ADUMASA NEWS – Summer 2009

Firstly, we must apologise for the lateness of this newsletter, mostly due to the volunteers and directors actually having lives outside of ADUMASA!

March Trip to Ghana

Dennis and Pam spent two weeks in Ghana in March, the first time in Ghana for Dennis. The new pickup truck provided by the Austrian churches was put to good use transporting Pam and Dennis to all the projects and to a few site seeing locations as well. Fei says the pickup, which is designed to withstand the terrible roads, has transformed his life! The trip had several highlights including celebrations with dancing and singing at Chiransa, the annual inter-school football tournament in Bedaase, a trip to the gold mines at Obusai and a visit to the Ambulance Service at Kumasi. Dennis was able to teach some basic first aid at the schools and Pam was able to do a refresher course in basic french with the Senior High School students.

A BIG THANK YOU to everyone who gave money to to buy things for the project in Ghana during visit, we spent it on a huge variety of things (and all were much appreciated by the students and staff). Items purchased included a pingpong table & board games to enliven the evenings of the new boarders at the Senior High School at Adumasa after school hours, a large lockable cupboard for books and stationary at Chiransa, and library books for all the schools.

Another trip to Ghana is planned for the autumn. Anyone interested in joining us should contact Pam Latimer on 01548 561141 or email pamlatimer@aol.com for details.

Adumasa News

The primary school has a new head teacher who has transformed the morale and discipline of the school, he is also limiting the intake to steadily reduce class sizes to a more manageable level.

The VocTech has also become a Senior High School, with 27 first year students, about half of which are borders. Accomodation has been hastily arranged for the boys in the old bakers house and for the girls in a classroom not currently in use. The old weavers shed has been turned into a kitchen and dining room, and a new water tank has been provided. In the medium term we will need to extend the bakers house to provide further boys accomodation and we will need to provide a new building for the girls.

Land that we owned adjacent to the guest house has been cleared (wood going to the school kitchens!) and half given to the community to build a longed for new dedicated church building.

Bedaase News

The pile of blocks continues to grow in Bedaase and it will not be long before building work on the new kitchen can commence. There have also been discussions that in the long term the Kindergarten and Nursery should move closer to the main body of the school (currently it is seperated by the sports field).

Chiransa news

The school has a new head teacher, and Kumasi East Rotary Club has provided toilet blocks for the school and also provided a second borehole within the school complex (the pump for which arrived whilst Dennis and Pam were there). The two new classrooms of the Gustav Adolf Block are now fully in use and the Austrian Churches have now raised money for a further two classrooms to be added to the block. Praise the Lord! The kitchen is currently being used as a Kindergarten so we also need to provide a new kitchen (or Kindergarten) in the future.

UK News

Kingsbridge Community College, together with Thurlestone and West Alvington Primary Schools, have applied to join a British Council scheme to link with the schools in Adumasa and Bedaase for educational and cultural exchanges.

Kingsbridge Community College are about to stage their annual Talent Show, with all the proceeds going to ADUMASA; and Thurlestone and West Alvington Primary Schools continue to come up with imaginative ways to raise funds for ADUMASA.

We had hoped that Mr Appiah-Fei, our full-time Ghanaian co-ordinator, would be visiting us for a few weeks this summer, however despite all our efforts he has been unable to secure a visa to enter the UK. This seems so unfair...

Fundraising

The summer fundraising season is getting into full swing, and it is going to be another difficult year for sales and donations. Please pray that people’s hearts (and purses) will be opened to help the projects in Ghana.

Find us at Totnes Elizabethan Market every Tuesday until sept, at Churchstow Craft Show & Carboot in mid July, at South Hams Vintage Machinery Rally & Loddiswell Horticultural Show in early August and Kingsbridge Show in early Sept... and any other events that we hear of!

If you have a few spare hours, as a regular or one off helper, it would be really great to hear from you. Also if you know of events where we might have a stall selling Ghanaian crafts (or car boot type items) then please let us know. As a charity we rely entirely on donations and the money we can raise at fundraising events, everyone in this country is a volunteer and administration costs are kept to an absolute minimum. Please support us with your time, money and by spreading the word about ADUMASA to your friends and family.

If you want to find out more about regularly giving, or the projects we are involved with, then please check out our website at www,ADUMASA.org.

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Or, Alice Knight on 01392 270922, or post to 3 Coventry Road, Exwick, Exeter EX4 2DW