Video of some of the celebration that took place at Sunday's worship service.
Recognize anyone?
Thursday, May 2, 2013
Celebration Video
Video of some of the celebration that took place at Sunday's worship service.
Recognize anyone?
Wednesday, May 1, 2013
Is it really a bad thing
I remember traveling to a developing country a few years back and someone commenting on all the people selling "stuff" to people in the cars while those people are stuck in traffic.
Some of you may have already experienced this, but those those who have - think of the most troublesome traffic intersection in your daily or weekly car travels. Now picture 20-40 people selling you everything from gum, to vegetables or fruit, to water or sodas, to sunglasses, to watches, to tupperware, and on and on.
The person that I was traveling with commented about the craziness of it all and that it was really irritating.
Well a couple of thoughts:
1) It's a way of life for the sellers and the buyers. If it wasn't creating value I doubt people would walk up and down through traffic selling goods with no prospect of buyers.
2) There is a safety concern for sure both with the sellers being hit by cars or the buyers buying product that may be spoiled, tainted, etc.
I always find it interesting as to what is sold at the intersection.
This trip, Jim & witnessed people in the car with us buying yams (15) and another buying lemons (25)
I think in the late 1990s if there were people walking through traffic at the intersection of Poplar & Highland selling milk, cereal, bread, peanut butter, & jelly - their best customer would have been Chalmers - because that would mean 1 less thing (going to the grocery) off her list of things to do.
Some of you may have already experienced this, but those those who have - think of the most troublesome traffic intersection in your daily or weekly car travels. Now picture 20-40 people selling you everything from gum, to vegetables or fruit, to water or sodas, to sunglasses, to watches, to tupperware, and on and on.
The person that I was traveling with commented about the craziness of it all and that it was really irritating.
Well a couple of thoughts:
1) It's a way of life for the sellers and the buyers. If it wasn't creating value I doubt people would walk up and down through traffic selling goods with no prospect of buyers.
2) There is a safety concern for sure both with the sellers being hit by cars or the buyers buying product that may be spoiled, tainted, etc.
I always find it interesting as to what is sold at the intersection.
This trip, Jim & witnessed people in the car with us buying yams (15) and another buying lemons (25)
I think in the late 1990s if there were people walking through traffic at the intersection of Poplar & Highland selling milk, cereal, bread, peanut butter, & jelly - their best customer would have been Chalmers - because that would mean 1 less thing (going to the grocery) off her list of things to do.
Jim
For some reason in my travels around the world, I have traveled many times with someone named Jim.
My friends Jim Greer (JG) and Jim Etzkorn (JE) have traveled with me many times. JG had to be the best ready to go guide I know. Didn't matter if JG had a month to research the location or in the case of one trip a few hours (because of a schedule change) he would get off the plane and let me know the history of the place, top 5 sites we needed to see, etc. When I traveled with JE, he always was one or two steps ahead for our next move, airport, meeting, etc. Never had to worry about the next set of travel logistics with JE - he either knew or he reminded me (a lot) that we had another move (car, plane, hotel, etc.) to make.
Now Jim Levernier (JL). Moving through Ghana, JL always gave me a briefing on the next place we were headed - name of the people, purpose of the institution, expectations for the next night's boarding, and so on.
Even this a.m. maneuvering through JFK airport in NY (btw - which is a mess) JL just flowed through all the mess like there were no issues.
I disembarked the plane here in NY before JL and waited for JL inside the airport - of course there was JL disembarking in mob of people with not only his 3 carry ons, but JL was carrying a nice size bag for a lady who was a first timer to the USA.
Every evening JL & I debriefed that day's experiences and composed our thoughts about the next day's itinerary and objectives.
Thanks JL
My friends Jim Greer (JG) and Jim Etzkorn (JE) have traveled with me many times. JG had to be the best ready to go guide I know. Didn't matter if JG had a month to research the location or in the case of one trip a few hours (because of a schedule change) he would get off the plane and let me know the history of the place, top 5 sites we needed to see, etc. When I traveled with JE, he always was one or two steps ahead for our next move, airport, meeting, etc. Never had to worry about the next set of travel logistics with JE - he either knew or he reminded me (a lot) that we had another move (car, plane, hotel, etc.) to make.
Now Jim Levernier (JL). Moving through Ghana, JL always gave me a briefing on the next place we were headed - name of the people, purpose of the institution, expectations for the next night's boarding, and so on.
Even this a.m. maneuvering through JFK airport in NY (btw - which is a mess) JL just flowed through all the mess like there were no issues.
I disembarked the plane here in NY before JL and waited for JL inside the airport - of course there was JL disembarking in mob of people with not only his 3 carry ons, but JL was carrying a nice size bag for a lady who was a first timer to the USA.
Every evening JL & I debriefed that day's experiences and composed our thoughts about the next day's itinerary and objectives.
Thanks JL
No big deal.....
Ever think about what if 1 or 2 things you have in your life today that makes your life safe and dependable every day.
This past week my mornings started and my evenings finished with a bottle or canister of clean water. Putting in/out my contacts, brushing my teeth, taking my daily pill regime, and so on. Every place, except Nsaba, where we stayed had water to the bathroom faucet - never turned it on due to the uncertainty of the water.
How many times do you just go to the faucet and turn it on for something and never think about that as a gift?
It's not that the many people around the world aren't aware of the benefits of clean water - the safety, future health, etc., it's about that it's REAL WORK for some many to get it.
In my short stay, I saw more access to electricity than I did to clean water or even water at all. At Nsaba (rustic - see previous post), we had good electricity for lights and ceiling fans (and of course the satellite TV) - but if you want to use the toilet you have to fill the top of the toilet with a bucket of water OR if you want to take a shower you have to do it with a series of bucket pours over your head (10) AND all of that water is brought toted from the closest water source (not clean water) and 50 gallon trash cans are filled to make it "easy" to pour all those buckets.
People in Ghana operate much of their lives around the next purchase of clean water like we revolve around purchasing gas for the car or the next Starbucks.
Now this is where the world gets normalized:
There are people we know, see, read about, etc. in the USA that aren't capable and don't revolve their lives around the next gallon of gas or the next cup of black coffee from Starbucks (I don't know the funny names to order coffee at Starbucks) and so they can't or don't.
In Ghana and other places, there are people that can't buy the clean water on a consistent basis or just don't have access.
The differences lie between - quality of basic health, i.e. how one feels and exists every day and in many cases, especially the children, life at all.
I used to work with a group of guys in the early nineties that would always give me alternative theories as to things like how the pyramids were built or the large graphics in the Peru landscape that can be seen from space - aliens! Could be true - but our history says something like the pyramids in Egypt were built by millions of people moving pebbles and boulders to eventually construct the soaring geometries of rock. Pyramids were not built by free will - built by the enslaved.
