As I said in my last journal, this week will give us some indication where this project is going. Sure enough we had quite an exciting week. After I made my rounds in the community on Sunday we started the week on Monday on a positive note. We laid in the first block on Monday morning and in five days we had quite a nice progress.

On Monday afternoon I had another meeting with the elders and Prosper regarding the making of the remaining of the 2000 blocks. It was a very interesting conversation by which I felt that finally the token fell, the phone rang and the massage went through: without making the blocks ASAP we are not going to meet the schedule. It was a very candid conversation by which the elders revealed their plan to make blocks – it did not have a check with reality. At this point it was clear that the elders will not be able to bring the community with larger enough numbers to make the blocks. It was a moment of truth. On our way home Prosper told me that without much choice he will bring his apprentices to make the blocks. It took a few days but on Friday the apprentices came and started to make the blocks. It will take about a week to finish molding the additional 2000 blocks and another week to dry out.

I also realized that if I want to build a toilet system, I need an outside help to excavate the large septic tank. In the evening, I went together with one of the city engineers, to the Mayor’s home.

It was a good discussion. I will need to submit a request to the Assembly for approval of the septic tank excavation and the Mayor didn’t see any reason why it will not be approved in spite the fact that it is not in his budget. New furniture for the new school will not happen at this time,maybe in about six months.

On Thursday I received my first 100 Cement bags and the balance on Friday. It took some doing and coordination on my behalf but I have made it.

On Tuesday I submitted a request for the excavation and was surprised to see my letter with many approved signatures in the hands of the city engineers when they come to visit me on the site the next day. They keep telling me that it will not take too long before the final approval will be given. But in Africa time has a different dimension than in the Western world. I hope that it will happen next week.

So, things are moving along and it looks like we have a chance to make it happen. The time is short and there is a lot to do. Hopefully no more surprises.

In Ghana, when you want to speak to parliament member, assembly member or the mayor, you can call him directly, go to his office or go to his home. This week Benny daily schedule included meetings with the mayor, assembly member and the city engineers.

The Parliament Member came through on his promise and 200 bags of cement were delivered to the site. The city officials also promised to help us excavate the large hole for the septic tank.

Last Sunday Benny walked door-to-door through the community, make sure the people will show up for work to support the masons.

The walls of the school are rising, and Prosper sent his apprentices to help molding the blocks.

A good week with a lot of progress.

Prosper called Thursday afternoon, "Benny, you must come over here, the whole community is dancing and singing". It was the end of Phase I of the construction. Casting the floor was completed as scheduled!

We left the site earlier, it looked like a bee-hive. Fifty community members, including some of the youth and a few from neighboring community. Benny had rented a concrete mixer for three days to cast the floor. Women carryied head pans full of stones, sands, cement and water into the mixer. On the other side they were loading the head pans with concrete. Smiles were on every face. They were so proud of themselves. (They all recognized that if it was not for Benny pushing them, they would still digging the foundation.)

But somehow they got the wrong idea that when the floor was done their share of labor was completed… and Benny was planning to start laying the wall blocks the following day, on Friday. Benny hired six masons. Each mason required two community members to support him, mixing the mortar and bringing the mortar and blocks to the mason, so that they could lay the walls. They also need to mold 2000 additional blocks.

Benny gathered the community on Thursday, during their kenke-lunch break.

For the next five weeks he needs the community to support the masons in laying the blocks and continue making 360 blocks per day. "If we do not have twelve community members to support the masons, I am sending the masons home."

and he did…

While the community rested, Josef, the 75 year "elder" continued to work in the hot sun.

Benny met again with the MP. He promised 200 bags of cement, but now it seems that we have to chase him and his promise.

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A short week, but never the less it was not short of excitement. I rented a compact machine for two days to compact the sand in preparation for casting the floor.

We need a total of 6300 cement blocks for the building, and I told the community that they need to produce minimum of 360 blocks per day, using twelve bags of cement. So far they molded about 4300 blocks.

Monday the community did not have money to buy food for the workers so, they were hungry and left at lunch. Tuesday the same and Wednesday, twenty people came, but they were tired and produced only 120 blocks, using only four bags of cement.

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On Thursday, December 24th, I traveled to Kpando to meet with Bishop Forson regarding digging a borehole for his school. Work was not scheduled at the Airfield School on Christmas Eve.

I received a call from my contractor that the whole community showed-up for a half day work, 65 people including some youngsters. This was my Christmas present, am I going to trade it back on Monday? Did the wheel turn? are we in the clear? We will know Monday after this four day weekend.

So, last week after the meeting with the assembly on Wednesday, the two groups were instructed to join so we should have a reasonable number of people on the site. On Thursday, the day after the big meeting, nothing changed. I burned another fuse and after a whole day of negotiation we compromised and agreed that the two groups will join only for the casting of the floor but each person will need to be excused for not showing up to work. The agreement was written in Ewe and signed by seven of the community elders.

If things will go right, we will cast the floor after the first of the year. The walls will take about two to three weeks. The Roof is next,. hopefully we will start not later than the beginning of February. I hope that the weather will cooperate and will not give us any surprises.

And the saga continue.

Happy New Year to our family and friends around the world

Surprisingly, at this very Christian country, where stores name are "by the grace of god beauty shop" etc, nothing much was happening at X-mas time.  No gift buying, decorations or family get together.  Just another day to go to church.  Many businesses were opened.

At the construction site, this week was marked by power struggle, as the "Elders" tried to control the work. Ewe people are known to be hard-headed.

Benny requested that they sign another letter, written in Ewe, requiring a community member who does not come to work to obtain a permission from the group leader.

Benny delivered a letter to the Regional Director of Education, reporting the current situation in the school, requesting good teachers for the Airfield Community.

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