1€ = 1.3₵
£1 = 1.9₵

Some of the equipment, that we wish to replicate,on display at the Teachers' Resource Centre (TRC) in Lawra.

 

Jenny and Ruth are working with Lawra Education Service to develop ‘model Kindergartens’in each of the 10 Lawra Districts, based on the successful Brutu Kindergarten pilot; but focusing on Teaching and Learning - not buildings.
There are logistical issues: we want to get as much equipment as possible made locally but we may still have to travel the 1600 km round trip to Accra to get some of the key items.

September 2008:
The intention is to provide educational play equipment, books and ‘cluster training’ for KG staff, in the effective use of the equipment.

October/November 2008:
First steps are: the sourcing of the equipment, the identification of the 9 additional 'model 'KG's; fixing the dates for the training,

December 2008- April 2009: Getting the play equipment in 'situ' and running the 'cluster training' for the staff from the surrounding KG's, at the 'model' KG's.

October 2008
Meetings have been held with the 10 key KG Headteachers and a plan has been agreed for the acquisition of, distribution and training in the use of the new equipment, and for the subsequent monitoring of its impact. Equipment should be received in Lawra before December 31st 2008, ready for cluster training to commence early in 2009.
January 2009
Significant funding has been received from donors in Ireland to enable the purchase of 10 complete sets of Kindergarten equipment similar to that supplied to Brutu. Ruth has devised a programme of training for the Kindergarten teachers which will assist them to make best use of the equipment for educational purposes
January 22nd 2009
The equipment has now arrived in Lawra ready to support the training of the teachers and subsequent distribution to the 10 key schools.

1€ = 1.3₵
£1 = 1.9₵

Estimates

Internet =980₵
= £516
= 754€
Copier
= £2600 +
= 3850€
Computers
1900₵
£1000

October 2008:
We have just purchased a modem and Internet Access for 1 year for Lawra, at a cost of 580₵ (£305), we have also replaced the broken photocopier with a re-conditioned one at a cost of 2500₵ (£1316); using £500 sponsorship money from Ysgol Brynhyfryd in Ruthin (thanks to Ceri Foulkes/Ransom) and £400 from our friends Dave and Jan in Northwich. The TRC has put in £700 from its own very limited budget until we can replace it with further sponsorship. The key task now is to train people in the use of the new resources so that they will continue to be used effectively after our departure in April 2009.

1€ = 1.3₵
£1 = 1.9₵

We need to acquire funding for more computers (a good reconditioned one can be purchased here for about £250) to enable us to: teach ICT skills to the District’s Teachers and to give students an experience of computers, which they cannot get in school. ICT is a compulsory part of the schools’ curriculum but there is neither electricity nor computers – thus the TRC has a critical role to play in ensuring acquisition of ICT skills for all.

£1,000 would allow us to acquire 4 basic computers with software installed.

October 2008:
The key task now is to acquire more computers and to train people in the use of the new resources so that they will continue to be used effectively after our departure in April 2009.

1€ = 1.3₵
£1 = 1.9₵

Nigel is working with the Non-formal Education Department to encourage adults with low literacy levels to engage in Learning. The initial budget looks likely to be between £2000 - £4000.

1€ = 1.3₵
£1 = 1.9₵

Women in village communities are tied to onerous, menial, but essential tasks, due to a lack of income. They are compelled to collect wood from the bush for fuel, walk long distances with huge containers of water on their heads, to and from the nearest borehole, and spend many hours hand grinding maize, nuts, millet etc with a mortar and pestel.

Consequently village women are almost all illiterate and have neither the time nor the energy to consider their own education and health. Income to the family could help relieve some of these burdens with significant social and economic impact.

£900

Total funds donated

Funding
1.9₵ =£1

Frodsham High School Students sponsored our mate Dave Bullock on a Mountain Bike event in the Clwydian Hills in North Wales .


Some of the equipment on display at the Teachers' Resource Centre (TRC) in Lawra.

£350

665₵

November 2007:Money received and in the bank. Meeting planned for January with Brutu Kindergarten PTA reps. Had informal discussions with GES (Ghana Education Service) Staff to pave the way. Our new VSO colleague Ruth, recently arrived from Ireland, is working with us/leading on this project as she lives in Nandom which is close to Brutu; Ruth also has sponsors in Ireland who might contribute to this potentially large project; we are using Brutu as a pilot, if we can make this one work there are 69 other Kindergartens to work on! We are considering how we might enable/skill/tool-up a local carpenter to make some of the toys and furniture needed for Kindergartens across the Lawra and Nandom District.
Today, Dec 17th we visited the Kindergarten play equipment maker's workshop in Accra and we ordered 400 Cedis worth of equipment; we hope to use these items as templates to manufacture equipment for other Kindergartens in Lawra. We will pick the items from the makers in January.
Jenny with Isaac the manager of Osei Research, the play equipment designer and maker, made, literally in his back yard!

Purchased over 50 items of play equipment, from jigsaws to rocking horses, from Osei Research Centre (ORC) - Dansoman, Accra, sufficient for two KG classes. The equipment was so good, we bought more than we initially planned!

527₵

Purchased crayons, pencils, sharpeners, erasers, writing books, rulers etc from Kingdom Books in Accra. Bought story books from the 'Bookshelf ' in Accra. Nominal contribution to transportation costs .

138₵

Funding
1.9₵ =£1

NIACE Dysgu Cymru Staff (Cardiff): Book sale with profits to Lawra Projects. £118

NDC:£118
224₵

Jacky Horrocks & Friends £130
247₵

 

Tot: 471₵

Funding
1.9₵ =£1

Pippa Higget with friends and acquaintances in our home territory of Llanfair DC in north Wales. Pippa organised an 'at Home' which entailed the sale of various 'goods', and a number of donations .