However - what the pyramids do prove and may be one of the reasons God allowed the enslavement to last so long is - it's a demonstration of what can happen when millions of people set their sights on getting something done and that He wanted everyone for thousands of years to come to contemplate the power of mankind.
We're not going to solve bringing access to clean water to all those in the world while we are on this earth - nor will we probably solve the challenge of of the homeless in Memphis and other cities - but we should keep trying.
Wonder how strong is Free Will?
This past week my mornings started and my evenings finished with a bottle or canister of clean water. Putting in/out my contacts, brushing my teeth, taking my daily pill regime, and so on. Every place, except Nsaba, where we stayed had water to the bathroom faucet - never turned it on due to the uncertainty of the water.
How many times do you just go to the faucet and turn it on for something and never think about that as a gift?
It's not that the many people around the world aren't aware of the benefits of clean water - the safety, future health, etc., it's about that it's REAL WORK for some many to get it.
In my short stay, I saw more access to electricity than I did to clean water or even water at all. At Nsaba (rustic - see previous post), we had good electricity for lights and ceiling fans (and of course the satellite TV) - but if you want to use the toilet you have to fill the top of the toilet with a bucket of water OR if you want to take a shower you have to do it with a series of bucket pours over your head (10) AND all of that water is brought toted from the closest water source (not clean water) and 50 gallon trash cans are filled to make it "easy" to pour all those buckets.
People in Ghana operate much of their lives around the next purchase of clean water like we revolve around purchasing gas for the car or the next Starbucks.
Now this is where the world gets normalized:
There are people we know, see, read about, etc. in the USA that aren't capable and don't revolve their lives around the next gallon of gas or the next cup of black coffee from Starbucks (I don't know the funny names to order coffee at Starbucks) and so they can't or don't.
In Ghana and other places, there are people that can't buy the clean water on a consistent basis or just don't have access.
The differences lie between - quality of basic health, i.e. how one feels and exists every day and in many cases, especially the children, life at all.
I used to work with a group of guys in the early nineties that would always give me alternative theories as to things like how the pyramids were built or the large graphics in the Peru landscape that can be seen from space - aliens! Could be true - but our history says something like the pyramids in Egypt were built by millions of people moving pebbles and boulders to eventually construct the soaring geometries of rock. Pyramids were not built by free will - built by the enslaved.
However - what the pyramids do prove and may be one of the reasons God allowed the enslavement to last so long is - it's a demonstration of what can happen when millions of people set their sights on getting something done and that He wanted everyone for thousands of years to come to contemplate the power of mankind.
We're not going to solve bringing access to clean water to all those in the world while we are on this earth - nor will we probably solve the challenge of of the homeless in Memphis and other cities - but we should keep trying.
Wonder how strong is Free Will?
Tuesday, April 30, 2013
DL 27
Jim & I on the plane headed to New York.
Ready to get home, so I hope that Mayor Bloomberg doesn't want us to stick around to clean up NYC water...
Ready to get home, so I hope that Mayor Bloomberg doesn't want us to stick around to clean up NYC water...
Last Day in Ghana
I read the Idlewild Chimes last night and the story Steve Montgomery was telling about his visit to Rhodes and the panel with the Rabbi, priest, etc. and then rolled that into the old joke of a Rabbi, Priest, and Imam walked...
Well I have one of those too.
In a few of my posts I talked about the need for a smaller bottle that is a better fit for children to carry rather than a 5 gallon bottle. So today Kofi, Jim, Kwadro(?) from Immanuel Medina (see earlier post of our visit there) and I met at a bottle factory on the outskirts of Accra.
We walked in to the office and the lady (Tracy) asked what we needed. We told Tracy (Ghanian) what we needed and the dialogue started to drift into nowhere, i.e. we can't do it, here is what we got, etc.
We then told her that we were missionaries, a reverend, and an elder and she asked again why we were there - this time we told her the full story of clean water, the children, and so on AND she stopped and said step into her husband's office.
We entered the second office where we met Walid (Lebanese). From the minute we all got on the same page, the page grew and grew. Quickly, both Tracy and Walid said they want to help - both Tracy and Walid are Catholics.
So I won't go into all the details, but here are a few:
1) First we negotiated a new (lower) price for the 5 gallon
2) They gave us 2 cases of hand pumps that fit on the 5 gallon bottles
3) They gave Kwadro 20 5 liter bottles and 20 8 liter bottles to take to Immanuel Medina and test for the "right" size.
4) Walid wants to really develop a new bottle that is exactly the right size with maybe a handle to make it easier to carry. We are going to work with Walid long distance to figure this out.
I am not sure all the reasons I was on the trip. I know that I probably frustrated many at times with my pragmatic views and desire to raise the level and service of the clean water mission, but I today I think I was there to support Kofi, Jim, & Kwadro in the quest for the right bottle solutions for the users of the clean water systems.
So today, 4 Presbyterian men, 2 American and 2 Ghanians, walked into a factory and sat down with 2 Catholics, 1 Ghanian and 1 Lebanese, and....
Well I have one of those too.
In a few of my posts I talked about the need for a smaller bottle that is a better fit for children to carry rather than a 5 gallon bottle. So today Kofi, Jim, Kwadro(?) from Immanuel Medina (see earlier post of our visit there) and I met at a bottle factory on the outskirts of Accra.
We walked in to the office and the lady (Tracy) asked what we needed. We told Tracy (Ghanian) what we needed and the dialogue started to drift into nowhere, i.e. we can't do it, here is what we got, etc.
We then told her that we were missionaries, a reverend, and an elder and she asked again why we were there - this time we told her the full story of clean water, the children, and so on AND she stopped and said step into her husband's office.
We entered the second office where we met Walid (Lebanese). From the minute we all got on the same page, the page grew and grew. Quickly, both Tracy and Walid said they want to help - both Tracy and Walid are Catholics.
So I won't go into all the details, but here are a few:
1) First we negotiated a new (lower) price for the 5 gallon
2) They gave us 2 cases of hand pumps that fit on the 5 gallon bottles
3) They gave Kwadro 20 5 liter bottles and 20 8 liter bottles to take to Immanuel Medina and test for the "right" size.
4) Walid wants to really develop a new bottle that is exactly the right size with maybe a handle to make it easier to carry. We are going to work with Walid long distance to figure this out.
I am not sure all the reasons I was on the trip. I know that I probably frustrated many at times with my pragmatic views and desire to raise the level and service of the clean water mission, but I today I think I was there to support Kofi, Jim, & Kwadro in the quest for the right bottle solutions for the users of the clean water systems.
