Crunch Time

It's been an eventful week. School construction has continued its progress, and now the walls are complete. The next stage is the roofing, which we anticipate to take about five days. We start this phase on Saturday, because the cement plaster is drying until then. After that we plaster the walls and floors, and the only remaining task left is to paint. I will leave the region for Cape Coast on 28 or 29 August, and my role as overseer of the project will be complete. Latrina will watch the school construction complete.

The well is a separate matter. Shipping for the solar equipment has proven a nightmare. The first attempt was thwarted by UPS's designation of Ghana as a particular threat for terrorism (which baffles me on multiple levels). Now, the second shipping attempt is by USPS has apparently been stalled in Ghanain customs, after USPS washed its hands of the matter, Ghana's postal service may have the package, and we may be able to locate it soon (I will definitely let the donor of the equipment know when I know). If we get it by the end of my stay in Naama, I can teach it to the village leaders.

The drilling of the well, the purchase of the tank, and the piping is longer within our funds alone. The reason for this is that this is no longer a Peace of Minds Project. POMP is only our tax-exempt fiscal sponsor, so all donations given thus far will be tax exempt. The funding that Latrina and I had reserved for the well was used to purchase the tax-exempt service of POMP.

This change in the role of POMP resulted in differences and issues between the chair and Latrina and I over our roles on the board of directors and the role of our project in POMP (obviously there is a long story here that I don't have time to fully go into). As a result, Latrina and I are now overseeing this project as individuals.

What this means is that the unexpected cost of the tax-exempt service (over $1,000) has forced us to change tack. We are now looking at completing the project through using some of our own personal funds. though we have two potential donations coming soon that could help us. We are committed to completing this school project, even if it means using our own money.

The well, on the other hand, is a different story. Recovering the shipped equipment is our most urgent goal, and I am in Kumasi looking into it as I write this. With that said, I am optimistic that the municipal government may be willing to help with the well project. We will request that the government will cover all other costs and we can (hopefully) provide the solar powered water pump. We meet with the municipal chief (something like the county mayor) on Friday to discuss the well.

If the government is willing to support us, the well will be installed. If not, it is highly unlikely we can afford to construct the well (at least this trip) without additional donations. If anyone is willing to donate to this project, please email me, or better yet call 011233240627250. I will give an update to anyone calling (though admittedly it is a unreliable phone and it may take several calls before I can answer). These donations would not be tax-exempt, and the most convenient method would be wiring through Western Union (the nearest one to Naama is in Mampong, Ashanti Region, Ghana). It's crunch time.