Milestones
September 2011 A second shipment of books arrives at the Axim Public Library, thanks to the work of St Philips Episcopal Church in Rochester, MI and former Axim resident Ebby M, who facilitated the shipment. Ms. Ackah, the Librarian, begins a new program to deliver boxes of books to local primary schools, and opens the library on Saturdays. The Axim District Assembly approves the use of a room adjacent to the current library for a "Kids Corner", and fixes the leaks in the roof.
September 2011 At the request of the Nzema East-Axim Education Service, Ghana Together and the District sets up a complete Junior High Science Room in the Western Heritage Home facility. Jerome Chandler, retired college science instructor, spends the month working with District teachers to organize the room, train teachers, and introduce students to the facility. Seven JHS schools will use the facility.
September 2011 The Ghanaian Welfare Dept and staff of WHH finds extended family or foster homes for all of the children residing in the Children's Home. This move was precipitated by a Ghanaian government policy to phase out children's homes/orphanages over the next few years. WHH staff ensures all children are attending school, most in the same Manye Academy.
July 2011 - Awulae Attibrukusu III, Paramount Chief of Lower Axim Traditional Area, visits Ghana Together Board members and friends in the Puget Sound area. While there, he meets with Boeing representatives, Chairman Brian Cladoosby of the Swinomish Indian Community, members of the Economic Development Association of Skagit County, and the Northwest Career and Technical Academy. Awulae is a founding member of Western Heritage Home, the Ghanaian-registered NGO we collaborate with in Axim, Ghana.
April 2011 - The Axim Public Library receives more than 1000 books for young children, as a gift from St. Philip's Episcopal Church in Rochester, MI. St. Philip's also presented to St. Mary's Anglican Church in Axim three complete pre-school classrooms, which were created by renovating an old storage building.
March 2011 - Maryanne Ward travels to Axim and works with local leaders to finalize plans for the new Junior High Science Room and the OLPC Computer Learning Center, housed in the WHH facility, which will serve several schools, beginning Sept 2011. An agreement is signed by Sarfo Hayford (Science Curriculum Chief for Nzema Schools), Marian Quansah (Director, Nzema Education District), Municipal Chief Executive Cobbinah, and WHH Manager Isaac Bentil, and Maryanne on behalf of Ghana Together.
January 2011 – WHH contracts with Eric, an IT technican from Takoradi, who installs internet cafe management software, Skype, video cams, and updates all the computers in the internet cafe. The Cafe provides an outstanding service to the Axim community, especially for those who have families living in other parts of the world. Income from the Cafe helps sustain the Children's Home.
December 2010 – Thirty-four Axim mosques, churches, businesses, individuals, and the Municipal Assembly donate gifts of food, clothing, money, and supplies to the WHH Children's Home.
December 2010 – Penpal letters are exchanged between the WHH children and American friends.
November 2010 – The Bellingham, WA chapter of Engineers Without Borders enters serious conversations with WHH about building a sanitation facility to serve the Catholic (public) Primary School in Axim. Ghana Together facilitates these "linking" relationships.
October 2010 – St. Philip's Episcopal Church in the Detroit area hosts "Songs for Stories", a benefit concert for the Axim Public Library's children's section. The church will purchase as many as 1500 books for young children, giving a real boost to the library. Mercy Ackah, the Axim librarian, plans to create a "Kids Korner" in the small library space in the center of Axim town.
October 2010 – Ghana Together arranges for an Axim carpenter to build 50 two-seater children's desks and 2 teachers' desks for the Anglican Primary School in Axim. This is a public, government-funded school.
August 2010 – PACCAR Technical Center, Mount Vernon, WA, donates 10 refurbished Dell laptops for the junior high school level computer learning room being developed by WHH, Ghana Together, and the Axim School District.
June 2010 – Leif Pederson, founding Ghana Together Board Director, and VP for Technology and Planning, dies from complications of foot surgery. Services were held on Bainbridge Island and in the St. James Methodist Church in Axim. What a loss.