So today, 4 Presbyterian men, 2 American and 2 Ghanians, walked into a factory and sat down with 2 Catholics, 1 Ghanian and 1 Lebanese, and....
Monday, April 29, 2013
Monday
JIm & I took a couple of meetings this morning at the Presbyterian Church of Ghana Headquarters.
The first meeting was with the clerk of the PCG and all the PCG directors. Relationship and strategic in nature and some good discussion on the Living Waters initiatives in Ghana and worldwide.
The second meeting was with the Ghana Living Water Network Committee and the main purpose of the meeting was to review past operating results and future operating needs of the current 11 installed systems.
There is a couple on this team, the Osaes, who are highly engaged in the clean water initiative. Both are highly educated - he has his PhD and she is a successful business lady - both in their 30s.
The second half of the day we went out to Trinity Seminary and had lunch with Joy Mante the President of the Seminary and a very good friend of Gayle Walker, Associate Pastor at Idlewild.
Nice campus pictures are below.
Trinity has about 500+ students, about 150 of those are studying to be ordained and the rest are their because of their interest in theology.
After Trinity we stopped by a road side marketplace where I got to watch Jim barter a shop keeper down for some items for his grandchildren.
Samuel (our driver) and I watched how the Ghana police handled a minor fender bender. Pretty interesting - the police passed judgement on the person at fault - seized the keys to that persons vehicle and told them to pay the other driver in cash for the damages. The police told both drivers to return to the scene in a few hours where either the offending driver would pay up or lose their vehicle altogether.
Tomorrow we have a factory tour at a local bottle maker and a few odds and ends and then we start to make the journey back to Memphis.
The first meeting was with the clerk of the PCG and all the PCG directors. Relationship and strategic in nature and some good discussion on the Living Waters initiatives in Ghana and worldwide.
The second meeting was with the Ghana Living Water Network Committee and the main purpose of the meeting was to review past operating results and future operating needs of the current 11 installed systems.
There is a couple on this team, the Osaes, who are highly engaged in the clean water initiative. Both are highly educated - he has his PhD and she is a successful business lady - both in their 30s.
The second half of the day we went out to Trinity Seminary and had lunch with Joy Mante the President of the Seminary and a very good friend of Gayle Walker, Associate Pastor at Idlewild.
Nice campus pictures are below.
Trinity has about 500+ students, about 150 of those are studying to be ordained and the rest are their because of their interest in theology.
After Trinity we stopped by a road side marketplace where I got to watch Jim barter a shop keeper down for some items for his grandchildren.
Samuel (our driver) and I watched how the Ghana police handled a minor fender bender. Pretty interesting - the police passed judgement on the person at fault - seized the keys to that persons vehicle and told them to pay the other driver in cash for the damages. The police told both drivers to return to the scene in a few hours where either the offending driver would pay up or lose their vehicle altogether.
Tomorrow we have a factory tour at a local bottle maker and a few odds and ends and then we start to make the journey back to Memphis.
Sunday, April 28, 2013
Luke
After the service today we were hanging around waiting to head out to lunch and there were some kids hanging around.
So I went over and sat down in the middle of them and asked did they want to see a movie of my dog.
Last fall my son David and I took our yellow lab, Luke, over to the farm and worked Luke in preparation for duck season. We made some videos of Luke retrieving a series of bumper throws that afternoon and I have those videos on my iPad.
I have not noticed a lot of dogs in Ghana for whatever reason. The ones I do see are small.
I thought the kids might enjoy the video.
So while waiting on Rev Daniel, I sat down and showed the kids Luke in action. They loved it. I am not sure they have seen a dog that big and certainly not one doing "tricks". One little guy even said it was a lion.
So it was good kids entertainment for about 10 minutes.
Thanks Luke!
P.S. this has caused somewhat of a rift in my household as John & David feel slighted that I am showing pictures of the dog and not of them. I explained that I was demonstrating how members of my family could pickup after themselves.
So I went over and sat down in the middle of them and asked did they want to see a movie of my dog.
Last fall my son David and I took our yellow lab, Luke, over to the farm and worked Luke in preparation for duck season. We made some videos of Luke retrieving a series of bumper throws that afternoon and I have those videos on my iPad.
I have not noticed a lot of dogs in Ghana for whatever reason. The ones I do see are small.
I thought the kids might enjoy the video.
So while waiting on Rev Daniel, I sat down and showed the kids Luke in action. They loved it. I am not sure they have seen a dog that big and certainly not one doing "tricks". One little guy even said it was a lion.
So it was good kids entertainment for about 10 minutes.
Thanks Luke!
P.S. this has caused somewhat of a rift in my household as John & David feel slighted that I am showing pictures of the dog and not of them. I explained that I was demonstrating how members of my family could pickup after themselves.
Yaw!
Jim & I worshiped today at Reverend Daniel Opong-Wereko's church, Emanuel North Darkumon Presbyterian Church.
The church is located not too far from the center of Accra in a part of the city where dirt roads are the norm. The church is in the process of building a new building (more on that later) and so therefore the new building is on one side of the road and the old building is on the other side of the road.
The old building and grounds are used for children classes as we saw when we arrive. We stopped into 3 classes and with the exception of the little bitties, the other two classes were very academic, i.e. teaching scripture and verse - way over my head!
The little people were all lined up in little chairs and were singing songs - until we arrived and I think when they saw me that the giant had arrived!
The congregation worships on the ground floor (future parking are) of basically a building under construction. NO WAY THIS WOULD HAPPEN IN THE STATES. The congregation has no idea when they will finish the 3 story building. As Rev Daniel says when The Lord provides, it will happen - for now they have a 3 story building with no walls, but a roof, which allows them to worship.
The service was great, a tad longer than at Idlewild, I clocked today's service start to finish right at 3 hours - certainly a new record for me.
Lots of activities during the service - but probably the best thing they have going is that the church is "kid friendly" during the service. They attribute a large part of their growth to being kid friendly - reminded me of a place back in Memphis up on the hill - "as my friends at GSL say".
I had been given 3 days notice that there was going to be audience participation during the service in the form of dance. Now for those of you who know me - you know that I don't dance (ask Chalmers - it's a bad subject in our household) and the 2-3 times I have danced usually are memorable by others, not so much by me!
Nevertheless, the dancing during the service took place during the offerings (yes - plural). So, I used the first offering just to get a feel for the process and rhythm of the dance - not hard to do - plenty of people there to help during that first run at it. Shuffle your feet a little bit, move your arms a little bit and drop the money into the bowl with your right hand. I think I probably looked like a choo-choo.
