Years 2009-2010

After the school was completed in 2008, the students still had to eat their breakfast and lunch at their desks or outside because they did not have a cafeteria. The food was prepared at a villager’s home and brought each day to the school. Food brought to the school is part of the Ghana government's School Feeding Program.

The students did not have access to a library in the community, so the only books they had access to were their schoolbooks. An architect from California drew up the plans for the proposed cafeteria/dining hall and the library.

Proposed Cafeteria/Dining Hall and Library

The VODEP organization solicited donations to build a cafeteria/dining hall with a kitchen, to ensure a safe and sanitary environment for meals to be prepared, for students to eat their meals in the cafeteria instead of their classroom, and to have a place for activities during the rainy season. Construction of the cafeteria/dining hall with a kitchen and storage room was completed the end of 2010. The cafeteria is large enough to seat 150 students at each mealtime. There are two sinks and an area to install a stove. Plumbing was also installed for future connection to the main water line. Electrical conduits were also installed for future wiring and electricity.

The second level of the cafeteria building was also completed to set up a small children’s library. Over 7,000 books were shipped from the USA to Ghana and are currently in storage.

In 2011, we will employ a carpenter to build tables with benches to use in the cafeteria.


Eating Lunch in Classroom	Cafeteria on First Floor	Library on Second Floor

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"It is my wish that the voice of the storyteller will never die in Africa, that all children in the world may experience the wonder of books, and that they will never lose the capacity to enlarge their earthly dwelling place with the magic of stories." - Nelson Mandela