Newsletter: Ayensudo KG Update

Ten months in the building and we are extremely happy to announce that our sustainable kindergarten complex at Ayensudo is alive and well and open! Not only that, it looks fantastic. Over the course of 2011 we have worked tirelessly with the Ayensudo community, our technical partners Arup and Davis Langdon, project sponsors Tullow Ghana Ltd and Ghana International Bank, project stakeholders the Ghana Education Service, KEEA Municipal Assembly and various other private donors, to achieve what is undoubtedly our most impressive project to date. Three purpose designed classrooms, outdoor play areas, a designated office and a rain water harvesting system all contribute to what has been hailed as one of the “outstanding models” for kindergarten education “not just in Ghana but for the whole of Africa”.

Throughout the process we have worked with members of the community and trained up the local workforce in new building techniques, championed the use of locally available sustainable materials and sought to build a better, greener, stronger and more sustainable solution to kindergarten infrastructure. We feel that this method, in conjunction with the recipient community through an approach that constantly reiterates local ownership of the project and the finished product, is the most sustainable approach to development. It offers not only years of great education from within the school itself, but a huge amount of local inspiration, vocational training, respect and reward for all those involved and associated with the project. Put simply the project becomes greater than its parts, a model of fantastic proportion in both a literal and figurative sense.

We took the opportunity over the course of the project to train up Sabre’s very own construction engineer, Lawrence Mensah. Under the leadership of Joe Stables (Arup), Lawrence is now in a position to be able to head up our next sustainable kindergarten build, scheduled to begin in early 2012. This is a hugely exciting development and means that in moving forward we are able to operate all aspects of our infrastructure building project management in-house. Lawrence will begin by overseeing the construction of the toilet block, store room and kitchen at Ayensudo over the next couple of months.

Arup have once again helped out to an extraordinary degree in our vision for this project. Without their commitment and dedicated team, the Ayensudo project would have been a very different story. As it stands, and thanks in no small part to Jo da Silva, Hayley Gryc and Joseph Stables and the mass of people they surround themselves with, we are delighted to present to the community, and Ghana, this very accomplished project that we hope will become the blueprint for future kindergarten schools throughout Ghana, if not further afield as well.

Sabre is undeniably proud of its achievements and the efforts of everyone who was involved in this landmark project. The next phase is to ensure the quality of the teaching is as spectacular as the building itself, a challenge we aim to overcome with as much vigour and passion as we have shown in our track record to date. If 2011 has been anything to go by, 2012 looks set to bring with it very exciting times indeed.

 

Ayensudo KG Celebration in the UK

On Wednesday 16^th November we hosted a celebration of the opening of our latest school. The Ayensudo sustainable kindergarten complex was built over the last nine months following a design review upon the completion of our first sustainable KG at Dwabor. There have been several subtle changes but overall the familiar design and concept of the build has remained very true to the original prototype.

The event was held at Arup’s offices in central London and attracted many of our core sponsors, long-term supporters and others keen to learn more about what we’re up to.

The evening itself was split into various different sections, encompassing an introductory speech from Jo da Silva OBE, Director of International Development at Arup, a “walk-through” of the finished school by Hayley Gryc (Senior Structural Engineer at Arup and lead coordinator of the sustainable kindergarten project design team and implementation), a drum and dance performance by One Drum and a speech by Ayo Johnson (Sabre’s new Ambassador, an African specialist and well revered journalist). Drinks and canapés were served throughout the evening and we also used the event as an opportunity to select the winners of the Mind, Body & Soul photographic competition (announced below on a previous blog entry).

It was fantastic to able to showcase our work to experienced professionals from a wide background and allow people the opportunity to get up close and personal with the key design features and materials that were all on show. The events team at Arup did a wonderful job of keeping everyone fed and watered and One Drum’s performance was exceptional and unbelievably energetic!

A further highlight of the evening was Sabre being presented with £19,195 of funding towards our next sustainable kindergarten build from the British and Foreign Schools Society. This will be put to great use on our next kindergarten build scheduled to begin in early 2012!

A huge thank you to all who came. Feedback from the event has been great and we look forward to hosting similar showcasing events in the future. If you or anyone you know would like any further information on this or any other aspect of our work please do get in touch via email at trust@sabretrust.org.

Ayensudo Kindergarten opens!

The inauguration of the Ayensudo Sustainable Kindergarten Complex on 01 November 2011 marked the day on which responsibility for the school was handed over to the Ghana Education Service. Nine months and literally thousands of hours of hard labour since construction began, the school stands ready to serve the 180 pupils whose only previous experience of a classroom was being crammed into a tiny wooden hut.

