Open for Day Care!

October 11, 2008

Great news! The Amudurasi Day Care Centre is open and being utilized. Comfort and Nana paid a quick visit last week to the village and learned that Day Care Provider Dinah has moved her children into the Centre and the children have been enjoying their new location.

At the time of the visit, Dinah was making sure that the children were getting something to eat. Parents are contributing money to enable a nutritious meal to be offered each day to these children.

Word has been circulated in the village that the Centre has opened and more parents are showing up with their children. It is apparent that Dinah will need at least one assistant to care for the numbers that have already shown up.

Thank you to all of those who have contributed to making it possible to get this far. There is more to do – stay tuned…..

School has been painted.

Here is the latest, from Amudurasi. We hope to see shutters installed very soon. The first parents meeting was held on Wednesday with very good attendance ... stay tuned for more!

School ready for class.

I would also like to share with you that to date, we have received just over $9000.00 in donations. We have managed to send $8000.00 of that over to Ghana with trustees that have been going thus avoiding transfer fees. This is all very exciting. Soon (from my understanding) the preschoolers at Amudurasi will be able to be using the building that these funds have helped finance.
Comfort phoned last weekend to say that the children should be able to move in, just before the rainy season was fully underway. I don't think that means the building is by any means finished, but at least it is a shelter.

News Letter January 2008

AFRICA SANKOFA FUND

NEWSLETTER

Volume III Issue I January 2008

THE FIRST ROOF FOR AMUDURASI DAYCARE PROJECT
Construction of the daycare centre in Amudurasi continued in 2007. Delays were encountered when the first carpenter who had been selected to build the roof failed to be reliable. A second carpenter proved to be no better. The third man did not disappoint and as a result there is a roof over the first classroom and the adjoining room, complete with an extension over the veranda area.

These photos were taken in December, showing the carpenter at work, and then the completed job. Since that time, more sand has been brought in and the mason has done much of the wall plastering.

The school children from the Primary School willingly carried clay for fill for the floors, and once the walls have been plastered, the floor will be cast.

Construction has been affected by increasing costs which have resulted primarily from the increase in world wide oil prices. Domestic electricity costs have also seen large increases in recent months, and these are being passed on.

Cement has been especially affected by these increases. Scheduled electrical outages earlier in the year caused shortages of supply which in turn put upward pressure on prices. The government has implemented a number of measures which are intended to restore reliability to the electrical grid and in the process to the prices and availability of cement.

Directors in Canada

In 2007, Comfort and Rod travelled back to Canada. Over the course of their visit, they were able to meet with most of the directors of the Africa Sankofa Fund. They discussed the current project and explored ideas for future ones.

How You Can Help

There are different ways in which individuals can help. Perhaps the easiest and most effective at this time is with a financial contribution. At this time, contributions are required to enable construction to continue on the remaining two classrooms of the Daycare Centre. Remember - a tax receipt will be issued and your donation will act as a credit against your Canadian Income Tax. Mail your donations to the treasurer as follows:

THE LEGENDARY SANKOFA BIRD

The legendary Sankofa bird is a powerful symbol for the Akan people of Ghana, West Africa, with its head turned facing backwards, often with an egg in its mouth. The Sankofa bird looks back to where it came from, as it decides the path that it will take in the future. In the same way, past history and traditions must be remembered and respected as plans are made for the future. The Africa Sankofa Fund chose this symbol because it represents the philosophy which will be adopted to turn the charity’s objectives into reality.

Kathleen Baillie
334 J.J. Thiesen Way
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
S7K 5P4
Phone (country code 001) (306)934-0054
E-mail Address: baillie.clan@sasktel.net

For more information, contact Kathleen in
Saskatoon (as above), or Rod and Comfort
in Ghana:

Rod and Comfort McLaren
c/o African Rainbow Resort
P.O. Box TD1106
Takoradi
GHANA
Phone 233-31-32149
Mobile 233-244-891687
233-20-9295977
E-mail: nkosuohene@gmail.com
arr@africaonline.com.gh

News Letter April 2007

AFRICA SANKOFA FUND

NEWSLETTER

Volume II Issue I April 2007

THE LEGENDARY SANKOFA BIRD

The legendary Sankofa bird is a powerful symbol for the Akan people of Ghana, West Africa, with its head turned facing backwards, often with an egg in its mouth. The Sankofa bird looks back to where it came from, as it decides the path that it will take in the future. In the same way, past history and traditions must be remembered and respected as plans are made for the future. The new Africa Sankofa Fund chose this symbol because it represents the philosophy which will be adopted to turn the charity’s objectives into reality.

Purpose of AFRICA SANKOFA FUND

The Africa Sankofa Fund aims to empower rural communities located in Ghana, West Africa. Initially it will do this by targeting the education of children through provision of facilities such as day care centres and libraries where none exist. This will be extended to include instruction of teachers and day care providers in order to enhance the quality of education and care that they provide. This objective will best be realized with the establishment of an educational training centre, located in New Edubiase in the Ashanti Region, from which training will be taken to the surrounding communities. In the area of health, facilities in chosen communities will be provided in order to supplement current services.