Offering II. Now that I had my trial run behind me, it was time for the main event if you will. I jumped in the middle of the Elder line (think of it kind of like conga line) and started my moves. I started with the choo-choo and then moved into kind of a MIchael Jackson meets Frankenstein with a little bit of hip & arm action. But what really got the line going was when I decided to shuffle backwards -evidently the line is only supposed to move forward - oh well - I think I at least gave one of the pastors good stuff to talk about for a week or so.
In all seriousness, all week I have gotten a very strong sense of what God means to the Ghanian people. It is a very religious country and you can see and feel that from almost the moment you arrive. I think today's service really brought it all together for me. The participation of the church members in the service, the pride the women and some men had in wearing the "fabric" of the church, the group bible study time during the service, and everyone gave some thing in both offerings - and know that the second offering was exclusively for local outreach.
Nice picture of Jim in just general celebration mode.
Great time for sure.
If you read to this point then you get to know why this post is titled "Yaw". During the service the congregation breaks into bible study groups based on which day of the week they were born - because somewhere in their name is the day of the week they were born - so I have met 3 men named Kofi. So, when I was asked by an elder which group I should attend - No idea. However, whipped out the iPad, leaned on Google, and presto - I am I Yaw - I was born on Thursday.
The church is located not too far from the center of Accra in a part of the city where dirt roads are the norm. The church is in the process of building a new building (more on that later) and so therefore the new building is on one side of the road and the old building is on the other side of the road.
The old building and grounds are used for children classes as we saw when we arrive. We stopped into 3 classes and with the exception of the little bitties, the other two classes were very academic, i.e. teaching scripture and verse - way over my head!
The little people were all lined up in little chairs and were singing songs - until we arrived and I think when they saw me that the giant had arrived!
The congregation worships on the ground floor (future parking are) of basically a building under construction. NO WAY THIS WOULD HAPPEN IN THE STATES. The congregation has no idea when they will finish the 3 story building. As Rev Daniel says when The Lord provides, it will happen - for now they have a 3 story building with no walls, but a roof, which allows them to worship.
The service was great, a tad longer than at Idlewild, I clocked today's service start to finish right at 3 hours - certainly a new record for me.
Lots of activities during the service - but probably the best thing they have going is that the church is "kid friendly" during the service. They attribute a large part of their growth to being kid friendly - reminded me of a place back in Memphis up on the hill - "as my friends at GSL say".
I had been given 3 days notice that there was going to be audience participation during the service in the form of dance. Now for those of you who know me - you know that I don't dance (ask Chalmers - it's a bad subject in our household) and the 2-3 times I have danced usually are memorable by others, not so much by me!
Nevertheless, the dancing during the service took place during the offerings (yes - plural). So, I used the first offering just to get a feel for the process and rhythm of the dance - not hard to do - plenty of people there to help during that first run at it. Shuffle your feet a little bit, move your arms a little bit and drop the money into the bowl with your right hand. I think I probably looked like a choo-choo.
Offering II. Now that I had my trial run behind me, it was time for the main event if you will. I jumped in the middle of the Elder line (think of it kind of like conga line) and started my moves. I started with the choo-choo and then moved into kind of a MIchael Jackson meets Frankenstein with a little bit of hip & arm action. But what really got the line going was when I decided to shuffle backwards -evidently the line is only supposed to move forward - oh well - I think I at least gave one of the pastors good stuff to talk about for a week or so.
In all seriousness, all week I have gotten a very strong sense of what God means to the Ghanian people. It is a very religious country and you can see and feel that from almost the moment you arrive. I think today's service really brought it all together for me. The participation of the church members in the service, the pride the women and some men had in wearing the "fabric" of the church, the group bible study time during the service, and everyone gave some thing in both offerings - and know that the second offering was exclusively for local outreach.
Nice picture of Jim in just general celebration mode.
Great time for sure.
If you read to this point then you get to know why this post is titled "Yaw". During the service the congregation breaks into bible study groups based on which day of the week they were born - because somewhere in their name is the day of the week they were born - so I have met 3 men named Kofi. So, when I was asked by an elder which group I should attend - No idea. However, whipped out the iPad, leaned on Google, and presto - I am I Yaw - I was born on Thursday.
Saturday, April 27, 2013
Post Card
I have gotten a few messages and one indirect that there are no blog posts containing a picture of me.
So here is a postcard picture from our "veranda" at the Salvation Army Hostel in Accra.
Now a few comments you should know:
1) The other big person in the picture is Rev Joshua Heikkila from Minnesota on a 3 year mission for the PCUSA.
2) Prior to Jim taking this picture, Jim had a serious discussion with the two people in the picture about packaging the faucet water into little bags. They promised him that what they were doing were making ice bags - not drinking water bags. Still don't like the bags - they are like plastic water bottles in the US - everywhere!
3) Chalmers hates the shirt I have on - which is exactly why I wore it to see if she is paying attention to the blog.
4) Since my arrival in Africa I have been shrinking - can't you tell!
So here is a postcard picture from our "veranda" at the Salvation Army Hostel in Accra.
Now a few comments you should know:
1) The other big person in the picture is Rev Joshua Heikkila from Minnesota on a 3 year mission for the PCUSA.
2) Prior to Jim taking this picture, Jim had a serious discussion with the two people in the picture about packaging the faucet water into little bags. They promised him that what they were doing were making ice bags - not drinking water bags. Still don't like the bags - they are like plastic water bottles in the US - everywhere!
3) Chalmers hates the shirt I have on - which is exactly why I wore it to see if she is paying attention to the blog.
4) Since my arrival in Africa I have been shrinking - can't you tell!
Abokobi
Presbyterian Women's Centre.
This place is about as nice of a retreat center as you will find. It is on the outskirts of Accra.
presbyterianwomencentre.org
Check out the URL as my pictures will not do it justice.
Built in 1992 by the women of the presbyterian church it is open for all kinds of meetings, events, etc.
The clean water system installed is a reverse osmosis system because of the salt content in the PWC bore hole. The ROS lowers the salt content in the water and eliminates the salty taste.
THe PWC served clean water to their meeting and events to the tune of 10,000 people last year.
We met and then had lunch with Esther (the Director) and Joyce (the administrator). I spent my lunch with Esther and Joyce comparing notes on teenagers - the take away - teenagers in Ghana and USA sleep a lot, eat a lot, talk on the phone a lot, and don't want to spend a lot of time with their parents.
Abokobi's clean water system doing just fine.
This place is about as nice of a retreat center as you will find. It is on the outskirts of Accra.
presbyterianwomencentre.org
Check out the URL as my pictures will not do it justice.
Built in 1992 by the women of the presbyterian church it is open for all kinds of meetings, events, etc.
