 2019
Thanks to Marta McConnell and her fine eye for finding things
for us! Much appreciated!
September 3, 2019
The shipment from July 4th has arrived! Check the Shipping Albums for photos!
August 31, 2019
Thanks to the following people for donations this month:
- Dianne Lotto - assorted items to send to Dekpor and for the gala
- Julie Robertson - clothing
- Susan Anderson - several suitcases, backpacks, towels, bedding,
shoes
- Katy Lemaire - 21 water bottles
- Sean Robinson - shoes and sports balls
- Lydia Ridd - water bottles, balls, caps
- via Donna Jamieson - backpacks, sewing goods
- Aruna Duggal - cell phone
- Melissa - toothbrushes
- Gary Leung - 4 cell phones
August 29, 2019
Another Emajjin Children's Foundation board meeting. Things are
falling into place for the November 3rd gala. Get your
tickets: Emajjin.org because we are the recipient charity and
it's going to be a wonderful evening!
August 21, 2019
Linda and Abraham said goodbye to Philip Schaeffer today as he
headed home to Austria. What an incredible makeover our computer lab is experiencing!
August 16, 2019
Today was the last day of vacation
school at Dekpor Basic School. It was 3 weeks of special focused learning.
August 13, 2019
Linda and Abraham welcomed Philip Schaeffer, from Austria, in
Ghana today! Philip brought 10 Raspberry pis, and then bought all the peripherals in
Ghana… and spent his week getting everything set up! See Laptops and Tech Items - 2019 for more details and
photos!
August 12, 2019
The shipment from May 27th arrived today. Check the Shipping album to see if you can find what you
donated!
August 7, 2019
Thanks to some special friends of ours, a sheltered cooking area is going to be built
on school campus! Construction started this morning!
August 6, 2019
Michael Kwame Deh had 3 barrels full of goods shipped to Ghana
for us. Both the clinic and our students are extremely grateful!
August 3, 2019
August 1, 2019
Linda and Abraham have started purchasing the necessary start up items for our
sponsored students who are about to start high school. There is a TON of shopping to do!
It's difficult, it's time consuming, and it takes many trips. The suitcases are ones
that were donated in Aurora and shipped to Ghana.
July 31, 2019
Thanks to the following people for donations this month:
- Tracey Ratcliffe - suitcase full of clothing
- Kim Robertson - suitcases, shoes
- Rita Forte - clothing
- Lydia Ridd - assortment of goods
- David, Jon, Paul - clothing
- Susan Heagy - 4 suitcases that were stuffed full of school goods,
clothing, and a wide variety of items
- Sigma Promotions - 2 van loads of goods
- Sharon Quyn - children's clothing
- Barb Bulloch - clothing
- Tracey Martin - clothing, glasses, shampoos+
- Jacob Prins - clothing
July 30, 2019
Shipping from May finally made it to Ghana, and it's the 33 boxes of Kids
Against Hunger Canada food provided by the Milton group.
Distribution will happen over the next few days!
July 29, 2019
This morning at Dekpor Basic School, 'summer' vacation school started! DSDO hires
teachers to hold 3 hour classes every morning for 3 weeks. Our fully sponsored students,
food programme students, and any other child who wants to attend (nominal fee) get a
whole lot of great learning with smaller class sizes and the emphasis on math and
language.
July 27, 2019
Awesome news! We've had 5 new elementary students sponsored in the past month!
July 23, 2019
Thanks to Sandee Sharpe and friends for the goods for the silent
auction! Just a reminder, November 3 at 5 p.m. join us because we are
the recipient charity for Emajjin's Children Foundation's 6th annual
gala – this year called 'Pink Tie Affair'.
July 16, 2019
Melodie Robar, wow, how you work! A huge thank you to Melodie
for putting in hours to secure a wide variety of silent auction goods for the
Emajjin Children's Foundation gala! ***Save the date (November
3rd)! We want YOU to attend!
July 15, 2019
Shipping again! Carol lugged another 4 boxes, 3 shipping bags, and 3 suitcases to
the shipper!
July 14, 2019
A big special thank you to Susan Heagy, our secret super shopper
who knows how to find treasures. This time it was 4 suitcases loaded with wonderful
goods!
July 12, 2019
Update letters were sent out to all of our amazing student sponsors! We are so
thankful for each and every one of you!
