Projects

Surprise!  When we start this Project Page in January of each year, we have no clue what will end up here!  Here you'll find photos of the smaller jobs and initiatives that we do.

February - paint the  basketball net posts at Dekpor Basic School's sports courts

February - thoroughly clean the solar panels

 March - solar battery upgraded at school's computer lab

March - Yia polytank repaired

Now, it may sound funny to have a project called Chairs, but alas, we have been hoping for a large quantity of stacking chairs for the Dekpor Basic School library for many years now. The search has been ongoing.

Shipments deliver JOY!

Tech is the way of the future! We have been proactive in setting up Dekpor Basic School to give our students a chance at honing skills that so many others in Ghana will never experience.  We have a wonderful computer lab, thanks to many incredible donors and volunteers. 

Encouraging learning beyond what is offered during the school day is our goal. Thanks to an annual donation by former outreach volunteer, Alan Lawrence, we are grateful to offer computer classes after regular school hours for many students. This is the 5th year!

It's true!

Every year, we stand back in amazement as we reflect on all the projects, initiatives, and cool things we accomplish. Frankly, it's nothing short of astounding!  And you know what? We could not do this without YOU!

We are extremely grateful to everyone who contributes. 

Read the pages of lists or watch the video.  Either way, be impressed with what has been achieved!

Thank you for your continued support! Truly, we have the best circle of people around us!

Link to video: https://youtu.be/hEX6HKRj9LQ

The need for tools is rather desperate.  In a place like Dekpor, community labour is an expectation.  They have the manpower, but having the appropriate tools always poses a problem. Several years back, we came up with the idea of setting up a tool-lending library.  It has worked really well, so every couple of years, it is time to replenish the supply.

This time around, we got:

• 30 flat shovels
• 30 loader shovels
• 30 machetes
• 6 pick axes
• 6 votsos (root-digging tools) 

We raised $1000, thanks to the following people:

It's the women. They are the ones who have to sweep around the home, usually twice a day, and they do NOT have brooms as we know them. They gather a handful of grasses and then have to bend at the waist to sweep away the debris. Imagine this with a baby attached to your back ... or if you are elderly and can barely balance while standing upright. Full-length brooms have been made by a couple of our sponsored student graduates. They are far more durable that the manufactured brooms that can be purchased in Ghana.

Our classrooms all have "chalkboards" (actually, it is black paint over the lumpy bumpy hand-made bricks) and we had put a whiteboard into each classroom several years back.  Of course, with the climate and daily use, the boards eventually need to be replaced. You see, they aren't actual dry erase boards, but rather we made do with what was locally available: shower stall boards.

We had two boards that were still in use, as you see in the photos, but desperately needed to be replaced.

It is really difficult to teach a subject that requires the students to have supplies. Why? Because the students can't afford them.  We decided to help the math teachers because it was impossible to give the kids hands-on knowledge of how to draw and measure angles when none of them owned a protractor, compass, or ruler.

We purchased 50 math sets!

Thanks to our friends for making this possible:  Ines Howe (in honour of Anthony and Christophe), and Judy Ignatowitz (in honour of Donna and Ron Jamieson).

WATSAN - Water and Sanitation

Ever since we started our DSDO sanitation and water journey, we have had a WATSAN committee in place to oversee the entire operations of the town toilet facilities and the water system. In November, there was an extensive overhaul.