First Monies Start Flowing to Agbenoxoe

Thanks to the wonderful generosity of our friends and family we have been able to raise over 4000 Ghana cedis (and no, that doesn't equate to 23 US dollars!); in other words about 4200 US dollars!!

Of that we have transferred 2000 Ghana cedis to the Kpando Agbenoxoe Town Development Committee for them to start the construction of the roof. Their appreciation knows no bounds, and we owe it all to you. Thank you.

BUT we are by no means finished! We still have to raise US$2000 more to meet our goal; to fully complete the kindergarten school, including plastering, painting, doors, shutters, and if possible desks and chairs.

We have received numerous boxes with all sorts of school supplies, used clothing, etc. We will be presenting these to the people of Agbenoxoe closer to the end of the project.

Meanwhile, keep the donations coming and click on the video to the right to learn more about the town of Agbenoxoe and where it got its name.

Recent Visit to Agbenoxoe to Set Milestones

Having had a very good first response from friends and family, we decided to go ahead and visit Agbenoxoe to sit down with the sub-chief and others involved to go over the next steps.

We set a realistic timeline and milestones to be met before disbursement of tranches of funding. Progress reports will be sent onwards before these disbursements as well.

One thing which we have done is to share a short video on how Agbenoxoe got its name, and exactly what it means (see to the right). New photos have also been added to the slideshow (bottom right).

We sat with the village elders including the heads of the four clans that make up Agbenoxoe. They gave the formal approval for the project to go ahead and thanked us (well, YOU!) for our support. Libations (i.e. cheap "Bonny" gin) were poured on the floor before being drunk in honor of the future work and collaboration. Very exciting, and more so as David had to drive with two glasses of neat gin in his system...

Why Support a Kindergarten?

We thought it might be useful to explain the fact that a kindergarten in Africa is not an extravagance or a luxury geared towards relieving poor mothers from the chores of raising children. In Ghana (and Africa at large) mothers have to work away from home usually working to put food on the table. In the absence of kindergartens the job of caring for the little ones usually falls on the older daughters who as a result cannot attend proper schooling. Therefore kindergartens in Africa are a fundamental tool to allow the education of young women who ultimately are the true engines of development.

Building a Kindergarten

We'd love your input/suggestions, and hope you might feel inspired to be part of the project, or know someone who would be. For example, do you know of a kindergarten near your own home that might be interested in helping this one in Ghana? Are you part of a sports team or book club that might like to help? But please, feel no pressure to partner on this project. This is for your information, and possibly for you to pass the word on to those who you think can/would like to affect the lives of the children and families of this village. They desperately want to construct the building's roof at a minimum, but we understand it's not all that exciting for you to say you're buying cement... so, perhaps you are interested in providing a monetary donation for construction materials and/or a donation toward school uniforms, e.g., which most families cannot afford (they cost approximately US$5 each). Please contact us with/for more ideas, a little can go a long way. We're happy to collect the donations and put them toward the village's necessity of your choice.

We hope to see at least the roof complete by May 2008 with your help -- just in time for the next rainy season.