June | 2024 | Ghana School Aid

We had a very pleasant AGM, With participants both in person and on zoom. We enjoyed some fabulous Ghanaian dishes, many thanks to our caterer alicddacatering.com. I reproduce below the Chair’s address, as it shows the warmth and enthusiasm of our Chair, William Spooner.

“Welcome everyone to this, our 2024 Annual General Meeting. Welcome friends, old and new. How good it is we can gather together.

A bit about our day today. We have the formal bit first, then lunch, and in the afternoon several presentations.

Ghana School Aid is remarkable, and it is remarkable we are here today. What we do remains very much needed. Children and young people need safe, clean facilities in which to learn. From school classrooms, to toilet blocks, to teachers’ quarters. We know how important toilet blocks are for girls in retaining them in education, so offering life chances.

When I was in Ghana last year, I saw school after school which benefited from our work. Outside and inside, with school furniture labelled ‘GHANA SCHOOL AID’.

There is much to do, as we know. Our USP, so to speak, is very simple and speaks for itself.

We must thank people. Firstly, Jo as secretary, the ‘engine room’ of Ghana School Aid. To Nigel as treasurer, Penny as AGM coordinator and her work in contacting trusts (to much success), to Kate as our new newsletter editor, to Rita for introducing us to Abigail in the north. Also, of course, to Mr Kofi Ohene in Accra and Baako in Tamale. Lastly, to Paul, our patron, for his unwavering support. Thank you, thank you.

A word on our newsletter. It is a fabulous. Our thanks to Kate. In a digital era, to have on paper a high quality document showing the impact of our work is our calling card. Use to spread the word about Ghana School Aid, near and far.

Thank you again. Here’s to a good day. As they say in Ghana, ‘Long life Ghana School Aid’!”

The meeting went according to plan; the Treasurer’s accounts will be posted up today; the Secretary’s report focused on one school; all the committee members who wished to stand were duly reelected. In the afternoon we heard reports from Katie Allen-East from the charity Edu-spots; an account of her most recent trip to Ghana from Kate Regan, who, incidentally, has taken over production of our fabulous Newsletter (soon to be posted on this website); we also heard a report about Wulugu from Jane Scott, a report on Action Through Enterprise from Michele Carlisle. The Earle family talked to us about progress in building a library and washrooms in the Volta Region in memory of their parents, and finally Kofi Ohene talked to us from Accra about Ghana today.

We departed feeling much encouraged and ready for the coming yea

We had reports but no pictures from The Hartley Trust Schools who needed to repair school transport vehicles; and from Nambiri JHS which gained funding from various sources to build a new 3 x classroom block after the old block was severely storm-damaged. Nambiri JHS featured in our U-Tube Chronicles which prompted some dentists in Liverpool to chip in. We are all grateful.

Below are some pictures of work in 4 schools which received grants from GSA.

Tafi Atome JHS was able to replace their damaged roof. Here are ‘before’ and ‘after’ pictures.

Before:

After:

2. Zagyuri Miskiya Primary and KG This school had to work on roof, windows, doors and gravelling.

During the work, classes were held outside.

Work in progress!

The classroom floor is gravelled but needs a top surface of cement

3. Kunkulung Primary School had a grant to repair a roof, but they were able to fund that from a different source. Our representative visited them and agreed that GSA funds could be used to buy much-needed seating for staff and pupils, as the two pictures show.