What Awutu-Winton means to the local community

Awutu Winton SHS is positioned in such a way that it serves numerous scattered communities. The land on which the school is built is for the inhabitants of Awutu Bereku and Gomoa Akoti. Apart from these two communities, Awutu Winton SHS serves five major communities including Kasoa which is about 10 kilometres away.  

Awutu-Winton SHS has come at the right time to save a lot of junior high school graduates who, due to financial difficulties, have spent two or more years at home after completing their free education. There are others who did go on to senior high school level education but for one or two financial difficulties they had to end their education half way through the programme.   These were some of the problems Awutu Winton SHS, (the only fee free secondary education institution in the entire country), has brought to these communities. So indeed Winton means a lot to the people in these communities and Ghana as a whole.   Awutu Winton SHS has a great future. Established in 2010, it is about 6 years old. The school so far can account for 374 Graduates of which a little over 20 percent are pursuing various courses in the numerous tertiary institutions all over the country.Something we are very proud of.   

The Future of AWSHS  

Awutu Winton SHS is growing each day, and looking into the future, my excitement is that the school will overcome all of it's challenges.The activities at the school, in particular music and cultural events, help create some sort of patriotism and love for Winton, the students Alma Mater. I am optimistic about the fact that, more classrooms will be built, and vocational oriented programmes will be introduced. I hope that facilities in areas such as the science laboratory, and also the Home Economics department will be properly furnished. In the future I believe we will see enhancement of extracurricular activities, particularly in the area of games and software.

Project Manager Tom Cronin 2.0

Last year, I left my teaching job in UK to live and work in Ghana, running a teacher training program for EDP. Having heard about the project through a friend, I got in contact with David and Inez. As soon as they began to talk about the school, I could feel the passion they had for the project and was instantly hooked. I moved out to Ghana a month later. My five months at the school focussed on improving teaching methodologies, generic school policies and communications between the school and EDP. I loved working with the students and teachers in such a positive and constructive environment. I felt that great things were going on all around me, all the time. I finished my time in Ghana in October and returned to the UK. I was offered the Project Manager position and felt it was an opportunity I could not turn down. I returned to EDP Ghana as Project Manager in January excited and apprehensive but absolutely determined to achieve the objectives I had set myself.

It has been a steep learning curve. The teaching aspect is my specialism and comes fairly naturally to me, but in order to effectively oversee all aspects of the project I have had to learn a wide range of information and skills very quickly. I am extremely lucky to have a strong team around me to support the project (and me), each with their own area of expertise. The year will undoubtedly bring challenges. The unpredictability of work in Ghana is both the biggest reward and biggest frustration. We have a great team both in the UK and Ghana. I am proud to be involved in the project and I look forward to see the ground we can make this year.

The First Few Days: New Infrastructure Manager Pete adjusts to life in Ghana

The First Few Days: New Infrastructure Manager Pete adjusts to life in Ghana 

It was too early to change money at the airport. I stood sweating into my jumper under the awning at the entrance, having failed at my only task. A man sidled up and nudged my arm. ‘Do you want me to call anyone?’ 

I stared at him. ‘Who are you going to call?’ 

‘Anyone.’ 

‘No, thank you.’ He sidled away, looking slightly worried. I realised I hadn’t been blinking. I tried to remember if I’d slept: not on the planes, or in Casablanca airport. Casablanca airport wasn’t a good place for sleeping. The constant horns from the road in front of me sounded like they were inside my skull. A child dragging a carry on bag threw up in the gutter. 

‘Pete,’ I said to no one in particular, ‘This was not a good choice.’ 

The man with the phone edged slightly further away. 

I’ve learned not to trust my judgement at 6am after a night of sleepless travel, and by the time I was bouncing off the inside of the pickup truck on the way out to the school things were looking better. By the time I was under the umbrella trees in the school courtyard, drinking Abrofresh pineapple juice, my head had almost stopped spinning. The EDP staff sat opposite me, smiling like particularly patient carers. I did my best to smile back. 