July 11, 2019
Sigma, Round 2 = more items including flip flops, cups, reusable
bags, pens, clip boards, and items for our silent auction at the Pink Tie Affair gala
being held by Emajjin Children's Foundation on November 3rd!
July 11, 2019
Our water is PERFECT! Yes, we have the water professionally analyzed! And this
just so happened to have been covered by a tribute gift from Amanda and
Jon to our long-time friend, Liz Clarke!
July 10, 2019
Abraham and Linda are searching for new vocational schools for our students, and
unfortunately there is no such thing as a simple internet search to help them. Many
days, many hours.
July 6, 2019
This is rather special, because three of our sponsored girls have just begun a
sewing apprenticeship, under the supervision of Janet (she is one of the very first gals
we had do this). These sewing supplies are from Donna Jamieson,
Diane Young, and Cheryl Simpkin!
July 6, 2019
Distribution of the goods shipped in April has begun! Check out the Shipping albums to see if you can find what you
donated!
July 5, 2019
Thanks to Nolan, Amanda, and Jon Burns for honouring
Uxbridge Montessori School! As a result, red pens and volleyball goods
were given to Dekpor Basic School! See Designated Giving
- 2019 for more photos.
July 4, 2019
Carol hit the road with 15 containers/suitcases/boxes in her van. This should
arrive in Ghana in early September.
July 4, 2019
Yahoo! 1008 toothbrushes were distributed today… but first Abraham gave
every single class a reminder lesson on HOW to properly brush their teeth. See Designated Giving - 2019 for more photos.
July 3, 2019
Sigma Promotions = wow! A wonderful assortment of
clothing, pens, highlighters, and so much more! Most is headed to Dekpor, and some will
be used for the silent auction on November 3rd.
July 2, 2019
June 30, 2019
Thanks to the following people for donations this month:
- Amanda Burns - suitcases, clothing, primary learning toys
- Dianne Lotto - kindergarten goods
- Rimma Pea - 20 toothbrushes, 10 tubes of toothpaste
- Davis Family Orthodontics - toothpaste
- Jean Anderson - primary pencils, books, classroom items, glasses
- Kirsten Wright - non-fiction books, classroom items
- Lange Bowen & Dad - toothbrushes
- Vivian Wulle - clothing
- Tracey Martin - suitcases
June 28, 2019
We received the wonderful news that our application was successful and ETFO's
Humanity Fund granted us $6000 to purchase text books for Dekpor Basic
School! We are absolutely thrilled!
June 25, 2019
June 13, 2019
Thanks to Emma Camire-Cameron and the York Mills Dekpor
School Development Club for selling $413.10 worth of
bracelets this school year!
June 12, 2019
We are grateful to 4Imprint for sending us 3 items to use for
the silent auction at the Emajjin Children's Foundation gala on November
3rd! Remember to save the date!
June 12, 2019
Our warrior boy who is fighting Langerhans Cell Hystiocytosis, John, was just
sponsored today! We are very excited for him! Thanks, Paul!
June 10, 2019
Linda was able to purchase 62 African-authored books in Accra today, thanks to a
tribute gift made by the Department of Emergency Medicine, CMH, in memory of Randolph
Legassie.
June 10, 2019
Carol had an opportunity to speak at Highview Public
School to Mrs. Halinaty's class about DSDO. The students have been making
comparisons between their hometown of Aurora and Dekpor.
June 6, 2019
Thanks to our many friends in Austria, especially Dr. Karin and Dr.
Robert Haas, Dr. Rudolf Riesenhuber, and DI. Herbert
and Margarethe Hofmann, a special
luncheon was held at the school today. Edi Schmickl visited in
March and brought a donation of 500 euros. Some of the money was used to purchase
African-authored books for the library, and the rest was used to provide a lunch for
everyone! See also Designated Giving - 2019.
June 5, 2019
A massive thank you to an anonymous donor who gave us approximately 850
toothbrushes and 180 containers of dental floss! We are
thrilled beyond belief!!! And a thanks to Cheryl Wilcox for making the
connection!
June 3, 2019
Thanks to Jean Anderson, a long-time supporter, for using her
Scholastic bucks to purchase primary pencils for us! Awesome! 156 great
pencils that will help our kindergarten students!
