Something to think about

Today's been busy. Despite having no school today I worked until
3pm, first on making the exam schedule and then finishing typing
the exams (35 or so) which I've been chipping away at for the last
week. It was quite satisfactory to finish, even if it did then take
over an hour to print just the original copies - not because the
printer was slow, it's a very good printer, but because of the
computer. Hopefully while I'm gone to Lake Volta/Boti Falls for
the weekend the copies will actually get made.

Anyway. I'm writing with a request to all those blog readers out
there. I know I've complained a lot about the state of the school,
the quality of teaching, etc. But an Italian organization, RC,
with a Catholic affiliation, has built a new primary school for us
that is to open next term. There are, gasp, seperate classrooms,
and it will be a lot easier to teach and keep classes orderly. Plus
the principle will stop teaching and there will be a push to hire
only qualified teachers, and lesson plans will be checked and tests
will have to go on file in the office. The end of this school year
has been a bit frustrating knowing it will be so much better after
I leave and there's little to do about the situation now.

But there are two places where money is needed. One is the library
in the new school. CBW already has a community library that is staffed
by the most wonderful young woman and kids love to go read in there.
But RC built the school with a large room for a library and CBW filling
it is conditional for the school to open. The UN will furnish it
but I'm asking for cash donations to buy books. Shipping gets too
expensive and we want books that are culturally and materially
appropriate. Any donation will help. All of this, the push for the
new building, the library, the ridiculous school ode, the qualified
teachers, is in an effort to get CBW recognized by the Ghana board
of education.

The other place where donations are needed is the scholarship fund,
which is newly started. This will be the first year of giving
scholarships, previously volunteers just sponsored kids but there
was no accountability and the kids could go a year and then there
was no way to renew. Now the fund will select kids whose parents
applied on the basis of attendence, grades, and disciplinary record,
with less emphasis on the latter in the younger ages. For the three
terms CBW charges a total of about US $4, but uniforms are becoming
mandatory so the scholarship will be subsidizing those. With the
exchange rate I can get at a bank, $6 will due to give a scholarship
to one kid for a year of education.

So, any amount for books or scholarships would be wonderful. As I'm
leaving in two weeks, I ask that if you want to donate, you a) send
me an email pledging the amount and specifying what for at traizen1
@ swarthmore.edu and b) send a check to my home address (I can email
it to you if you don't know it, just ask in the initial email) made
out to me. I'll take the money out of my account now and when I get
home deposit the checks. The deadline on this is next Tuesday
midnight your time, so Wednesday I can get the money out in Accra.