The first construction volunteers to arrive on this project were Alice and Richard from Arup, with Peter from Davis Langdon hot on their heels. They were inducted and got quickly to work on whatever Foreman Aggrey had for them to do. Over the past two weeks they have been doing soil shrinkage tests, bending steel with Biladi, bailing water, oiling timber, shifting soil, surveying, and mucking in with the gangs digging the drainage swales. They have been a real boost to the project in mutual inspiration with the local work force, particularly the community gang labour.
Ok so we haven’t poured the concrete for the first foundation, but we are so close, despite the first rains (perfectly timed!) in months which flooded our efforts two nights in a row!
The carpenters (Matthew, Emmanuel, Ampong) spent two weeks building the formwork, and it is now beautifully true, cleaned, oiled, and well supporting in its trench.
The steel benders (Biladi with help from plumber and apprentice steel bender, Nana) spent two weeks building the cages which are now gleaming and snugly spaced inside the formwork.
We finally have agreement with the community over the provision of water to the site.
The sand (quarry dust), cement, and pozzolana (cement replacement) are all ready.
It is just the stone aggregate which is missing and the cement mixer has a small mechanical fault. The hope is that these will be sorted tomorrow ready for pouring Monday.... to be confirmed!
Meanwhile at the Islamic school (in which we live), the children got their mock exam results and despite some very strong performances, they were caned for poor results. Caning is a common form of discipline here, but it is being fought by charities, teaching volunteers and strong-willed Ghanaians. We decided to lift the mood by putting on a movie night. With the projector from the office, the electricity stayed on for the entire showing of Prince of Persia. The 30-strong audience depleted as tiredness set in, but they laughed and were shocked in all the right places.
Here are some photos. Please view by SET.
Saturday, 19 February 2011
Sunday, 6 February 2011
Sod Cutting
A roller coaster week on site started with discontent and the threat of worker strikes and ended with a fantastic ground breaking ceremony.
It had been brewing for a few weeks now, since the dozer had been in to level the site. Unfortunately it was not able to level the pitch at the same time, partly because it did not have time and partly because it was not the right machine for the job. A grader is to be brought in to provide a professional standard size flat pitch of which the school and community will be proud. However, a grader costs a fair bit, and whilst the project continues to await funding, we are not able to complete the task just yet. In the meantime we are trying to scrape together enough small funds for materials to keep the construction going. The Muslim community are in the minority and generally feel ostracised. However, the pitch at their school was the biggest in the area and attracted all of the top local sporting events and the respect and kudos with it. The community now see it in tatters whilst the construction continues. This finally boiled over when the headmaster was away, which was unfortunate as he is the community liaison and a highly respected man. The workforce, the chief and I were all caught in the middle of something that none of us could resolve, but after lots of strong language and emotion we managed to calm it down and keep people working (although not so hard!). It wasn’t until the morning of the ceremony that the headmaster returned, met with Mike from Sabre, and took control of the situation. The timing was perfect as the ceremony had been in danger too. It turned out to be a few local footballers (from the Tuesday work gang) making a loud noise, and really it is up to the headmaster what happens to the school pitch, so his word is taken as final. He understands the long term perspective and is fully supportive of the project. As soon as the money arrives, the pitch is a priority.
This resolution together with the ceremony that followed breathed a fresh excitement into the project. The school prepared the chairs and tents, a few huge distorted loud speakers were wheeled in which is a must for any public event. TV3 and a local radio station provided coverage and conducted interviews with us. Representatives of the Ghana Education Service, the local MP, Tullow Oil (major funder), Davis Langdon UK, Arup UK (me!) as well as all Sabre staff, the chief and elders, school and community all took part. Mathematics teacher Joseph compered the event which included rousing speeches from key representatives enforcing the significance of the success of this project in developing future similar projects. The school provided an interlude of cultural dancing, drumming, and singing. Then the major event as the dignitaries took the first spades of soil from the second classroom foundation. The newly erected site signboard provided a focus of interest into the details of the project with the media and the major funder particularly impressed with the use of local materials and community engagement.