The clean water system installed is a reverse osmosis system because of the salt content in the PWC bore hole. The ROS lowers the salt content in the water and eliminates the salty taste.
THe PWC served clean water to their meeting and events to the tune of 10,000 people last year.
We met and then had lunch with Esther (the Director) and Joyce (the administrator). I spent my lunch with Esther and Joyce comparing notes on teenagers - the take away - teenagers in Ghana and USA sleep a lot, eat a lot, talk on the phone a lot, and don't want to spend a lot of time with their parents.
Abokobi's clean water system doing just fine.
Immanuel Madina
Our morning stated with a short, relatively speaking, jaunt to the outskirts of Accra to a community named Madina. Think of it as a suburb with no paved roads.
The church is doing well! It's obvious from the minute you drive into the compound that their members are engaged.
They had a group setting up for a wedding that was to take place that afternoon with the reception being set up under a big shade tree.
We met with their water board and it was another good meeting. They really only have 1 issue with producing clean water - source for water. Immanuel is set up with a roof collection system for rain water. Problem - no rain since December. They attempted to fill their huge in ground cistern with purchased water - but the water they purchased after being processed did not taste good - so they stopped.
The good news is in our meeting it was shared that Immanuel that they can purchase water from a known water company that has been tested by a previous IPC-LWW team and that water company is close enough to deliver. So they think they can be back up & running within a month, as Michael wants to make a simple plumbing change to make it easier to receive the water from a tanker truck.
The second issue that the Immanuel water board brought up was the need for smaller bottles, i.e. the 5 gallon bottles are just too heavy to carry. We have heard this several times on this trip, so we have made a change to Monday afternoon's schedule so we can visit a local manufacturer that blows bottles with a hope that we can identify a solution for a smaller bottle. This smaller bottled really comes up as an issue with the system that are in schools or service schools.
Now so that you all know that giving and service is a circle - as we concluded our water board meeting, I wandered over to a court yard where I heard drummers and kids. I asked one of the board members what was going on and he said "Compassion". Compassion is an outreach program that Immanuel has where on Saturdays the church members bring in kids that have no one "watching them", i.e. orphans, kids living on the street, etc. and feed these kids all day, play games, sing, etc. and generally play in a safe environment.
The church is doing well! It's obvious from the minute you drive into the compound that their members are engaged.
They had a group setting up for a wedding that was to take place that afternoon with the reception being set up under a big shade tree.
We met with their water board and it was another good meeting. They really only have 1 issue with producing clean water - source for water. Immanuel is set up with a roof collection system for rain water. Problem - no rain since December. They attempted to fill their huge in ground cistern with purchased water - but the water they purchased after being processed did not taste good - so they stopped.
The good news is in our meeting it was shared that Immanuel that they can purchase water from a known water company that has been tested by a previous IPC-LWW team and that water company is close enough to deliver. So they think they can be back up & running within a month, as Michael wants to make a simple plumbing change to make it easier to receive the water from a tanker truck.
The second issue that the Immanuel water board brought up was the need for smaller bottles, i.e. the 5 gallon bottles are just too heavy to carry. We have heard this several times on this trip, so we have made a change to Monday afternoon's schedule so we can visit a local manufacturer that blows bottles with a hope that we can identify a solution for a smaller bottle. This smaller bottled really comes up as an issue with the system that are in schools or service schools.
Now so that you all know that giving and service is a circle - as we concluded our water board meeting, I wandered over to a court yard where I heard drummers and kids. I asked one of the board members what was going on and he said "Compassion". Compassion is an outreach program that Immanuel has where on Saturdays the church members bring in kids that have no one "watching them", i.e. orphans, kids living on the street, etc. and feed these kids all day, play games, sing, etc. and generally play in a safe environment.
Friday, April 26, 2013
Krobo School for Girls
I told you about Dora in Nsawam the other day. Now meet Cecilia, the Headmistress for the Krobo School for Girls.
I am going to provide some highlights of the history and purpose of the school, but for deeper information about what they are doing go Goggle "Krobo School for Girls" and check it out.
KSG was founded in 1927 by several female missionaries from Scotland. The school started in another location than where it is now, but some time early on several girls from the Krobo region attended the school and the Chief of the village that the girls were from was so impressed with the results of the school that he gave the school a HUGE slice a land on a mountain. The compound/campus is multiple buildings (I lost count) on the mountain and is secured by the terrain and a wall.
The girls come from all over Ghana now as KSG has built a premier reputation. It's a boarding school and the girls are basically there 9 months out of the year. Although it is a "boarding school" Cecilia clearly states 2 things:
1) Boarding is not optional - because the school wants to keep the girls focused, together, and safe. As we all know there are too many distractions for teenagers these days and in Ghana it is not different - just different distractions.
2) Boarding School may denote a school for the elite of Ghana, but not in this case. A large percentage of the girls are on scholarship primarily funded by the government and churches AND wait for it...villages will pool their money and send a girl to the school.
Idlewild in considering putting in a clean water system at the school.
Here are a few pictures of the campus.
I am going to provide some highlights of the history and purpose of the school, but for deeper information about what they are doing go Goggle "Krobo School for Girls" and check it out.
KSG was founded in 1927 by several female missionaries from Scotland. The school started in another location than where it is now, but some time early on several girls from the Krobo region attended the school and the Chief of the village that the girls were from was so impressed with the results of the school that he gave the school a HUGE slice a land on a mountain. The compound/campus is multiple buildings (I lost count) on the mountain and is secured by the terrain and a wall.
The girls come from all over Ghana now as KSG has built a premier reputation. It's a boarding school and the girls are basically there 9 months out of the year. Although it is a "boarding school" Cecilia clearly states 2 things:
1) Boarding is not optional - because the school wants to keep the girls focused, together, and safe. As we all know there are too many distractions for teenagers these days and in Ghana it is not different - just different distractions.
2) Boarding School may denote a school for the elite of Ghana, but not in this case. A large percentage of the girls are on scholarship primarily funded by the government and churches AND wait for it...villages will pool their money and send a girl to the school.
Idlewild in considering putting in a clean water system at the school.
Here are a few pictures of the campus.
Akropong - Presbyterian University Center
I thought this meeting with the PUC Water Board may have been the best to date.
Backing up a little bit, Jim learned last night that the two senior members of the board were not going to attend the meeting - both away from Akropong. At that point it felt like the meeting might be a formality.
However, the rest of the board was very engaged in the meeting and were transparent with us as to their challenges. I don't know for sure, but my guess is the group at the meeting is very close to the daily activities of the CW system and the distribution of the water,
They set the tone of the meeting by presenting us with a formal report that outlined the Operation, Scope of their Services, a segmented break down of who they are supplying water, the benefits they are seeing, etc. Blew me away.