Some History

The Africa Sankofa Fund was first conceived by former Saskatchewan residents, Comfort and Rod McLaren, after they relocated to Ghana in West Africa. The couple returned to Ghana, Comfort to her homeland, and Rod to the country in which he taught school in the early 1970’s. They operate a hotel, the African Rainbow Resort, which they built in 2002, located on the coast of Ghana in a small fishing village called Busua. They also maintain a home in Comfort’s home village of Amudurasi, next to New Edubiase in the Ashanti Region.

Ghana is celebrating its Fiftieth Anniversary since regaining its independence, and is seen by many to be an example of a success story in Africa. The country is rich in many mineral resources, and has a long tradition of farming. In spite of its many assets, there are areas in which Ghana needs assistance, and the McLaren’s are actively involved in finding solutions to problems that the people in their communities identify. While they often utilize their own personal resources to assist, they have found that additional financial resources are required in order to overcome the challenges that are encountered.

Offers of assistance and encouragement have been forthcoming from many parts of the world. In order to maximize that potential assistance being offered from Canada, the African Sankofa Fund was established, and status as a registered charity has been granted by Revenue Canada (Tax Number: BN 84617 0363 RR0001).

First Project – the Amudurasi Community Daycare Centre

Most people in the western world take education for granted. They assume that their children will have access to it, and that they can expect the education itself will be of high quality. This is a luxury that is not shared by everyone in the world. Here in Ghana, primary education has been widely available for more than fifty years, although not all children have equal access, and the quality that is available is often inadequate.

The problem is not an easy one to resolve, especially if one looks at the large picture. The obstacles are daunting, starting with a shortage of funding all the way through to the poor condition or non-existence of many facilities, and including the uneven level of qualifications of teachers. This is especially evident in the rural areas of Ghana where the majority of the population still live.

Many rural women in Ghana are the primary and sometimes sole providers for their families. In the past, they could rely on support from their extended family members to assist with child care while they worked on their farms or while they traded in the market. With the gradual erosion of the extended family as a result of urban drift, changing lifestyles, and a host of other factors, these women are forced or take preschool children with them, or leave them with children who should themselves be in school. Under these circumstances these mothers are not able to provide proper nutrition or nurturing for their young children.

And so it is not surprising that the first project which the African Sankofa Fund has undertaken is the construction of a Community Day Care Centre in Amudurasi, a village located in the Ashanti Region of Ghana. This Day Care Centre will accommodate up to 150 preschool children, aged 2 to 4 years. Once the Centre has been constructed, volunteer teachers from outside of Ghana will be recruited to share their experience and skills with the day care providers in the centre, thus ensuring that they will provide their charges with creative and challenging experiences in an atmosphere of nurturing.

The Centre has been designed with three rooms plus a kitchen. A grant from the Local Initiatives Program of CIDA (Canadian Development Agency) enabled construction to begin. Foundations were cast in March, 2006, and walls followed. The CIDA money was used to buy materials and to pay for qualified tradesmen. The local community has been providing additional labour, while the Chief of Amudurasi made land available at no cost for the building.

The success of this project relies not only on funding but also on the active participation of community members. Community members are organized to work on the site one day every two weeks. In this photo, sand and cement is being mixed by hand.

Women bring water to the job site, using the traditional method of carrying their containers on their head.

The sand and cement mixture is formed into cement blocks.

(These photos were taken in February by Jim Maxwell during his recent visit. Jim’s wife, Jean MacPherson is a Trustee of the Africa Sankofa Fund.)

The initial application to CIDA requested sufficient funds for completion of the three classrooms. The grant was approved for a much smaller amount of money, and so construction has focused on the first classroom and kitchen. In this photo, Comfort and Rod explain the layout of the building to Shayna Stock, whose father, Stephen, is one of the trustees of the Fund.

Comfort had supervised the construction and arranged for building materials. Here she is discussing the next phase of the job, the roof, with, Asante (right), the head mason, and the carpenter who will do the job. If funds permit, she plans to have the roof in place before the heavy rains begin in May.

A Word about our Trustees

Support for the Africa Sankofa Fund comes in many forms. Trustees play the very important role of ensuring that Funds are spent in accordance with the objectives of the Fund and within the guidelines required by Revenue Canada. There is no remuneration for the work which these Trustees offer, and without their involvement, the Fund could not operate. Each of these individuals and their families has demonstrated their interest in Ghana and their commitment towards the goals of the Fund. A big thank you to our trustees – Medassi Pii! These are the current members of the Board of Trustees:

Rod McLaren, Chairman, residing in Ghana
Kathleen Baillie, Treasurer, residing in Saskatoon, Sask.
Comfort McLaren, residing in Ghana
Kirsten Bosch, engineer, residing in Marsden, Sask.
Stephen Stock, Planner at TransAlta, residing in Sarnia, Ont.
Jean MacPherson, teacher, residing in Maidstone, Sask.
Bruce Caldwell, insurance broker, residing in Halifax, Nova Scotia

Recent Visitors

Although the Africa Sankofa Fund is still very young and its first project is yet to be completed, a number of visitors have come to see how the work is progressing. In February, Shayna Stock stopped by. She and Comfort went to the work site, and then visited the day care in its temporary location, under the shade of some palm trees in the village.