May 31, 2019
Thanks to the following people for donations this month:
- Aurora FC - lots of soccer balls and lots of clothing
- C & B - clothing
- Emily Wilson - soccer clothes
- Donna Tinker and Afsoun Kahlili - shoes, glasses
- Barb Porter - sewing goods, school supplies, gym bag
- Helen Rochon - cell phones, learning materials
- Rita Forte - eye glasses
- Karen Scott - reading glasses
- Highview Public School - shoe drive (3 shipping bags)
- Melanie Shaver - clothes
- Sue McPherson - clothes
- Lisa Wilson - clothes
- Jean, Liam, Lauren, Debbie, Victoria - toothbrushes
- Barb Bulloch - cell phone, toothbrushes, shoes
- Geoff Wilson - deflated soccer balls and helped with shipping
- Marta McConnell - big assortment of mixed goods and lots of
clothing
- Regan Scott - clothing
- Milla Yurman - laptop
- Donna Jamieson - delivery of clothing, sewing goods, tablet
- Dianne Lotto - huge collection of learning materials, toys,
clothes, and other goodies
- Julie Robertson - toothbrushes, laptop
- Linda MacDonald - huge collection of pop can tabs (for math
counters)
- Jean Anderson - school goods, books, toothbrushes
- Rumble family - suitcase, shoes
- Valerie Kitazaki - water bottles
May 27, 2019
And this is 8 days after planting! Moringa!
The ploughing and planting continue!
May 27, 2019
Carol was off to the shipper for the second time this month, this time with 7
huge shipping bags, 1 large box, and 1 suitcase! In two months we'll see everything
being distributed in Dekpor! Thanks to everyone who gave!
May 20, 2019
We are grateful to Uxbridge Montessori for their beautiful
donation of $335. The children have chosen to allocate it to the food programme and to
purchase exercise books! See Designated Giving - 2019
for more photos.
May 15, 2019
We were just able to distribute 5 multipurpose bowls thanks to Elle
Bowman getting one for her mom, Sarah, for Mother's Day, and to
Ursula Skillen who asked her family to celebrate her birthday by giving
to others (4 Dekpor women benefited from that). See Designated Giving - 2019 for more photos.
May 14, 2019
Janet started her tailoring apprenticeship today! She is so excited!
May 14, 2019
Some students were taken to Sogakope Hospital today to have further treatment
from the dentists. Sponsored high school students will also be done this month.
May 11, 2019
Carol had some help from high school volunteer, Geoff Wilson,
while picking up 33 boxes of Kids Against Hunger food. The packing event was held in
Milton, and it was a collaboration of: Milton Area Christian Churches Working
Together (MACCWT), Be Alive Christian Fellowship (BACF), the
Rotary Club of Milton, Keybase Financial Group,
St. George's Anglican Church, 40 students from Guardian Angels
Catholic Elementary School/ Bishop Reding Catholic High School/Craig Kielburger
Secondary School, and Kids Against Hunger Canada. See our Helping Hungry Students - Milton - 2019
album for photos.
May 10, 2019
May 9, 2019
We are sorry to see our ray of sunshine leave. Helen Rochon is
on her way back to Ottawa after staying with Linda and Abraham in Dekpor while
volunteering for 6 weeks. She has touched so many with her generosity and truly made
meaningful connections with lots of our children.
May 8, 2019
A wonderful team of people chose to rally so Janet can further her training and
learn how to tailor men's clothing. She will look after her blind mom, maintain her own
shop and three apprentices in Dekpor, and alternating weeks she will travel to Dzodze
for the specialized training. It will take 12 months to complete. A huge thank you to
Carol McCreesh who funded >60%, Peter and family in
honour of Ursula, Jessica Avery, Donna Jamieson,
Meghann Anderson in honour of her mom Jean, and Lisa
Bentivoglia in honour of her mom.
May 7 & 8, 2019
The dentists have arrived and, wow, what an undertaking. Please take the time to
see the Dental Care - 2019 Album and write up!
This very well may have been one of the most important things we've done.
May 6, 2019
Wahoo! A wonderful 116 Basics Kits were
distributed, thanks to so many of you! See the album… there are a lot of students
who now own some socks, underwear/knickers, and undershirts.
May 1, 2019
The front entrance of Dekpor Basic was in need of an overhaul! Thanks to
Tony and Susan Anderson for their generosity! See Step-by-Step - 2019 for photos.