Reflecting the success of the entire project, the inauguration day itself was received in great spirits. Some 300 hundred people from the Ayensudo community joined representatives from the project’s main partners, including Tullow Ghana Ltd, Arup, the Ghana Education Service, the KEEA Municipality Assembly and Sabre. The atmosphere on the day was one of great excitement and a shared sense of achievement. In one way or another every single person at the inauguration had contributed to the completion of the project, and now was the perfect chance to celebrate in unison.

Any celebration in Ghana needs music! A local drumming troupe provided a vibrant soundtrack for the day as guests arrived punctually for the ceremony. Masters of Ceremonies from the Municipal Assembly and the community settled the crowd before the Ayensudo Imam conducted the opening prayer. Sabre’s patron, and Ghana’s only Winter Olympian, Mr. Kwame Nkrumah-Acheampong, and the Chief of Ayensudo officially welcomed guests to the event.

The first round of speeches were given by Sabre’s partners who were central to the delivery of the project. David Lawrie, Regional Business Manager for Tullow Ghana, spoke of the importance of infrastructure on learning outcomes and praised all those who had been involved in the project for producing this fantastic end result. Joseph Stables of Arup followed with an explanation of how sustaianble local materials such as bamboo, coconut fibre, palm kernels and pozzolana cement have been innovatively used to create the Kindergarten Complex.

Later in the day Mr Gabriel Gademor, Director of Education for the KEEA Municipality, and a representative of the Central Regional Minister, Mrs Ama Benyiwa-Doe, were given the floor. The Director thanked all the project partners for the time and effort they had contributed in building the Complex, and encouraged parents to ensure their children have access to the facilities. The Regional Minister cited the Kindergarten as a shining example of what can be achieved through positive partnerships, urging all stakeholders to continue working together in replicating such fine work. The final speech of the day was given by Rachel Hinton of the UK’s Department for International Development, who reminded us that whilst significant successes are being recorded in Ghana, literacy rates in the country remain at just 11% for the youngest children and the challenges facing the sector will not permit us to rest on our laurels.

The centre piece of the event, greeted by a thunderous drum roll and cheering, saw David Lawrie officially hand ownership of the KG Complex to Gabriel Gademor. When the ribbon was cut and the school officially declared open, the Chief of Ayensudo led guests on a tour of the Complex. As is often the case in Ghana, scores of young children suddenly appeared, running and laughing through what would tomorrow be their new school. It was a touching reminder to everyone present of what these classrooms would now be used for, but also a sobering moment to consider the volume of work which still needs to be done in thousands of Ghanaian communities so that all children might one day begin their education in such wonderful facilities.

The inauguration of the KG Complex was accompanied by another important opening: the new Ayensudo Sports Park. Located on the same plot of land, it has been redeveloped, over the past three months through donations from project partners, to include volleyball and netball courts and a brand new football pitch. As the inauguration drew to a close two teams of teenage school children patiently waited to take to the pitch and officially open the park with a short exhibition match. It was not quite the Black Stars in Accra, but the large crowds, rolling film and flashbulbs created a moment which none of the players will ever forget. We feel sure the same can be said for everyone present at the Ayensudo Sustainable Kindergarten Complex that day.

 

 

Training Site update for August 2011, Simon and Charlie King

It’s been a busy month at the training site! The treatment and processing of bamboo for the kindergarten school at Ayensudo is almost complete, with all of the white painted bamboo for the ceilings finished and delivered to the school and the cladding well under way.

The process which we are going through with the bamboo involves firstly treating it in a bath of Timbor (Boric acid and Boron). It is then left to dry for a few days before being shaved to remove the outer layer, and then varnished or painted depending on the end use – the ceiling bamboo is painted white and the cladding bamboo is varnished.

At our busiest time, we had around 30 men working at the site which initially attracted the sweet balls lady (sweet balls are a bit like doughnuts), and then 3-4 ladies started turning up each day and setting up a mini kitchen to cook banku and soup to feed everyone. There were also a couple of bushrats which they caught and skewered to cook on the fire, although they didn’t look very appetising!

We now have a night watchman, Jim, who has brought a chicken to the site which he’s been feeding with termites and started growing vegetables such okra and spring onions. The bamboo plantation is also growing fast, with the tallest plants around 2m high (having been planted only 5 months ago).

Week 23 @ Ayensudo

This was a whopper week of fun and progress. Volunteer Charlie turned up and proved a hit with all working on site. The roof trusses were being put up the right way and bolted onto the truss shoes. It was very exciting as it was the first sign of woodwork on display and it looked impressive too! There were many aspects to putting the roof up which lead carpenters Steve and Mathew (and Kwame from the Dwabor project) took care of competently.