With a refreshed sense of vigour and appreciation for the project on their doorstep, the chief, headmaster and various elders all expressed their regret at the preceding difficulties which they assured me are firmly under control now. Onward and upward.... now where did I see that money.....!?
In terms of construction, we had our first concrete pour, started the steel bending and the foundation formwork, erected the site fence, site shelter, site notice board, site bell. The steel bender who we are employing on a 3 month salary is Biladi (previously Friday gang), one of the 6 hardworking boys on the job from the Moro family (whose father is a respected elder seen boogeying with the shades in the photo link below). His brothers Ademu (lead mason), Awudu (Thursday gang leader), Awudu junior (Thursday gang), Sullei (Thursday gang), Salu (Tuesday gang) are all strong workers and fine men. They will be proud to send their children and grandchildren to the kindergarten school which is built with their hard graft.
Here are some photos from this week.
It had been brewing for a few weeks now, since the dozer had been in to level the site. Unfortunately it was not able to level the pitch at the same time, partly because it did not have time and partly because it was not the right machine for the job. A grader is to be brought in to provide a professional standard size flat pitch of which the school and community will be proud. However, a grader costs a fair bit, and whilst the project continues to await funding, we are not able to complete the task just yet. In the meantime we are trying to scrape together enough small funds for materials to keep the construction going. The Muslim community are in the minority and generally feel ostracised. However, the pitch at their school was the biggest in the area and attracted all of the top local sporting events and the respect and kudos with it. The community now see it in tatters whilst the construction continues. This finally boiled over when the headmaster was away, which was unfortunate as he is the community liaison and a highly respected man. The workforce, the chief and I were all caught in the middle of something that none of us could resolve, but after lots of strong language and emotion we managed to calm it down and keep people working (although not so hard!). It wasn’t until the morning of the ceremony that the headmaster returned, met with Mike from Sabre, and took control of the situation. The timing was perfect as the ceremony had been in danger too. It turned out to be a few local footballers (from the Tuesday work gang) making a loud noise, and really it is up to the headmaster what happens to the school pitch, so his word is taken as final. He understands the long term perspective and is fully supportive of the project. As soon as the money arrives, the pitch is a priority.
This resolution together with the ceremony that followed breathed a fresh excitement into the project. The school prepared the chairs and tents, a few huge distorted loud speakers were wheeled in which is a must for any public event. TV3 and a local radio station provided coverage and conducted interviews with us. Representatives of the Ghana Education Service, the local MP, Tullow Oil (major funder), Davis Langdon UK, Arup UK (me!) as well as all Sabre staff, the chief and elders, school and community all took part. Mathematics teacher Joseph compered the event which included rousing speeches from key representatives enforcing the significance of the success of this project in developing future similar projects. The school provided an interlude of cultural dancing, drumming, and singing. Then the major event as the dignitaries took the first spades of soil from the second classroom foundation. The newly erected site signboard provided a focus of interest into the details of the project with the media and the major funder particularly impressed with the use of local materials and community engagement.
With a refreshed sense of vigour and appreciation for the project on their doorstep, the chief, headmaster and various elders all expressed their regret at the preceding difficulties which they assured me are firmly under control now. Onward and upward.... now where did I see that money.....!?
In terms of construction, we had our first concrete pour, started the steel bending and the foundation formwork, erected the site fence, site shelter, site notice board, site bell. The steel bender who we are employing on a 3 month salary is Biladi (previously Friday gang), one of the 6 hardworking boys on the job from the Moro family (whose father is a respected elder seen boogeying with the shades in the photo link below). His brothers Ademu (lead mason), Awudu (Thursday gang leader), Awudu junior (Thursday gang), Sullei (Thursday gang), Salu (Tuesday gang) are all strong workers and fine men. They will be proud to send their children and grandchildren to the kindergarten school which is built with their hard graft.
Here are some photos from this week.
Tuesday, 1 February 2011
Rehearsals..
