OCTOBER 2008 UPDATE
Construction of the Three Districts Water Project is well under way in Tsumkpo, as shown in the pictures below (taken in August). The pictures to the right demonstrate how Tsumkpo is still forced to use the existing sources of water until the water system is full operational.
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
JUNE 2008 UPDATE
Augustus recently returned from a successful visit to Ghana. He met with leaders of Tsumkpo and the District capital in Dodowa to discuss the Three Districts Water Project and Atidekate’s proposed contribution (your contribution). After a productive meeting, Atidekate donated funds which satisfied in full Tsumkpo’s requirement and put a substantial dent in the requirements of the sister communities of Tokpo and Otiokpo. In the following days, the money was transferred from Atidekate’s account in the U.S. to the community leaders in Tsumkpo, and delivered to the DWST.
Yesterday (13 JUN), we spoke with community members in Tsumkpo who reported that construction of the water system is underway and progressing rapidly. All of the trenches for the piping have been dug, and the main water tower is now under construction in an central location between Tsumkpo and neighboring villages. Anticipation is building and it looks like it won’t be much longer now. Now, it is up to Tsumkpo, with assistance from local non-profit organizations that are part of the project, to put the organization into place to ensure that the water system is properly maintained and controlled.
For 2008, we will continue following this project as it is completed so as to assess the most productive next steps for Atidekate in Tsumkpo.
NEW UPDATE
Augustus Vogel, Atidekate’s president, will be visiting Ghana of April 2008 to deliver the funds for the water project. He will also be meeting with the communities to discuss the best way forward for maximizing the availability of the water to the local population.
UPDATE
Thanks to the overwhelming support we received from our initial donation drive, in December 2007 we met our initial goal of raising $4,000 to support Tsumkpo in its quest for clean water. We truly appreciate the support we received from so many people from all over the United States who felt a connection to the project.
From conversations we have had with the chief of Tsumkpo and others in the community, the Three District Water Supply Project has apparently begun to dig the trenches in preparation for extending the water supply to Tsumkpo and other communities in their area. Augie Vogel, Atidekate’s president, is planning on being in Ghana this spring, and will meet with the Tsumkpo community and to personally present Atidekate’s assistance to the appropriate officials of the Three District Water Supply Project. Augie will bring his camera and hopefully we will have some nice photos of the water project to post on this page.
As you can see from the thermometer, we have decided to continue our fundraising efforts, in the hope of promoting other water projects in Ghana. For instance, Tsumkpo has two sister villages, Tokpo and Otiokpo, who are also among the 110 communities selected for the Three District Water Supply Project. These two other villages were also among the cluster of villages that Brendan Best and Chris Waldrop worked in while serving as Peace Corps Volunteers. While the goal of Atidekate is not to become the guarantor of payment of the community contribution for the 110 villages, Atidekate would like to assist those communities in helping to reach their goals. Also, from our connections with other Returned Peace Corps Volunteers and Ghanaians living in Ghana as well as abroad, we are also aware of other water needs in other villages throughout Ghana that may potentially be worthwhile projects for Atidekate to get involved in. As we develop other water projects, we will update our Projects page with details on those projects.
Background
Tsumkpo is located approximately 30 miles north of the Atlantic Ocean and 5 miles south of the Volta River and is in the Greater Accra Region. It is a village of around 250 people with families from all over Ghana and West Africa (including Osudokus, Adas, Ningos, Fulanis, and Ewes) who originally settled in Tsumkpo to raise cows for their extended families back in their ancestral towns. Besides cattle rearing, people in Tsumkpo farm, produce and sell charcoal, fish, and trade. Like many places, Tsumkpo has its charms, but also its challenges — among the many challenges the villagers face is the complete lack of clean water for drinking, cooking, and bathing. Geologically, Tsumkpo is seated atop a sheet of bedrock that makes digging or drilling a well impossible. Therefore, the people must resort to a few man-made ponds surrounding the village as their water source, sharing the water with the cattle for whom the ponds were created. This has been the cause of many deaths and illnesses in the village, especially affecting young children.
An Opportunity for Clean Water At Last
Tsumkpo has recently been given the chance of a lifetime, and is one of 110 communities selected to benefit from the “Three District Water Supply Project” financed by the governments of Britain, Denmark and Ghana. The project will bring clean, treated water from an area water treatment plant through a system of water towers and pipes. But to benefit from this unexpected and welcomed opportunity, every community must contribute 5% of the capital cost of the project. Tsumkpo has managed to raise 3 million Cedis (roughly all wages in a week for every working adult in the village). Tsumkpo is close to losing its chance if it misses a looming deadline to come up with the money.
Tsumkpo Can Not Do It Alone
Atidekate has decided to try and help Tsumkpo take advantage of this once-unimaginable opportunity by helping to raise the 5% capital cost contribution. Atidekate (one of whose officers is from Tsumkpo and another who lived and worked in Tsumkpo between 1997 and 1999), depends entirely on contributions for its projects. Therefore, Tsumkpo needs your help to get what we all take for granted: clean water. If you can donate $20, $50, $100, $200, whatever you can afford, we should quickly reach our goal. Because Atidekate is an all-volunteer organization with all overhead expenses furnished by its members, every dollar you donate will go directly to the project and be deposited into the bank account established for Tsumkpo by the “Three District Water Supply Project.”
Please send a check or money order to our surface mail address:
Atidekate
ATTN: TSUMKPO WATER
1172 1/2 W. Adams Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90007
Or: Donate online with a Visa or Mastercard
All donations are tax-deductible.