April 30, 2019
Thanks to the following people for donations this month:
- Marta and Gerry McConnell - lots of clothing, soccer balls,
drawstring bags
- Hope Harwood - clothing
- Parisi family - suitcases
- Ridd family - suitcases, soccer cleats, glasses
- C & B - shoes (many pairs were brand new!)
- Isabel Barcena and Dynamix friends - suitcase and sewing goods
- Julie, Neilly, and Kim Robertson - clothing and sewing goods
- Tracey Martin - soccer goods, clothing, soaps, shampoos
- Wendy and Linda MacDonald - pop tabs to be used as math counters
- Ramya Ragahavan - soccer cleats, clothes, baby goods, drawstring
bags, thermometers, baby blankets, and more
- Karen and Byron Urquart - assorted paper goods
- Jyoti and Anil Sanwalka - clothing
April 30, 2019
Linda, Helen, and some high school students are spending a lot of time in the 6
kindergarten rooms, improving the walls and updating the inventory lists!
April 29, 2019
Our library gets used at night for study hall for the oldest students. It has
tables, benches, and light! It's really important that the windows are mosquito-proof,
because malaria makes plenty of people in Dekpor ill. We are grateful that Susan
and Tony's donation has allowed us to replace all of the window screens in
the library to keep our students safe!
April 25, 2019
We are so grateful to the children at Uxbridge Montessori School
for holding fundraisers to raise $335!! They have determined that the
funds will purchase exercise books for our kindergarten students and the balance will go
toward the food programme!
April 24, 2019
The second Emajjin Children's Foundation board meeting for Carol
to attend. Planning is well underway for the November 3, 2019 event! Save the date!
April 24, 2019
Carol got 9 suitcases and 1 shipping bag off to the shipper today! Linda and
Abraham will be receiving it all in approximately 2 months. Thanks to everyone who
contributed!
April 22, 2019
The high school students have a three week break from classes, and so Linda and
Abraham have worked very hard to find them work placements, or odd jobs that will help
them in their chosen fields. Some students helped translate beginner books into Ewe so
that our youngest students can grasp the English words quicker. A couple of students are
doing carpentry work to repair broken desks, some are painting, and others are posted
with professionals.
April 21, 2019
Tony and Susan's donation is allowing DSDO to pay high school
students to do repairs of the desks and to repaint!
April 20 , 2019
Michael, Wonder, Eric and Benjamin were busy during the Easter holidays, as they
worked together to bring electricity to what will eventually become our science room.
They have put in lights and a ceiling fan! Another thanks to Tony and Susan Anderson for
financing this!
April 19, 2019
Four of our electricals students, Michael, Wonder, Eric and Benjamin, had the
chance to use their skills. They worked with a trained electrician in Dekpor to replace
3 street lights around town — 2 at the school, 1 at a toilet facility, and install
2 new ones at a water tower and a water standpipe! Thanks to Tony and Susan
Anderson for this! See Step by Step -
2019 for more photos.
April 17, 2019
After 3.5 grueling hours of extreme heat and negotiating with umpteen vendors at
market, Abraham was able to purchase ALL of the goods for the 116 Basics Kits! Way to go, Ab! Our students are
going to be so excited to receive socks, underwear/knickers, and singlets!
April 15, 2019
Right now there is actually a three week holiday from school. So Helen
Rochon got innovative! Since regular school classes are not running, she is
holding a small group learning sessions at Linda and Abraham's house with some keen
students. Basics such as numbers, colours, animal names, and general conversation skills
in English are being learned.
April 10, 2019
John is continuing to improve! We are so excited
to see such wonderful improvement as the swelling in his face and neck continues to
decrease.
April 9, 2019
Amazing people have just made our Dental
Care a reality! Linda can now book the dentists to visit Dekpor! A massive thanks
to: Ledgir House, Dave and Jackie, Windfields Middle School, North Barrie
Dental, Susan, Shari and Dave,
Kim, Steve, Lucy,
Krista, Nat, Orianna,
Ellie, and Lauren!
April 5, 2019
The second Moringa meeting took place! The
farmers are really excited to get their fields planted!
April 3, 2019
Helen Rochon is back in Dekpor and she's making a difference!
April 2, 2019
We just found out that we'll be receiving 33 boxes of Kids Against Hunger
food from the Milton food packing event on May 11th! Yippee!