It is the end of the month. Work on the site has progressed beyond the drainage swales. Work on the foundation for the first classroom has begun, with the second classroom to start this week. A huge polytank is erected for the site water, while the site signboards go up and bamboo is split for the site fencing. The swale continues at the far end of the site where it will carry the flood waters away. The engineers are busy too, ensuring that the levels and measurements are precise. All in all, progress is reasonable.
As we draw nearer to the ground-breaking ceremony as well as mock exams, the school has been engaged preparing for both events. The chief and elders of Ayensudo have personally taken it upon themselves to put on a good show. So, every night we hear drumming and singing in the classrooms that lures us out of our home. We sit watching the dedicated children dance with the chief leading them in songs. The spectators, mostly kids, also join in, dancing and revelling in the music by the corridors of the school usually having to be hushed by a bark from the elders. In the meantime, the teachers hold lessons with music in the background as the older students sit for their BECs this April.
This weekend, a trip to the beach was much needed. Ko-Sa Beach Resort is close to Ampenyi village and idyllic. The trip was meant to ease Lawrence, the trainee engineer back into swimming in the sea after his whirlpool scare last weekend. He had gone swimming in Brenu and got sucked into a riptide that pushed him far out to sea. Having never experienced this phenomenon, poor Lawrence fought the current, using up all his energy. A friend who was on shore managed to alert the lifeguards, who calmed Lawrence and pulled him back to shore. We advised him not to let the incident stop him from swimming but he escaped to Takoradi this time.
Joe's 30-minute walk turned into an hour (as I had predicted). It is recommended on a cloudy day as the road is quiet and very suitable for a political debate. We passed through friendly and colourful Ampenyi on our way to the resort.
Ko-Sa is relaxing and has a circle of rocks which helps prevent nasty currents from tugging at you. The local boys were even somersaulting into the water. A fresh coconut, reclining beach chair and interesting book did the job nicely as did people-watching.
Tip: I had discovered the joys of plaintain chips (50 pesewas for a bag – about 20 pence) on my first day in Ghana. Imagine my glee when I discovered a new version. The regular chips are yellow while the new ones are dark brown, nearly black. The yellow ones taste a little sweet but mostly salty whilst the brown ones are sweet! A must try out here.
Another Tip: Small bags of red ice cold natural orange/pineapple juice flavoured with lots of different herbs and spices make the perfect refreshing hit at the end of a long day in the sun, for just 10 pesewas!
Here are some photo's. Please view by SET.
Tuesday, 25 January 2011
Our Neighbourhood
Last week was an interesting one. I waited for almost 2 hours for a tro-tro for a 10-minute ride. It would have been an enjoyable experience, road side socialising is very entertaining, except that I saw a young kid (goat) get hit by a car first, then a van. As I was stood right in front of where it happened, I was in shock and had my face in my hands. I must have screamed because when I looked up I met some curious expressions. Someone noticed that the goat was still on the road and pulled it to the side, where it laid until I got onto my tro-tro.
Over the weekend we explored Cape Coast, the regional capital, with markets filled with fresh fish, vegetables, pig meat, as well as household items. It is about 20 minutes drive from Ayensudo and is our source of finance, travel centre, and has some great places to eat. It also houses the largest old colonial trading castle in West Africa (although quite small in comparison to European castles). Cape Coast Castle changed hands many times, as the Portuguese, Dutch, and English fought for territory to trade goods (and later slaves). It has one of the better museums about local and colonial history which we wandered around for half an hour before the tour of the slave quarters. A Ghanaian half an hour can be longer, so we strolled around the castle walls, with the cannons on one side and the hundreds of original rusting cannon balls on the other. The tour itself took us through the appalling conditions slaves had to endure for months at a time, eating, sleeping, toileting, all standing in the same tiny space. It was difficult to comprehend the cruelty they were subjected to. The tour ended on a high at the Door of Return through which slave descendents are welcomed back to find their roots should they wish to.
On the left of the castle is the Cape Coast fishing community; a scenic and playful view from the castle with children splashing around the fishing boats in the water, careful not to go out too far as swimming is not a strength out here. We spent the rest of the day trying to find fresh vegetables but did not navigate the correct narrow market lanes so failed this time!
