EWB - LV Drifting Angels Orphanage Project, Ghana
In June 2010, a group of over 20 volunteers representing the Las Vegas Professionals Chapter of Engineers Without Borders (EWB-LV) and Volunteers for International Development and Aid (VIDA), traveled to Ghana. The volunteers come from all walks of life. They included engineers, teachers, lawyers, and business people. The mission of the program is the development of a partnership between Disaster Volunteers of Ghana (DIVOG) EWB-LV, and VIDA to assist with the design and implementation of an orphanage building, water well, latrine, and washroom construction project for the Drifting Angels Orphanage in Tsito Awudome.
There is a great need for the project. The current orphanage consists of a couple old buildings on rented land. Currently there are 29 children housed at the orphanage, with an additional 50 children sponsored by the orphanage as foster children.
The first phase of the project, completed in 2008, was the development of a new water well. Previously, there was no water well on site and very poor sanitation conditions. The orphanage had to purchase and transport water, in jerry cans, every day from the center of town. These cans were dumped into a cistern that increased the risk for contamination and water borne diseases. EWB-LV designed and helped implement a new water well close to the orphanage site. This has lead to less incidents of illness, cost savings, and safer water conditions.
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| New Water Well completed as Phase 1 of the project. |
Phase two of the project was completed in 2009. Previously, the children were using a 10-foot by 5-foot pit with a few wood beams placed across the top for a toilet. On many occasions, the children would trip or lose their balance and fall into the open pit. Last year, EWB-LV helped to design and construct four new latrines and a wash sink on the existing orphanage site. Construction of the new latrine has resulted in safer conditions for the children and an increased awareness of proper sanitation and hygene.
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| Children around the sink - Phase 2 |
Last year, the founder and head of the orphanage, Elise Doh Asem, purchased property suitable for the construction of a new orphanage. The construction of a new orphanage on her private land is an economically sustainable solution to maintaining education and safe living conditions for the children. The new orphanage will be constructed in multiple phases and will include an orphanage building, a self composting latrine, a washroom, and a water well. The project will immediately improve the standard of living for the children of the current orphanage. Moving the orphanage to land owned by Elise will free funds that will allow for better living conditions of the children housed both at the orphanage and foster homes. The project will also result in the potential for future site development of a new school and educational center. In addition, the construction of a self-composting latrine will result in a future source of compost for crops. Elise owns a farm that is a source of food for the children and the community. All proceeds from the farm go to sustaining the current orphanage and foster children.
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| Elise Doh Asem, founder and head of the orphange. |
In June, the volunteers started construction at the new site. Over a two-week period, the group helped break ground and lay the foundation for one of the new dormitories
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| EWB and VIDA Volunteers. |
In addition to the orphanage project, EWB-LV and VIDA are currently in the construction phase of the Manpong School Program. The community of Manpong is located in central Ghana. Currently there is no school for the more than 80 children in the area. Students are educated in an apartment building and must halt educational activities every time it rains. Parents in the community have become frustrated with the poor state of educational infrastructure and were beginning to remove their children from school altogether. A partnering NGO alerted EWB-LV and VIDA of the dire situation in Manpong. We partnered with the community in the planning of the new school, and recently began construction. In June, the volunteers traveled to the community and were welcomed by energetic students ready to show their appreciation for the new school.
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| Manpong School Children |
If you’d like to learn more about the projects, get involved, or donate your time or efforts, please feel free to visit www.ewb-lv.org or www.thevida.org.