April 2, 2019
It's revolving door day in Ghana! Amanda Begin is on her way back to
Ontario after doing a three week placement (Thank you so much, Amanda! We're sure
teaching in Ontario will be easy after your experience here!); Ian,
Jennifer, Aowyn, and Lorelei
continue their world adventure (Wow, did the 4 of you ever pack a lot of meaningful
educational opportunities for our teachers and students!); Semester at Sea students
are on their way (Amazing that so many of you got to experience Dekpor—please
come back again some day!); and Helen Rochon arrives for her 2019 Dekpor visit!
We are very grateful when people choose to visit and work with our students and
teachers! You have no idea how immense your impact is and how long it is felt after
you leave. We appreciate ALL of you!
March 31, 2019
Holy moly, 40 Semester at Sea students have arrived for a very
quick visit in Dekpor! Their time will be jam-packed with tours, lessons, and making
connections with our students!
March 31, 2019
We are excited about the results of the Basics Kit campaign —
$2990 was raised! So many of the students at Dekpor Basic do not own
underwear, undershirts, or socks...and we want to try to help change that. Check the Basics Kits album to find out who helped make this
happen and to enjoy all the happy faces!
March 29, 2019
Ian and Jennifer ran a fantastic workshop for the Dekpor
teachers, demonstrating how to use the many math
manipulatives that we were able to purchase last summer! What a success! The local
teachers were so grateful for this special learning experience.
March 28, 2019
In Ontario, Carol attended her first Emajjin board meeting to start planning for
the November 3rd gala. DSDO friends in the GTA, keep the date!
March 27, 2019
We are so excited about all of the water
system purchases made with the $10,000 donation from
Busch Systems. We got a variety of pumps, filters, resin, housings, an
RO unit stand, cables, hoses, pipes, sockets, tape, and a host of other water-related
items. We were also able to purchase 5 replacement street lights to trade out the ones
that were hit by lightning. See Step-by-Step -
2019 for this photos from this job and more!
March 21, 2019
Moringa seeds need to be counted out for each
farmer. What a task!
March 21, 2019
What a great learning experience! Jennifer put on a very special
math workshop for the JHS 1 and 2 girls!
March 16, 2019
Ian Marshall, Jennifer McLaren, and their
daughters, Aowyn and Lorelei, have arrived in Dekpor
to volunteer at the school! All four of them are working hard to make a difference in
their classrooms!
March 12, 2019
Amanda Begin, Queen's University B.Ed. student, arrives to do a
three week placement! Ringette has been played in Dekpor, thanks to Amanda!
March 11, 2019
The first Moringa information meeting was
held in Dekpor with the farmers who are wanting to participate.
March 11, 2019
March 9, 2019
Linda and Abraham took 5 farmers and toured moringa farms.
March 7, 2019
No sooner do we learn about moringa, then the funding becomes a reality! A
massive thank you to Susan Mikulecky for starting the fund, and then to
Sonya MacFarlane for ensuring we had the entire goal amount! We have
more than 50 farmers who are ready to give this a whirl! See the Moringa Album for more info!
March 4, 2019
The shipment sent from Ontario in January was ready for pick up. Check the shipping albums for photos! Betha is just one of the
lucky people to have received something from one of our supporters!
March 3, 2019
Midyear student update letters were issued today. Our child sponsors are truly
heroes!
February 28, 2019
We got some mighty amazing news this month! Turns out the pitch in January was
successful — DSDO has been chosen as the recipient charity for Emajjin
Children's Foundation gala that will be held November 3, 2019!!! Save the
date; we'd love to see you there!
February 28, 2019
Thanks to the following people for donating to us this month!
- Isabel Barcena and her friends at Dynamix - 4 suitcases, shoes, French work books
- Mona Mirshahi - clothing
- David Kangas - clothing
- Diane Young - sewing notions, supplies, and fabric
- Cheryl Simpkin - large bag of fabric
- Carol and Gillian McCreesh - suitcase, iPad, clothing
- Tracey Ratcliffe - suitcase, first aid kit supplies, assorted goods
February 26, 2019
Spreading the word about all of the great work we've accomplished! Carol was back
at St. Andrew's College to do two more sessions with their students.
