An update from Anansi founder Kathryn Roe:
Greetings from Ghana. This report is an attempt to bring those of you who have been involved in our (as Bob McDonnell calls it) Ambitious Project up to date. I’ve been here in Mpeasem, Cape Coast, Ghana now for about a month and one half. Here is what has happened so far:
The paper work telling the world that Anansi Education owns the property just north of Efutu off the road to Jukwa across from the new hospital is all filed in the proper places and now official. Whew! I mention this because it is not uncommon for foreigners to buy property from someone who does not own said property. We are clear in that regard.
I brought 10,000 dollars to build the wall around the property to secure the place from people who might use the property as their own. We got three estimates for the cost of the wall around the parameter of our six plots (480 ft by 80 ft). Non of the estimates came close to our 10,000 U.S. Dollars. All were higher – even the one from friends who were amateurs at wall building. It took time, patience, and a bit of badgering until we settled on William Bagidah and Son Construction Company Ltd. It will cost 20,000 U.S. Dollars. I feel comfortable with the decision to work with these people as both Daniel and Kwame assure me they are honest and will do a good job. The wall should stand as long as a wall can stand. At the moment they are digging the trench for the foundation of the wall. They will first build a storage shed so there is a place to keep equipment secure on site and then begin the wall construction. It should be near completion before I return.
The architects from Accra – Charles, Cyril and Kwame – visited us here in Mpeasem to look at the site, ask questions and gather the information they need to finalize the cost estimate for this project. I met with them a few weeks ago in Accra to discuss the project. Lalinatu who is our graduate who will be in charge of the school suggested to me prior to this meeting that we need a playground space and also we need to think about how the way we build the school will impact our status as a private school – A or B or C school. These young architects said they would need to research those Ghana standards of construction for schools.
The architects brought a drone to photograph the property from above for purposes of recording elevations and everything on the site. Thousands of photos were taken, we had good conversation and will get together again in Accra just before my trip back to Bellingham the end of this month. Charles is interested in and has a collection of African Art. He has offered to put me in touch with a friend of his who has much of what we enjoy at our auctions for sale. And, he has offered to give us a piece from his collection for our auction this year. They seem genuinely interested in what we are doing and how we are doing it.
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I want to tell you about the Ghanaians who will be in charge of the project after completion; here are a few short profiles I want to share with you all.
Daniel Osei
Daniel’s official position in Anansi Education is as “Managing Director”. He has been serving in this capacity for the past six and one half years. He is now in charge of every aspect of Anansi’s program in Ghana. He hires an Anansi graduate to help with his job for two years prior to pursuing an advanced degree. They work together to inform students in small remote villages about our program, select our students, buy and distribute school items and provisions for our students and plan and run our important “Host and Teach” program. That program, which is now the core of our work, was Daniel’s concept. Both Daniel and his assistant are extremely involved with the performance and well being of our students.
In 2007 Daniel became an Anansi student graduating from Assin Manso in 2011 with the highest exit examination score possible. He was granted a Master Card Foundation Scholarship to attend Ashesi University in 2012. He graduated from Ashesi in 2016 with a degree in Management Information Systems after which he moved to Nigeria for a job with Tendy Nigeria Co. Ltd. He served first as Assistant Manager and was promoted to Store Manager. Late in 2017 he returned to Ghana to accept the Managing Director job with Anansi.
Christine Meyer, a visiting tourist/teacher in our Host and Teach program, described Daniel as a “force of nature”. He is.
Kwame Annan
“Let’s Go Tours” is the name of Kwame’s car rental and tourism business which has been in operation since 2001. It is a small successful business in which he does most of the driving and tour guiding.
Kwame graduated from Suhum Secondary Technical High School with a major in science in 1995 after which he taught school in junior and basic government schools for five years. He is married with three children.
Since the very beginning of Anansi Education Kwame has been involved as a primary support person. He managed the paper work involved when Anansi became an official Ghanaian NGO in 2005 and today he is the one in charge of the paper work necessary for the purchase of the land for Anansi’s current project. His interest in and support of Anansi over the years has been steady and strong.
Lalinatu Ibrahim
Right now (February 2024) Lalina is looking for a job teaching elementary school. She recently graduated from Cape Coast University with honors. She was granted “First Class Honors” and “Best Graduating In Childhood Education”. Her grade point at graduation was 3.9. While waiting for government school jobs to open up, she is spending time with her ten year old son, Abdul, at her sister Falaila’s house here in Mpeasem. She stops in to help out with Anansi’s “Host and Teach” program occasionally. Lalina is applying for a teaching position in a good private school as she waits for a government job.
With encouragement and help from her sister Falaila (one of Anansi’s first six students in 2005) Lalinatu became an Anansi Student in 2014. She graduated from Ghana National High School in General Arts in 2017. She worked as Daniel’s Assistant for one and one half years until she had enough money to attend University. She graduated from Cape Coast University with honors in 2022 holding a degree in Childhood Education. While in attendance at the University, Lalina worked for a professor of statistics sitting in on lectures and grading student papers. Her Government Service year was spent teaching in a small rural school in the village of Batanya near Assin Foso.
Lalinatu Ibrahim is devoted to the education of small children and her long term goal is to run a good, modern, state of the art basic school in Ghana. She is very interested in Anansi’s plan for a basic school and is already giving advice about the “A” school physical requirements.
Seidu Ibrahim
While Seidu is looking for a professional job he has created his own “on line” business selling phones, ear buds and computers. As a start up business it is doing well. Seidu is well organized and knowledgeable. He lives at the Anansi House in Mpeasem and does more than his share of maintenance and up keep of the house and grounds.
Seidu attended Ghana National High School graduating in 2017 with a degree in General Arts. He received a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Sociology and Geography in 2021. You can read more about Seidu on our website at: http://anansieducation.org/?p=1496.
There are more Ghanaian people very involved with Anansi: Mohammed who was our first paid employee of Anansi who is now interested in a personal involvement with the new restaurant, Suzanne Bulver, retired head mistress of Kubease School, now teaching in a private school, Eric Mensah, a long time resident of the Anansi House in Mpeasem who is now teaching in a small village near here, and Matilda Nunoo, who is Daniel’s new assistant now living in the Anansi House. Matilda is the light of my life at the moment as she keeps my kitchen cleaner than it has ever been. She will be here for two years before heading on to school to become a midwife. Cecilia, the first woman I met in Cape Coast back in 1998. She serves on our board and runs the restaurant for Baobob, a German non profit here in Cape Coast.
As you can tell, there are many wonderful people here ready and willing to help with this project once we get it going. In other words: It will be in good hands.