They are filling over 200 5 gallon bottles a month - this may not sound like a lot, but given their two big constraints - it's not bad.
The two issues they have are consistent power and the need for more bottles. We talked through the challenge they have with consistent electricity and figured out through another initiative they have going with the greater presbytery, they can probably fold in a more consistent source for power.
With regard to the need for additional bottles, we think we developed a solution for that as well.
We spent some time at their water system, see pictures, allowing MIchael to troubleshoot a small problem with the way the operator was cleaning one of the filters and how the operator was keeping the daily records.
Backing up a little bit, Jim learned last night that the two senior members of the board were not going to attend the meeting - both away from Akropong. At that point it felt like the meeting might be a formality.
However, the rest of the board was very engaged in the meeting and were transparent with us as to their challenges. I don't know for sure, but my guess is the group at the meeting is very close to the daily activities of the CW system and the distribution of the water,
They set the tone of the meeting by presenting us with a formal report that outlined the Operation, Scope of their Services, a segmented break down of who they are supplying water, the benefits they are seeing, etc. Blew me away.
They are filling over 200 5 gallon bottles a month - this may not sound like a lot, but given their two big constraints - it's not bad.
The two issues they have are consistent power and the need for more bottles. We talked through the challenge they have with consistent electricity and figured out through another initiative they have going with the greater presbytery, they can probably fold in a more consistent source for power.
With regard to the need for additional bottles, we think we developed a solution for that as well.
We spent some time at their water system, see pictures, allowing MIchael to troubleshoot a small problem with the way the operator was cleaning one of the filters and how the operator was keeping the daily records.
Morning in Akropong (Updated)
I updated this post with a picture of the rain from out sidewalk porch. Ended up being a pretty good tropical shower.
Jim & I awoke this a.m. to a pretty good rain storm.
For sure all the water systems that are catching rain water for their source got a big boost with this rain storm this morning.
Akropong sits at a fairly high elevation as compared to Accra, so the winds off the coast last night were great.
This morning we have a meeting with the Presbyterian University College here in Akropong. The PUC has a system that has neem struggling, so having Michael, the LWW tech travel with us to Akropong will be beneficial to figure out what problems the PUC operating team is experiencing.
Jim & I awoke this a.m. to a pretty good rain storm.
For sure all the water systems that are catching rain water for their source got a big boost with this rain storm this morning.
Akropong sits at a fairly high elevation as compared to Accra, so the winds off the coast last night were great.
This morning we have a meeting with the Presbyterian University College here in Akropong. The PUC has a system that has neem struggling, so having Michael, the LWW tech travel with us to Akropong will be beneficial to figure out what problems the PUC operating team is experiencing.
Thursday, April 25, 2013
Nsawam
This morning we packed up and left Nsaba and began our journey to Nsawam, but not before visiting with one of the seminary classes.
Before I left the US, our household went through a purging of all the hats we don't use anymore - we came up with about 35-40 hats. So I packed them in my bag and brought them to Ghana. Jim and I have been handing them out along our journey so far and this morning we emptied the bag at Nsaba before we left.
Take a look at the picture and I bet many of you can see a part of you represented in these hats.
Sorry Stephen, but your Lynyrd Skynyrd trucker hat is now in Ghana. I thought for sure I told one of your brothers to pull it out of the mix - but now Sweet Home Alabama rings in Nsaba.
We traveled to Nsawam today where we visited BOPA. BOPA is a school for girls in the heart of Nsawam, we literally had to ask street vendors to move just to get inside of the school compound - it was a small sea of people to say the least.
BOPA is run by a minister named Dora. Dora has got to be one of the most dynamic and entrepreneurial people I have ever met. If this lady wasn't working for God, she'd be the CEO of some company.
BOPA is hugely committed to the clean water project. Clean water is front and center to all they do. BOPA catches huge amounts of rain water from the roofs of their buildings and I lost count at just how many reserve tanks they have that are holding water.
The one problem BOPA does have is that because they are catching rain water off the roofs, the water going through the system is laced with fine dust from the Sahara. So, the good news is that the local clean water tech, Michael, was with us at BOPA and he was able to provide some additional insights and training for the BOPA operator that will hopefully help improve the removal of the dust. There is a picture of the operator by the clean water station.
In addition, Jim knew of the problem and brought a little finer level of filter for Michael to install to see if that improved the removal of the dust as well.
One of the pictures you see below is the tank that catches all the rain water from the roofs and is the source tank into the clean water system which there is also picture.
BOPA (Dora) is taking girls, mostly the most vulnerable, from Nsawam and the surrounding villages and she is teaching them to be "self sustaining". BOPA teaches the girls two things: 1) an academic curriculum; and 2) a trade. The girls are trained in either cooking, sewing, or dying and printing of cloth. The program is a series of training and then placement as an apprentice and then more training and then another placement, etc. until the girls are ready to leave BOPA and go back home or relocate to somewhere else.
The current school compound is small based on the number of girls (80) attending BOPA. Some years ago Dora obtained some funding to build a new campus (100 acres) out in the country side where BOPA could serve more girls and BOPA could provide more education and training of trade. We actually saw the new campus and partially built building on the way to Nsawam.
Dora's vision is to expand the girls capabilities into agriculture, car repair, welding, etc. to where they are able to participate in even greater opportunities in the work force.
This lady is changing lives.
Dora doesn't want to depend on anyone. She wants BOPA to be a self sustaining and always growing institution. She has struggled to raise the remaining funds needed to complete the new campus mainly because she is also the chief fund raiser - so its difficult to take time away from the day-to-day of BOPA and spend the necessary time and energy to raise the capital.
In the mean time, they take the girls every other weekend to the campus and spend the night looking forward to the future.
We arrived to Akropong a little while ago for the evening.
Before I left the US, our household went through a purging of all the hats we don't use anymore - we came up with about 35-40 hats. So I packed them in my bag and brought them to Ghana. Jim and I have been handing them out along our journey so far and this morning we emptied the bag at Nsaba before we left.
Take a look at the picture and I bet many of you can see a part of you represented in these hats.
Sorry Stephen, but your Lynyrd Skynyrd trucker hat is now in Ghana. I thought for sure I told one of your brothers to pull it out of the mix - but now Sweet Home Alabama rings in Nsaba.
We traveled to Nsawam today where we visited BOPA. BOPA is a school for girls in the heart of Nsawam, we literally had to ask street vendors to move just to get inside of the school compound - it was a small sea of people to say the least.
