Thursday, May 22, 2008

New Agbenoxoe Kindergarten Commissioned!




Seven months and seven days ago, on October 16, 2007, we drove into the small town of Agbenoxoe on the shores of Lake Volta. We had come to meet the Kindergarten teacher and a so-called Togbui Brisi VII, sub-chief of the town, and the person who had submitted a proposal to the US Embassy back in 2005 to build a new Kindergarten building. We were both bearers of bad news and good news; the bad news being that the Special Self-Help Program of the Embassy was not able to fund the proposal. However, the good news was we, Jillian and David Bonnardeaux, were going to raise the funds to build the school.

On May 17th, 2008 the community of Agbenoxoe held a traditional 'durbar' to officially commission the Kindergarten. It was a beautiful occasion. From the traditional black and gold kente cloth worn by the chief to the lush green of the surrounding forest-covered hills, and from the various colored school uniforms to the gold-plated staffs held by the Okyeame (spokesperson) of each clan; Ghana's exuberance was laid bare for all to see. There was drumming, dancing, singing, poem recitals, and a good dose of fanfare, as only Ghanaians can do.




We surprised the community with the announcement that we had secured funding from the local mobile company TIGO Ltd. to wire the kindergarten to the electricity grid! AND that the Ambassador had donated 450 large-format books for the school. The community was ecstatic when they heard that the US Ambassador to Ghana was going to come, along with the Deputy Chief of Mission. We were quite surprised too, as their hectic work schedules usually don't allow such personal getaways. About 30 friends and colleagues made the three hour drive from Accra to support us - we were very honored. Not to mention that the District Ghana Education Service Director came and congratulate the community; a District Parliament representative helped to cut the ribbon (yes, they made us cut a ribbon!); we unveiled a plaque that had been doused with holy water by the Very Reverend Fr. Gakpe-Ntsri (!); and one of the Queen Mothers presented us with some his and hers traditional Ghanaian outfits kitted out with beads and Kente strip.



In one word: Unforgettable. Check out the photo slideshow at the top right to truly get a sense of the days events. And all that is left to say is THANK YOU to those that supported us, either monetarily, through donations or morally. Just take a look at the photos to see how appreciative the community was....