Jim Maxwell visited Ghana for the first time with his wife, Jean, and their family in 2005. Jim returned this year and was in the country at the time of the celebration the Ghana’s 50th anniversary on March 6. Here he is celebrating with Rod and Comfort on the rooftop of the African Rainbow.

February was a busy month for visitors. Trustee Kirsten Bosch also was here. She made time in her short trip to Ghana to drop in and discuss her plans for helping the Africa Sankofa Fund to achieve its goals.

How You Can Help

There are different ways in which individuals can help. Perhaps the easiest and most effective at this time is with a financial contribution. At this time, contributions are required to enable construction to continue on the remaining two classrooms of the Daycare Centre. Remember - a tax receipt will be issued and your donation will act as a credit against your Canadian Income Tax. Mail your donations to the treasurer as follows:

Kathleen Baillie
334 J.J. Thiesen Way
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
S7K 5P4
Phone (country code 001) (306)934-0054
E-mail Address: baillie.clan@sasktel.net

For more information, contact Kathleen in Saskatoon (as above), or Rod and Comfort in Ghana:

Rod and Comfort McLaren
c/o African Rainbow Resort
P.O. Box TD1106
Takoradi
GHANA
Phone 233-31-32149
Mobile 233-20-9295977
E-mail: arr@africaonline.com.gh

News Letter December 2006

Many of you know that we applied to CIDA in April 2005 for funding to enable us to construct a daycare centre in Amudurasi, Comfort’s home village. In the closing days of last year, CIDA made some funds available for that use. Construction has been under way using community labour and materials purchased with the CIDA grant. Comfort has been overseeing the construction. Work was interrupted in August for some time while she made arrangements for her mother’s funeral which was held in October. The CIDA funds were approximately a third of the amount requested to finish the entire project and so we have decided to try to complete the first of three classrooms plus a kitchen area. We will work on the remaining ones as we are able to find funds. Two photos are attached; one shows the construction site.

The second photo shows cedrella trees which we planted on the school grounds in Amudurasi as six inch seedlings in January, 2006. They were provided at no cost by Ms. Claudine Ethier who was working at the time in the country for a Quebec based company, Pampev International. These trees will mature in thirty to forty years to be harvested for timber. The returns will then be used to fund future educational projects at the school. This is a wonderful example of an investment in our future generations.

In addition to the CIDA grant, a number of people have contributed during the year towards the day care. Many of these donors have been guests in our hotel in Busua. We are most grateful for their contributions and for their ongoing interest and support.

Most countries have tax credits available for donations made to registered charities. In order to capitalize on this in Canada, we presented in July an application to Revenue Canada for Charitable status for the Africa Sankofa Fund. We had hoped to obtain a tax number in time for the current tax year and efforts in that direction are ongoing.

Our American supporters will be interested to hear that arrangements have been made with an organization in the USA who will accept donations on our behalf and forward them to us without charging us any fees. They will issue the appropriate tax credit. Contact me if you would like more information.

Meanwhile, our son, Akwasi, has returned to Ghana and is taking over most of our duties at the hotel. This will free up Comfort and I to pursue a number of ideas and projects for the Edubiase traditional area. I plan to hold a series of meetings with various interest groups in the New Year. It is important to ensure that our ideas fit in with the needs of the people.

Two weeks ago, I met with the District Director of Education in New Edubiase and two of her senior people. It was one of those unplanned but serendipitous opportunities and it was very informative. I learned a few things which confirm some of my concerns about the education system in Ghana. This strengthens my resolve to find solutions to the educational challenges in this area. Allow me to explain.

· The Adansi South district has one of the highest ratios of poorly trained teachers in the country!!!

· The Education Office would like to establish a Regional Library. Their dream would be one that would act as a resource centre for teachers in the District (main floor), and provide a training centre for teachers as well (second floor).

The Director asked us to assist in any way that we are able to fulfil these requests and dreams. Here are some of the potential solutions that have been going through my mind.
Off-campus teacher training in the rural schools in this area. This is an opportunity for experienced teachers in Canada and elsewhere who wish to share their expertise by coming to Ghana and working with people who have been hired to teach but who do not have the training to do the job. One of my dreams is a teacher training program, located in the district, with accreditation from a recognized educational institution (if not in Ghana, then why not in Canada?) providing teachers with the teaching skills that they need to make a serious difference for the children in their classrooms. With their increased abilities and accreditation, these teachers then qualify to receive a better income for themselves and their families.
A central resource library filled with teacher aids, both book based and electronic based, to which the teachers could have access.
A regional lending library and libraries located in the communities of the area.
Life in Ghana continues to be one full of potential and promise. The country is gearing up to celebrate its 50th anniversary since it regained political independence from Britain. Much remains to be done to ensure that the political independence is coupled with economic self determination. In our small way, we hope to be working towards that goal. If you wish to contribute towards our objective, please let us know. And for those who have already contributed, please accept our gratitude. Medassi pii.

Best wishes to everyone as we approach the holiday season,

Rod & Comfort McLaren
On behalf of the Africa Sankofa Fund