BOPA is run by a minister named Dora. Dora has got to be one of the most dynamic and entrepreneurial people I have ever met. If this lady wasn't working for God, she'd be the CEO of some company.
BOPA is hugely committed to the clean water project. Clean water is front and center to all they do. BOPA catches huge amounts of rain water from the roofs of their buildings and I lost count at just how many reserve tanks they have that are holding water.
The one problem BOPA does have is that because they are catching rain water off the roofs, the water going through the system is laced with fine dust from the Sahara. So, the good news is that the local clean water tech, Michael, was with us at BOPA and he was able to provide some additional insights and training for the BOPA operator that will hopefully help improve the removal of the dust. There is a picture of the operator by the clean water station.
In addition, Jim knew of the problem and brought a little finer level of filter for Michael to install to see if that improved the removal of the dust as well.
One of the pictures you see below is the tank that catches all the rain water from the roofs and is the source tank into the clean water system which there is also picture.
BOPA (Dora) is taking girls, mostly the most vulnerable, from Nsawam and the surrounding villages and she is teaching them to be "self sustaining". BOPA teaches the girls two things: 1) an academic curriculum; and 2) a trade. The girls are trained in either cooking, sewing, or dying and printing of cloth. The program is a series of training and then placement as an apprentice and then more training and then another placement, etc. until the girls are ready to leave BOPA and go back home or relocate to somewhere else.
The current school compound is small based on the number of girls (80) attending BOPA. Some years ago Dora obtained some funding to build a new campus (100 acres) out in the country side where BOPA could serve more girls and BOPA could provide more education and training of trade. We actually saw the new campus and partially built building on the way to Nsawam.
Dora's vision is to expand the girls capabilities into agriculture, car repair, welding, etc. to where they are able to participate in even greater opportunities in the work force.
This lady is changing lives.
Dora doesn't want to depend on anyone. She wants BOPA to be a self sustaining and always growing institution. She has struggled to raise the remaining funds needed to complete the new campus mainly because she is also the chief fund raiser - so its difficult to take time away from the day-to-day of BOPA and spend the necessary time and energy to raise the capital.
In the mean time, they take the girls every other weekend to the campus and spend the night looking forward to the future.
We arrived to Akropong a little while ago for the evening.
The World is Flat
Just running through my emails and someone asked my how in the world if I am out in the middle of nowhere can I be sending emails, texts, let along updating a blog with pictures.
Well, we may be in Nsaba, Ghana working on clean water issues and sleeping in a building with no running water, but Nsaba has great electricity and great cell phone coverage (5 bars).
Therefore, I have access to the internet.
Most everyone (adults for sure) have cell phones. We have started every meeting off with passing a list around the meeting asking for name and cell phone number.
In fact, Jim has a local phone he uses here and we had to stop yesterday along side the road and let him "score" some minutes for his phone by buying a prepaid card with minutes.
Friedman said that technology is flattening the world - this blog is an example...of course along with chicken wings and satellite TV!
Well, we may be in Nsaba, Ghana working on clean water issues and sleeping in a building with no running water, but Nsaba has great electricity and great cell phone coverage (5 bars).
Therefore, I have access to the internet.
Most everyone (adults for sure) have cell phones. We have started every meeting off with passing a list around the meeting asking for name and cell phone number.
In fact, Jim has a local phone he uses here and we had to stop yesterday along side the road and let him "score" some minutes for his phone by buying a prepaid card with minutes.
Friedman said that technology is flattening the world - this blog is an example...of course along with chicken wings and satellite TV!
Wednesday, April 24, 2013
It's Universal
For those of you who know my wife, Chalmers, you know she fights an uphill battle everyday with household of all males - me, 3 boys, Luke (the dog), and Greer (the cat).
There is always a directive, discussion, debate, protest, etc. around clothes on the floor, "why does your stuff have to be in the middle of where we live..", the consumption levels of milk, and so on.
Dinner has become an art for Chalmers. The schedule is always challenging with practices, meetings, etc. The menu, i.e who like green foods - who doesn't, who likes fish - who doesn't, etc. is more like a crossword puzzle exercise than menu planning.
Probably the steepest part of the daily hill is when we all can have dinner at home together - where to serve the meal. The majority of the household would like dinner on their own "turf"..Luke likes his bowl on the patio by the den door, Greer likes his food served on the driveway outside of the garage, and the rest of us about 6 to 9 feet directly in front of THE TV.
Chalmers has adapted well however, now when she wants the family to sit at the table for dinner she goes ahead and sets the table and then waits for one of the boys or me to say.."so we're having dinner at the table tonight, huh?" - in a tone like Columbus discovering the new world.
In fact, when Chalmers gets pressed - she knows she can always throw out some wings from Gus' and a starch or two in front of the TV and the hounds will circle up and do what they do.
BTW - it even works for me as the other day I caught John & David taking a meal in front of the TV while watching an ice hockey game on some 700+ channel. I asked them what they knew about ice hockey and David said..."it's hard to see the puck".
So I tell you the above to tell you the below (and this is for you Chalmers):
As you all know Jim & I stayed at the Presbyterian School last night in Nsaba.
Dinner was planned at 6:30 p.m. with the school's chaplain and our driver (Samuel).
If I hadn't told you the above, you probably would have had a picture in your mind of us sitting around a table talking about the school, politics, cultures, etc. You'd be wrong.
Jim & I showed up to the room for dinner and in front of us was...the local form of chicken wings, white rice, and noodles all laid out about 6 feet from....you got it...THE TV.
There was a FIFA soccer semi-final game on TV being broadcast live from Germany. I am not sure we knew who was playing - Samuel knew one team - but that was about it. It didn't matter - it was the game.
So, there we were trying to have a little bit of dialogue while taking in our wings, rice, & noodles all while watching a game that no one really had a vested interest.
The takeaways are:
1) Chicken wings and a couple of starches fill the belly and soothe the soul of the male gender, AND
2) It's not about the sport, it's about the GAME, AND
3) Guys might not be able to find where they laid that last clothing item or we might have to be reminded about that upcoming special date, but you can bet one thing for sure - with a little help from electricity and satellite TV where ever we are in the world we can find a game on right at dinner time!
It's like home.
It's Universal!
There is always a directive, discussion, debate, protest, etc. around clothes on the floor, "why does your stuff have to be in the middle of where we live..", the consumption levels of milk, and so on.
Dinner has become an art for Chalmers. The schedule is always challenging with practices, meetings, etc. The menu, i.e who like green foods - who doesn't, who likes fish - who doesn't, etc. is more like a crossword puzzle exercise than menu planning.
