Happy Holidays!
It is hard to believe that December is almost over and 2015 is right around the corner.
As the end of the year quickly approaches, we would like to update you all on our activities, as things have begun to take shape for the new school.
First off, we would like to thank everyone who attended our fundraising event this past August, and all of our great volunteers that helped us make it a success! It was a great turn out and we had a lot of fun. The money that we raised has helped us pay for a substantial portion of the costs associated with building the foundation of the school.
The project is being spear-headed by our on-site director in Ghana, Success Akpabli. She has been working very diligently with architects and masons in the area to determine the most cost-effective plan for the construction of the building.
As Connie stated in a previous post: while it is our hope that eventually the school will be able to accommodate all grades, we will only be starting with a nursery and kindergarten class. Additional grades will be made available later on as the students get older and the school grows larger. The business model for this new school will only require families of the children to pay a minimal fee to attend school. The fees will be used to cover the expenses associated with the school, such as the teachers’ salaries, teaching materials, and transportation/ bus fees. Any additional profits the school makes will go back into the community and the orphanages that we support. It is our hope that the disadvantaged and orphan kids at our school will be able to attend our school for free. It is also in our plan to make the school eventually self-sustainable, by means of collecting minimal fees, along with other projects that we will operate on the school grounds.
Self-sustainability is our goal – however, the more money raised here means we will be able to build a better school, lower the children’s school fees, and provide even more support to disadvantaged and orphaned kids. We will continue to hold fundraisers throughout the year here – and Success will be holding small fundraisers in Ghana as well. Together we can make a long-term impact on the lives of these children and the community.
Below are a few pictures from the initial construction of the building:
Mixing the cement and sand before using it to mold the bricks.
The bricks turned from a red to a grey color as they dry. They were able to mold 4000 bricks for this first phase of construction!
Success standing on the land where the building will be located.
Construction has commenced!
Laying down the foundation of the building.
More pictures of the building to come soon!
Erica's Global Outreach 