I really pleased… chuffed to bits
in fact. It’s been a long time coming –
two and a half months but I’m pleased to say I’ve managed to get some money for
the Science Resource Box Project. It’s
not the full amount, as expected, It was
a ridiculous amount in total, some 30 + thousand Ghana cedi but I got some of
it. It’s probably seemed that work has
not really been happening for me since I’ve been back but I’ve been doing more
than I did this time last year in my first 3 months but very much along the
same lines, prepping the ground for next term.
I tried to pre-empt that and got a lot sorted before I went back to the
UK, but this is Ghana and things just don’t quite work out how you plan
them. Still I have a few projects hoting
up as I write this. The Talensi-Nabdam training I’m doing with Hells Bells AKA
Helen. The SEN project with Leela and
Janice I’m trying to get working at regional level, a management support
project for Talensi-Nabdam I’ve been asked to get involved with. A couple of smaller projects; ICT and STMIE, and
last but not least, my Science Resource Box Project. That’s my most satisfying as I’ve done the
pilot project, evaluated, planned for a roll out and written a proposal which
has been accepted in part by an external NGO, World Vision, so it must have
made some sense.
The meeting was postponed
initially by WV and the second time around the District Director for education couldn’t
join me so he asked his HR Officer to attend. The manager at WV started the
meeting by going over the issues of the timing of the arrival of my proposal to
his office; just as the financial year had started, after all the activities
for the funding had been allocated. To say I sunk a few feet into my chair was
an understatement – prognosis was not looking good. He mentioned the part of the
project I wanted external funding for was something their funding covered;
teaching and learning materials and they had looked at reallocating funds that
were in that pot from other activities to see what was possible… My internal
dialogue, while he continued to justify why he was going to give me what he was
going to give me, went something like this ‘Oh great, looking up, possibility
they could fund one or two boxes then, what’s that? 700 Ghana cedi a box…. Maybe
they’re going to give me 1400 GHC… how much is that from 30,000… shit. Where am
I going to find the rest there is no way two boxes will be enough, I had 10 for
the bloody pilot………….bet the other NGOs I went to………….‘ Then out loud, having
heard something unbelievable in the on-going external conversation, I said ‘Sorry
what. How many boxes?’ the cool manager replies with ‘sixteen boxes… using your
figures that works out to…’ [small pause to turn a page], ‘12,600 GHC’. Well knock me down with a feather. [Small
pause and licking of lips while my mouth dried out] and all I could manage was
a very professional(?) ‘Oh my goodness that’s amazing, brilliant, I can’t
believe it…16 boxes… wow. Fabulous. 12, 600 GHC… Ha’ then turning to HR and under
my breath telling him I nearly fell off my chair…which was true. They’ve got to be grateful I didn’t start whooping
around the room. Twelve thousand six
hundred Ghana cedi. About 4,200 of your British pounds… sounds better in
cedi.
Anyway, I jumped feet first into
obtaining a letter to procure the first instalment of 9000 Ghana cedi. What do they say? If you want something done
well, do it yourself. In Ghana if you
want something done in a timely manner, write the damn letter yourself, which I
did, for the District Director who skimmed and signed. He really shouldn’t
trust me that much – you all know how bad my letter writing is (…I have visions
of writing that job application letter with two lovely ladies…. Erase, erase). Not
particularly capacity building but I’m about 8 weeks behind schedule and
anyway, I’m going to be building bucket loads of capacity next term (
hopefully, if all goes to plan). Anyway fact is tomorrow I’m off to the
regional WV office to collect the cheque. So over the next few weeks I’m going
to be building science resource boxes. Sixteen of those lovely babies to be
precise, which will wing their way next term with a bucket load of training to
16 needy Junior High Schools in Talensi. Let’s hope they’re ready!
