Week fourteen 18.07.09- 25.07.09

Volunteers involved:
Mithra Rajaratinam (ARUP Australia)
Veena Rajaratinam (sister)
Gokulan Gnaneswaran (partner)
Andrew Low (DL London)
(Danny Hughes and Andy Turner too!)

What was the aim for the week?
Continuation of foundations and concrete works
Making blocks and sieving soil

What was achieved in the week?
Pouring foundations for KG1 and columns for KG2
Soil blocks (600 blocks) making and moving
Information sign boards
Bamboo training began!
Andy’s football!
New concrete machine

Week 14 will be remembered for the laughter! As well as powering though the block making process Mithra, Veena, Gokulan and Andy brought infectious laughter! Even the trip up to Dwabor on Sunday included shrieks of laughter, let alone the village walk around!
The weather was great all week so site progressed well and James Bond was introduced to the power of Mithra and Veena on the block press! Everyone worked really hard all week and Danny and Andy continuing to work at 100%. There were some funny moments including,
“Who are you calling Bruni?”
“Bobby the goat!”
“Is that the power plant?” Andy looking at the public toilets!

Thank you team 14 for such a fun and productive week!

Andy Low " We apply our superficial values and wrongly assume that the community is poor, when in reality they are rich in the most important things in life: friendship, happiness, family and love. The world would be a better place if everyone visited Dwabor!"

Week thirteen 11.07.09-18.07.09

Volunteers involved:
Jeni Watters (Edinburgh)
Ed Tricklebank (London -ARUP)
Rachel Price (Plymouth)









What was the aim for the week?
Soil blocks
Manual labour
Continuation of foundations

What was achieved in the week?
Creosoting formwork
2000 blocks completed and 1500 stored
Moved the storage tent
Soil sieving
Re-grading of back slope
Moved sand and aggregate
Repaired the volunteer tent
Site maintenance



Week thirteen, unlucky for some, but not for the volunteers in Dwabor! The weather was good, progress on site was visible and great memories were made. Arriving on the very night that Barack Obama left the country set the tone for the crazy week. Adventures included some interesting taxi rides, midday water flight and excessive material purchasing! There were also some interesting conversations, including Jeni’s early morning comment of ‘is that Phil Collins’ and watching flies then saying ‘that’s sex, right?’
The week commenced with a warm welcome and elders meeting, and then the work began!
Rachel, Jeni and Ed were three great volunteers and gave it 110% in all that they did. Thank you guys, and thanks to Ed being the first representative of ARUP so far!

Jeni “it’s been amazing to get to sample ‘real Ghana’ in just a week, thanks to the incredible community of Dwabor.”

Ed “a fantastic opportunity it take part in the life of the village away from the tourist trail and learn form the people that live here.”

Rachel “inspirational experience! Incorporating cultural values, building experience and the opportunity to live in a fantastic community.”

Week twelve 04.07.09-11.07.09

Volunteers involved:
Gary Tracey (Abu Dhabi)









What was the aim for the week?
Continuation of the foundations of KG1
Formwork to columns of KG2

What was achieved in the week?
Production of blocks
Prepared materials for the blocks
Preparation and installation of the formwork for columns for KG2
Re-graded the back slope

Gary " Although the rains prevented much work being carried out on the project all week, the warmth and happiness the local people (especially the children) shared with me and the other volunteers is something I will never forget."

Week eleven 27.06.09-4.07.09

Volunteers involved:
Robert Winters (Edinburgh)
Daniel Hughes (Norwich)

What was the aim for the week?
Continuation of foundations and block making.

What was achieved in the week?
Sieved soil
Blinding of KG1 building
Moved tent
Formwork in for KG1
Earthworks
Drainage lengthened
Base layer up to DPC/DPM
Good banter!
Leveling- dumpy level used for the blinding KG1

Robert “this week in Ghana, it has left me with a great sense of family, community and the importance of education.”

(Simon, Andy and Danny are still working hard too!)

Week ten 20.06.09- 27.06.09

Volunteers involved:

Jonathan Baldwin (Manchester)
Susie Kelsall (London)
Alice leFlemming (London)

What was the aim for the week?
Block making and continuing with foundations

What was achieved in the week?
Soil sieving for blocks, watering concrete and blocks, moving blocks into dry and move sand, terraced the hill to increase the surface area to dry quicker.

Week 10 will be remembered for the rain! On arrival to Dwabor we were greeted with an almighty rain storm and all huddled in the kitchen. Work on site was affected during the week so the game of pass the pig, provided by Jon, became the day’s entertainment! All the volunteers worked so hard on site when the weather allowed it and also came to watch the community choir! Other highlights included seeing the car full to the brim of cassava and the strange abundance of hobnobs and tea! All in all a great week and a big thank you to Susie, Alice and Jon! We also can’t forget to mention Andy and Simon, who are still working hard!

Jon “I have a good time but disappointed we couldn’t achieve more due to the weather”

Susie “it has been a really enlightening experience. The community has been really welcoming. One thing I won’t miss is Andy’s singing!”

Alice “its given me a taste to do something like this, having been on holiday in Africa I prefer living in the community and have been surprised at the interest form the locals. Wish I could stay another week!”

Week nine 14.06.09-20.06.09

Volunteers involved:
Sharon Mault (Manchester)
Osman Khan (London)
Chris Lord (Manchester)

What was the aim for the week?
· Continuation of foundations of KG2
· Digging foundations of KG1

What was achieved in the week?
· Drainage for site
· Pouring of the foundations KG2
· Block making commenced
· Soil sieving

Week nine was another great one! Sharon, Osman and Chris worked through the blistering heat and the pouring rain. Funny moments included Chris’ sleep talking about the ‘get me out of the blue tape’ (mosquito net!) and Osman’s impact on Noble “I AM A MAN!”
Hard work saw the foundations of KG2 finished, the bedford dug out of the bamboo swamps and a grasscutter for dinner!
Together with the community labour, labourers, football team and the volunteers week nine was great.

Osman “I feel have taken more from this project than I have been able to give.”

Chris “I’ve enjoyed my time on the project, it has given me a greater appreciation of the building project and the challenges faced by the site team.”

Sharon “It has been a fantastic opportunity to make a small contribution to such an amazing community.”

Week Six - Howard and Della's Story

23 – 31st May Our week in Ghana

It was with some trepidation that we boarded the plane after hearing stories about frequent power cuts and the need for wet wipes as showers were a luxury. Let’s get things cleared up, conditions were basic but the guest house and the people we met were so welcoming that it soon felt like home.

The work was hard; digging ditches and tamping the ground in the sun and humidity meant that water breaks were a necessity. We found that doing the twist down the slope was the most effective way of ensuring that the dumped earth didn’t form too steeply and cause a potential hazard in the expected rain. We were constantly amazed by the ingenuity of the village workers creating tools to solve problems they were faced with. A trip to collect bamboo to make an A frame for a donated tent revealed just how practiced James and Michael were at choosing just the right piece to match the required length with minimal waste. The tent was erected just in time before the rain came and will hopefully provide a shelter for working and storage.

We were advised that charity work like this worked best when both parties got something out of it. We got loads. We met some fantastic people and some wonderful children. The elders made us welcome and the workers on the site were always willing to help us out. We were humbled by the way that the whole community worked together and supported each other and by the enthusiasm for learning shown by the pupils in an environment that lacked all the facilities pupils in this country take for granted.

‘A life changing experience’ can be a bit of a cliché but for us it was. In addition to all we saw and did we got engaged in front of the elders who celebrated with us and bestowed on us a Fanti blessing. It was amazing and we would like to extend a big THANK YOU to all who made the whole thing possible.