‘Can you explain it again?’ 

They glanced at each other. ‘It’s free,’ they said. ‘None of these students pay for their education. The teachers’ – they gestured around at the buzzing classrooms – ‘are paid for by the government. We do the infrastructure and welfare. This guy’ – they pointed at Rajib – ‘He’s sorted out that building’ – a huge structure at the head of the courtyard, covered in building workers – ‘That’s going to be the job you’re taking over.’ I coughed up a mouthful of juice. ‘You’ll have to build a road too,’ they added, ‘And extend the sports field, and finish the swimming pool, and we need labs. You’re an engineer?’ I nodded unconvincingly and wiped my palms on my shorts. ‘Great, they said, let’s walk around the site. Don’t get bitten by any snakes.’ 

‘Pete,’ I said to myself again, but stopped myself when I realised everyone was looking at me. I cleared my throat. 

‘That sounds great.’ 

 The things that have been achieved so far at Awutu Winton are impressive. In the last six years a school has been constructed entirely from charitable donations, three sets of students who would otherwise have been unable to afford education have graduated, and a host of fantastic side projects and opportunities have arisen. There is still a lot of work to do to improve and expand every aspect of the school, and it’s a daunting prospect for a new arrival, but after three weeks it at least seems possible. Three weeks that have consisted of trying to work out all of the things that need to be done and how to do them, of eating too much some days, too little others, and scrubbing spicy palm oil stains out of my shirts in a bucket, of getting used to sporadic electricity and water. I’ve had my phone snatched and bought another, experienced the controlled chaos and euphoric air of graduation and the Great Ghana Run, listened to the back catalogue of Akon innumerable times in taxis, made a washing line/wardrobe out of strimmer wire and curtains out of a tablecloth I cut in half with a breadknife, and met people who are working hard every day to make the school a better place. I’ve also mostly managed to stop talking to myself in public. 

It’s going to be an interesting year. 

Volunteer Rajib shares the progress of the infrastructure projects

Infrastructure at AWSHS 

It has been a tremendous privilege to be able to work on the projects at AWSHS. When I first arrived, I got stuck right in producing images of what the new swimming pool may look like when it was only at the stage of conception; so too with the phase 3 academic block, now called ‘The Robertson Building’.

The swimming pool is at its final stages of construction. The changing room block has now taken form, the pool is ready for tiling and services are now installed. Interest in the pool is growing amongst the community too. Currently, we are training our sports teachers in how to conduct swimming lessons, I’m sure our students will enjoy their lessons as much as our teachers are enjoying theirs!

Seeing the phase 3 block at this stage, it is difficult to imagine that only eight months ago I was sitting around the masterplan of the school with David discussing the design of phase 3. Working on this project in particular has been very rewarding; I’ve thoroughly enjoyed being involved with every step of the process, from design, procurement, construction, and hopefully soon the handover. We made sure to take heed of the feedback we received of the existing blocks from staff and students alike, resulting in a design sensitive to the demands and needs of its users. The build is coming to an end with the last bits of plastering, painting and roofing.

It helps that there is so much going on at the school one can get involved with. The teacher vs student volleyball games in the courtyard, the football games ending with the setting sun, the newly introduced basketball games backed by the practicing choir have all made my time here memorable, unique, and difficult to give up.

We are working hard now to bring these projects to a close; I look forward to receiving a representative from the Princess of Monaco Foundation this month to review the swimming pool and of course the party arriving with David and Inez who will see phase 3 for the first time!

Volunteer Rajib talks about the infrastructure projects he has been overseeing at AWSHS

I arrived in Ghana roughly four months ago and my, how time has flown!

I have been working on a number of infrastructure projects, namely the expansion of the sports field, construction of a swimming pool and the third phase of the academic block.