February 24, 2019
WOW! DSDO friends, you truly are amazing! Over $4000 raised! Thanks
to the following people who quickly gave to help John, our Dekpor student diagnosed
with Langherans Cell Histiocytosis:
- Rita Forte
- Lynne Brown
- Jackie and Dave Montgomery
- Chris Fitzgerald
- Liz Rivers
- Carol Sheardown
- Liz Clarke
- Paula Lamanna
- Lucy Romyn
- Erich Forler
- Tony Gariepy
- El Goy
- Sue Walters
- Joan Ross
- Riaz Mohammed
- Claudia Da Silva
- Nina Forte
- Helen Rochon
- Gerard Baribeau
- Marissa Lee
- Paul Jenkins
- Julia Fingernagel
- Julie Robertson
- Donna and Ron Jamieson
- Steve Howell
February 20, 2019
February 13-15, 2019
Dekpor Basic School hosted the circuit team games competition. There were 8
schools competing in volleyball, soccer, and handball. Our teams won the girls'
volleyball, boys' volleyball, and placed second in boys' handball.
February 9, 2019
Thanks to Setter, we were able to get 15 more multi-purpose
bowls for the women of Dekpor!
February 5, 2019
More of the holiday tribute gift money has been used to purchase goods and has
been distributed. Please check Our Projects to see all that has
happened!
February 4, 2019
We are extremely proud of our sponsored student, Michael, who was recently chosen
to be a senior school prefect at Atorkor Vocational Training Institute! He will act as a
liaison beteween the students and staff, helping with any issues or concerns. It is a
HUGE honour to be selected! He was chosen because he is a hard worker, shows excellent
leadership and communication skills, and is respectful to everyone. His study habits and
academics enter into the selection process also. He's basically a well-rounded kid who
has genuinely shown vast improvement in all areas!
February 3, 2019
$10,000 was donated by Busch Systems
to let us purchase water supplies and equipment! Because of this incredible donation, we
are able to sell our sparkling clean water at a discounted price so that more Dekpor
residents will choose it over the contaminated stream water!
February 1, 2019
Linda and Abraham visited Atorkor Vocational Training Institute and surprised all
of the girls in the seamstress strand by delivering a really large suitcase stuffed full
of sewing goods! Most of the items were donated by Susan Heagy and Dianne
Lotto.
February 1, 2019
This morning at Dekpor Basic School, there was an in-depth session held for the
JHS 2 and 3 students by the local nurses from the clinic (see Hygiene 2019). The 120 students were given a hygiene
kit that was made possible by: Quality Integrators Corporation,
Ana Vegega, Windfields Middle School,
Murray Bowser and Sandra Hartman, Rahuma Panthaky (in
honour of Meher), Sogut Bulec and Derin (in honour of Ms Dufour and Mr.
Peters), and Elidia Marraccini. At the end of the meeting, students who
had previously volunteered to help with some community service were further rewarded
with an article of clothing from the goods that arrived in Dekpor in December and
January.
January 31, 2019
Thanks to the following people for donating items this month:
- Max Mayer - clothing
- Dianne Lotto - clothing, running shoes, iPad, soap making goods,
beads, DVDs and player, toys, and more
- Deb Uden - suitcases, dictionaries, pens, pencils
- Khalili Zambri and Associates - shoes, bike seat
- Marta McConnell - clothing, running shoes, sheets
- Tracey Ratcliffe - sewing goods, lots of soccer clothes, gym bag,
suitcase, first aid supplies, clothing, staplers, and more
- Julie Robertson - running shoes, laptop
- Melodie Robar - cell phone
- Donna and Ron Jamieson - laptop, 2 cell phones
- Dale Smith - medical texts
- Barb Bulloch - iPad
- Lydia Ridd - running shoes
- Ruth White - clothing
- Children's Forest and Ridley Orchard School -
assortment of new items from their December holiday drive
January 31, 2019
The Yia Town Toilet #1 facility had the holding tank pumped out. A dirty job, but
a necessary one. We're grateful that Tony and Susan Anderson financed
this important maintenance! See Step-by-Step -
2019.
January 30, 2019
January 29, 2019
Carol was invited to speak to a couple of classes at St. Andrew's College in
Aurora. Great audiences with thoughtful questions.
January 28, 2019
A big shopping day in Accra market for Linda and Abraham as they searched for
many of the items that were chosen by donors in December.
January 24, 2019
Carol was given the opportunity to do a presentation for Emajjin, (a foundation
that chooses one registered Canadian charity and holds a fundraiser each fall). It was
wonderful to meet other volunteers who give their time and energy to help disadvantaged
children!
