Cambridge Education Foundation: Ghana Project

We initiated this project in 2006 following a speech by Ester Obetsebi-Lamptey at our London conference where she indicated that although a stand pipe for water had been supplied to a village in Ghana no one in the community had the necessary funds to unlock the padlock on the pipe.

This seemed so lacking in foresight by the authorities involved that we decided to try and establish a partnership with the community not only because it ties in with the company’s existing corporate social responsibility policy but also for the opportunity it offers to all staff both young and retired.

The project ‘s objectives are to develop a long-term mutually-beneficial partnership with the community in a village called, Kpone Saduase, This partnership, ratified by a Partnership Agreement drawn up in 2007 , is not one built on a donor-recipient model, but is based on mutual support and learning. These are unique aspirations which are shared by the Foundation members and the community.

The colleagues in Mott MacDonald/Cambridge Education who are involved in the project range from retired members of staff to some of our young graduates who see this as a tremendous opportunity to see and learn from another culture, to develop skills and expertise in areas outside their own, and to really make a difference within a completely different context. It also celebrates the role that more experienced and older staff can take in the development of such a project.

We are encouraging the development of specific skills in the community built around sustainable self sufficiency, such as building a dressmaking business, a training school and the production of gari, and offering the community multifarious personal and professional development opportunities.

Our input therefore focuses on three key developmental areas:

1. To erect a building for the community which can be used for various activities particularly as a health centre but also a training school.
2. The establishment of a training group, set up by the experienced dressmakers in the village , where they can share their skills and teach the young people dressmaking. We have already supplied several sewing machines and they have established a fund, from the “profit” they make on sales of the clothing, to maintain and renew the machines when needed.
3. The development of the local gari factory to supply the local markets and ensure that local farmers had a secure market for their crop of cassava.

All of these proposals are now developed into agreed business plans and the Chairman of Mott MacDonald has generously donated a small sum of money over the next three years to establish the project, but we need more if we are to move the community to a position of being truly self sufficient. No government assistance is available.

We, and the people of Kpone Saduase, would therfore appreciate any support you are able to offer. Your generosity will make an immediate difference to the lives of those within the community, and remember, any amount will help. Please transfer your donation into the following NatWest bank account: a/c 90544242: sort code 60 10 22. With thanks.

To find out more
If you would like some more information on our not-for-profit Foundation please contact us by email cef@camb-ed.com