March 2010 – Gifty Asmah, Director of Daasgift Quality Foundation, Providers of Business Development and Microfinance services in Takoradi, Ghana visits Ghana Together Board Directors and others in the Pacific Northwest. She speaks at Western Washington University and Skagit Valley College.
March 2010 – March 2010 Gladys, Ben's little sister, is brought to the Children's Home by her great-grandmother who is no longer able to care for her. She is taken in and is now joins Ben as a permanent resident.
March 2010 – Western Heritage Home hires Isaac Bentil, local businessman and community leader, as Managing Director. He joins Patrick (facility), Barbara (Mother and Secretary), Janevan (cleaner), Elizabeth (cook), and Francis (night watchman).
January-February 2010 – Ghana Together Board members Leif Pederson and Maryanne Ward travel to Axim. They work with WHH staff and local businesses to install plumbing to fill an auxiliary polytank with city-supplied water, ensuring that basic water needs are met during the frequent power outages and water shortages. They also engage nearly thirty local businesses—plumbers, carpenters, welders, electricians, tailors, provisioners, and others—to repair and upgrade the WHH facility.
January 2010 – Regina Lawler, member of the Millennium Development Goals Committee of St. Philip’s Episcopal Church in the Detroit, MI area visits Axim. Her church and St. Mary’s Anglican Church in Axim have partnered to turn a partially-finished storage building into a fully-furnished two-room crèche for children 2.5 to 4 years old.
December 2009 – Ghana Together and Engineers Without Borders–Northwest Washington Professionals Chapter hosted John Abugri, an Axim-based Ghanaian Disease Control Officer. We arranged for him to meet with public health specialists, civil and sanitation engineers, and educators in the Bellingham, WA area.
October 2009 – WHH and Ghana Together, in conjunction with the Nzema East Department of Education-Axim, sponsor three week-long physics workshops for the 66 Junior High Science Teachers in the Axim school district. The workshops are conducted by Jerome Chandler, Professor Emeritus, Skagit Valley College, Mount Vernon, WA USA. Jerome is also on the Ghana Together Board of Directors.
September 2009 – WHH joins with Ghana Water Company to host the six-member Northwest Washington Professional Chapter of EWB-USA team. Together they are working on ideas for improving water resources for the town of Axim. The EWB team is led by Ravyn Whitewolf, who is also a Ghana Together Board Director.
September 2009 – WHH initiates One Laptop Per Child computer classes to 19 neighborhood children during the “school break” period. The computers were donated by North American participants in OLPC’s; “Give One Get One” program. The classes will continue on Saturdays when school resumes, with additional children registered. The children who live in the Children’s Home have worked with OLPCs for several months and are delighted to share their skills with their friends.
August 2009 – WHH hires Ariana Amerley Amarh as WHH Manager. Ariana is a graduate of University of Ghana-Legon, majoring in sociology and history. She has experience in sales, teaching, and social work in a hospital setting.
July 2009 – WHH hires Maxwell Quarm, age 24, as instructor and technician in the WHH Academy’s Vocational Computing Learning Laboratory. Maxwell grew up in Axim, and currently makes it his home. His previous position was as computer instructor at Kikam Technical School, about 20 miles from Axim.
May 2009 – As the only certified Children’s Home in Axim, WHH provides for the first time in its existence emergency shelter for two abandoned children. “Mary,” age approximately 8 months, and “Joanna,” age approximately 2.5 years, have been placed in the Home by the Nzema East District Welfare Officer in cooperation with the regional police department. Senior women in Axim pitched in with baby food, nappies, etc. After medical attention, both girls are in excellent health and are enjoying the love and care of their brothers and sisters and the WHH Children’s Home “Mother.”
April 2009 – Ghana Together wins a software grant donation from Microsoft Corporation. Included in grant are licensed versions of Windows XP Professional, Microsoft Office Professional and Micrsoft Encarta Premium 2009. The grant is valued at over $37,000 and the software will be deployed in the WHH Academy’s Vocational Computing Laboratory.