In the evening, we had a leaving dinner for our new friend Roos who was heading back to Holland after a year out here. We managed to find fresh mangoes for dessert and limes for the gin. We indulged in a luxurious feast with real Dutch and French cheeses, and chocolate! These things are only on the menu if someone comes out from Europe/America with generous gifts! Very good evening indeed.
We also discovered a secret side to Lawrence (our housemate and trainee engineer). He has connections! We were attempting to buy a bagload of purified water at a cheaper rate directly from the water truck. Usually they won't sell it directly to you as you have to go to the individual shops and pay more. However, Lawrence stepped in, had a couple of words, and was not only given a bag, but they would not even take any money for it! Turns out his aunt runs a water truck business in Takoradi.... it's all about who you know!
The neighbours tend to drop in quite a lot these days. With a school right next to the house and a small community living at the bottom of the driveway (Mustafa runs his scrap metal business there), we have a constant stream of visitors whether we like it or not. In the mornings, the roosters like to stand proudly on our porch to announce the day whilst the goats scuffle and bleat in the bushes nearby. Then comes the dustcloud as the school children sweep up before their lessons. The infectious drumming follows with singing, signalling the start of lessons and cue for us to get to work too. The back garden is rearranged for the temporary outdoor nursury. In the evenings and weekends, bright, glassy-eyed children peer into the house and sing a chorus of 'obruni'. The chief and headmaster (Abdullai) like to drop by in the evenings to talk outside for a while. For the next 3 months the older children will be sleeping at the school with a couple of teachers for group study. As the night draws in, the insects pipe up all around, and the bats in the roof make their noisy moves.
Sunday, 23 January 2011
The Machine Is Worth A Thousand Shovels
The Dozer finally arrived!
It was a jubilant week for the project as the Dozer spent two full days levelling the compound area where the classrooms are to be built. This means that we can now set out the classrooms and start on the foundations. There was a lot of soil to shift, and with the relatively small machine, it took the operator two full days to complete the task. He was skilled and hardworking, although it appears that to get someone to do their job properly does require something of an incentive, so both days were spent sweet talking, buying lunch, drinks, and promising to dash him (tip) if the job is completed well. In the end he was very unhappy with our “charity” dash (~50% of his salary over the two days). However, the Chief asked him to do an extra couple of hours on his own plot in the bush behind the kindergarten where he wants to build a house, and for this he dashed him extremely well (tripling his earnings over the two days). So in the end everybody was happy. Although we still need to get a grader in to level the football pitch in time for sports season next month!
Elsewhere the drainage swales continued to take shape with a vehicle crossing added, and the site store and site fencing are in their infancy. We have been putting in place plans for the project, such as:-
It was a jubilant week for the project as the Dozer spent two full days levelling the compound area where the classrooms are to be built. This means that we can now set out the classrooms and start on the foundations. There was a lot of soil to shift, and with the relatively small machine, it took the operator two full days to complete the task. He was skilled and hardworking, although it appears that to get someone to do their job properly does require something of an incentive, so both days were spent sweet talking, buying lunch, drinks, and promising to dash him (tip) if the job is completed well. In the end he was very unhappy with our “charity” dash (~50% of his salary over the two days). However, the Chief asked him to do an extra couple of hours on his own plot in the bush behind the kindergarten where he wants to build a house, and for this he dashed him extremely well (tripling his earnings over the two days). So in the end everybody was happy. Although we still need to get a grader in to level the football pitch in time for sports season next month!
Elsewhere the drainage swales continued to take shape with a vehicle crossing added, and the site store and site fencing are in their infancy. We have been putting in place plans for the project, such as:-
- a site induction which will be given to everybody who comes to the site with a host of top tips and site rules to keep the site clean tidy and the people safe and happy
- health and safety systems which are somewhere between UK law, Ghana standard practice, and practical common sense
- a training plan for Lawrence, the trainee engineer who will be left holding the baby when my savings run out....