Sports Field Expansion:

EDP had acquired a good bit of land, big enough for a regulation sized football pitch with ample room to spare. It’s exciting to see the landscape change and the pitch slowly manifest. Everyone here at Awutu-Winton is enthused at the prospect of hosting inter-school competitions in the near future.

Swimming Pool:

A generous donation from The Princess of Monaco Foundation is going to see the students learn a very useful skill. This is one of the projects I’m eager to see through; pools here are few and far between, and none, from what I have seen, are dedicated to teaching students or the local community how to swim. We're all understandably incredibly excited about this project.

Academic Block:

To be involved with the construction of this block is an experiential goldmine, not least due to my background in architectural education. Working on site through the building process has made, what I’d find, the most tedious of reading, interesting. Trenches have been dug ready for concrete to be poured, and I find myself reminding the contractor to remember his vibrator! 

Everybody in the EDP team has been incredibly supportive and helpful. I’m so glad to be working in such a vibrant, dynamic and rich environment!

Project Manager Niranjana talks about life in Awutu

It’s been almost Four months since I arrived in Ghana, and wow, has a lot happened! Time has flown by so fast and I have enjoyed every moment thus far.

Ghana is a wonderful, vibrant place- from the food to the music to the clothes. When I first got here I was (naturally) wary of solid food that you swallow without chewing. Now? I actually have frequent cravings for good FuFu and Groundnut soup, and it is fast becoming my favourite Ghanaian dish! 

The music is literally everywhere, even in the most remote village you can stumble across a sound system pumping reggae, hip-life, high life, or a combination of all three! As for the clothing, Ghana has the most beautiful fabric I’ve ever seen, the markets are full of wonderful prints, and women carry their babies in printed make-shift baby carriers, it's wonderful!

Having been born and raised in London, It’s taken time to adjust to village life in Awutu-Bereku where things move much slower. The school, however, runs at an entirely different pace from the village it resides in; things are constantly moving onward and upward!

When I first arrived at the school, I must admit I was slightly intimidated. The Project Manager prior to me, Marcus, had done such a great job- and I wanted to continue to do the school proud. However, I have quickly come into my own, and I now feel at home; the staff have been so supportive and the smiles of the students are a constant motivation to push the school to be one of the best in Ghana.

One of the most rewarding tasks I have overseen since arriving here has been the completion of the girls' hostel. Our most vulnerable female students now have a safe haven. This took a lot of preparation with many different aspects to consider but it is now all up and running successfully! The girls are so grateful to have a place where they feel safe.

We have also started work on the construction of a third classroom block, and thanks to my co-worker and friend Rajib, it’s all going very well (more on that from him).

AWSHS is such a wonderful project. There are so many of us here in Ghana, in the UK, and worldwide, that wholeheartedly believe in the mission of the school, and it is this collective dedication that keeps our students smiling.

GRADUATION CEREMONY SPEECHES 2014 from Peter (Founder), Seth (Deputy-Head) and David (Director)

Director David Lunan and Founder Peter Donkor join local dignitaries to congratulate new graduates

Peter Donkor, Founder:

Mr Chairman, Deputy Director General, Chief Director of the Ministry of Finance, representative of the District Director of education, aspiring graduates, invited guests, ladies and gentlemen:

The first thing I would like to say is ‘Thank you’ to all of you present here today. My special thanks go to our graduates without whom we will not be gathered here today. This is your day so make the most out of it. You have made us very proud with your achievements. I also want to say a special ‘Thank you’ to your teachers and EDP volunteers who worked extremely hard to guide and guard you throughout your time with us. My final special ‘Thank you’ goes to the parents and guardians of our graduates who supported us by making sure that their wards came to school regularly to acquire the knowledge and skills we have provided these young ones.

