|
Dear Friends,
Thank you for your continued support of EDP this year. It’s been another busy one in Ghana at Awutu Winton Senior High School (AWSHS), and we’re excited to share a brief summary of some of the highlights.
Leadership Change
We bid farewell to Seth Rockson Adjadotse, our Headmaster, who retired after nearly 14 years at AWSHS. We welcomed Sam Batarema, with his extensive experience in Maths and as Deputy Head at a Senior High School. Project Director and Founder , Peter Donkor, and the Board of Trustees at EDP very much look forward to his leadership in the coming years.
Volunteering & Partnerships
We welcomed three volunteers: Bart Janssen , who assisted for a couple of months in the classroom, Seb Woodhouse , who was at the school all year and established cricket, rugby, and waste management systems, amongst other activities and Izzie Dooley, who arrived in September and is supporting girls’ empowerment and developing netball and other sports with the girls, and who returns in January . We also had a fantastic visit from 12 students and 3 staff from Canford School, Dorset, who spent two weeks engaging with the local community and helping with various projects at AWSHS. Canford are due to make their, now, annual visit again in July 2025.
During the year we also developed our links further with Wioso Senior High School near Kumasi , who have recently been appointed as the second school, after AWSHS, to be working as a JV with the Ghana Education Service . Also in the last ¼ of the year we started cooperating with Mankwadze Technical Institute , near Winneba in the areas of Agriculture and Science which offers exciting possibilities of mutual benefit going forward.
Solar Project
We’ve made considerable strides in sustainability with the installation of solar energy at AWSHS. Thanks to Dan Smith and Potentia Engineering Ltd , two major solar systems were set up: one for the pool area (now fully off-grid) and another for the school (now about 70% off the national grid). This project was made possible through the generous donations of Potentia’s contacts, and also Dainton Self Storage, who helped ship the equipment. The installation was then done pro bono by Dan , with assistance from Rob Baker, AJ Hickman, Aiden Stevens, and Guy Douglas. Expansion is planned for 2025.
Sporting Achievements
In addition to the progress made in the coaching and results of our soccer teams by both boys and girls at AWSHS we were also pleased to see the development in a number of other sports , including:
- Cricket: The AWSHS cricket programme, supported by Adam Friend and volunteer Seb, has gained momentum. The first Cricket Festival was hosted in November at the schools sports field, now named ‘WIMBLEY Park’ , with 10 teams from 5 schools participating. A big thank you to the Lord’s Taverners for their immense donation of cricket gear which we hope to distribute further in 2025 around a number of schools across Ghana.
- Rugby: In January, AWSHS formed a rugby team, and by November, 19 of the 20 members of Ghana’s National Rugby Team were from our school! The team competed in – and won – the prestigious Ruby Presidential Cup in Accra.
- Water Polo: Thanks to the long-term support of Princess Charlene of Monaco Foundation in the Learn to Swim programme , our Water Polo team continues to excel. Led by Coach Prince Sefa-Boakye Asante, the team has been dominant in national competitions. In November, both the boys’ and girls’ teams emerged victorious once more in a national Water Polo league competition.
Environmental Focus
EDP has made significant efforts towards waste management and recycling.
Under the guidance of Seb, students now sort waste into categories, and we’ve partnered with Trashy Bags ( based in Winchester but with an impressive collection point and factory in Accra ! ) to transform plastic waste into reusable products. We’ve also banned plastic bottles at the school, encouraging students and staff to bring their own reusable bottles and drink from the schools’ wonderful supply of purified water, made possible thanks to an earlier donation by supporter Michael Rosenthal.
Sponsorship & Scholarships
We continue to support students that are severely in need. This year, we’ve doubled the number of students receiving financial aid to 40 in number, which covers all their hostel, medical, food, and transport costs.
Additionally, five top-performing students will be sponsored for tertiary education by the wonderful Madrinha Trust from January 2025 . Madrinha was introduced to us by supporter Steve Almond in the autumn of 2023, and EDP is now their representative in Ghana.
Health Screening
In collaboration with the International Sickle Cell Centre, led by Dr Mary Ansong and her sister Martha Wiafe , we conducted a health screening for all Year 1 students, covering vital checks, sickle cell, hepatitis B, malaria, and more. We were also lucky enough to have a visit from UK by Physiotherapists Alison Palmer and Sarah Oldrey in November .
Thank you !
So, once again, thank you for your unwavering support during this busy year at AWSHS. We look forward to an even more exciting year ahead!
Warm regards ,
The EDP Team
UK Charity no : 1129398
Contact: david@edp-trust.org
Website : www.edp-trust.org
|