Here are some photo's. Please view by SET.
Thursday, 13 January 2011
The Harmattan
The Harmattan haze is upon us. The dry, dusty wind blows in from the Sahara and contributes to the poor visibility these days. Every morning seems to have a bit more bite in the air. It is chilly at dawn and dusk (still only a T-shirt required though) which is of course a welcome respite after spending time in the heat of day.
We are now in week 2 of the Ayensudo Kindergarten Project. As we wait on the arrival of the bulldozer to level the site, the gangs of community labour have been cracking on with the digging of the drainage system either side of the football field. These are sloped ditches which will be planted with native grasses to prevent erosion. They will take excess rain water away from the kindergarten and the football field, and help to drain an area south of the site which is prone to flooding.
Meanwhile, our first weekend in the New Year has been a very exciting if not demanding one. We were privileged to be invited to a funeral of the old chief, a wedding and the instalment of the new chief.
The new chief, Mr. Ibrahim Yacob, had requested for Joe and I to cover the event by taking photos and keeping a video log of the proceedings. This was a rather daunting task but one that we were much obliged to perform. About 20 years ago Mr Ibrahim started the school which we are now extending. He is very helpful, influential, and most of all a great friend who comes to sit with us outside our house to talk most evenings.
The event began on Friday evening with the funeral sermon. This we attended from about 9:30 pm. The attendees were made up of local elders, the new chief and several Imams from neighbouring towns. There were songs and preaching and generally sombre proceedings, most of which we could not understand (apart from the bit about Cat Stevens converting to Islam). This carried on until 2am. We retired after midnight to conserve our energy for the main event on Saturday morning.
The day started out with more serious matters of introductions of chiefs from various villages and to formally introduce everyone. Men and women came from hundreds of miles around in their best boubou and m’boubou (elaborate gowns). There was much discussion about sitting arrangements, followed by supplications to God where everyone present contributed a token sum of money. This was done to remember the old chief that had passed away.
The wedding was not the great celebration that we envisioned. We hardly saw the groom and were told that the bride was not allowed to attend! And it was the part I was waiting for all day! Mr Abdullai, the Head Teacher at the local school, informed us that this was because the wedding was held in conjunction with a funeral, so the funeral took precedence. The wedding was simply meant to be legalised before the local elders.
The installation of the new chief was evidently THE EVENT of the day. The new chief was decked out in rather simple dress of white with a very intricate stitched decoration at his chest. He looked very much like the chief now! Once he was sworn in and formally introduced, he was set on a palanquin and raised on the heads of four men. This was the moment the women and children had been waiting in the periphery for. They began whooping and waving their scarves up and down (this is apparently to bestow best wishes and heap praise upon the new chief). It also seemed to be the signal for the brass band that had been on standby to begin!
It was a huge party, a carnival that took us from one end of the village to the other and onto the main road where it ended up with a cacophony of dance, shouts and music. The whole procession kicked up a big dust cloud that remained in the air long after the dancing had died down. With the new chief installed, the celebrations were to continue long into the day and evening. After multiple photos, stumbling after the crowd and many shouts of ‘obruni!’ later, we were done for the day.
It was a very fruitful venture and I think we managed to capture the mood of the community that day.
This is the same community that will be contributing to the Ayensudo Project with their time, labour and assistance.
Here are some photos. Please view by SET
Sunday, 2 January 2011
Happy New Year
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year....
Ours was a hot one. With the site all set out and ready to start digging in the new year, the workforce needed a well earned rest so the construction site and the Sabre office closed from 24th December to the 4th January. This meant that I could collect Uma from the airport on Christmas eve and head to the beach for some refuge from the ~32 degree daily heat. Before that though, we shared a Christmas fruit breakfast, and a lunch of jolof tomato fried rice with Mr Ofori and family with whom I had been staying since I arrived on December 6th until the site bungalow was ready for us.