April 2009 – GT Board members Tom Castor, Leif Pederson, and Maryanne Ward travel to Axim and deploy 24 One Laptop Per Child computers (OLPCs) at the WHH Children’s Home. They got internet connection running; worked with the children on writing skills; got GPS coordinates for water spigots and wells, in preparation for an upcoming visit by the Bellingham Engineers Without Borders team; visited the new creche funded by St. Philip's Episcopal Church with our coordination; trained the WHH staff in bookkeeping, and team skills, and participated in a WHH Board meeting.
February 2009 – WHH Academy opens remedial classes for secondary students seeking certification, with four tutors offering 9 subjects. Students can improve their chances of qualifying for steady jobs, especially in the oil and mining industries.
January 2009 – Engineers Without Borders approves EWB-Bellingham Chapter’s grant application for extending the piped water system in Axim. The chapter is awarded $7000. EWB-Bellingham’s Axim Clean Water project manager, Ravyn Whitewolf, is a Ghana Together Board member. Ghana Together is partnering with EWB-Bellingham on this project.
December 2008 – Ghana Together sends thank you letters to the more than 400 friends, family members, service organizations and corporations who have contributed in time, money, and ideas to provide a home, care, and education to orphaned children to fruition. THANK YOU!
December 2008 – Engineers Without Borders-Bellingham Chapter sponsors a bake sale, raising enough money to provide veronica buckets to schools still without.
December 2008 – Workers finish the top floor of the WHH facility. Axim now has a Community Learning and Conference Center. WHH purchases 100 chairs with writing arms, lays drain tiles around the building exterior, builds a secure storage building for bulk foodstuffs, and erects a polytank for emergency water supply. The facility is lacking only a fence.
November 2008 – Two-year old Joanna arrives at the WHH Children’s Home. She suffers from kwashikor on arrival, but recovers with medical care and adequate food.
October 2008 – WHH Computer Learning Lab offers its first vocational computer classes to older youth. Barbara Davis is the Ghanaian teacher for this first "shake-down" class.
August 2008 – GT Board Vice President Leif Pederson and daughter Kristin travel to Axim to help up the ten laptops donated to WHH by 1-800-Got-Junk!, with logistics provided by Project RedDot. The computer training room is set up with working computers, tables, chairs and teacher supplies.
September 2008 - The WHH girls move into their newly finished "girls quarters," thanks to a grant from Boeing Corporation.
September 2008 – Elena Robertson and her Dad, Doug, travel to Axim to conduct a literacy project in the Children’s Home. Doug coaches some of the town’s soccer players in advanced skills.
August 2008 – Manye Academy honors several WHH Scholars who live in the Children’s Home for their academic and athletic achievements. All school-age WHH Scholars successfully complete a full year of school!
July 2008 – Ghana Together organizes a silent auction, hosted by the Starr Alpaca Farm in Boring, OR. Ken and Laura Slye host the event and donate several alpaca breeding sessions to benefit the Children’s Home.
June 2008 – WHH Children’s Home takes in Emmanuela, a homeless girl with very limited eyesight.
May 2008 – Most of the original team of North American delegates form Ghana Together, a new non-profit, to support their work in Ghana.
April 2008 – Boeing provides a 2nd grant to complete the 2nd floor of the building.
April 2008 – Rich and Maryanne Ward visit Axim. They are the first guests in the newly finished "volunteer quarters." They enjoy the children and staff, meet with WHH Board members and other local leaders, visit the local school the WHH Scholars attend, and review WHH’s programs and plans. They visit all the schools and inspect the veronica buckets and find they are being used regularly.
January 2008 – Forty hand-washing stations ("veronica buckets") plus soap and towels, are delivered to seven basic schools and the Western Heritage Home for orphaned children. Mr. John Abugri, a Ghanaian public health officer based in Axim gives demonstrations of proper hand washing and encourages the school teachers to stress their teaching of hygiene and personal cleanliness.
December 2007 – Twenty-two orphaned children move into the WHH Children’s Home for the first time! Jerome (Ghana Together Board member) and Celia Chandler join children and WHH leaders to celebrate this milestone event!