Probably the steepest part of the daily hill is when we all can have dinner at home together - where to serve the meal. The majority of the household would like dinner on their own "turf"..Luke likes his bowl on the patio by the den door, Greer likes his food served on the driveway outside of the garage, and the rest of us about 6 to 9 feet directly in front of THE TV.
Chalmers has adapted well however, now when she wants the family to sit at the table for dinner she goes ahead and sets the table and then waits for one of the boys or me to say.."so we're having dinner at the table tonight, huh?" - in a tone like Columbus discovering the new world.
In fact, when Chalmers gets pressed - she knows she can always throw out some wings from Gus' and a starch or two in front of the TV and the hounds will circle up and do what they do.
BTW - it even works for me as the other day I caught John & David taking a meal in front of the TV while watching an ice hockey game on some 700+ channel. I asked them what they knew about ice hockey and David said..."it's hard to see the puck".
So I tell you the above to tell you the below (and this is for you Chalmers):
As you all know Jim & I stayed at the Presbyterian School last night in Nsaba.
Dinner was planned at 6:30 p.m. with the school's chaplain and our driver (Samuel).
If I hadn't told you the above, you probably would have had a picture in your mind of us sitting around a table talking about the school, politics, cultures, etc. You'd be wrong.
Jim & I showed up to the room for dinner and in front of us was...the local form of chicken wings, white rice, and noodles all laid out about 6 feet from....you got it...THE TV.
There was a FIFA soccer semi-final game on TV being broadcast live from Germany. I am not sure we knew who was playing - Samuel knew one team - but that was about it. It didn't matter - it was the game.
So, there we were trying to have a little bit of dialogue while taking in our wings, rice, & noodles all while watching a game that no one really had a vested interest.
The takeaways are:
1) Chicken wings and a couple of starches fill the belly and soothe the soul of the male gender, AND
2) It's not about the sport, it's about the GAME, AND
3) Guys might not be able to find where they laid that last clothing item or we might have to be reminded about that upcoming special date, but you can bet one thing for sure - with a little help from electricity and satellite TV where ever we are in the world we can find a game on right at dinner time!
It's like home.
It's Universal!
Nsaba
We arrived at Nsaba, about a 45 minute drive from Awisa early afternoon.
The water system is installed at a school that resides on the grounds of a large Presbytery facilities, i.e. church, etc.
This install has been not as productive as it was planned to be in the beginning - three years ago. The idea was that if you install the system and train the students clean water will get broad acceptance. It did! Initially. However, what wasn't taken into account was the turnover of the students, faculty, and administration. In other words the knowledge and motivation was lost over time and the students, etc. now don't believe they have clean water onsite and therefore bring their on water.
Good news is that the gap can be closed and that the church and school leadership are on board as to the priority of closing the gap. Jim & I have some ideas that we covered a couple with the Water Board will cover the rest with Kofi later in our trip.
Kofi headed back to Accra a little while ago, probably a 2 hour drive, and Jim and I are staying here tonight since tomorrow we are headed out not in the direction of Accra.
Kids have all just piled into the cafeteria building and even though I don't understand all the words - sound to me like any cafeteria full of kids in Memphis.
Weather was hot today, got a little shower late this afternoon that broke some of the heat - but like Memphis in July - it's humid!
Here are some pics from the school in Nsaba.
The water system is installed at a school that resides on the grounds of a large Presbytery facilities, i.e. church, etc.
This install has been not as productive as it was planned to be in the beginning - three years ago. The idea was that if you install the system and train the students clean water will get broad acceptance. It did! Initially. However, what wasn't taken into account was the turnover of the students, faculty, and administration. In other words the knowledge and motivation was lost over time and the students, etc. now don't believe they have clean water onsite and therefore bring their on water.
Good news is that the gap can be closed and that the church and school leadership are on board as to the priority of closing the gap. Jim & I have some ideas that we covered a couple with the Water Board will cover the rest with Kofi later in our trip.
Kofi headed back to Accra a little while ago, probably a 2 hour drive, and Jim and I are staying here tonight since tomorrow we are headed out not in the direction of Accra.
Kids have all just piled into the cafeteria building and even though I don't understand all the words - sound to me like any cafeteria full of kids in Memphis.
Weather was hot today, got a little shower late this afternoon that broke some of the heat - but like Memphis in July - it's humid!
Here are some pics from the school in Nsaba.
Awisa
Arrived at Awisa a little after noon today.
JIm, Kofi, & I met with the Awisa Water Board - a group of about 10 people from the local presbyterian church and boys school.
The Water Board has some good questions around obtaining more 5 gallon bottles, how to provide water to those in their community that are really in need, and how they could sell some of the water to help offset the costs of the system's operation.
The Awisa system is based on catching rain water. So for about 3 months out of the year the cisterns run dry because of lack of rain. The Water Board is considering a bore hole to either be an additional source for their LWW system OR have an additional water supply for non-drinking applications, i.e. washing clothes, bathing, etc.
Awisa is probably one of Idlewild's best examples of of how a system should function to support the needs for drinking water related to the boy's school and church. Idlewild is at the end of it's 3 year covenant with the Awisa Water Board. Going forward Idlewild will certainly be interested in how Awisa is doing and is available to help - the benefits of the system are now up to the Water Board and the Living Waters Ghana network to sustain the system.
JIm was telling me that before the system was installed AND the health & hygiene training performed that the boys school did not have a place in the school for the boys to wash their hands - now the school has a wash basin just for washing hands.
I asked the headmaster of the school has the number of illnesses related bad water have gone down since the system was installed and training performed.
Some pics from Awisa
JIm, Kofi, & I met with the Awisa Water Board - a group of about 10 people from the local presbyterian church and boys school.
The Water Board has some good questions around obtaining more 5 gallon bottles, how to provide water to those in their community that are really in need, and how they could sell some of the water to help offset the costs of the system's operation.
The Awisa system is based on catching rain water. So for about 3 months out of the year the cisterns run dry because of lack of rain. The Water Board is considering a bore hole to either be an additional source for their LWW system OR have an additional water supply for non-drinking applications, i.e. washing clothes, bathing, etc.
Awisa is probably one of Idlewild's best examples of of how a system should function to support the needs for drinking water related to the boy's school and church. Idlewild is at the end of it's 3 year covenant with the Awisa Water Board. Going forward Idlewild will certainly be interested in how Awisa is doing and is available to help - the benefits of the system are now up to the Water Board and the Living Waters Ghana network to sustain the system.
JIm was telling me that before the system was installed AND the health & hygiene training performed that the boys school did not have a place in the school for the boys to wash their hands - now the school has a wash basin just for washing hands.
I asked the headmaster of the school has the number of illnesses related bad water have gone down since the system was installed and training performed.
Some pics from Awisa
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