January 24, 2019
January 22, 2019
The repairs in the library were finished. The sag in the roof was noticed and we
wasted no time in putting in the necessary reinforcements! See our Step-by-Step - 2019 album.
January 21, 2019
Some of our Atorkor Vocational High School students were in for a mighty
surprise! Several students received donated phones from Ontario, and 5 students were
given NEW laptops! See the Laptops and Tech Items album
for some happy faces!
January 17, 2019
Carol took another van load of goods to the shipper. This time it was 5 shipping
bags, 2 suitcases, 7 boxes, and 1 tote/container. Included in the shipment was all of
the underwear that has been purchased for our girls at Dekpor Basic School. In two
months, we'll be seeing them arrive in Ghana and getting distributed at the school!
January 16, 2019
Linda headed back to Ghana today and had 2 suitcases full of goods for Dekpor.
January 10, 2019
Exciting! We just bought 5 brand new laptops! Thanks to the Best Buy crew in
Aurora because they helped make the most of our donated dollars. We currently have five
students studying ICT at Atorkor Vocational High School, and truly they need the
necessary tools to succeed. Stay tuned for photos of the students with their new
laptops!
January 6, 2019
Packing has begun and Carol's house is a mess! Two things on the go: prepping
suitcases for Linda to take back to Dekpor, and also lots of bags, boxes and containers
for a very large shipment!
December 2018
December 2018 Wow! We are absolutely thrilled with the number of holiday donations
made this year!
- 1895 pairs of underwear, $1325, thanks to: Josie,
Joanne, Carol, Ana,
EveLyn, Donna, Carol,
Ines, Becky, Darlene, ABC
Book Club, Louise, Lydia,
Kelly, Julie, Dagmara,
Ali, Kathy, William,
Lauren, Heidi, Nancy,
Kim, and Anne!
- 14 multipurpose bowls thanks to: Lorne, Donna,
Ines, Darlene
- 48 farming tools thanks to: Peter (40), Ines,
Darlene
- 4 mosquito nets thanks to Windfields Middle School
- School Supplies/Teaching Materials: Amanda, Forest Hill
Public School
- African-authored books for the library thanks to Lange
- Water supply and Maintenance: Amanda
- Texts thanks to: Diane and Robert, Jason
- 2 students on food programme thanks to: Lizzie, Wendy
- Hygiene supplies for students, thanks to: Quality Integrators
Corporation, Ana, Sogut and Derin,
Windfields Middle School, Murray and Sandra,
Elidia, Rahnuma
- 6 Adult National Health Insurance covered by Windfields Middle
School
- Emergency Medical donation thanks to Windfields Middle School
- Excercise books on behalf of the staff of Forest Hills Public
School
- Donations toward required tech equipment for our 5 high school students:
Edna, Pat, Lynne,
Helen, Helen
December 31, 2018
Please take the time to view our 2018 Accomplishments video (3:46). YOU
help make all of this happen! Thank you! (And a very special thanks to
John for his talent, time, and effort each year doing the video for
us!)
December 31, 2018
We've spent $1325 on undies for all our girls at Dekpor Basic
School… and our sponsored high school girls also! What a successful campaign this
was. Stay tuned for photos as these will be distributed in January!
December 24, 2018
Some of our sponsored students were treated to shopping sprees! A special thanks
to EveLyn, Donna and Ron, Amanda and
Jonathan, Jackie and Dave, Helmi, and
Meghann (in honour of Jean) for making their kids smile!
December 21, 2018
A huge thanks to the families of Children's
Forest and Ridley Orchard School for choosing to do a holiday collection for us
again this year. Just look at all the great things! There was also $205
donated! We're very grateful for their support!
December 20, 2018
Nicole, Jonathan, Oliver, Campbell, and Hazel Collins visited
Dekpor. They took 5 suitcases of our goods for us, (thanks to Dave Rout
for some excellent airport coordination to drop the bags at just the right time) and
during their short visit, they spent a substantial amount of time properly shelving the
books in our library. Nicole did some math tutoring, also. We're glad you visited!
December 16, 2018
Repairs to the library roof have begun. It is a very large building, and more
support was needed!
December 12, 2018
December 11, 2018
December 10, 2018
Shipping that was sent in October has arrived and was ready for Linda and Abraham
to pick up!