A normal Ghanaian Senior High School is a fee-paying school; ours is not. We believe we are the only absolutely free senior secondary school in the Central region, if not the whole of southern Ghana. By saying we are free, I mean we do not collect any fees including PTA dues. AWSHS is here to serve two main purposes: firstly, to provide free secondary education for the needy who, without such help would never experience secondary education and secondly, to help generate some social mobility in the Awutu community and its environs. Low social mobility and lack of educational opportunities is arguably the biggest social challenge of our time. The income gap between the richest and the poorest continues to widen, while education opportunities remain overwhelmingly dominated by children from privileged homes. The surest way to narrow this gap is through education. We are here to help bridge this gap in the community.

If we agree that the school will help our children and eventually help our families and the community, and to a larger extend the country, you and I must work cooperatively to make it the model school that the founder, directors and sponsors envisage it to be. It’s been said over and over again that the youth are the future leaders of the nation. Well, they will not be good future leaders if they lack the requisite knowledge and skills to compete in the global world. From the very first day that this school started running, we have tried to involve the community in everything we do. We continue to enjoy good relationship with the District Assembly, all past and present district Chief Executives, all past and present MP’s, the local GES and prominent individuals in the Awutu community. We have also employed local people to work in the school. We hope to continue such good friendship with other local establishments and individuals. In fact, we want more community involvement in the activities of the school.

 Rumours reaching me say that some people think the school is a “Whiteman’s school” so they dare not come to the school to see what is going on – they think they will be turned away. That is completely false; just look again at the name of the school. It starts with AWUTU. Winton is the name of the school where I used to teach in England. We follow the GES curriculum and all our teachers are Ghanaians. We also employ Ghanaians to work here. Above all, I am a Ghanaian. I will be so happy to see a massive local involvement in the activities of the school. I have been yearning for this to happen since the inception of this school and I pray that it does happen. Who can stop the chief of Breku from coming to his school? Who can stop the DCE from visiting the school? And who can stop the Youth Leader from coming to the school which is helping the youth of his community. Nobody can. Please, if you want to come to us, just book an appointment in advance and you will be warmly greeted by our ever-smiling project manager and headmaster. We cherish your partnership so do come.

Perceptions sometimes overshadow realities. Once I was asked whether we will be charging fees in future when the school expands. I thought my response and assurance had sunk in until I heard another rumour that we are planning to charge fees in AWSHS. I wish to place on record that this school is here today because I gave the fullest promise that we will not charge fees. When we were planning this project, the one thing which guided us was that no child will pay fees. We do not intend to charge fees in this school. With the support that we are already getting from government and the GES, AWSHS will continue to be fee-free.

Now that I have cleared the rumours, what sort of cooperation or if you like, partnership am I talking about? We want that kind of partnership that solely aims at providing good quality education for our students and subsequently imbibe in them, the skills and knowledge to make them useful members of the community, a partnership that is free from self, dogmatic and political interests. Yes, we are a secular school and we will remain so because we want to give opportunities to all regardless of religious background. I mean we want a partnership that puts our students first and at the centre of everything we do. Please, when you visit us, ask questions, criticise us if you think we are in the wrong and give us suggestions. We do listen to suggestions and we will listen to you. We are always ready for genuine and selfless ideas to move things forward here. We started by employing local people because we want to make the school a local school. Unfortunately, we had to fire a few because of poor work attitude. For instance, if you are a worker who skips work and also comes in late, you do not expect us to continue employing you just because you are a local person. If you are a teacher who repeatedly comes to school late, you do not expect us to continue working with you. We are always happy to work with committed people so that together we can make our students have a fulfilling experience at this school.

I cannot end my address without saying a word or two to our graduates. When I was at university I took a course called Abstract Algebra. I think I got an “A” but I can’t remember a thing from that course now. However, I strongly believe that that course helped to sharpen my thinking and imaginative skills. That is what is left with me now. Albert Einstein said, “Education is what remains after one has forgotten everything he learned in school" What this school has tried to give you is not just the Pythagoras’ theorem you learned in Maths, the Elasticity of Demand you learned in Economics, the Bank Reconciliation Statement in accounting, the Separation of Powers in government etc., the school has helped you to expand the frontiers of your imaginative capacity. Go and use it! Whether you got straight A’s , whether you qualified for university or not, you have made new friends, you have learned new social and communications skills and you have developed your thinking skills too. Go and improve your lives and the lives of your families.

