SMART Telemarketing charity fundraising for the Essandohkurom School Project

Here at SMART we believe that all children throughout the world deserve the best start in life possible, and that includes access to education.

We work in close association with Plan to improve the lives of some of the world's poorest children - those children who often have no chance of learning to read or write. We were very pleased to help the 'Essandohkurom School Project' build a school for children in Ghana and ultimately improve their lives.

Asomdwee Essandohkurom Anglican Primary School, Ghana

Quick links: Why Ghana? | What were the problems? | Impact of the project | Construction agenda
Project costings | Community involvement | Construction diary & progress

Project Goals:

The aim of this project was to increase access to education for the children of the Essandohkurom community in Ghana, by constructing a school block for pre-school and primary school children, comprising of two classrooms and a library. We also provide furniture and install a safe drinking water system.

Why Ghana?

Ghana remains one of the world's poorest countries. Many children, especially in rural areas, do not have access to a good quality education in a safe and healthy school environment:

Asomdwee Essandohkurom Anglican Primary School is located in the rural Abura-Asebu-Kwamankese district of the central region. The Essandohkurom community had some basic facilities constructed with assistance from Plan Ghana, however the community's primary school was made of mud with thatched roofing. This construction was dangerous as, when heavy rainfall came, it was likely to collapse.

A good infrastructure is fundamental to ensuring a good quality education for children, as it provides an environment that is condusive to effective teaching and learning. It not only increases the enrolment and retention of pupils but also attracts good teachers to the school. None of these factors were present in this community.

What were the problems?

Impact of the project

The project would ensure that Asomdwee Essandohkurom School provided a safe, healthy and conducive learning environment for over 150 children today and for future generations. Increased enrolment and better attendance would result from the improvement of the school environment and the community awareness raising activities. Improved school attainment by pupils would result from the rehabilitated infrastructure of the school, permanent teachers, the provision of books and learning materials.

Construction agenda

Project costings

To complete this project in full £17,650 was required. This investment would give over 150 children each year access to a decent primary education.

Community involvement

The Plan charity believes that community involvement is integral to the sustainability of its projects, as it creates a feeling of ownership. The Essandohkurom community has played an important role in the construction of the school by:

The community continued to help in this way throughout the construction phase of the project. Both the children and adults of Essandohkurom attended community meetings to discuss the progress of work. This meant that everyone was kept up to date and involved in every stage of the construction.

Construction Diary & Progress

September 2006:
At the end of September 2006, construction of the Essandohkurom Primary School block is underway with the excavation of the foundation trench. Building materials, including sand and stones have been delivered to the site and blocks for the base foundation moulded. All the books for the new library have also been bought.

Please click on the small photos below for a larger view.

December 2006:
At the end of December 2006 work has progressed steadily on site, reaching the second phase; meaning that the construction of the gables is almost complete and that windows and doorframes have also been fitted. The pit for the school latrine has also been dug and work on the latrine building will start soon. Sand and stones have been delivered to the site. Work on the project is moving swiftly.

Please click on the small photos below for a larger view.

All the stakeholders involved with the project are playing their part effectively and community members have been particularly instrumental in getting the project to this stage.

Local men were involved in clearing the site and digging the pit for the school latrine. They have also played an important role in the monitoring of the project, to ensure high quality work by the artisans.

Women and children from the community assisted in fetching water. Alongside the male community members they have also been involved in monitoring and assessing the progress of the project and have regularly helped with the communal labour

A Plan staff member, the District Assembly Representative, the consultant, artisans and community members (men, women and children) attend regular site meetings to discuss the progress of work and other related issues.

No serious problems have been encountered to date and the project is running smoothly and on time.

July 2007:
Since the start of this project in October 2005, Plan Ghana has, with the help of the local community, completed the construction of 6 new classroom blocks and a library facility by July 2007. The materials for the construction of the rainwater tank to provide clean drinking water for the children have also been purchased, along with books for the library and school furniture. The latrine block is almost complete with the lintel in place and the building materials purchased and waiting on site for the continuation of construction. All this is despite a 100% increase in the price of building materials as a result of an energy crisis that hit Ghana in August last year.

The last few months have been busy and the team has achieved a great deal - this is despite the project having to face a series of restrictions resulting from an energy crisis and subsequent production costs.

• The team has finished the construction of 6 bright and airy classrooms in two blocks, complete with plastered and painted walls, windows and doors.
• Each classroom is now equipped with a full set of desks, chairs, book cases and black boards specially crafted for the primary school by local artisans.
• The library has been finished and is now loaded with the new books that arrived on site back in September 2006.
• Bricks have been moulded and stones and sand have been gathered in preparation for the final stages of latrine construction.
• Poly tanks and other materials have been purchased for the construction of the rainwater catchment system that will provide clean drinking water for the children and teaching staff once the school opens.

As with all of Plan's work, the involvement of the community, the children, and the local authorities has been of primary importance throughout the project. The men have been involved in the moulding of building blocks, the mixing of mortar and the collection of sand and stones for the construction of the library and the school latrine. Women and children have assisted the project in fetching water for the site as well as monitoring the project, along with the men, to ensure that it is completed to the highest standards and meets their expectations. Children have shown an interest in the building of their new school and frequently visit the site to see how work is progressing.

It has also been important to ensure that the community and local authorities are involved in the planning of the work. This has been achieved through the staging of frequent meetings to discuss the progress of work and other issues related to the effect the project will have on the local community.

Involving the community in this way ensures the sustainability of the project by its manifestation as something created by the community rather than imposed upon it - this guarantees that the needs and expectations of those that will use the primary school are met. As a result, attendance will rise and the future of the children will be better provided for.

Problems Encountered:

The energy crisis that hit Ghana in August 2006 has had an adverse effect on the project due to the subsequent crippling of the country's industries. Power is now rationed across the area which has meant that construction has not been able to run on schedule and production costs have rocketed as a result with a 100% increase in the cost of building materials. Despite this, the project is now almost complete due to the perseverance of Plan Ghana, the local community and the local authorities. The deadline has been extended to June 2008 to allow for fundraising to take place to cover these unexpected obstacles and enable to project to be completed to the highest standard.

October 2007:
No major problems were encountered during the construction of the project although the energy crisis occurring in August 2006 created some problems as power rationing across the region meant that construction took longer than expected also resulting in a 100% rise in the cost of building materials. Some difficulties also arose as a result of some community members finding it difficult to make time to participate in community labour alongside their agricultural work, although the process of dividing the community into four separate groups helped to combat this.

The involvement of the community in all stages of planning and construction of the project is key to its sustainability, as the stakeholders develop a real sense of ownership and responsibility, thus committing themselves to the maintenance of the facilities they played a key role in providing. The community has already put in place a fund mobilisation committee in conjunction with the school management committee, to ensure proper, periodic maintenance and good usage of the new school. Working in partnership with local and national governmental organisations, such as Ghana Education service and the District Assembly, also ensures that the new school is fully integrated into official plans and guidelines, which will help the ongoing maintenance of the building.

Please click on the small photos below for a larger view.

The classroom block & library building	Inside a classroom	Inside a classroom
The library building	The water tank

May 2008:
Construction is now fully completed and the school is open.

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