December 8, 2018
December 7, 2018
The teachers' toilet on school campus was cleaned out today. (Another
not-so-glamorous job that we were able to get done, thanks to the
Andersons!)
December 7, 2018
Sponsored students gathered in the library meeting area with Linda and Abraham to
go over expectations for studying, attendance, behaviour, helping with projects, and a
variety of other topics. Afterwards, they all worked together to install some
tire-seating!
December 6, 2018
November 2018
Thanks to the following people who donated this month:
- Tanya White - clothing and shoes
- Aurora FC (AYSC) - 3 huge bags of soccer clothing
- Marta McConnell - onesies, children's t-shirts, measuring tapes
- Isabel & Ali Afshari - 2 bags of clothing
- Maureen & Regan - kindergarten supplies and books
- Jan Hogg & Karen Lablans - a laptop
- Christian Cordeau - goods for our seamstresses and our
soap-makers, clothing, toys
And also a special thanks to Ali Afshari for getting a couple more
laptops ready for us.
November 30, 2018
Carol spent the morning with Windfields Middle
School doing a series of slideshow presentations and was presented with a cheque
for $920! What an incredible school!
November 28, 2018
More meters are installed to assist with accurate readings for our water
distribution system.
November 26, 2018
November 25, 2018
November 23, 2018
Some of the clothing that just came on the latest shipment is being distributed.
See Shipping 2018 for photos.
November 22, 2018
Carol had a chance to share information about DSDO with two classes of grade 5
and 6 classes at Highview Public School.
November 21, 2018
Two of the shipments from Carol's place made it to Ghana today for Linda and
Abraham to pick up! Talk about a FULL van!
November 4, 2018
Linda and Abraham say goodbye to their Austrian visitors, Edi, Eva,
Philip, and Tobias. They were incredibly generous, bringing many items and
purchasing plenty while in Ghana, also. See Schmickl donor
page and BG/BRG donor page.
October 2018
October donations:
- Susan Heagy - Bonanza! Sewing goods, shoes, clothing, teaching
materials, toys, and more!
- Tracey Ratcliffe - soccer clothes
- Barb Bulloch - shoes and sewing notions
- Nicola Tideman - shoes and backpacks
- Christian Cordeau - children's clothes, toys
October 26, 2018
Austrian friends arrive in Ghana!
October 24, 2018
Today was a special day in Dekpor because it was the official opening of the Yia #3 Town Toilet! We are forever grateful to
our incredibly generous sponsors (they prefer to remain anonymous) who made this happen!
October 21, 2018
The Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront
Marathon was another huge success! With 18 signed up and 13 actively fundraising,
we managed to raise $21,008! ($1945 offline and $19,063 online) Thanks
to every single person who helped us surpass our goal!
October 17, 2018
Yet another shipping day! This time there are 5 suitcases, 1 massive hockey bag,
and 4 Rubbermaid containers on their way to Ghana. Shipping from Ontario thanks to
Susan Heagy, Windfields Middle
School, and assorted other individuals!
October 12, 2018
Now, here is a heart-warming story. Three years ago, Emma
Camire-Cameron attended Windfields Middle School and was part of the team
that helped collect and assemble Ghana Gift Bags. Apparently she's never forgotten.
Today she held the first meeting of the York Mills Dekpor School Development Club and
invited Carol to speak. Can't wait to see what York Mills Collegiate has up their
sleeves!
October 12, 2018
Windfields Middle School rocked their shoe drive! Carol picked up 14 big school-sized
garbage bags and got them ready for the shipper all in one day. Thanks to the Mustangs
for their generosity!
October 3, 2018
Carol was off to the shipper again! This time there were the shoes and backpacks
from Aurora Prep Academy, Moraine Hills P.S., and a variety of goods that were donated
by individuals! See the list from September 30th to know what went. There were 3 boxes,
8 suitcases, and 4 huge shipping bags!
October 3, 2018
Moraine Hills Public School just finished off
their shoe drive and they collected 8 big bags of
fantastic shoes! They did such an amazing job of sorting and matching that Carol was
able to prep for shipping in record time (meaning same day and within a couple of
hours)!
October 2, 2018
Several of our sponsored students had the opportunity to go shopping because
their sponsor gave some extra gift money. Whenever that happens, Linda and Abraham take
them for a van ride to a market where they can choose for themselves. All children stick
to the basics such as underwear, socks, undershirts, and clothing. Oh what an incredible
treat!
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