Dream Big Ghana September Newsletter
Dream Big Ghana Foundation Newsletter: Edition Three, September 2020
We are delighted to bring you this newsletter from Dream Big Ghana Foundation (DBGF) – we are the UK charity which supports Dream Big Ghana NGO, Denyigba Lorlor NGO and Dzita Turtle Protection.
As always we are indebted to you, our followers, for your continued support. We couldn't do it without you!
Our New Chair of Trustees
As you will know, Chris Croudace decided to step down from his role as Chair of Trustees earlier this month. Once again we would like to thank Chris for his time as Chair, our organisation has undergone an incredible journey with Chris at the helm and his efforts have created lasting change for numerous people. Well done and thank you Chris!
It is with great pleasure that we can now officially announce the appointment of our new Chair of Trustees, Bryan Pearson. Bryan, pictured below (left) with Dream Big Ghana NGO Co-Director Christian Ganah, has a lifetime of experience living and working in Africa, having grown up in Nigeria. More recently, Bryan has been working in Ghana in the agricultural sector, as well as Chairing an Accra-based NGO called Penplusbytes.
Bryan's experience working in West Africa, as well as numerous visits to Meet Me There Lodge and a deep-rooted understanding of how our projects are implemented, made him an ideal candidate. We are delighted to have Bryan on board as our Chair of Trustees and look to the future with great excitement and positivity.
Dream Big Ghana NGO
The Ghanaian government reopened its borders to international travel in September for the first time in six months. Whilst international travel remains uncertain, Meet Me There Lodge has relied on its strong following within Ghana. Social distancing measures are in place and reduced guest numbers are now becoming the 'new normal'.
Dream Big Ghana NGO has been running two separate projects simultaneously, a soil evaluation on their EcoSan compost and a rehabilitation project on two local school toilet facilities. The soil evaluation aimed to reveal the nutritional benefit of adding EcoSan compost to agricultural fields, as well as identifying any unwanted pathogens present. Additionally, a year long test site has been established which will compare the compost to chemical fertilisers and also identify any benefit adding urine.
The school toilet rehabilitation project aimed to improve the user experience of toilets at Philio Basic School and Agbledomi Basic School. After using the WHO and UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme as an evaluative tool, Dream Big Ghana NGO identified several areas in need of attention.
All cubicles have now been converted into composting units in order to produce a resource from what was previously a waste product. This also makes emptying the chambers much easier and safer. Inside the cubicles, a window allows natural light to enter making the user experience less scary. The floors have been tiled to make cleaning a more straight forward process. Finally, both female and male urinals have been constructed to reduce the amount of urine entering the latrine which aids the composting process and reduces the smell. The urinals also act as a menstrual hygiene management space for female pupils and teachers. A full report on the project is coming soon!
In September, our very own Trustee Dom Bride took on the Prudential MyRide London 46 mile challenge in order to raise funds for our sanitation project. He, along with friends Milo, Harry and James completed the challenge and raised £540. Well done! There's still time to support them, follow the link below.
Denyigba Lorlor NGO
Denyigba Lorlor have had a very busy two months of seed purchasing and nurturing. Safo and the team now have 5232 seeds growing and a further 5000 seeds purchased. It's the perfect time of year for cashew seeds to be nurtured with a total of 3000 currently being tended to in the Atsiame and Wli nurseries.
Safo has also been able to visit all three nurseries at Wli, Atsiame and Dzita-Agbledomi to ensure best practices are being followed and staff are enjoying their work to the full.
With 10,000 seeds either planted or purchased this year, we are incredibly proud of the efforts of the Denyigba team on the ground in Ghana. We also must thank you, our supporters, for helping us to this momentous target. But with the climate crisis accelerating, the need to plant trees is more important now than ever. Please help us to plant a further 10,000 trees by donating below.
In August Charlie Pritchard, a UK based Denyigba supporter ran 100km throughout the month to raise funds for our tree planting efforts. Having moved back to London as lockdown was eased in the UK, Charlie was able to reacquaint himself with some of London's best spots. Charlie has raised £370 and although his month of running is over you can still sponsor him below. Thank you Charlie!
Dzita Turtle Protection
The 2020-21 turtle season has begun. We are still waiting on our first nesting turtles to come ashore, but the team is ready and raring to go! Our Just Giving campaign is live and you can donate to support this years' efforts below.
In August the Ghanaian government announced renewed efforts to preserve Ghana's natural assets and formed a Community Resource Management Area in and around Dzita. Local chiefs, assembly men, community members and representatives from the Department of Wildlife and Forestry all attended a meeting with government officials, with the aim of alleviating poverty by carefully stewarding natural resources in the Volta River basin. The protection of nesting turtles was placed high up on the agenda, combining conservation efforts with increased tourism. Local fishermen will also be educated on the need to conserve turtle numbers in order to reduce the number of jellyfish caught in nets.
This act by the Ghanaian government is incredibly positive for turtles and will enable the expertise and efforts of the Dzita Turtle Protection team to be maximised.
In conclusion…
Despite the times, the work of our beneficiary NGOs is thriving and we have you, our supporters, to thank for that. If you would like to get involved and do your own fundraiser then please get in touch. Finally, we are looking forward to working with Bryan to build on and extend the valuable developments which our organisation has been able to bring to the lives of communities in the Volta Region of Ghana.
*** THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT ***
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