On Boxing day we travelled by tro tro (public transport minibus) along the coast changing at Takoradi and then again at Agona Junction, finally arriving at the beach in Ezile Bay where we spent two nights in a stilted cabin in the secluded bay. With itchy feet, we decided to head to the small fishing village of Butre, near to Busua, about 15km east along the coast. With tro tros scarce in such a quiet place, we waited 2 hours for one to take us halfway, and then walked 2 hours to complete our journey. This took us through Dixcove where we passed one of the many colonial castles which litter the coastline built originally as a means to defend the trading area, and then used to store trade goods and slaves. Now they are used for local tourism, or budget accommodation. On passing the popular beach hangout of Busua, we were glad to be heading to the more tranquil fishing village of Butre. We crossed the precarious bridge from the village to the beach and settled in a treehouse at The Hideout.
There is a limit to what you can comfortably accomplish in a day in the Ghana heat, so we settled on eating fish and rice, drinking lemongrass tea with a local Rasta, walking along the beach and up to the ruin of the overlooking Dutch fort, and body surfing the endless crashing waves. For new year, we built a huge bamboo fire, and danced around it as the locals drummed and sang. Our new year bliss was broken by the local poaching of a huge sea turtle from outside the Hideout. These endangered and helpless creatures are common on these beaches, but protected internationally. The local guest houses have set up awareness programmes and nurseries to protect the turtles and their eggs as they come ashore to lay. Sadly some locals ignore these concerns and prefer to profit from selling the meat and eggs. Poignantly as we danced and drank in memory of the huge old creature, a baby turtle hatched, dug its way to the surface and dragged itself past us on its way to life in the great Atlantic ocean.
We are now back in Ayensudo and moved into our bungalow at the school on which we build the Kindergarten. We are excitedly preparing to start the hard graft this week....
Here are some photos. Please view by SET
Ours was a hot one. With the site all set out and ready to start digging in the new year, the workforce needed a well earned rest so the construction site and the Sabre office closed from 24th December to the 4th January. This meant that I could collect Uma from the airport on Christmas eve and head to the beach for some refuge from the ~32 degree daily heat. Before that though, we shared a Christmas fruit breakfast, and a lunch of jolof tomato fried rice with Mr Ofori and family with whom I had been staying since I arrived on December 6th until the site bungalow was ready for us.
On Boxing day we travelled by tro tro (public transport minibus) along the coast changing at Takoradi and then again at Agona Junction, finally arriving at the beach in Ezile Bay where we spent two nights in a stilted cabin in the secluded bay. With itchy feet, we decided to head to the small fishing village of Butre, near to Busua, about 15km east along the coast. With tro tros scarce in such a quiet place, we waited 2 hours for one to take us halfway, and then walked 2 hours to complete our journey. This took us through Dixcove where we passed one of the many colonial castles which litter the coastline built originally as a means to defend the trading area, and then used to store trade goods and slaves. Now they are used for local tourism, or budget accommodation. On passing the popular beach hangout of Busua, we were glad to be heading to the more tranquil fishing village of Butre. We crossed the precarious bridge from the village to the beach and settled in a treehouse at The Hideout.
There is a limit to what you can comfortably accomplish in a day in the Ghana heat, so we settled on eating fish and rice, drinking lemongrass tea with a local Rasta, walking along the beach and up to the ruin of the overlooking Dutch fort, and body surfing the endless crashing waves. For new year, we built a huge bamboo fire, and danced around it as the locals drummed and sang. Our new year bliss was broken by the local poaching of a huge sea turtle from outside the Hideout. These endangered and helpless creatures are common on these beaches, but protected internationally. The local guest houses have set up awareness programmes and nurseries to protect the turtles and their eggs as they come ashore to lay. Sadly some locals ignore these concerns and prefer to profit from selling the meat and eggs. Poignantly as we danced and drank in memory of the huge old creature, a baby turtle hatched, dug its way to the surface and dragged itself past us on its way to life in the great Atlantic ocean.
We are now back in Ayensudo and moved into our bungalow at the school on which we build the Kindergarten. We are excitedly preparing to start the hard graft this week....
Here are some photos. Please view by SET
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