September 2007 – Barbara Gilday travels to Konongo-Kumasi Secondary School (KOSS) to dedicate the $20,000 donation of textbooks and other reading materials for the new Library. Barbara organized former Peace Corps volunteers and KOSS students to raise these funds. Barbara leads Appreciative Inquiry seminars for about 1000 KOSS students.
September 2007 – Chief Awulae Attiburukusu III invites our team to Axim to be honored at the annual Kundum Festival. Seven of us accept for the experience of a lifetime! We dedicate the WHH Children’s Home/Community Learning Center. Rich Ward, Susan Hirst, Tom Castor, and Jerome Chandler, with help from the rest of us, bring 500 lbs of science equipment and learning materials to Manye Academy. The Academy organizes a dedication ceremony. Barbara Gilday collects extraordinary life stories of ordinary Axim residents and others with the intent of helping them see the value and inspiration in their lives and sharing the stories back home in the US. Louise Wilkinson brings her grandson who will never forget his adventure. Maryanne rides in a Kundum palanquin!
July 2007 – Jeanie Birchall organizes a "Raise the Roof" yard sale, to raise funds to finish the roof on the Children’s Home/Community Learning Center.
April 2007 – Maryanne spends one month in Axim, overseeing Boeing grant money, establishing a computer-based bookkeeping system, meeting with local elected officials, traditional leaders, Boeing’s executive for West Africa, the WHH Board of Directors, the original Ghanaian delegates, and market women.
December 2006 – Global Citizen Journey is awarded grants from the Boeing Corporation and Kirkland, WA Rotary Foundation to further construction on the WHH Children’s Home/Community Learning Center in Axim.
October 2006 - The North American delegates donate 56 new mattresses to the hospital in Axim.
October 2006 – Under sponsorship of Global Citizen Journey, fifteen North Americans join an equal number of Ghanaians to live and work together in Axim, Ghana for three week. We are matched by vocational training. The Axim Beach Hotel serves as our meeting center. We engage in group dialogues to develop cultural understanding. Using Appreciative Inquiry as a facilitation tool, we organize the first Axim-wide Town Hall. Together, we work on sub-projects in HIV/AIDs, women’s entrepreneurial skills, education, sanitation, water engineering, and conflict resolution. We speak in worship services and appreciate the special durbar Chief Awulae hosts. Volunteers from Axim join us for a work day on the Children’s Home/Community Learning Center. Kumgbunli Village, a Muslim community, welcomes us. We visit Kumasi, Accra, and Aburi, where we are greeted in a formal Ghanaian manner by Nana Osei Bochewa Yiadom III, the first woman chief. Ghanaians and North Americans alike have an unforgettable experience that changes us, deepens our mutual understanding, and creates new relationships that will probably last our lifetimes.
June 2006 – James Kainyiah and other community leaders register Western Heritage Home (WHH) as a Ghanaian NGO. James donates land to WHH for a children’s home/community center complex.
March 2006 – Barbara, Maryanne, Rich, and Susan Partnow meet. Susan, as Executive Director of Global Citizen Journey, decides to sponsor our proposed journey to Ghana. Maryanne and Barbara agree to lead the Journey. They recruit delegates, plan the journey, raise funds for the building project, and work closely with Susan to prepare the North American delegates, and with James who is recruiting Ghanaian delegates.
January 2006 - Barbara returns to the US and agrees to join Rich and Maryanne in trying to help the James and others build their dream: a home for orphaned children and community learning center in Axim.
December 2005 – After completing her work in Nigeria as a Global Citizen Journey delegate, Barbara Gilday travels to Ghana to reunite with Ghanaian friends from her CUSO volunteer teaching days. At Rich and Maryanne’s request, she meets James Kainyiah and other Axim leaders, visits the proposed building, and explores Axim.
December 2005 – James Kainyiah, a Ghanaian businessman who is an associate of their son, contacts Rich and Maryanne Ward, asking their help to build a facility that will be a home for orphaned children and a community learning center. James is the managing director of Jamkay Ltd, a sportswear and textile company located in Takoradi, Ghana, and also is the Development Chief of the Lower Axim Traditional Area. Rich and Maryanne decide to help but want to put together a richer experience involving others rather than just raise money to construct a building.
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