Life in the real world, as some of you might have realised already, is full of challenges. But, life will be so boring without challenges. We need our challenges and difficulties to fully appreciate our successes. So, do not be put off in the face of difficulties and never be afraid to make mistakes. The one who never made a mistake never tried anything and people who never tried anything should not expect any success.

Finally, being successful is good; being a person of value is even better. What use is your success if it is of no value to mankind? Your quest for success must not let others feel less human. Rather, let your success lift the spirits of fellow human beings; let your success alleviate poverty, misery and deprivation in your communities. My wish is that you all enter the world as worthy ambassadors of AWSHS with renewed vigour and hope. Go out there, dream, take actions, face life’s challenges relentlessly, be successful and above all, be useful and a blessing to others. I wish you well and do not forget AWSHS. We will not forget you too. Thank you all.

Proud new AWSHS graduates throw their hats in the air 

Seth Rockson Adjadoste, Deputy Head:

Mr. Chairman, EDP Directors, Director General of Education,

Minister of State, MP of Awutu Senya Constituency,

Regional and District Directors present,

Nana Nom,

Distinguished Guests of Honour, Teachers, Grandaunts, Students, Ladies and Gentlemen…

On this memorable day in the history of Awutu Winton Senior High School, I am highly honoured to be called upon to give my report on our school.

Awutu Winton Senior High School was established in September, 2010 with 70 students and five teachers. Most of these students were boys and girls who had dropped out of school just because their parents did not have the means of paying for their senior secondary school education.

Our school’s uniqueness does not only emanate from its free fee nature but also from the diverse curricular and extracurricular activities that the students do at the school. This includes bee-keeping, carpentry, horticulture, recycling of water sachets and plastic bags, painting- just to mention but a few. 

The school started with General Arts and Business but today we do General Art 1, Art 2, Business and Home Economics with options including elective Biology, Elective Mathematics and French. We hope to introduce in the near future Elective Sciences, Elective Agriculture and Visual Arts.

Realizing the fact that most of these students had spent two years or more out of school, we had to do a lot of catching up. We insist that our library and the ICT lab are open all days including weekends and vacations to enable students to read and do a lot of research. Fortunately, we had and still have young and dynamic teaching staff that do extremely good work to make sure that the syllabus is covered for each subject area. Our teachers ensure that our students get the best of instruction. I am proud to say that our hard work and the efforts of the students have yielded positive results in our first year batch of students and we are sure that the second year’s batch of 2014 will do better.

Mr. Chairman, I would at this juncture like to mention the detail results of the 2013 batch of students in various subject areas.

English Language           95%

Mathematics                  84%

Integrated science           98%

Social studies                 99%

Economics                     95%

Business Management   100%

Accounting                    96%

Costing                          92%

Geography                     98%

Government                    98%
Literature                        84%  

 These students came with BECE aggregates between 11 and 33 but left the school with WASCE aggregates between 06 and 38. In total, 51% of our students qualified into the tertiary institutions including the university with a minimum of grade C6.

A lot of work was put in to producing these results, making sure teachers got to class well prepared to deliver great lessons.

We track the students’ truancy by marking the class attendance sheet on subject basis, making sure that students remain in class during lessons. We have introduced the traffic light system in the classrooms helping to identify students’ problems during instruction. Our students are also motivated in class by the use of the star award system which also helps to arouse their interest and involvement in class room discussions.

