A Computer Center in Sanfo–One Year Report

Mr. Kofi Owusu-Ansah

Shortly after I arrived at my school, Sanfo/Aduam Municipal Assembly JHS, the faculty described how they wanted to build a room at the school to install 12 used computers that were donated to the school. We decided on a new building and Kofi Ansah, the assistant headmaster, and I sketched a plan and estimated the materials (i.e., concrete for blocks, lumber, window frames, doors, wiring, etc.) and applied for a grant for about half the costs of the structure.

The School held a "harvest celebration" in February 2013 to obtain their share of the funds and raised about 3,000 Gh¢. They used the money to start construction, even before the Grant was approved, and with almost all donated labor over the last year, they have built a fine new structure on the JHS campus. I was amazed by the quality of the work and the building that is a paint job away from being complete. Now, they need to furnish the center with tables, chairs, printers and other materials and computer equipment. In order to do that, we applied for a grant through the Peace Corps Partnership Program (PCPP), a qualified charity that can accept tax-deductible donations. If you want to participate, please visit the PCPP website for a more complete description of the project and the funds required to support it.

 https://donate.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm?shell=donate.contribute.projDetail&projdesc=14-641-003

 Now here are a few shots of the project that I took between February 2013 and February 2014.

In February 2013, the Computer Center Project began with a "mini-Harvest".
Children from the Primary School and the JHS recited poems,
danced, and acted in short plays, while their parents and
friends donated money and goods to be sold at auction.

 

Children from the Kindergarden marked the boundaries of the
foundation for the new center.

                                                                                                                                                                   

Masons manufactured their own blocks

                                                                       

and began to dig as soon as the Harvest funds
were collected.

Assemblyman & Headmaster, Kofi Asanti Bruce supervises the
masons in April 2013, after a USaid grant was received.

By June, the carpenters began to build the roof.

By October, the roof & plaster were complete, but because of some
improvements, some oversights and some inflation, the grant and
community funds ran out.  So the executive committee decided to
conduct another "mini-Harvest" in December.

December is harmattan- the African dry season, but it rained three times on the
day of the "mini-Harvest". Still, with dances, poems and an auction they
managed to raise another 2,000 Gh¢ for the center to finish the windows, ceiling
and floors.

Meanwhile the US Embassy donated six newer PC's–with no
memories–just a little more equipment for us to buy.

Pupils collected rocks from and abandoned surface (gold) mine to
pack the subfloor.

And by February 2014 the floors were poured and a handsome ceiling
is installed.

Window louvers should be installed before I return on March 2nd.  The building is already the finest structure in Sanfo/Aduam, but when  PCPP grant funds are received we can purchase the tables and equipment needed to begin to use our new center.