Some of the books we bought.

December 2007: Money received and in the bank. All sorts of possibilities - a cement floor, notice boards, stools, desks etc for a Kindergarten.
January 15th 2008: Jenny and Ruth met with Brutu PTA, staff, parents and local artisans to confirm priorities and begin process of obtaining estimates for laying a new floor, plastering the walls, making tables and chairs and providing noticeboards for displaying children's work
Feb 2008: Cement, sand and stones purchased
Unloading at Brutu

Purchased picture / story books from 'Exclusive Books' and 'Wordsworth Books' in Capetown for use in Kindergartens

Contribution to sand (10 loads), stones (5 loads) and cement (100 bags)for the classroom floor and for plastering the walls.
February 23rd: Work has now begun on classroom 1; the walls are being plastered and the floor being prepared for laying the concrete.
April 2008: The walls, floor and verandah of classroom 1 have now been completed - great news.

Funding
1.9₵ =£1

December 2007: Money received and in the bank. When we get back to Lawra in January we will discuss ideas with our other VSO colleagues and the Kindergartens' Advisor with whom we work.
February 2008:The estimate for improving the classrooms at Brutu is much higher than we expected, even though some members of the PTA are helping to do the work . We have decided to focus on doing one classroom properly, to begin with; we have put the two Llanfair DC contributions together to help us succeed.

March 2008 - Classroom 1 building renovations are almost complete; the walls are plastered and the floor has been cemented. Work has commenced on the improvements to classroom 2.
April 2008:The walls, floor and verandah of classroom 2 have now been completed - great news.
June 1st : The new furniture is under construction and within two weeks the classrooms should all be complete. Ruth will then begin training the staff in the use of the new Play Equipment.

608₵

Febrary 2008: The donation has been received. The classes are really enthused about linking with a school in the Lawra District of Ghana and have written and are sending letters, drawings, and photographs for us to share. As yet these have not arrived but we hope they won't be too long in coming.
March 30th: still no letters from Ysgol Stryd y Rhos - Ghana's postal service is not as efficient as the UK's!
April 2nd: letters have arrived! They are really good and interesting; schools here are now on holiday until May 5th so it will probably be June before we can start generating responses.
June 3rd Schools have resumed after their break and finally I (Jenny) managed to get started with Lawra Methodist School children to share the Rhos St letters and to begin responding to them.

March 2008: It looks likely that the £200, along with significant funds from donors in Galway in Ireland (via Ruth, our VSO colleague) will be used to help purchase chairs and tables, for Brutu Kindergarten (see above projects) The furniture will probably be made by local carpenters in Nandom. We hope to show you pictures of children sitting at the tables in a couple of months time - May/June.
April 2008: The extra £50 raised will be put towards basic items such as crayons, pens and paper to assist in the letter writing link between Rhos St and Lawra Methodist children.

May 2008: Generous donations from Ireland, meant that the additional 600c needed to pay for furniture could be paid. Donors included St. Brendan's Primary school, Portumna, Scoil an Chroí Naofa, Ballinasloe and Laurencetown \national School, as welll as donations from friends, family and neighbours . With the funds that have not been spent yet, it is hoped that similar projects could possibly be rolled out across the district. Go raibh míle míle maith agaibh!

July 4th: Furniture has been delivered; you will not believe it (and regrettably we do not have a photo) but all 96 chairs and 24 tables were carried by the older primary school children, on their heads, from the carpenters workshop to the Kindergarten at Brutu - a distance of 5 kilometres .

£1140
+
€800

July 22nd: we are holding an informal 'Handover' day at Brutu; our friends from the UK, Dave and Jan Bullock (the first, of several sponsors of this project) will be attending as guests of honour, along with the District Director of Education, the PTA, the carpenter, our 'dynamo' VSO colleague Ruth, who has channelled in an equivalent amount of finance from Galway in Ireland and most important of all, the children and the teachers .

Lawra Methodist Slide Show

Funding
1.9₵ =£1

Funding

£50

95₵

Febrary 2008: The donation has been received. The classes are really enthused about linking with a school in the Lawra District of Ghana and have written and are sending letters, drawings, and photographs for us to share. As yet these have not arrived but we hope they won't be too long in coming.
March 30th: still no letters from Ysgol Stryd y Rhos - Ghana's postal service is not as efficient as the UK's!
April 2nd: letters have arrived! They are really good and interesting; schools here are now on holiday until May 5th so it will probably be June before we can start generating responses.
June 3rd Schools have resumed after their break and finally I (Jenny) managed to get started with Lawra Methodist School children to share the Rhos St letters and to begin responding to them.

Jenny is involved in this project through work: an initial survey has shown that 84% of 9 yr olds cannot read a 2, 3, or 4 letter word!

Teachers' Resource Centre Library - below.

Funding
1.9₵ =£1

Funding

£350

665₵

March 2008.
The £200 raised, with Anne's and Donald's help, paid for the books' delivery,. The books are now being catalogued (in our makeshift VSO way) and the next task will be to find a way of getting 'book-boxes' out to schools on the back of our Area Supervisors' and the local Headteachers' motorbikes.

March 1st - St David's Day: Ken, Lorraine and friends raised a further £100 through a very successful cake stall in Darwen Library Theatre - bringing the total to £350. A huge thanks to all of those involved - we were able to get some new book cases made for the Teachers' Resource Centre Library.

July 4th: Lorraine (Blackburn with Darwen) has gathered and dispatched another 3 boxes of story books for the Teachers' Resource Centre; we will be able to display them on the new book cases that we bought.

?₵

Total funds donated