Latest News
Training Success
November 26, 2008
One of Project OKURASE's guiding principles is to involve the people of Okurase in every stage of the project and in turn enable them to have a sustainable livelihood. The project's first program involves providing job training for brickmaking - a program that not only produces jobs in the community, but also produces the necessary resources to build the infrastructure that will move forward with the project. The brickmaking training is about to come to an end, and the directors of Project OKURASE are excited to report it as a huge success.
Training began on August 21, 2008 and has continued over the past few months, despite some uncooperative weather and a lack of electricity on site. The first day of training produced 315 bricks, and as of November 14, the total count was up to 15,684. The program's goal is to produce 20,000 bricks, which is the amount needed to complete the first building for Project OKURASE - a building that will appropriately serve as a work training building for the community. This goal is expected to be met by the end of November. Upon completion, the two trainers will say goodbye as two of the successfully trained brickmakers will take their place and go on to train and supervise future workers.
Nana Yeboah, project coordinator for Project OKURASE, has bone above and beyond to ensure the success of this project and it wouldn't have happened without her constant efforts. Nana reflects on her work so far, saying, "I have always said that Project OKURASE, as I see it, is not just about building the centre; the process of building it involves helping the people of Okurase to change their perception about life and their approach to life. I believe that if we accomplish that, then half of our job will have been completed. If we don't get them to appreciate life as it is then we will have a problem making them appreciate what we are giving them and what they need to put in as well."
Moving Forward
While the Project OKURASE team is happy to report the project's current success, many supplies are still needed to help move forward:
- For the brickmakers: hard hats, protective eye gear, overalls, shoes
- A large capacity generator to provide electricity to the site
- A vehicle to haul concrete and laterite
- Cash to pay the brickmakers
If you would like to help the continued success of the brickmaking program in Okurase or would like more information on how to give, browse the site or contact us at info@projectokurase.org.
