Durham News Features - View Article - Brooklin resident spends five months training locals and constructing schoolhouse

RELATED FACTS

The Republic of Ghana is a nation located in West Africa. It borders Côte d'Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south. Formerly called the Gold Coast, the name Ghana is derived from the Ghana Empire. The capital city is Accra and the country is divided into ten regions. At the start of 2005, the population was 21,029,853.

Climate and geography
Ghana is located on the Gulf of Guinea, only a few degrees north of the equator. The coastline is mostly sandy shore backed by plains and scrub and intersected by several rivers and streams, the longest of which is the Volta River. A tropical rainforest belt, broken by heavily forested hills and many streams and rivers, extends north from the shore. Lake Volta, the largest man-made lake in the world, stretches through large portions of eastern Ghana. The climate is tropical, with hot and dry areas along the east coast and to the north, and hot and humid conditions in the southern region. The rainy season extends from May to September and a dry, northeasterly wind called the Harmattan blows throughout January and February.

Language and culture
English is the official language, followed by several native tongues including Twi, Ewe, Dagbani, Ga and Akan. Ghana is well known for the variety of crafts its people produce, the most recognizable of which is Kente cloth. These colourful strips of fabric have symbols carefully sewn into them. The cloths are often sewn together to create large wraps worn by average Ghanaians and tribal chiefs alike. After the country achieved independence, the Ghanaian music scene flourished, particularly the dance style known as high life, which can often be heard at clubs and bars. Many Ghanaians are skilled drummers, and traditional drum ensembles can often be heard at social events. In recent years, football has also become a cultural force in Ghana, with the country making its first major stride this year when the Black Stars qualified for the 2006 FIFA World Cup.

Religion
Christianity and Islam are both widely observed, as well as a wide range of tribal religions. Religious tolerance in Ghana is very high - the Christian celebrations of Christmas and Easter are recognized as national holidays, while Ramadan, the Islamic month of fasting, is observed by Muslims across the country. Important traditional holidays are observed by ethnic groups, including the Adae, which occur fortnightly, and the annual Odwira festivals of the Akan, which honour ancestors. There are also the annual Homowo activities of the Ga-Adangbe, during which people return to their home towns to greet new members of the family and remember deceased relatives.

HIV and AIDS
An estimated 350,000 Ghananians are currently infected with HIV or AIDS, 31 per cent of them are adults.

Government and politics
Ghana has a constitutional democracy with a president who acts as head of state, head of government, and commander in chief of the armed forces. He also appoints the vice president. The current president is John Agyekum Kufuor and the vice president is Alhaji Aliu Mahama, both of whom were elected in 2001. The 230 member parliament is elected for four year terms, by a popular vote. All Ghananians 18 and over are eligible to vote. The next election will be held in December 2008.

Poverty and economy
Ghana is rich with natural resources like cocoa, gold and timber, giving it roughly twice the per capita output of the poorer countries in West Africa. However, the country still relies heavily on international financial aid. Twenty per cent of the population is unemployed and about 31 per cent live below the poverty line.

History
Ghana was formed as a result of a merger between the British colony of the Gold Coast and the British Togoland trust territory. In 1957, Ghana was one of the first European colonies in Africa to gain independence from the United Kingdom. A long series of coups occurred after the first Ghanaian president, Kwame Nkrumah, was overthrown, resulting in the suspension of the constitution in 1981 and the banning of all political parties. A new constitution, which restored party politics, was approved in 1992.

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Brooklin resident spends five months training locals and constructing schoolhouse

Aug 17, 2007 By: David Blumenfield

BROOKLIN -- Last March, Barry Barisic left the comforts of life in Brooklin for a nine-foot room in a mud house in Ghana, where he designed and oversaw the construction of a five-room schoolhouse now being used by 82 children.

For five months, Mr. Barisic trained local artisans in the country's Ashanti region, helping them improve their construction methods and building several houses, a first aid emergency clinic, bus shelter and children's playground in addition to the completion the Canadian School of Nkwantakese, Ghana, which opened in July.

"I taught them a great deal, but they taught me even more," said Mr. Barisic, who worked on the project as part of Habitat for Humanity. "They're extremely poor, yet extremely kind -- and generous."

Mr. Barisic, a retired Durham District School Board teacher, said he had volunteered on much smaller projects with Habitat with Humanity, but nothing quite like this.

"This was much bigger," he said. "I was the project coordinator and construction specialist... for the region. At times I found it frustrating, but then I realized they have not had the exposure or the education to the things that we take for granted."

Mr. Barisic said the Canadian School of Nkwantakese, Ghana has quickly become the most prominent institution not only in the village, but the entire Ashanti region. Aside from supervising the project and seeing it through to completion, he said he treated more than 200 residents for malaria, stomach ailments and other illnesses with anesthesia and other medical supplies he originally brought for himself.

"It's a cruel world, to be honest," he said. "They're at the whim of the elements -- it's either too much rain or too much heat, or drought or insects. It's unpredictable."

Mr. Barisic said the entire project cost approximately $10,000, most of which he funded himself. Financial assistance was also given from the Retired Teachers' of Ontario and the Ontario Secondary School Teachers' Federation, he said, as well as from family and friends.

Today, Mr. Barisic is in the process of writing a construction manual that can be used in Ghana, Togo, Ivory Coast and other parts of Africa that receive large amounts of rainfall, and is also trying to raise funds for a lunch program to feed the children of the school in Nkwantakese, Ghana.

"These donations are very much needed and appreciated," he said, adding that a $50 donation alone would likely feed 80 kids. "They are poor, they lack everything. I lived among them. I have seen how little they have.

"They appreciate every thing that we do for them," he added. "I'm happy that we had a chance to do (this) and leave a small mark."

For more information or to make a donation, call Barry Barisic at 905-449-5539 or e-mail canadianschoolghana@yahoo.ca.