Mr. Chairman, our school can boast of a very good guidance and counseling unit that takes care of our students’ needs. We have a dedicated well-qualified and experienced counselor, Cici, who sees to the needs of our students. We also have a cozy air-conditioned room where students in distress can relax while discussing their problems with the counselor. We do not joke with our guidance and counseling issues. We are very particular with our adolescent health, so we act proactively to advise our students about health and sexual issues. We even started issuing sanitary pads before the government’s announcement. This is indeed a unique school. 

We offer special ICT training to students after the normal classroom periods. Students are given opportunities to sit one student per computer and practice. The ICT lab is open throughout the week with an instructor, always ready to assist. The teachers who are not ICT inclined are given ICT training to help improve upon their ICT skills.

Discipline as we all know, is one key to success in every enterprise. We inculcate into our students good moral behavior by teaching them to show regard to others in manner, speech and behavior.

AWSHS though a young institution, has made some remarkable success: we won the inter-school district debate competition and then represented the District at Cape Coast, coming fifth in the region’s competition.  Last year, we were first in the Enyidado Radio Mathematics and Science quiz competition. We also won this year’s; eliminating some great schools like T. I. Ahmadiya SHS and Portin, amongst others.  

We are doing well in the field of sports despite our numerical strength. We have already joined the central region schools sports competition and will during the next sports season create sensation in the region.

Mr. Chairman, Ladies and gentlemen, despite all the progress we have made, our school is encountering numerous problems and I will like to use this platform to appeal to the ministry of education, the Ghana education service (GES) and the government for a -school bus to help transport students to and from school, and a pick-up for school administration. Chiefs and opinion leaders should come to our aid to help provide hostel accommodation for our students at the school.

In conclusion Mr. Chairman, I wish to state that our school is a very good one where students, teachers and supporting staff are co – existing and working very hard to make this unique school successful. My short experience here so far, tells me that something great is emerging. So let us all join and prove to the whole world that YES, WE CAN.

Long live Awutu Winton Senior High School!

Long live EDP Directors and

Long live GHANA!

Thank you.

Local Ghanaians standing with Director David Lunan, Supporter Feroze Janmohammed, Project Manager Marcus Hagberg, MP Hon. Hanna Tetteh, Founder Peter Donkor and Deputy-Head Seth Rockson Adjadoste

David Lunan, Director

Mr Chairman,  Honourable Guests , Local Chiefs,  School Governors , Headmaster, Awutu Winton SHS and Education Development Projects  (EDP)  Staff,  Trustees, Parents , and Graduates , Akwaaba!

It is with enormous pleasure that I address you all on this, our first official Graduation Day and the second anniversary of Graduation at Awutu -Winton SHS.  Our congratulations to all the students for such a fine result!

In the 5 years since EDP came together with AWSHS through the good offices of Mr Peter Donkor and others, we have seen substantial progress at the school. And I am delighted to welcome my good friend Peter here today.

As many of you will be aware, EDP is a UK based charity set up primarily to raise funds to maintain AWSHS, which is registered as a charity in Ghana, AND TO ENSURE ADHERENCE TO THE FOUNDING PRINCIPLE OF THE SCHOOL, WHICH IS:

To create and maintain a high quality secondary school which is free of fees, equal in its admissions policy, secular in its outlook, and ambitious for its future and for its pupils!

I am minded to quote the Irish /American philosopher Thomas Paine who said:

The world is my country, all mankind are my brethren, and to do good is my religion”

In the past 12 months in particular EDP and Awutu-Winton have been working to forge strong ties with the GES to create an exciting partnership for the future  of the school [and we are delighted to welcome here today the honourable representatives of GES including :                                                 ] .

Our team of teachers under [Deputy] Headmaster Mr Seth Rockson Adjadoste

is now very strong.   My thanks, on behalf of EDP and AWSHS, go out to all the teaching and support staff who have helped so much to ensure the success of the school and in particular today’s graduation ceremony !