Meanwhile, masons Ademu and Bilali prepped up for the big slab pour. Concrete spacers (or concrete cubes with a bit of wire) had to be individually tied to the steelwork before the work. This was tedious but necessary work which will keep the steelwork in the centre of the concrete. At the same time, the columns for the third classroom were filled with concrete too. With the addition of a concrete vibrator to the tool shed, compacting was easier and far more efficient than when done by hand. Because there was so much work to be done on site, we had to call upon our secret weapon – the ladies! As usual, they arrived with their head pans and worked hard and covered almost half the classroom floor.

The concrete mixer is rumbling, men are sawing and nailing pieces of wood to the roof trusses, a team of experts are pouring concrete onto the floor slab with women vying for a position at the front to upend their load! It was a very busy and looked incredibly exciting to an outsider.

Everyone had worked so hard this week that mineral-session was a much needed reward. It also proved to be a good morale booster as everyone was satisfied with their contributions.
Next week, roofing sheets are expected to make an appearance on site – meaning a covered roof!

Week 22 @ Ayensudo

Heavy rains punctuated this week. In an effort to keep the work site as dry as possible channels were created to divert water flow from pooling in one area. Meanwhile the carpenters were busy with the timber roof trusses. By mid-week, the trusses were ready to be hoisted onto the concrete ringbeam, in preparation to be upended and fitted into the truss shoes the following week. As the picture above shows, many hands make light work.

The second classroom floor was being readied for the slab pour. First, stone is compacted onto the ground, and finished with a layer of sand. After which, plastic sheets are lain on the ground (to prevent water from seeping into the classroom floor) above which steelwork is laid. Concrete is poured over this to create a smoothly-finished floor slab. All in all, next week promises to be really exciting!

Week 21 @ Ayensudo

To keep the rains away while working, a new shelter was to be constructed for the carpenters. It was up within a couple of days and has proven crucial as the rains have been incessant. Volunteer Diana, who had come all the way from Australia having flown for more than 27 hours, joined us for some trench-digging to divert the rain waters away from site. The tool shed was also completed this week, ensuring not only the safety of all site tools but also that they were kept closer to work and dry under shelter. The ring beam steelwork for the second KG was completed and awaits the wooden formwork to be fitted around it.

It is a big week for everyone on site as the formwork was struck off for the first ring beam. Needing a few tweaks here and there, the structure was now ready for the roof truss.

The carpenters were now able to work despite the rain under their new shelter, readying the timber truss for the roof of the KG. Once this is up, work can start on the walls of the KG.
Each week becomes of more and more importance and demands dedication from everyone involved. The rainy season, although not conducive at the moment, will be here for another 2 weeks or so. After which, it will be lighter and more manageable showers.

Week 20 @ Ayensudo

Truss shoe is the buzz word at site currently. Truss shoes are inserted into the ring beam before a concrete pour which then secures them. The problem we faced this week was the ‘light-out’ people were experiencing all over Cape Coast, Elmina and good ol’ Ayensudo. The welder based in Elmina could not use his tools for more than 3 days as the electricity had failed. This made a dent in the schedule for the pour on the first ring beam as the truss shoes were incomplete. It was a dilemma we could do nothing about. So we waited.

We finally had electricity to weld all the truss shoes required for the pour. But we had not anticipated the heavy downpour which kept the work force under shelter all morning until 2pm. It was postponed to the next day, and everyone adopted a ‘now-or-never’ attitude and went at it from 7.30 am through to 5pm. It was a tremendous effort and everyone deserved a pat on the back.

It was decided that more bamboo would be ordered to build shelters on site for the carpenters to work under as well as a tool shed to keep the equipment on site instead of returning to the classrooms constantly where they are currently stored.
What a week – we battled with lack of electricity, the elements and still survived!

Week 19 @ Ayensudo

Work on the ring beam steel-work for the second classroom was underway. The first classroom ring beam was fitted with wooden formwork to ready it for a concrete pour. The community labour had turned up to show their support for the agreement we had made last week. It was proving to be a positive arrangement.

The carpenters and steel-benders have been busy for the past 15 weeks and they were going strong as there was a bigger team than we began with. Steel-bender Bilali, carpenters Matthew and Steven were all glad to have more hands to help them. With the rainy season fast approaching, the main aim on site is to start working on the roofs before the weather beats us.
It is indeed a race now..

Week 18 @ Ayensudo

This week, we had our eyes on truss shoes, community meeting and timber delivery.
The third classroom 1 formwork was struck while we tried to find a solution to keep the community happy and willing to work on site.

The meeting was held in a school classroom and issues that worried the community were discussed. Tullow Oil representatives were present too. In the end, it seemed that the community were unhappy about their sports park as it had reduced in size since the new building works had started. Moreover, the construction had also disrupted their usual sports calendar which Ayensudo always hosted.

It was agreed that the park will be improved further, provided the community renew their commitment to the project by coming back to work.

This was agreed and their commitment demonstrated when they turned up the following morning unload a huge truck-load of timber for the roofs and doors and windows.

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