Also, my thanks go out to all previous volunteers, including the first Project Manager, James Riggs, who happily is visiting us today, for all their tremendous efforts - and this year in particular to our current Project Manager, Marcus Hagberg and his team of volunteers, which since January has included Helen Owusu, Edgar Guell and Sam Royle, and has just been augmented by the recent arrival of Letty Lunan and Maxwell Sayers. Thanks to the dedication of all these young people, who have given their services for little or no reward, EDP has built a strong administrative base at the school.

During the last year, EDP has focused its efforts on developing the infrastructure of the school, witness the opening of this fine assembly hall just under a year ago, and the launch  of our long awaited sports pitch which you will see taking shape just behind this building.

A new and exciting development which I am able to announce today is the imminent additional acquisition of 34 plots of land, thanks to the support of the local Chiefs and elders, who are represented here today, and a generous donation from our good friend and supporter in UK, Nick Robertson, who was also instrumental in helping EDP to fund the Valerie Dix Hall last year.

This additional land will give the school a substantial boost in its longer term ability to expand its facilities. My thanks to everyone who has been involved in this project.

As a result we plan to extend the sporting facilities substantially over the next 12 months, as well as build a hostel for a minimum of twenty places for girls who have to travel a long way to come to school every day.

In addition, due to the links with Peter Donkor’s family, we are pleased to announce scholarships for four students , two girls and two boys, starting this September, and our aim is to try and develop further connections with the fishing community at Peter’s family home in Gyakiti in Eastern Region.

An aquaponics project (producing Tilapia fish and at the same time home grown vegetables on site at the school)  is about to be launched with the generous assistance of Mr and Mrs Tony Bart who have made the journey at their expense to implement the project all the way from Australia ( applause ).   This is an example of the practical scientific links we are starting to create within the school and offers students in our science and agricultural departments the opportunity to get involved in a real-time application of their knowledge.

Other extra-curricular activities such as the Abrofresh juice project, the bee keeping club, and the carpentry club, give students the chance to acquire practical skills in addition to what they learn in the classroom.     As has been stated before, one of EDP’s aims is to support the efforts of teachers and students in fine-tuning the curriculum, whilst at the same time encouraging the development of an increasing number of extra-curricular activities.

As well as Abrofresh, which provides delicious fresh juice to the local community as well as to the school, there is now a school bakery and the aim is to expand our production of good quality bread, with the purpose of improving the overall quality of the student diet.  Our plan ultimately is to open a subsidised school canteen once sufficient funding has been raised.

Links have been forged with two schools in the UK, the Rodborough School and Canford School,  and there is huge enthusiasm on all sides which we are sure will result in strong and enduring partnerships between  the students and staff of AWSHS and their counterparts at the UK schools. Canford's recent trip to the school was deemed a great success by all parties, and we hope to welcome them back again in July 2015. A first Rodborough visit is planned for June next year.   The aim of these exchanges is to broaden the horizons of Ghanaian and UK students alike, and to allow the opportunity for them to understand more about each other’s cultures and traditions.    It should be a good learning experience for all!

So, the partnership that is developing strongly between EDP and its fundraising and administrative operations within Ghana and the UK on the one hand, and the AWSHS and GES and local government on the other, offers an exciting opportunity to build on the strong educational curriculum that the school is now able to provide alongside an increasing range of well-founded extra curricula activities.

For the future:  our ambition is to raise the necessary funds to build the hostel, and also more classrooms and labs so that by 2016/17 we can accommodate a larger student population. We also, in the more immediate time span, aim to improve the transport service at the school and also extend the IT and internet options.     At the same time we want to extend sporting facilities and offer more extracurricular activities.  We are confident that, with the infrastructure and network of members and supporters now in place, we can continue to improve standards at AWSHS and produce well-rounded graduates who will be a credit to themselves, the school, and society in general.

All Directors and Trustees of both charities, EDP and Awutu-Winton SHS, are excited at the prospects for development at the school in the forthcoming months and years, and we look forward to strengthening further our links within the Local, National, and International communities.

Thank you.